Used super-coupes for supermini money

And buying one for the price of a Volkswagen Polo supermini makes it all the sweeter to park a swift fastback in your garage.

Here is our pick of best coupé bargains, listed in alphabetical order.

Interest in the Aston Martin DB7 is rising, but you can still find smart, clean examples of the coupé for less than the £20,000 it costs to buy a reasonably well specced brand new Polo. We prefer the coupé’s looks to the Volante convertible, so it’s a choice between 3.2-litre supercharged straight six or the sonorous 5.9-litre V12. You can expect to pay £19,500 for a semi low-mile 3.2-litre or a high-mile 5.9-litre V12. 

Running costs on either can be offset with fastidious regular maintenance, but watch out for oil leaks and rattly cam chains on the six-cylinder motor. The V12 cooling system also needs careful checking, while faulty air con is expensive to put right. Buy well, though, and this is a sleek coupé that will appreciate in value.

Both the earlier 4.2-litre V8-powered S5 coupé and its successor with a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 motor fall into the scope of our budget. The V6 is newer, quicker and more frugal, but you’ll pay £12,500 for a car with reasonable miles and full service record.

For our money, we’d be tempted to use the savings of choosing the V8 to negate its higher fuel bills. From around £10,500, you can enjoy the delightful sounds of that 4.2-litre V8 and its 349bhp in a 12-year old example with below average miles and in superb condition. It will see you from rest to 60mph in 5.4 seconds and, better still, it’s far more subtle than its RS5 sibling.

Even the very best E82 generation BMW 135i M Sport coupé will be well within our total budget here. For that, you get a compact rear-drive BMW with a 306bhp twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight-six up front. There is more than enough grunt to have huge fun on the road or track, while the handling is neatly balanced.

The engine also responds very well to simple tuning upgrades, but it can suffer from turbo failure, valve cover oil leaks, and failed VANOS variable valve timing solenoids. The high-pressure fuel pump also needs to be uprated with any tuning, so make sure this has been done. Otherwise, this is a very strong, driver-focused package that delivers 90% of the 1M experience for less than half the cost.

Decent examples can be found for as little as £7000.

We could very easily point you in the direction of the brilliant and rapidly appreciating E46 version of the M3, built between 2000 and 2006. However, we’re going to opt for its successor, the E92 with its 4.0-litre V8 that was around from 2007 to 2013. Not only is it newer, it’s around in good numbers and is just as engaging to drive.

Concerns about the V8 engine’s big end bearings can be easily calmed with a £1500 replacement to future-proof the car in your ownership. Choose the six-speed manual and you avoid the reliable but less involving seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Then you can settle in to enjoy 0-60mph in 4.8 seconds and prices that are just bottoming out now.

If you like the sound of an M3, decent examples can be picked up from around £15,000

Introduced in 2011, the second generation of BMW 6 Series is unusual in this company for offering two- and four-door coupé models. The 2012-on four-door Gran coupé makes a swift, stylish family saloon if you need the added practicality. However, it’s hard to beat the sleek looks of the two-door, which was also offered as a Convertible.

BMW used its tried and trusted 3.0-litre petrol and diesel six-cylinder engines in the 6 Series, along with the twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 that’s almost M6 fast. The diesel is by far the most numerous and the one we’d choose for its blend of availability, economy, performance and refinement. It’s everything a big GT coupé should be.

High-mileage examples can be bought for £9000 and fetch up to £17,000 for low-milers.

After the cult built up by the Z3M coupé, it was strange BMW took until 2006 to introduce a fastback version of the E85 Z4 Roadster. When the E86 coupé did arrive it sold in smaller numbers than the drop-top, but is now appreciated as a great BMW coupé that has not yet rocketed in value. As a result, you can find a handful of Z4M models within our budget, but we’d err towards a lower miles 3.0si version.

The normally aspirated six-cylinder engine in the Z4 coupé has few foibles, so just check the VANOS variable valve timing seals are in good condition. It’s also worth checking the service records for evidence of a recent water pump replacement. With that ticked off, you should find a superb Z4 coupé for £8,000, or a rougher one for around £3,500.

