Best used cars – the pre-owned fast car favourites to buy in 2026
Want a used performance car that’s fun to drive and affordable? Whatever your budget, we’ve got some suggestions for you
In a world where the cheapest Porsche 911 costs over £100k, and some hot hatchbacks cost as much as two Mazda MX-5s, it’s easy to feel disenchanted by the state of the performance car market. The days of affordable, genuinely desirable driver’s cars are largely behind us, with numerous factors – including tightening emissions regulations and investment into electrification – causing the death of the obtainable sports cars, hot hatches and roadsters we once loved.
What to do? Naturally, the answer is to head to the second hand market, where there’s a huge selection of past evo icons and modern day greats that can be bought for reasonable money. Second hand cars come with their own caveats, of course, but if you buy right, you can get your hands on an engaging driver’s car to fit any budget, without taking a depreciation hit year after year.
With so much choice, whittling them down could take days of deliberation, but to save you some time, we’ve put in the legwork and listed some of our favourites from £5000 up to £100k – from bargain hot hatches to bonafide supercars…
Hot hatchbacks – £5k - £22k
If you’re after cheap, practical, no-frills fun, there’s no better place to start than a hot hatch. And for as little as £5k, you can bag one of the greats – the Renault Sport Clio 182. With the 182, you sense that Renault largely ignored superficial frippery – it looks pretty much the same as a normal Clio – and spent its money on what mattered most. Namely the engine – a peppy 180bhp 2-litre four-pot – and the dynamics, which thanks to bespoke chassis tuning, are as tenacious and playful as you could ever want from a hotted up supermini.
The result is a car that’s pretty much anonymous in traffic, but an absolute riot on the right road, or a track – which is why you’ll find 182s littering the paddock at trackdays across the country. Values have steadily climbed over the years, but given their accessibility (and chuckability), not all 182s have lived pampered lives. Decent examples start from around £5k, and for around £13,000 you can bag a limited-run Trophy, which with its sophisticated Sachs dampers and even sweeter dynamics is one of our all-time favourite hot hatches.
A more modern – but equally affordable – alternative to the Clio is the Mk7 Ford Fiesta ST. It doesn’t carry the prestige of a contemporary Polo GTI, but in terms of fun, it runs rings around any of its supermini peers. With a 197bhp 1.6-litre four-pot, compact dimensions and tack sharp, entertaining handling, it’s genuinely as much fun as a supercar on the right road – particularly in ST200 guise, with extra power and a fettled chassis. Prices for standard examples have dipped to around £6k, with ST200s costing closer to £8k.
For something bigger and more usable without stretching beyond £10k, Volkswagen’s Mk5 Golf GTI would be near the top of our list. Well built, not too rowdy and practical, it nails its brief as a family hatchback while being immeasurably more rewarding to drive than its predecessor, the Mk4. Subsequent generations of GTI are more modern, snazzier and feature more tech, but the Mk5 holds a special place as a breakthrough for Volkswagen – it's the definitive, archetypal hot hatch.
But if purity and dynamic ability are highest on your list, look no further than the FK8-generation Honda Civic Type R. So finely honed and involving is the FK8 that despite launching almost a decade ago, it can still mix it with the best new hot hatches when it comes to excitement and dynamic finesse. Its sense of focus is backed up by the engine, a revvy (if bland-sounding) four-pot with 316bhp, plus one of the best manual gearshifts in any hot hatch.
All that does come at a price – good examples cost upwards of £22k – but the good news is that the FK8 is likely to hold steady in that region for some time. Another potential sticking point are those polarising looks, but we’d argue the FK8’s wacky wings and grilles give it a certain unashamed JDM charm. Regardless, once on board you’re in for a treat.
Sports cars/coupes – £5k - £40k
If you don’t need the practicality offered by a hatchback then something more sporting could be in order. The obvious choice for a small two seater is a Mazda MX-5, but not any MX-5 will do. The Mk1 has an undeniable charm and purity about it, but subsequent generations – the NB and NC – aren’t necessarily the most rewarding in standard trim. As a result, we’d either go for an early car (good examples can be had for £5-6k) or the latest ND version.
The ND is the most usable of the bunch, with a smart interior and decent build quality, but it retains the compact, lightweight feel and fun factor that makes the original so endearing. £12k will buy you a decent example with the larger 2-litre engine, although early NDs are arguably sweeter with the raspier 1.5-litre unit, which trades grunt for a more rev happy delivery.
If you’re after something brawnier, E92-generation BMW M3s are temptingly affordable these days, starting from around £18k. For that you get a glorious naturally aspirated 4-litre V8 with over 400bhp, and a wildly playful chassis that delivers all the gratuitous M car thrills you could wish for.
Be warned, though, for while the E92 now costs supermini money, the running costs are still in M car league. A cared for, regularly maintained example with solid history is a must, and for full peace of mind, you’ll want one with the engine rod bearings replaced – a common failure point. VANOS and throttle actuator issues are known weak points too, but find a good example and you’ll be enjoying depreciation free, full-blooded M car ownership.
