The bargain '90s cars to buy today

WE FOUND: 1999 Honda Integra 1.8 Type R, 95K, £16,990

BMW 328i (E36)

“The hardest-hitting, least compromised all-rounder on sale for less than £30,000,” is what we reckoned of the 328i back in 1995. Much of the same remains true today, except you can snag one for one-tenth of the as-new asking price.

BMW 328i (E36)

Many have led hard lives, though – these were sub-£1000 cars for a long time – so buy carefully. Also, if you’re looking to own a manual example, or a 328i ‘Sport’, be prepared to reach deeper into your pockets for the privilege.

WE FOUND: 1997 BMW 3 Series 2.8 328i SE, 83k, £6,995

Fiat Coupé

A Chris Bangle masterpiece, and not half bad to drive either.

The five-cylinder, 20-valve engine, offered in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms, has the most exotic feel, but the four-cylinder option (a descendant of the Delta Integrale powerplant) still has the means to entertain.

Fiat Coupé

Rust is by far the biggest issue: inspect the sills, subframes, wheel arches, footwells, boot floor, exhaust… Basically, just give the whole thing a thorough going-over. Interior plastics are prone to developing a horrid sticky finish, too. Running project cars can be found for £500, but the best examples are north of £10,000.

WE FOUND: 1996 Fiat Coupe 2.0 Turbo 16v, 38k, £8950

Toyota MR2 (SW20)

Forget the second-generation MR2’s reputation for having a wayward tail – we never thought that held very much water.

Still, Toyota revised the model no fewer than five times, with updates two (in 1991) and three (1993) gradually softening the handling to tune out the risk of snap oversteer. Any MR2 is a great drive and a fairly reliable proposition, barring rust or any extensive modifications.

Toyota MR2 (SW20)

It’s worth seeking out a Japanese import Turbo model or one with the atmospheric ‘Beams’ engine that came with Yamaha-developed cylinder heads; either example brings with it the soundtrack and performance that the car’s chassis and looks deserve. Such cars will set you back around £10,000.

WE FOUND: 1997 Toyota MR2 2.0 GT T-Bar, 48k, £11,500

Renault Twingo

The Twingo has aged like Mr Blobby: once a tad unsightly, but now remembered for flouting convention and embracing the absurd.

In the Twingo’s favour, it didn’t single-handedly traumatise a generation of children, so it’s looked back upon a bit more fondly.

Renault Twingo

You can occasionally find one here from £5k, although it’s perhaps easier to source and import a clean car yourself. The Phase 1 Twingo is starting to become something of a cult car though, and a glance at the classifieds will show you that the best examples are being advertised abroad for almost twice that.

WE FOUND: 1994 Renault Twingo Phase 1, 48k, €4900 (Netherlands)

Mercedes-Benz SL (R129)

Technically speaking, the R129’s life started in the late 1980s, but the fourth-generation SL didn’t really hit the limelight until a few years later. Its sheer desirability – thanks in no small part to those futuristic lines and stonking £50k-plus price tag – made it the darling of the burgeoning hip-hop subculture. And if you can picture yourself rollin’ in a 500 Benz, just like Tupac, the good news is that SLs are shockingly affordable today.

Just £3000 gets you behind the wheel of a ropey car, but we’d budget £10,000 or so for something more dependable.

Mercedes-Benz SL (R 129)

Engines ranged from a 2.8-litre V6 all the way up to a 7.3-litre V12 fettled by AMG (good luck finding one of those), but our pick was the grunty 5.0 -litre V8, badged 500 SL.

Look out for an original car with a good service history, and you shouldn’t encounter too many issues. A hard-top roof is a desirable extra for the colder months, but the standard soft-top should prove adequate, providing it’s been properly looked after (or replaced in the relatively recent past with an official Mercedes-Benz part).

WE FOUND: 1993 Mercedes 500 SL R129 5.0, 70k, £12,500

BMW Z3

If it’s a pure driver ’s car you want, look elsewhere. But the Z3 has otherwise aged tremendously, with long-nosed, low-slung proportions and – as long as you go for the 2.0 -litre engine or bigger – some of BMW’s greatest straight-six lumps.

BMW Z3

Prices – from £1000 – are on the up, so now is the time to buy. Unfortunately, if you’re after an affordable Z3 M, especially in ‘Clown Shoe’ coupé form, you’re too late; good luck finding a good one for less than £15,000.

WE FOUND: 1997 BMW Z3 2.8, 57K, £8000

Ford Escort RS2000

Hot hatches are nothing new, but it’s rare that the treatment proves to be the redemption story for what was otherwise a huge dissapointment.

So it proved, however, for the maligned Mk5 Escort, transformed by a fizzy 148bhp twin-cam four, quicker steering and a chassis overhaul.

Ford Escort RS2000

The addition of four-wheel-drive in 1994 only raised its limits, making it a genuine Cossie-lite. As remixes go, it’s tantamount to The Prodigy turning a kids’ safety ad about not talking to strangers into a rave classic.

Not cheap today, though: expect to pay about £8000 for a good runner.

WE FOUND: 1994 Ford Escort 2.0 RS2000, 63k, £8295

Peugeot 306 GTi

“The GTi is back,” declared our road testers after sampling the performance-enhanced 306. For years, hot hatchbacks had been iced over, hamstrung by horrendous insurance premiums and the looming threat of theft.

Peugeot 306 GTi

However, the French machine’s combination of a 167bhp four- pot (then one of the most powerful engines to have featured in a hatch), a six-speed gearbox (when most rivals made do with five ratios) and a simply stunning chassis raised the bar. Suddenly, the race was back on.

Avoid track-converted cars; clean examples should start at £5000 or so.

WE FOUND: 1997 Peugeot 306 GTi-6 16v, 88k, £6750

Peugeot 106 GTi/Rallye

All the joy of the 306 GTi, but in a smaller, lighter and slipperier package. The 106 GTi was as close as Peugeot ever came to properly replacing the 205 GTi, and today a good example can fetch a five-figure sum.

Peugeot 106 GTi/Rallye

At that price, though, you should also consider the 106 Rallye, which went without power steering and much of the cabin kit in pursuit of pure driving thrills.

Again, prices have risen sharply in recent years, and low-mileage examples will set you back a small fortune. Not exactly a bargain anymore, but incredibly rare and still less than a new Peugeot 208…

WE FOUND: 1994 Peugeot 106 Rallye S1, 36k, £20,995

Ford Focus

The original Focus was the car that righted all the later wrongs of its Escort predecessor. More importantly, though, it was better known for being the car that democratised the attributes of all the best driver’s cars for the masses.