You’ll find several of the jelly mould shape C5 generation Chevrolet Corvette inside our £20,000 budget, but we’re aiming for a C6 model. They are thinner on the ground for this money, but they offer a much improved driving experience that’s worth seeking out thanks to its 400bhp 6.0-litre V8 serving up 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds and a 190mph top speed.

Just as impressive as the performance is the Corvette’s reliability record. Very little goes wrong and occasional issues are usually easy and cheap to sort, making it all the more fun to use this rapid coupé as often as possible. The lowest we found was £21,000 for an 51K C6.

Dodge nailed the retro update of its 1970 muscle car classis when it launched the third generation Challenger in 2008. With just the right amount of throwback nods to the original mixed with clean modern lines, it was an instant hit and makes for a very usable everyday coupé thanks to decent cabin room front and back.

For the sort of money we’re looking at, it will be a 3.7-litre V6 model you’ll most likely find unless you are happy with a high miler V8. The Chevrolet-sourced V8 can easily cope with that, so we’d be happy to spend £22,500 on a car with this engine and just check for loose trim and any noises from the suspension. Not bad 3.7-litre V6 examples can also be picked up for £17,000.

A Ford Mustang is about as good ol’ US of A as it gets in car form, yet the fifth-generation model built from 2005 until 2015 found huge success all around the world. It helps that its retro looks chimed with buyers and it was also no bigger than most European coupés, so driving outside of the US was no bother.

We’d look for a 4.6-litre V8 version over the 4.0-litre V6 as you get 300bhp rather than 210bhp. You also enjoy that V8 soundtrack and very good reliability. Check the door seals are intact as, if not, they can let water in and fry the electric module under the passenger seat. Also make sure second gear selects smoothly in cars with the manual gearbox.

2010 4.0-litre V6 models can be found for £11,000, or you can pay £3,000 on top for the meatier V8. 

Honda took a typically different approach to the performance coupé when it introduced the Integra with a four-cylinder engine that has a seemingly endless appetite for revs. The earlier DC2 model from 1996 to 2000 has long since attained cult classic status, with prices to match, so we’re looking at the following DC5 model here that arrived in 2001. It’s and equally fine handing machine that is, arguably, better to drive and easier to live with.

All DC5 generation Integras will be grey imports to the UK and many other markets, so you need to check it’s properly registered and not been poorly modified. Aside from that, they are very well made and come with a 2.0-litre engine that will rev to 8400rpm. You can pick up a 84K miler for £17,000 nowadays. 

There is a caddish charm to the Jaguar XKR that endears this coupé to many. A lot of that is down to the supercharged V8, which has a characteristic whine as it spools up at higher revs. You’ll also notice the added thrust of the R over its less potent V8-powered siblings as it makes a break for the horizon with considerable haste.

For our budget, you have a choice of the very best earlier X100 generation XKR with its 400bhp 4.0-litre V8 or the later X150 model with a 4.2 V8 and 420bhp. Personal taste will play a part in your decision, but our money would go on the later car for its greater reliability and more spacious cabin that completes its mission as a brilliant GT coupé.

X100s can be picked up for £10,000, but expect to pay closer to £15,000 for an X150 model.

Better known as the 4200 GT, the Maserati coupé replaced the 3200 in 2001. Apart from the increase in engine capacity, the big news was the 4.2-litre V8 motor was a Ferrari-derived unit rather than the previous unit that was Maserati’s own. This came with far better reliability that makes the 4200 a safer all-round bet than the 3200, even if you do forego the 3200’s ‘boomerang’ rear lights.

As well as 176mph top speed ability and 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds, the 4200 is one of the most spacious coupés in this list. It has two generous rear seats that will easily accommodate adults, and the boot is also big enough to cope with their travelling luggage demands. All this from £8,000 makes the Maserati very tempting.

Elegance is the watchword for the Mercedes CL and it’s easy to see why this gracious four-seat coupé appealed as the choice of those at the helm of industry. Our vote here goes to the third- generation C216 model that pitched up in 2006. The previous C215 model is possibly even better looking but it’s also been through a period of low prices and many have been neglected.

