The finest affordable posh cars you can buy

Slide of Anyone can buy a car for a few quid and feel morally superior - until it breaks down. What takes real guts is buying a high-end motor at a low-rent price. The potential of disaster is greater, but think of the fun you could have with a car that depreciated from fantasy to reality. There are more used cars around at the start of the year as people part-exchange and get ready for the plate change and dismal weather means that buying anything right now is usually a distress purchase. Stylish coupés aren't quite so desirable, and who needs a luxo-barge if they don’t have a chauffeur? Yes it's a great time to buy a used car with a premium badge. And although used car prices have been on the rise recently, there are still bargains to be had, especially in unfashionable classes. Let's take a look at the best... Slide of Sports Coupés TOP CHOICE: Maserati Coupe 4.2 Cambiocorsa Cost new: £56,650 Cost now: around £11,000 Squeezing a Ferrari into our banger line-up would have been a bit of a stretch. The nearest we can get is the M138 V8 engine made in Maranello, a legendary badge – Maserati – and everything built in Italy. Here’s a supercar that can be bought for around £10,000 (sometimes), although it’s probably best not to. Instead, find one with good history. The 4200GT is ferociously expensive to run. You need to change the timing belt every 12,000 miles, warning lights are a way of life (it will always cost £100 to switch them off) and there may be rust. This isn’t very Bangernomics, but it is a Maserati. Other options: Slide of BMW 645ci Cost now: Around £6000 for a 2005 example A large, purposeful and not that pretty coupé, but the petrol V8s are now pretty cheap. Great for smashing long distances into submission in the most comfy fashion. A 6 Series is solidly reliable, provided they have been looked after. Unfashionably brutish, so quite brilliant. Or: Slide of Audi TT Cost: around £4,000 for an example from 2000 There’s a decent argument for an Audi A5, but that's just too boring. TTs, though, are currently incredible value, so let’s give another well-deserved mention to a chic sports car that still looks like nothing else on the road. Slide of Luxury Saloons TOP CHOICE: Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit Cost new: £55,240 Cost now: from £5000 Which breeze block shaped Vickers-era luxo-barge to go for? The natural Autocar choice would be a Bentley, so let’s fly in the face of convention. Old Rolls-Royces, like a Silver Spirit, are not that cool and have descended gracefully down the class ladder to the point where potential owners can no longer cope with the 12-15mpg. Avoid tatty examples and aim for later Spirits with ABS, which arrived in 1989. Suspension and brakes are astoundingly expensive to put right. These are eminently fixable cars, but rust will be the financial killer. Other options: Slide of Bentley Mulsanne Cost now: from £7000 The old-school Mulsanne is available with a turbo or as an S with all the turbo trimmings, alloys and firmed-up suspension. Buyers pay a bit extra for those winged B logos, but do get a sportier luxo-barge package. Or: Slide of Mercedes-Benz S320 Cost now: from £3000 Yes, proper W140s from the old days are still out there to be enjoyed. Marginal economy and excessive size mean the appeal is limited to those who appreciate the finer things in life. Build quality will never be better. Slide of Luxury GTs TOP CHOICE: Aston Martin DB7 Cost new: £78,500 Cost now: from £15,000 We all secretly dream of waking up with an Aston in the drive, which probably explains why they are doing so well these days. The one that started all the fuss is really an XJS in a pretty party frock and has never been better value. They seem to have bumped to something like a £20,000 halt, and decent ones won’t ever get cheaper. Engines are fixable, but that bodywork is the problem. Damaged polycarbonate bonnet, nose cone and boot lid can’t be fixed. The 30,000 mile service is the big one and will cost a couple of grand, which is how quickly the dream can turn into a nightmare. Other options: Slide of Mercedes-Benz CL Cost now: from £4000 This is either a handsome, two door S-Class, or a heap of trouble. They seem to be cheap for a reason: spacious, over-equipped and ready to drain your bank account at the merest hint of trouble. Otherwise it’s great, and for some may be worth the risk. Or: Slide of Jaguar XK Cost now: from £6000 Here’s the budget alternative to the DB7 and it still looks great and arguably better than an F-Type. Certainly more of a sports car than the previous heavy XK and much more sophisticated with a sublimely supple chassis. The combination of a V8 and a high level of standard kit is pretty much perfect. Slide of Saloons TOP CHOICE: Cadillac CTS Cost new: £28,000 Cost now: around £8000 Fancy a Caddy? Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be something hu