Weird, wonderful and generally excellent used cars

Slide of Our top picks for getting home reliably, safely, and in style - wherever you might live Home is where dinner is, so it’s vital to get there in time. And what's the best way to do that? A stylish, great-value and specialised used car, of course. We've employed bangernomics to find some real humdingers for every occasion.  Here are a few ways to make sure you're back before the sausages get cold, whether home is on the Côte d'Azur, in the darkest reaches of the snowy Highlands, or anything in between.  Slide of Roadsters and cabrios for all-season fun – Audi A3 The sensible prestige open-top of choice has four rings and a dumpy body. The fully automatic roof takes just nine seconds to erect, plus it has extra insulation and a proper heated rear window, so perfect for frostier trips too. Clutch wear, steering racks, radiators and sensors can spoil the mood. One we found: 2014 1.8 TFSI S Line, 56,000 miles, £13,489 Slide of Bentley Continental GTC There are few opportunities to enjoy a 12-cylinder convertible. What a spectacular present to give to yourself. The roof takes 19 seconds at road speeds of up to 30mph to open. The mechanism’s microswitches can fail. You can manually open and shut it, but that isn’t so dignified (and is best done when stationary). One we found: 2013 6.0 W12, 118,000 miles, £35,000  Slide of FIAT 500C  Is this really a cabriolet? Doesn’t matter: the massive roll-back roof is a delight and keeps the handling in great shape. Not 100% in reliability terms, but prices are generally firm because it’s cute and popular. Niggly electricals and there can be rust underneath are the problems. One we found: 2018 1.2 S, 30,000 miles, £10,250 Slide of Jaguar F-Type Convertible Sporty Jaguars are going out of fashion (and production), but everyone would love one of these turning up outside. An F-Type will put a big smile on your face, plus the full-fat V8 is the most fun of all. However, timing chains can jump due to tensioner and guide failure. One we found: 2018 5.0 V8 S, 50,000 miles, £27,999 Slide of Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet There are times when you need to bring the family along. But don’t worry, the fully automatic hood is well lagged, so there’s no bother when it comes to the weather or noise, and there’s a ton of standard kit to keep everyone comfy. Beware of fuel pump failures and tired injectors. One we found: 2014 E250 CDI AMG Sport, 70,000 miles, £12,990 Slide of Porsche Boxster Sheer driving pleasure is delivered in the great-value package that is (still) the Boxster. Every journey will be fun; just make sure you didn't plan on bringing the kids. Plentiful electrical niggles include ignition switch failure. One we found: 2010 2.9 Sport Chrono, 64,000 miles, £16,950 Slide of The Bangernomics box set – BMW Z3 These are now looking like a half-decent weekend toy (micro Batmobile, anyone?) and are on the cusp of going from great value to appreciating classic. That's reason enough to find one, provided it isn't neglected with engine bore wear, shot suspension and 23 previous owners. One we found: 2000 1.9, 93,000 miles, £2000 Slide of Ford Fiesta The supermini is dead; long-live the best supermini that ever lived. Still great value, easy to fix and all you need to get you home. Fun to drive, too. Loads of spec options, but Zetec ticks most boxes, especially with air-con. Good things, small packages. One we found: 2006 1.25 Zetec Climate, 102,000 miles, £695 Slide of Honda Accord The quality pseudo-mini cabbing saloon of choice. Picking up family fares and travelling significant distances when the buses and trains are having a festive rest is easy in one of these. Most importantly, it won't break down, and those Honda petrol engines are ULEZ friendly. One we found: 2008 2.0 VTEC ES GT, 136,000 miles, £1900 Slide of Jeep Patriot Overlooked but cheap and unfashionably compact. Being a Jeep, it will get you out of a tight snowy spot but is fantastically plastic inside, with Christmas cracker-quality fittings. The Volkswagen Group-sourced 2.0 CRD diesel is unrefined but efficient. Limited specification is nothing of the sort. One we found: 2008 2.4 Limited, 90,000 miles, £1995 Slide of Renault Laguna Coupe Here's a two-door that's only a few inches short of the five-door hatch, so there's room for everyone inside, plus a bit of luggage. Even so, it wasn't very popular, because coupes need character. Lots of things to go wrong: avoid if the dash lights up like a Christmas tree. Otherwise worth the risk. One we found: 2011 2.0 dCi Dynamique, 109,000 miles, £1695 Slide of Volkswagen Eos The Eos has none of the kudos of the proper Golf Cabriolet yet does the same job much more cost-effectively, albeit with a daft name. It having a coupe-convertible folding roof affair at least gives you some weather flexibility.