The best 10 used supercars

The Lamborghini Gallardo can be hand in two- or four-wheel-drive versions
Nissan's GTR is more of a supercar slayer than a true exotic
The Noble M12 is a fearsome homegrown hero
Honda's NSX was so good it was used to benchmark the McLaren F1
The Audi R8 V10 Spyder is the perfect car for summer cruising
The Lamborghini Gallardo is an icon in its own right
Feeling brave? Take a look at the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
The Ferrari 360 Modena is truly excellent
McLaren's first production road car is now looking tempting
The Mercedes-Benz SLS's gullwing doors are a fairly unique feature
The Alfa Romeo 8C features jaw-droppingly beautiful styling

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5 mins read

5 June 2022

Some second-hand hypercars that dangled temptingly at about £250,000 in 2012 have since jumped to half a million or more. But if you know where to look, you can pick up a car that delivers a truly epic driving experience without paying such an epic price – even in 2022.

Noble M12, 2000-2008

£38,000-£55,000: The Noble M12 is the kind of supercar the world no longer has house room for. It’s light, compact, grippy, nimble, surprisingly sophisticated with its body control, and epic on boost with its power delivery – not for the faint of heart, but hilarious for those who are up for the challenge. Get a higher-spec car if you can and watch out for evidence of worn suspension joints and steering bushes.

One we found: 2004 Noble M12 GTO-3R, 24k miles, £48,999

Nissan GT-R, 2008-2022

£40,000-£150,000: More of a supercar slayer than a proper exotic itself, but well worth considering if you want naked aggression and lots of real-world, four-wheel-drive performance. It’s mechanically complicated, though, especially in the driveline. Avoid heavily tuned examples, pay a premium for a car with a good service history and consider an inspection by a specialist.

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One we found: 2011 Nissan GT-R, 50k miles, £44,995

Honda NSX, 1990-2005

£45,000-£90,000: It’s becoming increasingly hard to find original examples of Honda’s mould-breaking NSX, which upturned expectations for reliability, usability and ease of operation when it arrived in 1990. They’re delicate and understated cars but lovely, tactile and sonorous to drive; not overpowered with only a 3.0 V6, but massive on ’90s charm. Expect to pay more for a coupé than a Targa-style model. Avoid the auto at all costs.

One we found: 1991 Honda NSX, 31k miles, £79,990

Audi R8 V10 Spyder, 2010-2014

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£50,000-£95,000: In drop-top, 10-cylinder form, this is roundly acknowledged to be one of the best driver’s cars that Audi has ever built (even if the coupé edges it for rigidity and sharpness). The folding roof gives easy aural access to that guttural motor, which doesn’t take too much looking after, and there’s a satisfyingly snickety six-speed manual on offer, too.

One we found: 2014 Audi R8 V10 Spyder Quattro Manual, 26k miles, £59,991

Ferrari 360 Modena, 1994-2004

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£55,000-£95,000: Ferrari hit the supercar big time when it launched the 360 Modena, which is still one of the most temptingly attainable modern supercars. There are plenty about, which makes tracking one down in just the right colour and spec possible and keeps values sensible, too.

The 360 M was Ferrari’s first supercar with an aluminium chassis, so it was both lighter and stiffer than the 355. It looked like a car for a new era: it didn’t have Ferrari’s old flip-up headlights or its edgy, strakey bodystyling. It was a bold, curvy, clear-eyed step forward. But it’s also still old enough that you can buy a manual instead of an ‘F1’ paddle shift. The aluminium construction makes 360s more corrosion-resistant than earlier Ferraris, but look out for paint bubbling in the bodywork in any case – and be ready to pay stiff maintenance prices. For a typical car, expect annual routine service and upkeep to cost around £2500.

One we found: 1999 Ferrari 360 Modena, 34k miles, £61,450

Lamborghini Gallardo, 2003-2013

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£65,000-£190,000: This was the Audi R8’s Italian opposite number. The wedgier-looking, always-V10-engined Gallardo was the first ‘baby Lamborghini’ of its kind and fuelled big growth for its parent company. Most are four-wheel drive, but we spotted a rarer rear-driven one. If you can find an LP 550 manual coupé, buy it, keep it forever and listen to it often.

One we found: Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2, 5k miles, £94,999

Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, 2001-2005

£65,000-£80,000: It took Aston Martin a long time to make a better-looking grand tourer than the 2001 V12 Vanquish. Some say that the wait still goes on. Very few Aston Martins sound better than this to boot, thanks to the baleful howl of an atmospheric Cologne V12 bellowing through very little exhaust muffling. If you like your supercars traditional, front-engined, noisy and so gorgeous as to turn heads absolutely wherever you take it, the original Vanquish ought to appeal like little else.

While this car’s V12-engined contemporaries from Italy and Germany have mushroomed in value to almost £200k in many cases, the Vanquish remains relatively attainable, and has long passed the likelihood of further depreciation. The transmission problems of early cars are easy enough to avoid now, too, with plenty of cars having had their troublesome automated manual transmissions swapped out for a manual.

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Ownership of any V12 Aston Martin isn’t for the faint of wallet. With this one, examine the service history carefully for evidence that the 5.9-litre engine has had plugs and coils recently; the gearbox position sensor has been replaced, if necessary; and the suspension bushes have been changed. One we found: 2004 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish Manual, 28k miles, £74,950

McLaren MP4-12C, 2011-2014

£80,000-£120,000: It’s an interesting time to consider owning an early McLaren. The paint defects the cars are prone to, covered by the company’s 10-year warranty, have begun to become an owner’s cost to sort – and that’s sure to affect values. Spot a very early 12C with good paint, though, or one still under warranty, and you’ll get an awful lot for your money.

One we found: 2011 McLaren MP4-12C Coupe, 17k miles, £89,950

Mercedes-Benz SLS, 2010-2014

£135,000-£180,000: This super-Merc was a £165,000 car when it was new just over a decade ago, and to think that most are still commanding similar prices is quite a compliment to how well designed and positioned it was. The gullwing doors always meet with an ovation, and the woofling atmo V8 engine sounds phenomenal.

One we found: 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, 48k miles, £147,475

Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, 2007-2010

£200,000-£250,000: Jaw-dropping good looks do tend to cost a few quid. The Alfa 8C certainly delivered some when it arrived on the scene in 2007, first in Competizionespec coupé form, and later as a spider. Built by Maserati, based on a Maserati chassis and with a wonderfully loud 4.7-litre V8, this is a rare beast and will stop the traffic all right. For a price.

One we found: 2010 Alfa Romeo 8C, 10k miles, £239,990

Matt Saunders

Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Tesla Roadster, Ariel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren Senna, Renault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.