For a totally different, more delicate flavour of sports car, you could do much worse than a 981-generation Porsche Cayman. Its combination of supreme handling poise, a wonderful flat-six engine and fantastic build quality was irresistible in period, and still is today – so much so that the later 718 Cayman, which shared its fundamental makeup with the 981, was still right at the peak of sub-£100k sports cars before it went off sale last year.
Which to go for? The 335bhp GTS is the most exciting model this side of the GT4, and has now dipped under the £40k mark. The Cayman S is significantly more obtainable at around £30k, and offers a happy middle ground between the top models and the less powerful earlier 981 2.7-litre base car, available from c/£20k.
Finally, there’s perhaps the purest sports car of all: the Lotus Elise. The earliest models are now 30 years old which is quite remarkable, not least because the current Lotus Emira can trace its chassis construction techniques to the innovative two-seat roadster.
Early, friendly-faced S1 Elises have been going up in value for a little while now, and for the most distinctly Elise-like driving experience, it's the one we'd have. The uprated Sport 135 and Sport 160 models hold the most credence, but we'd be very tempted by the 111S model which has flown under the radar in comparison. With an uprated 143bhp VVC Rover K-series motor, a close ratio gearbox and plusher seats, it's more exciting than the base car without sacrificing usability.
The more insect-like styling of the S2 Elise is an acquired taste, but subtle changes made it slightly more liveable without diluting its core character. It's less edgy and slightly heavier, but compared with modern sports cars, the S2 is still a revelation in the way that it tackles bumpy B-roads with so much finesse and communication. In 2004, the S2 gained a more reliable Toyota engine in place of the charismatic Rover unit, with these later examples usually commanding a premium on the used market. Horror stories are told about K-series head gasket failure, but most Elises have had them changed by now, and they stand the test of time so long as the engine is warmed up carefully.
The starting point for any Elise is now around £15,000, though you’ll want to spend a little more for those with the best history and in the best condition. Few sports cars deliver such a thrilling drive.
Supercars/GTs – £30k - £100k
Further up the food chain, some supercars and grand tourers from years gone by are temptingly affordable these days, offering show-stopping looks and exquisite engineering for as little as brand new Golf money.
For a value supercar, the original Audi R8 V8 can’t be beat. It simply has it all: looks, performance, an involving chassis and surprisingly manageable running costs for a supercar – if you buy wisely. For years the R8 has felt like a future classic waiting to soar in value, but that hasn’t happened yet. In fact the opposite is true, with the cheapest early manual examples having dropped to around £30k. Reliability is largely solid, but replacing worn out mag-ride dampers is a big potential expense (around £4k plus labour), and some cars suffer with clutch slave cylinder issues. This can result in premature clutch wear (replacing it costs around £3500), or worse, gearbox damage.
For something more modern, still with striking looks, a naturally aspirated V8 and more of a GT vibe, Lexus’s LC500 would be on our shortlist. It’s by no means the fastest or most livewire grand tourer to drive but as a coupe that feels (and sounds) deeply special, yet doesn’t carry the big bills and reliability concerns of something more specialised, it’s a supremely appealing package.
The concept car-esque design still looks fresh nine years on from launch, and the 5-litre 2UR-GSE V8 engine will never go out of date. Those elements combine in an indulgent, daily usable GT, and Lexus’s generous factory warranty – which extends for up to ten years if the car is serviced at a Lexus dealer – means that many used examples will still be covered. The LC500’s rarity means there isn’t a huge selection on the used market, but early V8 examples start from just under £60k, and aren’t likely to fall from there.
From one of the safest purchases in this league to the most daring, the McLaren 650S is shockingly affordable these days. The cheapest examples have now dipped to around £75,000, which is remarkable for a carbonfibre supercar with well over 600bhp and real technological sophistication, including hydraulically cross-linked suspension. McLarens of this era have a reputation for being a little cold and sanitised compared to Maranello’s offerings, but for the 650S, that description couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s a truly vivid and absorbing supercar, with an explosive delivery from its 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 and wonderfully tactile steering.
But it's also a car that could be hiding big bills. McLarens have a reputation for technical and electrical maladies. The company’s early infotainment systems were woeful, and the expensive accumulators on the hydraulically cross-linked dampers are a wear-and-tear item. We’d highly recommend an inspection by a specialist before purchase. But buy well (even if that means spending extra for a cared-for example), buy a warranty and you’ll have a usable supercar that thrills like nothing else for the price.
Finally, if you’ve 911 Carrera money to spend on something exotic, you can get your hands on one of the greatest Ferraris of the modern era: the 458 Italia. With a sublime 562bhp 4.5-litre V8 that revs to 9000rpm and equally sharp, expressive dynamics, it’s an outstanding supercar that looks and feels as fresh as ever in 2026, despite its heavy focus on chassis software at the time. This has always been the 458's trick; it has an uncanny ability to deliver a mesmerising, organic driving experience that's underpinned by an unfathomable suite of electronics that barely make themselves known.
Values have barely dropped in recent years, holding at around £100,000 as a starting point, and they’re unlikely to move from there. The 458 is more robust than you’d expect of a Ferrari that’s nearing modern-classic status, too, with the powertrain being mostly issue free (and not having cambelts, to keep hefty service bills at bay). The biggest expenditure will be consumables, with brakes and clutch replacements for the Getrag auto ‘box carrying the usual Ferrari tax.
