You can buy any number of used cars for £10,000 these days (well, the actual number was 252,907 on Auto Trader today when I checked), but most of them are entirely unremarkable hatchbacks or saloons that would bore any car enthusiast to tears.
So if you had £10K to spend, what are the coolest cars you could buy? Well, we had a hunt through the classifieds and here is what we found.
We only chose from vehicles where there were at least several to choose from, rather than models where there was only one available.
Here’s what we came up with – your list will quite probably be different, so let us know which ten cool cars for £10K would make up your list in the comments section below!
Alfa Romeo 159
Launched in 2005, the Alfa Romeo 159 will go down in history as one of the most beautiful saloons ever designed.
This is even more of an achievement than it sounds, as it succeeded one of the other most beautiful saloons ever designed, the Alfa Romeo 156. However, the 159 was definitely better built, so a lot more of them are likely to survive. Get one in black or red with the 19″ TI wheels. Bellissimo!
Bentley Turbo R
A Bentley for £10K? Certainly. With the Turbo R, you get a big, solid, luxurious although not especially advanced machine.
Chances are, the car probably won’t have been driven that hard, and for much of its life it will have been well looked after. Fuel economy won’t be great, but cars don’t come a lot more imposing than a big Bentley.
BMW 8 Series coupé
Launched as a flagship for the BMW range in the 1990s, the 8-series coupé was a highly advanced machine, with electric and electronic everything and a superb 5.0-litre V12 engine.
It looked stunning, but was heavy for a BMW sports car, and the electronics are expensive when they break. Which they probably will. Choose with care, even more than you normally would on a used car.
Chrysler Crossfire
The only American car on this list, and not here because of its dynamic merits (it was based on an old Mercedes-Benz SLK platform), the Chrysler Crossfire is a distinctive and unusual coupé, and looks best when fitted with the original 18” front and 19” rear alloy wheels.
It probably won’t end up being a future classic, but it is certainly a unique vehicle.
Fiat Grande Punto
It may be a humble hatchback, but the Grande Punto is one of the cleanest, neatest and best-looking small cars on the road.
Designed by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro, the little Fiat Punto is cooler than the mega-popular 500 but may well age more gracefully. With a nose that is inspired by the Maserati 3200, the Grande Punto is an example of what good design looks like – especially with big 17″ wheels.
Jaguar XJ
You can pick up a late 2000s Jaguar XJ, which would have been about £60K a few years ago, for under £10K today. So if you’d like to look like the Prime Minister when you turn up to a meeting, here’s your car.
The 2004-2009 models (called the X350 and X351, if you’re interested) featured an advanced aluminium body, which kept weight down and makes it impervious to the rust which afflicts older Jaguars.
These cars were heavily criticised when new for looking little different to the previous models and appearing dated compared to the latest rivals from Mercedes-Benz and BMW, but today that’s less of an issue since they’re not new anymore anyway.
Maserati 3200 GT
The car which relaunched Maserati into sports car superstardom was the 3200 GT in 1994.
The second car in this list to be designed by ‘Designer of the Century’, Giorgetto Giugiaro, and developed under new ownership from Ferrari, this gorgeous Italian coupé has an exotic twin-turbo V8 engine (designed and built by Ferrari at Maranello) and one of the first applications of LED rear lights. Beware maintenance costs, however.
Mercedes-Benz SL
The quintessential grand touring convertible, you can get an early 2000s SL for under £10,000.
Following in a long and distinguished line of Mercedes-Benz SLs, this model was the first in SL history to get a folding metal roof (although the little brother SLK had pioneered this a few years earlier) and was a dynamic leap forward over the previous model. Should be reliable, but probably not cheap to run.
Porsche 928
Back in the 1970s, Porsche intended the 928 to replace its outdated 911 model. That plan didn’t quite work out, and the 911 celebrated its 50th year of production (albeit much improved over the years) in 2013.
Although the 928 didn’t end up doing the job Porsche intended, it was still an outstanding sports car and has now become a classic in its own right. Early ‘90s models can be had for under £10K, including its fantastic V8 engine.
Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow
The Jaguar just won’t do, and the Bentley is close but not quite there either. What’s a gentleman to do? Well, how about a Rolls-Royce?
The Silver Shadow slides in under our £10,000 limit, and you can pick yourself up a very tidy example. Just don’t get one in white, or everyone will assume you are a wedding chauffeur.
