Searching for a sub-£3k classic car? Here are 10 used options

Quite simply, an Alfa Romeo Spider in a flaky shade of ‘Zoe Yellow’ over black for under two grand. It’s fitted with the smaller 16-valve four-pot, producing 155bhp/138lb ft, and mated to a five-speed manual transmission. It’s not fast, but neither is the Mona Lisa.

Or, if you want your Italian postcard with a punchy turbocharged inline-five, we present you this Fiat Coupe. The design was penned by a team-up between Chris Bangle (exterior) and Pininfarina (interior), and this example gets an uprated catback exhaust and… working air-con. Score! 

Here’s a Vauxhall Calibra with under 98,000 miles on the clock. It’s priced lower than it should be because of a fuel pipe leak and a blown exhaust. But these aren’t complicated fixes, and the potential return for your time and investment could be huge. If you’d rather a fully working example, though, this one will do the trick. 

Anyone for a completely relaxed XJ40 ‘Sovereign’ from the Jurassic Period? We jest, it looks good, with particular thanks to the navy paint, massive centre disc alloys and lots of chrome trim. Plus, there’s a sea of tan leather and wood inside, so it’ll be as comfortable as an ottoman built for royalty. 

Still one of the coolest car names ever, and the metal it’s christening isn’t bad either. This one has wire-spoke wheels with a black and white colour combination, and it’s been with the same owner for the last 18 years. They’ve carried out plenty of work to keep it fresh, including a new exhaust and brake servo. Lovely little thing.

A throwback Saab 900 with a roof rack, aftermarket spot lamps and velvet upholstery. Like the previous entry, this car’s owner has done a fair bit of restorative work, such as bumper refurbs and freshly welded suspension points. There’s a new audio system and speakers in there too, so the sounds should be most excellent. 

We’ve even managed to sneak a special edition in this week: a Mk1 Golf GTI ‘Citi’, which was built for the South African market from 1984 to as recently as 2009 (!). It’s an early Phase 1 producing 80bhp/90lb ft from its 1.6-litre petrol unit, but the odometer still reads just 74,000 miles. Barely run in. 

This 728i might be the bargain of the bunch; a stone-cold classic from Bimmer available for £1,995. Despite being almost three decades old, the green paintwork, twin-spoke alloys and those kidney grilles are in good nick. And beneath the stretched bonnet sits a 2.8-litre ‘M52’ straight-six that’ll grunt see you - where applicable - to 141mph. Solid.

No introduction needed. Here’s a high-miler in black with a tan roof and cabin. Proper Gran Turismo 1 spec. 

The sixth-gen Escort didn’t quite have the motorsport pedigree of its forebears, but that just means you can get something like this tricked-out, hunkered-down ‘RS 2000’ for peanuts.