New TG magazine out now: the second-hand superheroes

When did the lunacy of £60k RS3s, £100k M3s and £400k+ production Ferraris cease to raise an eyebrow? 

Sometimes all we need is a collective recalibration, because besides that new car smell, everything you could ever want – be it speed, luxury, looks, style or some other superpower – is available in the classifieds. Yes, silicon shortages and supply chain issues are feeding longer waiting times for new cars, which means the used car market is overheated at the moment, but it’s relative. Even a 10 per cent price hike across the board still leaves bargains in abundance and can be effectively cancelled out if you’ve got something to sell yourself.

So, it’s time to show your appreciation for depreciation and get stuck in, because just look at the sheer variety we brought along to our second-hand superheroes cover shoot this month. 

There’s no driving situation that you wouldn’t have covered with this lot. Need large amounts of military equipment moved across some particularly boggy terrain? Bring in the ex-Singapore army Unimog. Want to drown yourself in pure, unfiltered Italian V8? The Maserati Quattroporte Sport GTS could be one of the best-sounding cars ever.

You’ve got an MP4-12C for sunny weekends, a BMW i3 for zapping to the shops, an RS6 for carting kids and dogs, an NSX and a Cayman for reconnecting with what driving fun really feels like, and a VW California for sleeping in when you lock yourself out of the house. The possibilities are endless, the depth of talent in your new 21-car garage unfathomable. So scrape together your pennies and pull on your brave pants, it’s time to buy an exciting used car for the price of a boring new one.

You can order a copy of the second-hand superheroes issue direct to your door by clicking these blue words. Or perhaps you’d prefer to download it straight to your phone or tablet? You can do that by clicking here if you’re an Apple user and here for Android users.

Or try a BBC Top Gear magazine subscription today and save 35 per cent on the shop price, paying just £21.50 every six issues. Sign up now and we’ll also send you a pair of Bassline TWS Wireless earbuds worth £49.99. Click these blue words to take advantage. 

It’s not just the second-hand market we’ve been scouring this month, though. We’ve also got an EV twin-test between the Polestar 2 and the BMW i4, plus the full lowdown on Gordon Murray’s new T.33 and a winter weapons shootout featuring the Audi RS3, the BMW M3 Competition xDrive, the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS and the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster. Because every issue needs a V12-engined Lambo.

Enjoy the issue folks…