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Best used sports cars for less than £35,000
Fast, fun and fantastic value: here are the top 10 sports cars you can buy for less than £35,000 when used...
A budget of £35,000 might sound like zilch if you're planning on parading around Beverly Hills or Monaco in a sports car. However, if you expand your horizons, look for driving joy over supercar pantomime and head for the used car forecourts, you'll find your options are really rather vast.
You have everything from small, nimble, lightweight roadsters to big, muscular, V8 bruisers at your fingertips. Here are our top 10 choices.
Best used sports cars for less than £35,000
1. Alpine A110
The Alpine A110 has only recently dipped into this budget, but it's so good that it's gone right to the very top of our ranking here. In many ways, this is a back-to-basics sports car, focusing on simplistic, engaging fun over outright speed. That being said, it's still a quick car, plus Alpine has somehow managed to grant the model enough luxury and refinement for it to be useable every day.
More hardcore rivals, such as the Lotus Elise tend to struggle as day-to-day vehicles – although, don't worry purists, the Elise has made this list – so the fact that the A110 has this level of versatility (two seats and small cargo space not withstanding) yet is similarly amazing to drive makes it deserving of very high praise indeed.
"Now more than ever, the A110 feels like a breath of fresh air to me. It's modern in many ways, but at the same time it's rooted in the past, being smaller, lighter and more engaging to drive than most cars on sale today." – Mark Pearson, used cars editor
We found: 2019 Alpine A110 1.8 Turbo Legende DCT, 46,550 miles, £35,000
Read our used Alpine A110 review
Find a used Alpine A110 for sale
2. Porsche Cayman
While the Porsche Cayman's older age, lesser agility and higher running costs count against it in the fight against the A110, the decision remained a very tricky one. And for all those caveats, the Cayman does a lot to compensate, namely in the form of its masterful handling balance and composure, as well as some wonderful six-cylinder engines.
The fact you can pick up a Cayman with a third pedal and gearlever (remember those old things?) will make it a more enticing proposition to many purists – the A110 is only available with an automatic gearbox. It has a noticeably plusher interior, too – as you might expect from something bearing the Porsche crest.
"Some cars have you glued to the performance figures, because they tell the story. With the Cayman, it's plenty quick, but that won't be your focal point upon driving one. Instead, you'll be in complete awe of the Cayman's masterful handling. It was even better than I'd imagined it." – Oliver Young, used cars reporter
We found: 2014 Porsche Cayman 3.4 981 S, 52,195 miles, £32,895
Read our used Porsche Cayman review
Find a used Porsche Cayman for sale
3. Porsche Boxster
It may not be quite as terrifically taut as its fixed-roof sibling – that's the Cayman, if you're yet to cotton on – but the margin is small. The Porsche Boxster remains a class act and one of the best drop-top sports cars you can buy.
In other words, if you're swaying towards the convertible side of the sports car spectrum, feel free to overrule our judgement and go for the Boxster over the Cayman (and A110 for that matter) – we insist.
"Very nearly as good to drive as a Cayman is and, when the sun's out, the Boxster is the car I'd be grabbing the keys for." – Oliver Young, used cars reporter
We found: 2015 Porsche Boxster 3.4 981 S, 57,236 miles, £32,680
Read our used Porsche Boxster review
Find a used Porsche Boxster for sale
4. BMW M2 Competition
The BMW M2 is more practical than our top three contenders and, being less delicate and more of a hooligan by nature, you could call it more exciting. We'd definitely seek out the Competition variant, because it's easily accessible within this budget and you're treated to a considerably sharper driving experience.
The Competition also has noticeably more power, rising from 365bhp to 404bhp, courtesy of a BMW-M3-derived 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine. The regular M2 – which is still a fantastic machine, we should mention – got an uprated 3.0-litre unit from the lesser BMW M240i of the time.
"Like the A110 draws inspiration from the past, so does the M2. It shrinks the M3 package back down to what it used to be – a recipe for greatness if you ask me." – Oliver Young, used cars reporter
We found: 2018 BMW M2 Competition 3.0 BiTurbo, 33,000 miles, £34,000
Read our used BMW 2 Series review
Find a used BMW M2 for sale
5. Mercedes-AMG C63
If you like your sports cars to resemble beautifully honed muscle cars, you've likely had your eye on the Mercedes-AMG C63 for some time. Well, at least until the latest one came around – we'll leave it at that.
Anyway, the one featured here is the previous-gen model, meaning it has a thunderous 4.0-litre V8 engine and two turbos for a total of 503bhp (in AMG S form). Some people will be sold on that alone, but its engaging, well-sorted handling, as well as its classy interior and the option of two or four doors, also goes into making it a great buy.
