Feeling lucky? We found these 15 minor classics for just £2,000

There’s surely no better car dynamically for such little cash. The original Puma coupe would be a bona fide modern classic – with values to match – were it not for its unfortunate weakness. Rust. It simply loves to rot, most infamously on its voluptuous rear arches, and you’ll need to source both an immaculately kept car and some very watertight storage to keep one in mint condition for generations to come.

It’d be well worth the effort, though; the handling is playful, its five-speed manual ‘box sublime and the Yamaha engine of 1.7-litre models joyously revvy. We’ve found one here comfortably within budget, though with some bodywork repairs inevitably in the post.

You’ll have a jolly good time behind the wheel of this too, mind. The E39 is arguably the finest 5 Series of all, exhibiting the ideal blend of bold dynamic swagger and subtle, classy styling. It wears significantly smaller kidney grilles than any BMW currently in production, after all…

It also belongs to an era when BMW badges (nay, everyone’s badges) were so much easier to decipher. A 528i badge denotes a 5 Series with a 2.8-litre engine – hurrah! – whose now modest 193bhp and 206lb ft hustle an equally modest 1.5 tons through five, slushy automatic gears. A whisker under two grand for a 160,000-mile car bedecked with Nineties luxuries (TV! CD changer! In-car phone!) has the potential to be very good value indeed.

Yep, you really can have an Alfa Brera for two grand. In fact there are several currently advertised for even less, but we figured you’d rather swerve the numerous diesels and lock in on a JTS petrol, its 2.2-litre nat-asp four-cylinder punching 182bhp and 169lb ft through the front wheels for an 8.6-second jog from 0-62mph. Hot hatch pace in something much more covetable… what’s not to like?

Besides, of course, Alfa reliability. The ad is honest about its niggles and flaws, but if you (or someone you wholeheartedly trust) is in possession of some light mechanical endeavour, perhaps a cheap Brera represents a risk worth taking. Okay, the Puma up top is much more fun to actually drive. But which car would you rather lean nonchalantly against at a cars ‘n’ coffee meet?

And now for something completely, utterly different. Not only one of the world’s most adept off-roading estate cars, the terrific little Tercel is also a small screen star thanks to its role in Breaking Bad.

The history of its rugged 4WD iteration is joyously humble – it’s effectively a well-engineered cut and shut between a front-driven Tercel and contemporary rear-driven Corolla, for a rudimentary route to four-wheel drive, with a joyously wedgy wagon bodyshell slotted on top to wring as much adventure as possible from its tenacious drivetrain. Power is cartoonishly low, with just 70bhp from its 1.5-litre engine, but there’s some real everyday classic potential here. The caveat being the restoration budget you’ll also need to get this example ship-shape…

You might demand all sorts from your two grand bargain classic. We’ve already covered handling, luxe, style and ruggedness – but what about something that’s a genuine slice of automotive history? The early Noughties evolution of the Rover 25, 45 and 75 into the MG ZR, ZS and ZT was a curious moment, their Peter Stevens styling package (he also penned the McLaren F1, later Lotus Esprits and the most iconic Subaru Imprezas) morphing retirement expresses into something the younger Max Power crowd might actually relish.

In the case of the ZR, they kinda did, the car doing a half-decent job of sparring with the Saxos and Corsas of its day. Its minor success didn’t, however, do much to save Rover, making it perhaps more infamous for its role as one of the former Brit giant’s last rolls of the dice. MG has since bobbed back to the surface, of course, and the octagon badge is now a consistent top ten bestseller fixed to the bootlid of cheap, Chinese-built SUVs. But who wouldn’t rather see it on a cheap, Longbridge-built hot hatch?

Another car from the CV of a legendary British designer, the first, Ian Callum-penned generation of XF did an almighty job of eclipsing the ill-advisedly retro S-Type in our collective conscience. This thing looked genuinely spectacular at its 2007 launch and felt revolutionary, too, its rotating air vents and rising rotary gear selector (which all swivelled into life on ignition start) seeming pretty swish when new. They might well today if they’re still working properly. Just a couple of things to add to your checklist if you go and pore over this pre-facelift, monocle-lamped example…

Still unduly moody about the big Jaguar reboot? Consider this XF (with its boldly grained wood trim) a thoroughly affordable echo chamber to ensconce yourself in as the Type 01 rouses fully to life…

One of the biggest bargains of all, the 9-3 cabrio. There are reams of the things filling the classifieds at under £1,000, making our £2,000 budget positively princely. It won’t quite snare you a concours example, but it will get you something in aesthetically decent nick and with a recent service and MOT to its name. Just like this gleaming blue ‘n’ cream example.

Beneath its bonnet is a 2.0-litre turbo four producing 173bhp for a leisurely ten-second stroll from 0-62mph. Fine by us: this car is for cruising, a proper four-seat convertible in the finest tradition and to heck with nerdy stuff like ‘acceleration’ or ‘handling’.

