We all love a bargain, but what exactly is a bargain? According to the dictionary, it's something that costs less than its true value.
It's difficult to imagine the motor trade offering anything for less than its true value, but nevertheless we reckon we've mustered 25 used performance cars that cost less than you might have expected.
Of course, the risk with such an exercise is confusing 'bargain' with 'cheap'. There are plenty of fast cars for sale at cheap prices, but they're usually undesirable, being very old, very tatty, extremely leggy and probably all three. We hope you agree the cars we've singled out are better than that.
New car prices may be up in the clouds, but used ones like these are firmly on the ground.
Porsche Cayman S
Price: £10,000-£30,000
A Porsche Cayman coupé with a mid-mounted, naturally aspirated flat-six engine, below-average mileage and a full Porsche service history for a little over £10,000: there's no doubt about it, you can find a bargain. The first-generation (987) Cayman is a raw thing: lively at the wheel and offering tremendous feedback. Like the contemporaneous 986-generation 911, a few early cars suffered intermediate shaft issues but most sellers flag if their car was one of them and has been rectified.
Ferrari 360 F1
Price: £43,000-£80,000
A 'bargain Ferrari 360' is surely a contradiction in terms, but they have always existed, and the best right now is the 360. Immaculate manuals in Rosso Red still command £75k, but at £45k there are plenty of nice, well-specced F1 autos in lesser shades with solid histories. It's surprising, given the 360 represented a huge leap forward in terms of tech, build quality, reliability and relative ease of ownership - plus it looks sensational and is thrilling to drive. The answer probably lies in the sheer number built: some 16,300.
Porsche 911 Carrera
Price: £9000-£25,000
Prices for this firm favourite with bargain hunters are beginning to climb, but there are still tidy examples to be had for reasonable amounts. Condition and provenance trump mileage, and beware anything too cheap because recommissioning expenses will turn your hair white. The 996 was the first liquid-cooled Porsche 911, of course - the one with the divisive 'fried egg' headlights. It shared some major parts with the then new Boxster but not enough that its defining qualities were diluted. Some cars with the early 3.4-litre engine and its 3.6-litre successor suffered problems including failure of the rear main seal and intermediate shaft bearing, plus issues including bore scoring. Happily, there are tried-and-trusted fixes.
Nissan 350Z
Price: £3000-£25,000
Few 20-year-old Z cars have avoided the attentions of boy racers, which is a real shame when they were such fantastically fun toys straight out of the factory. But cherished and unmolested cars do exist: we found one whose owner has treated it to a new clutch, brake discs and pads, plugs and coil packs and new rear bodywork when rust struck. Talking of which, a common problem is corrosion of the transmission brace, shaped like a W; better-quality replacements are available.
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