21 big-name classics for £5k

Let’s see what £5000 gets you

Have you got Rolls-Royce tastes but only a Mini budget? Well, you’re in luck, because in today’s occasionally topsy-turvy classic-car market, a classic Roller could actually cost you less than a vintage Mini.

And Rolls-Royce isn’t the only prestige badge that’s firmly in bargain territory. From mid-engined Porsche sports cars to plutocratic limos from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, there’s something for everyone in this list of flash cars you could bag for around £5k.

Actually, let’s call it £4900: when you’re trying to nab a big badge for a bargain, it might be wise to keep £100 back for a decent socket set…

1. Maserati Biturbo

Buying a cheap Maserati is so brave Autotrader ought to hand out a Purple Heart or George Cross every time one changes hands.

But it’s hard not to be tempted. Pretty 3200s and striking ’00s Quattroportes haven’t quite dipped to our £5k budget, but you should be able to pick up a three-box Biturbo, quite possibly in three boxes (and if it’s not now, it might be soon).

2. BMW 750iL

Usually playing second fiddle to Merc’s S-Class, the E32 7 Series finally got one over on its rival by being the first to offer a 12-cylinder engine.

Available in ‘L’ long-wheelbase form, or less commonly as a shorter, sportier 750i, the V12 Seven put BMW in the big league, and Benz on the back foot.

3. Panther Rio

Panther’s attempt to add Rolls-Royce levels of luxury to the Triumph Dolomite added 200% to the Triumph’s price, and, unsurprisingly, not much to Panther’s sales figures.

Fewer than 40 were built, some with standard 1850 power, others with 16-valve Dolomite Sprint engines, and despite costing a fortune when new, they’re very affordable today.

4. Humber Imperial

Humber was the Rootes Group’s luxury brand and none came more luxurious than the Imperial, which still looks suitably imperious nearly 60 years later.

Basically a posher version of the big six-cylinder Super Snipe (which is much easier to find), it came with niceties like a separate heater for the rear compartment, reading lights and standard power steering.

5. Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R

And this is the car the Humber Imperial had in its sights: the Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R.

The Princess shared its body structure with the Pininfarina-designed Austin A99 Westminster, but power came from an aluminium Rolls-Royce straight-six developing 177bhp – a solid 40bhp more than the Humber could muster.

6. Jaguar XK8/XKR

The classic 120-150 XKs might be well out of reach of bargain-hunting Jag fans, but their modern XK8 descendants are still very affordable.

Five grand buys a decent naturally-aspirated 290bhp XK8, or a slightly rougher 370bhp supercharged XKR and a whole lot more performance.

7. Jensen-Healey

For five grand you can have two of the most famous names in British sports-car history wrapped up in one package.

Actually, it’s three names if you count the Lotus twin-cam engine under the bonnet. Maybe it’s the quirky looks that holds them back, but these cars are definitely undervalued, meaning you might pick up a drive-and-improve example for our £5k budget.

8. Mercedes-Benz S-Class

The S-Class has been the definitive large, luxury saloon for decades, and that means there are thousands to choose from.

Go for the African dictator look with a 1970s W116 (pictured), play at German CEO with the 1980s W126, or go technology crazy with the double-glazed, tank-like W140 from the 1990s.

9. Lexus LS400

The idea of the people behind the Corolla building a car better than Mercedes-Benz seemed laughable, until you remembered what happened in the motorbike industry 20 years earlier.

Visually, the ’89 LS400 was a clear rip-off of the contemporary W126 S-Class, and though it looked bland inside, even the Germans learned a thing or two about refinement from the 32-valve V8.

10. Audi V8

Audi’s first attempt at making a proper fat-cat’s luxury saloon was a stretched 100/200 fitted with a 32-valve V8 and Quattro all-wheel drive, the latter a USP because the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series were both rear-wheel drive.

Though designed as a business express, the V8 caused even more of a stir in motorsport where it won Germany’s Touring-Car championship, the DTM, in both 1990 and ’91.