Just in time for summer, too…

Sound the ‘lots of car for the money’ klaxon! An unbearable cliché, sure, but there’s no denying that seven, turbodiesel propelled seats ahead of an enormous boot must feel like a win for £1,500. The 807 was spun from a deal that saw Fiats, Citroens and Lancias rolled out with the same bodyshell, though they all made a decent fist of looking individual and for us, the Peugeot sticks its fussier styled nose ahead of its siblings thanks to its racing heritage.

Yes, really: its 806 predecessor once competed at the Spa 24 Hours in an act even zanier than BMW entering an M3 Touring (and securing fifth place) at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Let us not dwell on how well the big Pug finished its race, though…

Let’s stay boxy and celebrate the squarest four-wheeled device of them all. We adore all things JDM at Top Gear, and the titchiest Japanese cars habitually tread the most brazen path when it comes to styling. The world of the kei car is as inventive as car design gets, and while the Cube’s dimensions make it too stocky to inhabit the world’s smallest club, it still slots van-like practicality into a Fiesta footprint to channel plenty of kei spirit. And how many other cars can you name with asymmetrical rear windows?

Official UK Cube sales began in 2010, but it’s likely an unofficial import from its earlier generation - with even boxier styling - will fall into budget. You won’t unearth much more charm or chutzpah for the money…

We began our search for a BMW Z3, unwisely assuming its uncherished position amongst hardcore enthusiasts might keep values low. Alas, no: the retro roadster is enjoying its moment of maturity into a modern classic, and you need at least three grand to secure anything. Or much more if you want it to dazzle.

Thus its Z4 successor is the budget alternative, albeit with very few that loiter as low as £2,000. With its ‘part history’ and mileage (just!) under six figures you ought to enjoy at least one trouble-free summer, though, right? And boy, has its once controversial ‘flame surfacing’ design aged beautifully.

Feeling brave? XC90 prices start at £500 and plenty occupy the £1,000 mark, making our budget of two big ‘uns feel like an embarrassment of riches. Well, kinda. You may still be facing almost 200,000 miles and you’ll need to inspect anything you look at with the beadiest eyes possible.

What a reward for your gumption, though. While we mourn Volvo’s 'estate cars first, SUVs as a side hustle’ era, the car which started the tiller on the Swedes’ about-turn is a discreet icon of the Waitrose car park. The gen1 XC90 remained on sale well over a decade without major changes, so whether you risk it all at £500 or go safe at £5,000, you end up with a smartly chiselled seven-seat 4x4 all the same.

The Renault Twingo is back, the latest, fourth generation car winding right back to the mk1 with its design while staring resolutely toward the future with its pure electric powertrain at a very affordable price. It’s a knockout. But cheaper still, and by a considerable margin, are lightly shabby examples of the cutesy original.

You must endure left-hand drive (not a problem in the city, trust us) and likely plan a trip to France to pick it up, though its exceedingly clever, ‘shrunken Espace’ interior means plenty of luggage volume to fill with fine wines and cheeses at the hypermarché on your return trip. With the windows wound down and northern French plains whizzing by, however, and its radio pumping Nostalgie into the summer breeze, we’re not sure we’d actually come home…

TopGear.com isn’t a big fan of crying ‘future classic!’ with unwarranted confidence and yet something about the very first Focus – particularly as a pert three-door with keen 1.6-litre Zetec power – feels like a fun investment if you’ve got somewhere safe and coddling to keep it.

The original Focus ticked every box and won nigh on every award it was eligible for; affordable, practical, bold to look at and fabulous to drive, there really wasn’t much to dislike beyond the sheer ubiquity of the things once Joe and Josephine Public ceased buying their Escorts and purchased its successor in vast quantities instead. Once a ludicrously common sight on British roads, you’ll do well to see any in regular usage looking this damn good. Buy it before we do.

Looking to drape your car across the lawns of a prestigious show this summer, but haven’t quite amassed the cash to grab a short wheelbase Ferrari 250 GT to finagle your way in? Then let us introduce you, with some considerable artistic licence, to the next best thing.

See, Britain’s ‘Festival of the Unexceptional’ is fast becoming an essential date to fix in your calendar – a real-world twist on the highfalutin concours event, one that welcomes trainers more than loafers and values a ribbed paper cup of lukewarm tea over a crystal flute of Armand de Brignac. An EB110 or Miura won’t pass muster upon the Grimsthorpe Castle grass – but an ungainly Megane saloon (aka Megane Classic) with a plucky nat-asp 1.6-litre engine emphatically will.

Yes, really. Not only can you snare a Porsche for under two grand, but it’s one capable of taking the whole family. The evolution of ‘cheap shabby Porsche’ has been swift, the wedge-shaped 944 and neat-handling Boxster morphing into minor classics to hand the rather dubious baton to the bolshy Cayenne.

Mind, a two grand Cayenne likely still demands a savings pot twice as large for any impending issues. But there’s a cult scene amassing around Porsche’s debut SUV, one that suggests it too could eventually leap skyward from its rock-bottom entry point.