Past masters: the best used British bargains on the market today

From luxury saloons, to blue-blooded V8 sports cars, the British car manufacture has been the birthplace of immoderate of the finest cars ever made.

And the bully quality keeps connected coming due to the fact that you tin present container a portion of British greatness for arsenic small arsenic £500. 

Here, then, are the champion British bargains you tin bargain today. 

British heroes

For flying the emblem and showcasing British accumulation astatine its best, these 5 cars are hard to beat.

Range Rover Evoque Mk1

The compact Range Rover Evoque was an instant hit, which is wherefore today’s classifieds are awash with them astatine prices starting from £5000. Diesels are economical and Euro 6 from 2015; petrols are creaseless and little prone to particulate filter issues.

What to look for: Any rust is apt to beryllium mishap repair-related; DPF problems

Price: From £2000 to £26,000

Range Rover Mk3

The Range Rover has been Britain’s unofficial ambassador for much than 50 years. Our favourite is this third-generation version. It was developed by BMW and offers a good blend of performance, luxury and off-road ability, and prices for this exemplary are fair.

What to look for Check it is mechanically quiet, it sits close and rust isn’t an MOT issue

Price: from £1000 - £70,000

Bentley Continental GT Mk1 (2003-11) 

New Bentley proprietor Volkswagen was determined to get its high-performance, four-seat coupé right, sweetening the woody with a ‘low’ £110,000 sticker price. The GTC convertible arrived soon after, portion 2008 heralded the instauration of cardinal updates.

What to look for Well-maintained high-milers are best; cheque for mechanical and suspension issues and overgarment damage

Price: from £6000 to £63,000

Lotus Elise S1 (1996-2001)

Rear-wheel thrust and weighing conscionable 725kg, adjacent the slightest almighty Elise cracks 0-62mph successful 5.5sec. There are quicker ones, but the basal 118bhp exemplary is the sweetest.

What to look for Wayward sheet gaps, rusty rear subframe, track-day mishap damage, overgarment crazing, caput gasket leaks

Price: from £12,000 to £30,000

Mini Mk1 (2001-2006)

Size-wise, the first-gen Mini hatch is the closest to BMC’s original. The One is slow, the Cooper a small quicker and diesels are economical, but the supercharged petrol Cooper S is the 1 you want.

What to look for Cabin damp, gearbox and supercharger noises, irregular maintenance

Price: from £350 to £23,000

British eccentrics

From the federation that gave the satellite cricket, these motors bash it their mode and successful style.

Mini Paceman (2013-16)

The Paceman had large ambitions, with hatchbacks, coupés and adjacent SUVs successful its crosshairs. Buyers were confused, though, and with income falling, BMW dropped it aft conscionable 3 years. It’s a dense car and astatine its champion successful Cooper S form.

What to look for Missed lipid changes, worn brakes, peeling decals

Price: from £1500 to £13,000

Lotus Elan SE (1989-1992)

With its front-wheel-drive layout, the Elan SE was, successful the discourse of Lotus, astir wilfully perverse. A thrash successful the 163bhp turbo mentation usually won implicit sceptics. The exemplary returned in S2 form from 1994-95.

What to look for Mechanicals are beardown but composite assemblage and interior tin beryllium tired

Price: from £6000 to £13,000

Range Rover Evoque Convertible (2016-2018)

Heavier, much costly and little applicable than its five-door sibling, the two-door Evoque convertible was a bonkers derivative that was binned aft conscionable 3 years. Used ones are uncommon today, but they are astatine slightest reasonably priced.

What to look for Check for compartment damp, creaks and groans and DPF issues connected diesels

Price: from £13,000 to £26,000

Ineos Grenadier (2023-)

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s instrumentality connected the archetypal Defender is nary affluent man’s vanity project. Used Grenadiers are present much sensible though options-sensitive.

What to look for Desirable options; cheque the underside and that everything works

Price: from £43,000 to £96,000

British value 

Great plan and innovation for a batch little than you mightiness think.

Land Rover Freelander 2 (2006-2015)

The second-generation Freelander was good built, powerful, applicable and comfortable. It’s bully to thrust connected roadworthy and disconnected and has high-tech chassis systems including on-demand four-wheel thrust and Terrain Response. Cars from 2012 are the best.

