Buy them before we do: second-hand picks for 21 September

Suzuki Ignis, £7295:

Fancy a punt on a leggy Suzuki Ignis? At this price, we would. After all, this 2017-registered SZ3’s 15,000 miles are plenty for a year-old city SUV like this, but not that much in the grand scheme of things, and if you’re a low-mileage user, you’d easily even them out in time – while enjoying the character and charm that make the Ignis so pleasurable.

Rover 800 Sterling, £875:

As barges go, the 800’s better than its reputation suggests, especially in Sterling form. Imposing looks, an opulent, leathery interior and a practical hatchback all make it rather appealing for less than a grand – and this fully historied low-miler with the smooth 2.5-litre KV6 should prove reasonably dependable.

Vauxhall Cavalier Calibre, £6989:

Here’s something you don’t see every day. The Calibre was a run-out special based on the Cavalier SRi 130, with oh-so-1980s Tickford styling, sports suspension and a plush interior. This one seems pricey,given the 164,000 miles on the clock, but these super-rare curios don’t come along often.

Auction watch: 

Lea-Francis ace of spades: With looks only its mother could love, it should come as no surprise that only five examples of the Ace of Spades were built. Powered by a 3.5-litre version of Jaguar ’s XJ straight six, it was built on a ladder-style box frame that was then clothed in aluminium panels.

Torsion bar front suspension allied to leaf springs at the back mean it is no sports car. But it does have an opulent interior, with satinwood veneer, Connolly leather hide and Wilton carpets.

Given it’s so obscure, it’s a bit of a surprise to see it fetch such strong money at auction – £38,160, no less.

Get it while you can: 

Ford Fiesta ST Price new £19,765. Price now £13,500: We’ve had to wait a while for a hot supermini to better the ST version of the Mk6 Fiesta – and it only arrived when its successor turned up earlier this year.

Nevertheless, the older car still makes lots of sense, especially when you can get a year-old, fully loaded ST-3 with just 7000 miles on the clock for more than £6k less than its original price. This car’s so good, it won our Junior Handling Day twice over – and were it not for the fact that it’s no longer on sale as a new car, it’d probably still be showing most of the competition the way home to this day.

Clash of the classifieds: 

Brief: Autumn is just around the corner, which means it’s time to bag a convertible bargain. So find me the best-value drop-top for £10,000.

Porsche Boxster S, £9749:

Let’s address the elephants in the room first: the IMS bearing doesn’t affect this 2006 car because it was built with an upgraded part and, in most cases, a leaky RMS can be left until the clutch needs replacing. True, that’ll be costly, but this Boxster S is hardly expensive. Then you’re left with a glorious open-top Porsche with its screaming six-cylinder soundtrack, pin-sharp steering and sweet handling balance. Max Adams