Four modern classic sports cars that cost a fraction of their modern equivalents

It won't have escaped your attention that new cars are beyond expensive. Prices have risen over the last couple of years to the point where a Porsche 911 now starts at £100,000, a BMW M2 CS not much less and even a Lotus Emira is far too close to six-figures for our liking. It's why, as the new car market stalls for pretty much everything - ignore the fantasy registration figures the industry pumps out, these aren't sales and most are parked on airfields waiting for owners - the used car market remains relatively buoyant but still with some eye-widening bargains to be had.

These are the cars we all dreamt of owning when new and now they're within reach. Now at the bottom of their depreciation curve, they tempt us from the classifieds and have us wondering 'how much can I borrow and do I really need a holiday?'. Happily, there are also plenty of specialists on hand to help buy the right one and keep costs manageable too.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage – from £25,000

Just over 20 years ago Aston Martin went toe-to-toe with the then-new 997 generation Porsche 911. But while the V8 Vantage was more expensive, it wasn’t quite as sharp or rewarding as Stuttgart’s time-honoured class leader; it offered difficult to resist charms of a more subjective nature – an inimitable rasp from its V8 and those drop-dead gorgeous looks being just two.

The Vantage had a long life from its 2005 launch to its replacement in 2017, its V8 engine size increasing from 4.3 to 4.7 litres, with a V12 Vantage flagship to boot. A run of specials - namely the N400, N420 and N430 - and model year updates tightened and sharpened the Vantage driving experience. As the years wore on and rivals acquiesced to the hunt for horsepower and efficiency, it became the reassuringly compact, old-school, analogue option as it aged.

In truth, later 4.7-litre manual cars are the sweet spot, but two decades on from its launch, the earliest cars that are in the pit of their depreciation curve and within reach. Even the more desirable (and cheaper to maintain) manual examples without terrifying miles are available from as little as £25,000.

Porsche 911 (997) Carrera – from £20,000

Or just go straight for the best. On its arrival in 2004 the 997-generation 911 held its place as the best sports car you could buy and today, in the eyes of many, it’s still one of the best generations of 911 there’s been. It was developed and finished to a high standard compared to what came before, thanks in part to the spoils from the Boxster and 996’s success, with the Cayenne also bringing in the bucks. 

But it was still relatively compact and with enormously charismatic 3.6-litre 316bhp and 3.8-litre 380bhp engines, compared to subsequent 991 and 992 generations. They were also the last 911 to retain a hydraulically-assisted steering rack, with manufacturers never quite refining electronic power steering to deliver the same tactility. Well-built, beautifully engineered but still compact, lightweight and feelsome – the goldilocks 911.

Deservedly, the 997 was a huge sales success, which is why there’s plenty of used choice at still reasonable prices. The pricing is also because they do have their flaws – the engines in pre-facelift 997s are known for potentially fatal bore-scoring and IMS bearing failures. You’ll want to be assured of remedial work in your chosen example, and avoid the baggiest cars priced under £15,000. For a well-maintained, reasonable miles manual Carrera, upwards of £20,000 is a good ballpark figure to start with. For an (admittedly more common) Carrera S, upwards of £30k for the nicest manual cars. Automatics are to be avoided unless you’re considering a 2008-2011 facelift, the first 911 to get the PDK dual-clutch transmission, replacing the dated Tiptronic 'box.

Audi R8 V8 – from £35,000

Are first-generation Audi R8 V8 manuals really now available for as little as £35,000 in a condition you’d actually want to own (and not need to dump money into)? The R8 is a step up in exoticism compared to the Porsche and Aston though, with bones shared with a Lamborghini, a high-revving V8, it was only just short of being a bonafide supercar.

It had the performance and driving experience to back it up too, the R8 completely blindsiding us when new as easily the most satisfying, bidable, dynamic Audi yet made and it wasn’t remotely close when it came to group tests, the R8 beating the 911 straight out of the gates, many of us at the time preferring the four-ringed pseudo supercar to Stuttgart’s stalwart. Audi completed its evolution into a proper supercar in 2009, dropping a 5.2-litre V10 in the middle, creating a true 911 Turbo rival. Spider versions followed, as did the limited GT and LMX models.

The only R8s to avoid are early paddle cars, equipped as they are with a single-clutch automated manual. The facelift introduced in 2012 swapped that for the much sharper, more resilient dual clutch. We’d still take a manual V8, though no R8 is without problem areas. Make sure the V8’s timing chains and the magnetic dampers are in rude health and you’ll have potentially the best value used sports car you can possibly buy. Just don’t tell anyone, or they’ll all want one.

Lotus Evora – from £28,000

Lotus's Evora is a tricky car to pigeonhole, pitched as a Porsche Cayman rival when launched but capable of treading on the toes of the lower 911 Carrera models, too. Much like the Cayman. This vastly tighter, more refined Lotus didn’t shirk the dynamic magic for which Hethel’s lightweight stars were beloved in the process of its glow-up. It was an enormously satisfying sports car, resolved to an evo Car of the Year-winning standard no less.

It evolved over its years, only leaving configurators in 2021, gaining a supercharged option before taking on Porsche’s Cayman GT4 head-on with the wild and wonderful Evora 400, GT410 and 430 models, their names referring to the power they packed. These were true sub-supercars, quicker and sharper even than the R8 mentioned previously.

Strangely, it’s also the car on this list that could bring you the least grief, powered as it is by Toyota’s 3.5-litre V6. The Lotus bits can be a bit less dependable – check all the electrics and creature comforts are working as they should and be sure there are no leaks. Purchase from a specialist, or commission the inspection services of one if you can. The newer the Evora the better, as more of the kinks will have been ironed out. Plus those later models are a real step up, as both an experience and in terms of budget, costing north of £40,000 at the time of writing. Don’t dismiss those early cars though, as most will have been whipped into shape by now and offer a purity and subtlety some owners of the more aggressive later cars might be envious of. The c£30k price of entry is surely the envy of prospective Emira buyers too, now looking at c£90k for a new Lotus sports car...