What to look for Underside harm and lipid and coolant leaks, wonky steering, transmission noises

Price: from £1300 to £17,000

Jaguar I-Pace (2018-)

Used EVs person nosedived successful terms successful caller months, and fewer person done truthful much steeply than the handsome, comfy and tech-rich I-Pace. Four-year-old cars with less than 30,000 miles commencement astatine £17,000; SE trim is the saccharine spot.

What to look for Check complaint cables are present, that the artillery and brakes are successful bully information and that each the updates person been carried out

Price: from £14.000 to £75,000

Jaguar XF MK2 (2015-2024)

The Mk1 XF is inexpensive but agelong successful the tooth, truthful cheque retired this, its good-value Mk2 successor: a prettier and better-finished car with caller underpinnings and engines. There are adjacent versions with four-wheel drive, but the regular rear-drive cars spell good enough.

What to look for Oil dilution successful diesels, infotainment glitches, h2o leaks into the cabin

Price: from £1500 to £48,000

Jaguar XE (2015-2024)

The XE has a class-leading blend of comfortableness and agility. There’s a wide prime of petrol and diesel engines, too. With bully physique quality, just prices and an interior brimming with bully touches arsenic standard, what’s not to like?

What to look for DPF issues connected diesels, infotainment gremlins, irregular tyre wear

Price: from £2500 to £40,000

MGF (1995-2002)

The MGF was an affordable, mid-engined, rear-drive roadster with engaging handling and a supple ride. It was facelifted successful 1999 and offered successful 110bhp, 118bhp and 145bhp outputs, and it went connected to go Britain’s best-selling rag-top.

What to look for Hydragas suspension and caput gasket leaks, underbody corrosion, steering issues

Price: from £500 to £7000

British sports

Six of the champion for roadworthy oregon way – and sometimes both

Lotus Exige S2 (2004-2011)

Buoyed by the occurrence of the Elise, Lotus followed up with the much almighty Exige two-seat coupé successful 2000 and the Exige 2 4 years aft that. Its 1.8-litre Toyota/Yamaha motor produces from 187bhp successful modular signifier to 256bhp successful the supercharged 2011 S.

What to look for Unblemished work history, coolant leaks, gearbox wear, signs of tracking, bushed body

Price: from £20,000 to £35,000

Jaguar F-type coupe (2013-24)

More than 10 years since it was launched, Jaguar’s homage to the E-Type continues to thrill successful presumption of some show and worth for money. Good 5.0-litre V8-engined cars commencement astatine astir £28,000, 3.0-litre V6s outgo from £18,000 and the saccharine (2018-on) 2.0-litre four-pot exemplary is astir £25,000.

What to look for Interior rattles, seized centre aerial vent and doorway handles, faulty progressive exhaust, leaky rear differential

Price: from £17,000 to £145,000

Aston Martin V8 Vantage (2005-2017)

The baby successful Aston Martin’s range erstwhile it was launched proved to beryllium 1 of the brand’s finer offspring, possessed of a charismatic and reliable 4.3-litre V8 (increased to 4.7 litres from 2008), an aluminium assemblage and a well-designed cabin.

What to look for Full work history, worn clutch, suspension and alignment issues, oxidation connected aboriginal cars

Price: from £14,000 to £175,000

Jaguar XK (2006-2014)

Like its predecessor the XK8, the XK is simply a beauteous 2+2 coupé powered by a prime of V8 petrol engines. Some of those are supercharged, which means the XK is speedy but besides comfortable. If you can, bargain the better, post-2009 facelift version.

What to look for Bulletproof work history, supercharger leaks and noises, warped wheels, faulty parking brake, aluminium oxidation

Price: from £3500 to £50,000

Mini 2.0 Cooper S (2013-2024)

Most models amended implicit the generations, and the third-gen Mini Cooper S is nary exception: it’s quicker, usefully roomier, much refined and much ‘grown-up’ than its predecessors. Prices are precise colour- and option-sensitive.

What to look for Heated seats and the larger sat-nav and upgraded stereo, peeling decals, fund tyres suggesting penny-pinching

Price: from £3500 to £34,000

McLaren 570S (2015-2019)

Autocar’s roadworthy testers awarded McLaren’s rival to the Porsche 911 Turbo S the afloat 5 stars. Today, with prices for 2016-reg examples starting from £70,000, oregon fractional their terms earlier extras erstwhile new, possibly a bonus sixth prima for ‘good utilized buy’ is present due.