11. Toyota Century

Technically, the Lexus LS400 wasn’t the pinnacle of 1990s Toyota luxury. In Japan if you were really wealthy you owned a Toyota Century, which began life with V8 power before switching to a V12 in ’97.

They were never sold officially in the UK, but a few of these spectacularly kitsch limos have made it to Europe and the US, and a car that needs work might just sneak under our budget.

12. Mercedes-Benz SL

Although no one seeing you drive by would believe it, it is entirely possible to pick up a Mercedes-Benz SL sports car for less than £5k – both the 1990s R129 and pretty 2000s R230 (pictured) fit the bill.

But be careful. Both are complicated and have the potential for big future bills, so look for evidence of regular servicing, and make sure the electric folding roof works.

13. Range Rover

Posh SUVs – and posh Range Rovers in particular – are everywhere these days, and their performance, handling and road manners are light years ahead of their ancestors’. But there’s still something special about an original ’80s Range Rover.

There’s a huge range of prices for these cars – dealers are asking £30k for mint, low-mileage examples – but there are still plenty of well-used hacks around for around £5k.

14. Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

The unibody Silver Shadow, the first Rolls built around a modern combined body and chassis structure, had its reputation ruined by doing the rounds as a bargain-bucket wedding car.

It seems to have recovered its cool recently, though you might lose yours when you discover how much body filler is hidden in a bad one.

15. Porsche Boxster

It’s got the right badge, a great engine and an incredible chassis – it’s even got two boots, making it as practical as a two-seater sports car can get.

Yet you’ll have no trouble finding a nice Boxster for our notional budget. Maybe it’s the scary internet stories about engines going bang, or that there are simply too many around.

Whatever the reason, at £5k a Boxster 2.7, or better yet, a 3.2 S, is an absolute steal.

16. Cadillac Eldorado

One of Caddy’s most famous badges, the Eldorado name was used on some of the company’s most expensive cars during the height of the fins-and-chrome years.

Fast forward two decades and it was attached to something rather smaller when Cadillac radically downsized the car to improve fuel consumption. There was even a primitive (and unreliable) cylinder shutdown technology to allow the V8 to run on four cylinders under light loads.

17. Rover P6

Rover’s sophisticated exec was a deserved winner of the European Car of the Year crown in 1964 – and it still feels special more than half a century later.

You probably won’t find a V8 or twin-carb TC for our £5k limit, but the standard 2000 is cheaper to run and looks just as good.

18. Porsche 944

We’ve covered the Boxster already, but if you prefer your Porsche with an ’80s feel, there’s always the 944.

The 2.5-litre (later, 2.7) eight-valve engine is essentially half a 928’s V8, and while at 163bhp it’s not massively powerful, it is very flexible.

Those bulging arches give the 944 far more presence than its 924 little brother, and though the rear seats are rubbish, the wide boot makes a ’44 very practical.

19. Rover BRM

Okay, so a humble 1990s Rover 200 might not seem that flash, but the (admittedly tenuous) connection with a legendary F1 racing team of yesteryear certainly adds to its appeal.

The 143bhp 1.8-litre K-series provides plenty of go, while the boudoir-spec quilted red-leather interior combined with that orange BRM snout certainly provide the flash.

20. Jaguar XJ40

You will struggle to find a S1-3 XJ for less than £5k that isn’t a full blown restoration waiting to happen, but switch your focus to the S3’s successor, the XJ40 (pictured, and its successor, the X300), and you’re spoilt for choice.

Skip the feeble 2.9 and go for a burly 3.6 or 4.0-litre straight-six. But definitely don’t skip a close inspection of the bodywork and electrical system.

21. Ford Granada Ghia

Back in the days when BMWs and Mercedes were still relatively rare, a Ghia badge on your Cortina or Granada meant you really had arrived.

And with 2.8-litres of Cologne V6 under your Granny’s bonnet you could arrive pretty quickly. In a market that values most old fast Fords highly, these big-engined Granadas look conspicuously cheap.