Top Gear’s Bargain Heroes, from £5k to £155k

2009 to 2012, £6,000 to £12,000

“The sign of a truly great car is when there’s no one stand-out element; each component is so well judged, and matches the rest so sweetly, that you can’t mark out one single area that stands tall above the others. So it is with the wee Clio.”

Renault Clio 200 buying guide here

Pictures: Simon Thompson and Adam Shorrock

2002 to 2004, £10,000 to £25,000

“It’s an utterly beguiling car. And it feels so relevant today. Its performance hasn’t been hugely outstripped, it’s still good to drive, and the interior is laid out in a way that doesn’t feel its age. Can you tell I really liked it? In fact, it was the most talked about car in the TG car park all week…”

Audi RS6 buying guide here

2005 to 2008, £5,000 to £9,000

“Hot hatches have moved on a lot in terms of firepower and absolute traction, but I’m not sure they’ve moved on with such great strides where pure fun is concerned. And the GTI’s setup is so fine out of the box: unlike the fast Golfs which followed it, there are no adjustable modes or buttons to toggle when you get in.”

VW Golf GTI buying guide here

2007 to 2013, £17,000 to £120,000

“Finding the top of each gear and using all of the performance is harder work than in a new, turbocharged M3, but the rewards are so much greater for it. And then there’s the noise. What starts as a low, muscular burble builds to a screaming crescendo as you pass 8,000rpm and grab another gear, several hundred revs after your instinct nags you to.”

BMW M3 buying guide here

1999 to 2009, £6,000 to £20,000

“Some drivers, particularly those who’ve passed their test recently, will never experience keeping their foot down until the red line in a naturally aspirated car. So if you get a chance to drive an S2000, grab it. And if you get the chance to buy one, seriously consider it. I know I currently am.”

Honda S2000 buying guide here

2011 to 2014, £100,000 to £155,000

“As a supercar to actually use, without a concerned check of the weather forecast days ahead of your journey, this could be the one. Yeah, an Audi R8 or Porsche 911 Turbo can fulfil the same role. But do they have a carbon MonoCell, dihedral doors and a 1,000bhp hybrid hypercar among their offspring?”

McLaren 12C buying guide here

1991 to 2002, £7,000 to £20,000

“Passing time on a journey is fun: every window and mirror contains wonderfully sculptured bodywork. It’s an enjoyable car to be in and around. You won’t be able to resist twisting the end of the indicator at the merest hint of dusk, just to bookend your forward visibility with its joyously antiquated pop-up lights.”

Mazda RX-7 buying guide here

1999 to 2001, £6,000 to £15,000

“It may be a bit short on muscle, but the engine is still an utter gem. It’s just a joy to rev, and it’s impossible to resist driving the Racing Puma everywhere like a 17-year-old who’s just torn off the L-plates. It may technically be a small coupe, but its attitude is 100 per cent hot hatch.”

Ford Racing Puma buying guide here

2006, £9,000 to £16,000

“It’s effervescent and full of energy, darting about the place with the merest of steering inputs. The GP behaves likes this straight away, too. Unlike the Minis that followed it, you have no Sport button to press or driving modes to toggle through. It’s hard-edged and up-for-it immediately.”

Mini Cooper S Works GP buying guide here

2000 to 2005, £6,000 to £27,000

“If you like creature comforts, the VX220 isn’t for you. But if you like geeking out over brilliant componentry and revelling in the very specific thrill of a car focused entirely on handling, very little can touch it. Unless it’s got a Lotus badge and costs several grand more in equivalent condition…”

Vauxhall VX220 buying guide here