With the C216, you have a choice of V8 and V12 engines, but it’s the V8s that are within this budget. That’s no hardship when you could bag a CL63 AMG with 525bhp. More likely, you’ll be searching for the CL500 with 5.5-litre V8 or the facelifted version with a twin-turbo 4.7 V8, each for around £7,000 and £14,000 respectively. In every case, make sure the air con is functioning and the ABC active suspension works, as both are expensive to sort.

Mercedes took the world by surprise when it launched the four-door CLS coupé in 2004. It quickly gained a big following and it’s easy to understand why when it offered all the style and driving enjoyment of a coupé but with the added versatility of four doors. Our money would go on the CLS55 that falls within budget as it has a storming supercharged V8 engine yet is very understated in its looks.

It’s better to spend mid-teens money to bag a really good CLS55 but you can pick up an example with 80K miles for £9000. Make sure to inspect the air suspension and brakes. The only other point to check is all of the rear electrics work as the loom can be pinched where it sits near the boot hinge.

A big-engined, gutsy rear-drive coupé that’s entertaining to drive and easy to live with? That’ll be the Nissan 370Z, which you can park in your garage from £10,000 in fine fettle. Some will prefer the looks of the earlier 350Z, but we’re choosing the added power and better reliability of the 370Z that makes it a simpler, cheaper prospect for keeping in good health.

The 370Z has not suffered at the hands of would-be drifters in the same way as many 350Z, so you have a good chance of finding a well-cared for example. There are several special editions, but all 370Zs come with the same 326bhp V6 motor. Not a lot goes wrong with this Nissan coupé, but check the seller isn’t offloading the car just before a major service is due, which can easily cost upwards of £600 at a good independent specialist due to the number of parts that will need to be replaced.

The ultimate super coupé for sensible money is a tag almost every generation of Porsche 911 has been through or will experience. In the case of the 996 generation, it’s spent more time at this level than most. Part of that was resistance to the early ‘fried egg’ headlights that are now coming back in to vogue, while many fear the dreaded IMS intermediate shaft bearing disaster that wrecks the engine.

Fear not, the IMS bearing issue affects very few cars and many have 996s have been upgraded by now. At the top end of our £20,000 budget, you’ll have your pick of clean, pampered pre- and post- facelift cars with two- or four-wheel drive. You can also pick between six-speed manual or Tiptronic auto transmissions. We’d go for a manual Carrera 2 for the best driving thrills and revel in a car that is gently rising in value.

The 987 generation of Porsche’s Cayman coupé delivered a more focused drive than the Boxster it shared so much with when it arrived in 2005. It continues to offer one of the best drives you’ll find in any car at any price, so a decent Cayman from £15,000 is a steal in our book.

For that money, you can have the 295bhp 3.4-litre S model that sees off 0-60mph in 5.4 seconds and head on to 171mph flat out. Just as appealing is the fact that the Cayman is a delight to live with every day thanks to its compact size and surprising amount of luggage capacity. It’s also refined and capable of reasonable fuel economy when driven with some restraint.

As an introduction to the world of quick coupés, there are few finer ways than the Toyota GT86. It’s balanced rear-drive set-up mixes just enough grip with talkative steering and vice-free handling. No wonder so many owners love the way it drives, especially when you can own one from £11,000 in great condition.

The 2.0-litre engine is a little short on power, so an upgrade is a good way to spend around £1400 with Litchfield to free up an extra 25bhp. Early cars suffered problems with the valve timing, but that should be sorted now, so just make sure the six-speed manual goes through the gear smoothly.

It’s a source of wonder, and some relief, that Vauxhall’s Australian-sourced Monaro coupé is available from £9,500. There are usually a handful of Monaros for sale and most are from caring owners who have looked after this V8-powered muscle car. The engine is from the Chevrolet Corvette line-up, so it’s reliable as well as offering an easy 400bhp in 6.0-litre form.

When buying, check if the suspension has been recently refreshed as worn bushes will have the Monaro handling like Bambi on ice. Also have a look underneath for oil leaks from the differential, and while you’re under there have a good poke about for any signs of rust that can afflict this car.