What to look for A trickle charger, breached suspension springs, leaky dampers and coolant hoses, wayward sheet gaps and bubbling connected sheet edges

Price: from £67,000 to £104,000

British brutes

Meet the Brits that battalion a punch

Jaguar S-type R (2002-2007)

Prices for this cool-looking, rear-wheel-drive 395bhp V8 super-saloon present span from astir £7000 to £15,000. In a head-to-head with like-minded rivals, Autocar rated it not acold down the E39 BMW M5, the prices of which commencement wherever the Jaguar’s permission off.

What to look for Rotting sills, supercharger rattles, missed lipid changes, hunting transmission, baggy suspension, faulty electrics

Price: from £3000 to £17,000

TVR Griffith 500 (1993-2002)

Prices person risen for this 5.0-litre, 340bhp mentation of the archetypal hairy-chest express, with the cheapest cars present astir £15,000 and the astir costly treble that. TVRs person a mediocre estimation but, fortunately, by present the fewer Griffs for merchantability person had astir issues sorted.

What to look for Electrical problems, mechanical noises and cooling issues, quiescent reverse cogwheel engagement, suspension and bodywork faults, rotting chassis outriggers

Price: from £17,000 to £40,000

Range Rover Sport 5.0 Supercharged (2009-2013)

With 503bhp and 416lb ft, this astir almighty of the first-generation Sport tin sprint from 0-62mph successful conscionable 5.9sec. Thanks to adaptive suspension and progressive anti-roll bars, it rides and corners comfortably and securely too.

What to look for Supercharger noises, failed h2o pump, anemic battery, sitting oddly astatine rest, irregular tyre wear, underbody damage

Price: from £7000 to £15,000

Jaguar XFR (2009-2015)

Son of S-Type R besides has a supercharged V8, but successful this lawsuit it produces 503bhp to springiness 0-62mph successful 4.7sec. In its roadworthy test, Autocar awarded the 2012-facelift mentation the afloat 5 stars. There’s an adjacent much almighty and melodramatic XFR-S with 542bhp, but they’re hard to find and prices for them are high.

What to look for A failing timing concatenation (the motor mightiness dependable similar a diesel tractor connected start-up), substance and coolant leaks, perished pipework

Price: from £7000 to £21,000

British luxury 

Probably the finest quartet of pre-owned motorcars successful the world.

Bentley Arnage (1999-2010)

New proprietor Volkswagen’s archetypal stab astatine a Bentley was a spot wobbly, with the institution ditching the car’s modern 4.4-litre BMW V8 successful favour of the aged Bentley Turbo R’s 6.75. Cabin is simply a spot plasticky, but a tidy car inactive cuts a dash.

What to look for Full Bentley oregon specializer work history, close batteries, galvanic corrosion, anemic interior trim

Price: from £11,000 to £45,000

Jaguar XJ (2009-2019)

The XJ’s past hurrah is simply a stylish and susceptible saloon worthy of the sanction and, arsenic a utilized car, bully value. Ride and handling, show and refinement are top-drawer, and prices statesman astatine conscionable £5000.

What to look for DPF issues connected diesel cars, six-speed gearbox issues connected pre-2012 update cars, sagging suspension, infotainment gremlins

Price: from £3500 to £32,000

Range Rover (2012-2021)

The fourth-generation Range Rover again demonstrates the model’s uncanny quality to harvester workhorse and luxury limo successful one. JLR is updating models from 2018 with amended information and has relaunched a dedicated security scheme.

What to look for A coagulated golden warranty and courtesy car proviso – immoderate problems tin beryllium fixed successful a time portion others instrumentality months

Price: from £11,000 to £120,000

Rolls-Royce Ghost S1 (2009-2014)

It whitethorn beryllium the ‘baby’ Rolls-Royce, but erstwhile it comes to satisfying expectations, the Ghost is simply a grown-up: spot its twin-turbo, 6.6-litre V12 for evidence. It’s a car for the proprietor alternatively than their chauffeur, and that, arsenic the Ghost ages and becomes cheaper, tin lone beryllium bully news.

What to look for Idling problems perchance caused by faulty injectors, gearbox lipid leaks, bushed suspension, signs of clocking

Price: from £54,000 to £100,000