"The V8 engine is becoming harder and harder to come by, and as the last C63 to have one, this generation of the model is bound to go down as a classic." – Mark Pearson, used cars editor
We found: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 4.0 V8 BiTurbo AMG S (Premium), 59,953 miles, £32,540
Read our used Mercedes C-Class Coupé review
Find a used Mercedes-AMG C63 for sale
6. BMW M3 Competition
Whether you choose the BMW M3 saloon or its coupé sibling, the BMW M4 – we've gone for the former for the sake of contrast – you're in for an amazingly sharp and thrilling driving experience. Again, the Competition version gets our vote and for similar reasons to why we prefer the M2 Competition over the regular M2.
The M3 (and M4) Competition's 444bhp six-cylinder engine might seem like a downgrade next to that Merc's V8, but it's still an immensely strong engine.
"This M3 does see some mixed opinions, because it lacks a V8 like the M3 that came before it, plus it's not quite as honed as the M3 that succeeded it. Still, calling it the worst M3 is like saying one actor is worse than the other, simply because one has three oscars and the other has two. There is no bad apple here if you ask me." – Oliver Young, used cars reporter
We found: 2018 BMW M3 Competition 3.0 BiTurbo, 35,412 miles, £34,499
Read our used BMW M3 review
Find a used BMW M3 for sale
6. Jaguar F-Type
On the one hand, looks are subjective and who are we to tell you the ravishing from the revolting? On the other hand, if the Jaguar F-Type looks revolting to you, get down to your local opticians and book an eye test, pronto. In either coupé or convertible form, the F-type exudes class and luxury.
The engine range is equally lavish. Comprised mostly of 3.0-litre six-cylinders and 5.0-litre V8s – both are supercharged – the F-Type is plenty punchy and the accompanying soundtracks can eek a childish grin out of even the most miserable adults.
Why doesn't it rank higher? Well, as entertaining as the F-Type is, the above rivals feel that bit better balanced, poised and more nimble when the road gets twisty.
"The F-Type charmed me instantly. It's sleek, loud and about as cool as 007 himself – if he didn't drive an Aston." – Mark Pearson, used cars editor
We found: 2018 Jaguar F-Type 3.0 V6 R-Dynamic Coupé, 30,622 miles, £34,750
Read our used Jaguar F-Type Coupé review
Find a used Jaguar F-Type for sale
8. Lotus Elise
For some sports car buyers, space and luxury are right at the very bottom of the priorities list and, quite rightly, those willing to make the sacrifice are in for a reward. The Lotus Elise is about as pure as sports cars come: it's smaller than a Ford Fiesta, it weighs less than a tonne and you can only get it with a manual gearbox.
There aren't millions of Elises out there, but our budget gives you a good variety to choose from. Of the final generation (known as S3), you have the 134bhp 1.6-litre and 217bhp 1.8-litre engines to choose from, as well as a mix of Touring and Club Racer trims.
Even the modest 1.6-litre unit allows for a respectable 0-60mph time of 6.0sec, while the 1.8-litre one drops that to just 4.6sec – not bad for such small engines, ay? Other benefits of being so light includes remarkable agility (and handling as a whole) and good fuel economy.
"The Elise captures the essence of a sports car and is a driver's car through and through. It deserves a lot of appreciation, especially now that Lotus is making a very stark shift to big electric cars and SUVs – a move I've found rather jarring myself." – Oliver Young, used cars reporter
We found: 2016 Lotus Elise 1.8 S CR, 24,303 miles, £34,990
Read our used Lotus Elise review
Find a used Lotus Elise for sale
9. BMW 4 Series M440i
Available in two-door coupé, convertible and five-door Gran Coupé forms, the latest BMW 4 Series is a great car, even when you're just looking at entry-level 2.0-litre versions. However, for £35,000, you can have the 3.0-litre M440i.
Think of it as an M4-lite. It's not as quick and aggressive, but in turn it's a bit easier to live with every day. What's more, the M440i remains amazing to drive and you'd be very hard pressed to call it slow, with 369bhp on tap from its sonorous six-cylinder engine.
"Performance cars are all well and good, but I prefer those that remain comfortable and refined. The M440i hits the spot very well indeed." – Mark Pearson, used cars editor
We found: 2021 BMW 4 Series M440i 3.0 MHT Auto xDrive, 30,732 miles, £34,690
Read our used BMW 4 Series review
Find a used BMW 4 Series M440i for sale
10. Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
There have been disruptors to the sports saloon status quo in the past, but few got under the BMW M3's skin like the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio (also known as the QV). Upon its arrival back in 2016, it blew us away with its abundantly characterful and brilliantly engaging driving experience. At the time, we actually rated it higher than the M3.
So, why is it down in 10th? Well, it's the typical Alfa Achilles heel: poor reliability. If the Giulia (as a whole) hadn't performed so badly in our 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey, the QV would be much closer to the top of this list – dare we say the top three.
"The Giulia QV defied my expectations back in 2016 and it still does today. The only expectation it's yet to defy is the stereotypical Alfa unreliability." – Mark Pearson, used cars editor
We found: 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio 2.9 V6 BiTurbo, 46,200 miles, £33,995
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