Spied in the classified: our top second-hand picks of the week

BMW E92 M3: £15,990

Fancy a 414bhp BMW M3 for £16,000? These are our top bargain buys we've spotted for sale

The used car market is brimming with tasty deals, but sometimes it can be hard to tell the wise buys from the potential money pits.

Fear not, our used car experts have compiled their picks from the classifieds. See anything you like? Best to move fast and buy them before we do...

BMW M3: £15,990

Was the E90-generation BMW M3 the most divisive of them all?

Certainly, when it was launched in 2007, some enthusiasts were apoplectic that the calling card of an M3 – the screaming straight six engine – had been done away with.

See BMW M3 for sale on PistonHeads

They needn’t have been, mind you, for in its place is a glorious V8 with a power figure of 414bhp produced just 100rpm before its 8400rpm redline. In other words, this engine is just as capable of shrieking its lungs out as the straight six. But the V8 added something that some drivers had found wanting in the E90’s predecessor, the E46: flexibility, with 300lb ft on tap at 3900rpm.

Adaptive suspension means the M3 rides more comfortably than a stock E90 M Sport, but don’t think it has gone soft. Firm things up in Sport mode and it’ll deliver deep troughs of grip that bleed into the sort of easily controllable oversteer we’ve come to know and love from BMW M cars.

Chances are you’ll be wanting one, then, and here’s where the good news starts: E90-family M3s are now down to a remarkably tempting £16,000 starting price. Take the Coupé (E92) we’ve unearthed in the Pistonheads classifieds. Finished in a very tasteful silver-over-black colour combo, it comes with a full service history and a full year’s MOT. It has a manual gearbox, too.

Okay, so the mileage is a touch on the high side at 97,000, but that’s hardly a moon-and-back figure, and it’s not like the E90 is renowned for reliability woes. In fact, it has actually proven to be nigh-on unburstable, which means this M3 could prove to be a surprisingly cost-effective and deeply satisfying way into BMW M-car ownership.

Click here for BMW M3 E90s for on PistonHeads

Jaguar XJR: £3250

Early straight six XJRs, prized for their reliability over the more finicky V8s, have gone up in value recently, so this private-sale example with 100k miles on it looks very cheap. Garaged through the winter and backed by a wad of history, it sounds like a smart way to scratch that early- XJR itch before prices get too silly.

Jaguar XJR for sale on PistonHeads

TVR S2: £8750

These S-series models are a bargain way into owning an old TVR. Although the S2 misses out on a V8, its Ford V6 still sounds terrific, and it’s less prone to snap oversteer than later TVR models. This one has been someone’s pride and joy for 18 years and has had a tonne of preventative maintenance done already.

TVR S for sale on PistonHeads

Vauxhall Omega: £2550

The money still feels strong for an Omega – they’re a way off classic status yet – but this 3.0 V6 Elite with just 57k miles and a full history is about as good as they get.

What’s more, it’s cheaper than the equivalent BMW, and prettier than a Ford Scorpio. Perhaps this is the price of top 1990s barging these days.

Used Vauxhall Omegas on PistonHeads

Lancia Flavia: £19,990

What would you say if we told you that you could still get a 1960s Italian grand tourer, freshly restored and with just 3000 miles on the clock, for less than £20,000? This Lancia Flavia is just that. Why? Hard to say. It could be that relatively few people have actually heard of it. Either way, what a lovely classic buy.

Used Lancia Flavia on PistonHeads

Auction watch - Mercedes-Benz E500

This big-engined Merc is truly something special. Developed in conjunction with Porsche and powered by the 326bhp V8 from the SL500, each example took 18 days to build, being shuffled back and forth between the Mercedes and Porsche factories. It was more than a match for the BMW M5 of its day – and is now far rarer.

Although it was never imported to the UK officially, this one was sold on a UK registration, meaning you could stick it on a ferry direct from Bonhams’ auction in Paris and drive it home hassle-free. Given its 40,000 miles, the £25,177 price doesn’t seem too ludicrous.

See Mercedes-Benz E-Class for sale on PistonHeads

Get it while you can - Volvo V40 Cross Country

Price new £25,110

Price now £16,850

Remarkably, it seems Volvo will still sell you a brand-new V40 Cross Country, even though the far superior and higher-riding XC40 is now in showrooms. If you do want a compact and rugged Volvo but don’t have the budget for a brand new one, though, this 2017 diesel in Nav Plus trim could be what you’re looking for. It has just 5000 miles on the clock and a couple of option packs fitted, and you’ll save more than £8000 over the list price.

See Volvo V40 for sale on PistonHeads

Clash of the classifieds: our used car team do battle

Brief: I’ve got a house to clear, so I want you to find me an enormous estate for less than £10,000.

Mercedes E250 CDI Avantgarde Estate £9450

Now, I admire Mark’s choice. It’s a bold move submitting a V10- powered estate car, but it goes to show the extreme lengths one has to go to just to try to rival the superiority of the W212-era E-Class estate. That engine in the S6 adds a hefty 220kg to the front of the car, whereas my Merc has a lighter four-cylinder engine. That’s my argument when faced with a 231bhp deficit. Sure, my Merc is slower, but it has 200 litres more load-carrying capacity, which is the whole point of this clash.

Max Adams

Audi S6 Avant £9000

If you are a double-entry bookkeeper sort of person who catalogues your socks and tucks your shirt into your underpants, I can see the Merc might appeal, but basically it’s just an incredibly boring taxi. If you really want an estate, this is the one to have, because it has a V10 petrol engine. Let me repeat that: a V10 petrol engine. With 435bhp. So 0-62mph in 5sec, which would allow you to do two journeys to the tip in the same time as Max’s dull old diesel would take to do one.

See Audi S6 for sale on PistonHeads

Mark Pearson