Rolls-Royce Phantom, 2007, 185k, £49,995
We all know the temptation of a higher mileage motor. Some of us will have taken the chance and come out smelling (mostly) of roses. When it all goes well, when a car has been maintained properly and money spent where required, it can be a smart way into great cars for less money. Nothing spooks the average car buyer like a six figure mileage. But when it goes wrong, and more cash ends up being spent than would have bought a regular example, you feel a bit silly. All part of the used car fun. Whatever the future holds for this Phantom promises to be interesting: already it’s accrued 185,000 miles, which is unheard of for these, yet it still looks decent for it. The MOT history is incredible, too, with just one fail in 2010 for - take a guess - the headlight being too high. It’s passed every year since 2012 (at just over 90k) without even an advisory. Maybe there’s something in this regular use of cars malarkey…
SEAT Leon Cupra 300 ST, 2017, 128k, £9,495
Naturally, it’s hard to follow up a Rolls-Royce Phantom in any list, though we aren’t all in a position to spend £50k on a V12 that’s approaching 200,000 miles. What more of us will be likely to buy, however, is a £10k fast estate, and with that in mind this Leon Cupra looks a great shout. The ST was always a handsome junior wagon (certainly more so than Cupra’s current effort), and this one is an especially rare spec: 300hp was the most ever available bar the limited Cupra R, and the manual gearbox with front-wheel drive is seldom seen because most plumped for the DSG/4Drive combo. Which did play into the all-weather, all-scenario suitability of a Leon wagon, but the manual was lighter, faster once off the line - and more fun to drive. This one is thousands cheaper than any comparable Cupra (if you can find one) thanks to almost 130k, but the history is said to be great and it’s only ever had an MOT problem for tyres. Which is to be expected for 300hp, front-wheel drive, and doing tens of thousands of miles between tests. A whole lot of modern, likeable, capable performance car for £9,495.
BMW 320i, 1985, 133k, £11,995
Alright, this one shouldn’t really be here. Covering 130,000 miles in 40 years of driving is a paltry return, really - little more than 3,000 miles a year on average - and so no car boasting that tally should really qualify for a high mileage hit list. It’s not a classic that’s been to the moon and back, or a new car that’s barely left the motorway. It’s a car with an entirely expected mileage return for its age. We know that, we get that. Put most simply, we saw this E30 3 Series and it had to feature, despite a tenuous claim to inclusion. Hopefully you can see why. Acacia Green with cream makes for what might be the smartest 320i ever seen, and it’s a manual. But with Koni dampers, Eibach springs and those 14-inch BBS rims as well, the stance is absolutely perfect on top. Should the next owner ever get bored of just gawping at it, the E30 benefits from a recent big service and some polybushes, so it can make its way to a proper high mileage total in due course.
Mercedes S63 AMG, 2009, 129k, £11,995
Well, this must have been expensive. Even in 2009, an S63 would not have been the most frugal way for a powerfully built company director type to get themselves around. Largely the point, of course, because displays of wealth come little more effective than a big, bad Benz. But even by the supersaloon standard, this era of W221 S-Class AMG was a greedy guts, because there were no turbochargers to help with mid-range muscle or to massage test scores. Like the Maserati Quattroporte and Aston Rapide of the era, it was raw displacement that did the job for the S63, here - of course - with the iconic M156 6.2-litre V8 powering the rear wheels. With 525hp, too, some way from the 457hp produced in C63s of the time. Almost 130,000 miles of super unleaded at 19mpg must have cost a fortune, and continuing to run an S63 won’t come cheap - especially with a service due and MOT looming. But what a damn cool way to spend it.
Subaru WRX STI UK, 2013, 149k, £7,590
Bet you didn’t expect to see one of these. Put most simply, the Subaru EJ25 doesn’t have the best reputation for reliability; to avoid triggering any of those with prior bad experience, let’s just it rhymes with bread baskets. That’s the problem. And it seems quite common. We’re going to assume this 2013 STI Type UK has been similarly afflicted at some point in its 150,000-mile life, too, because there’s a receipt in its history for £6,000 of engine refurbishment work for the flat four turbo. It’s not clear when it was, or who did the work, though it does make a cheap STI seem like a slightly less daft idea. Because the whole thing is £7,500. There’s nothing comparable for even twice that. The Impreza hatches on PH are £10k. And while the MOT history isn’t impeccable, the Scooby presents well enough - bet you didn’t think the seat bolster would last this long - and promises a unique driving experience. Fortune favours the brave, right?
Porsche Cayenne GTS, 2008, 135k, £7,995
Another one where there’s a little more to the car in question than meets the eye. These days, a naturally aspirated, 400hp-plus V8 in anything for £8,000 is interesting, particularly a Porsche. Yes, a gen one Cayenne, but remember - big V8. Trouble with the old bus (one of the troubles), is that the 4.8 is chain driven, and they’re known to fail. Which is very bad news. ‘Durable but not indestructible’, suggests Google’s AI, for a neat summary. No such worries here - it’s been replaced. And that can’t have been a small job. Indeed there’s an aura about this GTS that suggests money has been lavished on it: there are Michelin tyres on all four wheels, plus the interior scrubs up pretty nicely for 135,000 miles. And get this - in 14 tests, it’s never failed an MOT. There have only been advisories on two, and the current ticket runs until May 2026. Not the be all and end all, of course, but encouraging nonetheless. Means the fuel kitty can be left alone, for one thing…
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