Yahoo Autos Best cars for £15,000 and under
You could have 78 years of Netflix, 18 iPhone 15s, three nights in the most expensive room at The Savoy, or some of the very best used cars if £15,000 is your budget.
Appealing motors that are well under a decade old are achievable on this budget, as are some very youthful budget machinery – everything from the Maserati Quattroporte to a Dacia Duster with less than 30,000 miles and a couple of the greatest sports cars in a generation.
No matter which one you go for, whether older luxury or low-slung dynamism, this guide will steer you to the things you need to know, from telltale signs of abuse to tips on how to spot a gem.
Our list comprises a mixture of cars: some are ULEZ compliant; some have V8 engines; some carry seven people; and some are sleepers. But they all have a USP, aren’t electric and can be bought with less than 50,000 miles on the clock.
Read on, then, for our list of the best cars for £15,000 and under.
Toyota GT86 (2012-2021)
If you’re an avid enthusiast, this is one of those cars you probably know all about. But if not, it's a small sports car with less than 200bhp, eco-friendly tyres and a top speed on a par with a middling saloon's – and it's one of the finest-handling machines you'll ever come across.
Its performance statistics are not impressive on paper, but that pales into insignificance when you're behind the wheel. It serves up rival-beating thrills in every (manual) gear and is so balletic and characterful that we called it “the keenest, sharpest, most enjoyable and loveable small sports car for a generation” when we first tested it. As well as its rewarding handling, its naturally aspirated 197bhp flat-four engine plays a part in its engaging appeal.
Inside, the controls feel as chunky and dependable as an anvil, but there's enough soft-touch material to make the 2+2 cabin feel habitable, especially at this price.
Being a Toyota, it’s reliable with regular servicing. Where there are fewer electronic gizmos and toys, as here, there are fewer chances something will go wrong, and among the high praise accorded it by its owners, only a couple of issues are reported.
Check for a lumpy idle, broken valve springs on early cars (for which a recall was issued), and, because of the type of car it is, bodged repairs from previous accidents.
Used Toyota GT86 2012-2021 review
Dacia Duster (2012-present)
'All the car you’ll ever need' is such a cliché that it is now a cliché to say it is a cliché. But because Dacia is a budget brand, and because the technology used to develop this car is as tried and tested as that saying, buying a Duster for £15k makes it very difficult not to repeat.
This budget gives you access to Dusters that are just a couple of years old, so this has the potential to be one of the most sensible financial decisions you can make. With seating for five and a compelling, chunky aura to both the way it looks and drives, it combines SUV space with hatchback size but is still more desirable than many a crossover.
In departments where you might think it is lacking, such as creature comforts, it’s actually very well equipped. For instance, £14,000 will net you a 21-plate car with part-leather upholstery, sat-nav, parking sensors, and Bluetooth. Even slashing the budget by £10,000 gets you a last-gen car with around 70,000 miles and all of the above kit, bar sat-nav.
There are some things to look out for. If you're taking one for a test drive, make sure it changes gear smoothly, else the transmission oil may need replacing. Some models fitted with the 1.5-litre diesel engine have also had clogging issues with the diesel particulate filter (DPF), which, if not rectified by a motorway blast, has to be taken to a garage.
Maserati Quattroporte (2004-2013)
Styling by Pininfarina, beautifully judged driving dynamics, and a V8 soundtrack that tells its own story. That's all you really need to know about this Maserati.
Well, not all. Manufactured between 2004 and 2013 and facelifted in 2008, it was the last in a generation of four-door saloons from Modena before they became slightly prosaic, and is as much an 'Autocar' car as any.
From its 4.2-litre V8 erupts a cacophony of snarling 395bhp grunt, and there's the potential to dispatch 0-62mph in 5.2sec. Later on, capacity was upped to 4.7 litres, with power boosted to 425bhp, and again to 444bhp in the GTS version.
Pricing is just as attention-grabbing as hearing one on the public road, because even later cars can be bought for less than £15,000. If, however, you want a clean, well-specified first-gen car with less than 50,000 miles, there are so many out there for you.
As ever, though, there comes a point when it all seems too good to be true. Buying a V8 Italian saloon for less than £15,000 sounds great on paper, but choose carefully. Badly maintained cars can be riddled with electrical issues, so it's vital to check that servicing has been done every 6000 miles, especially on cars fitted with the six-speed Duoselect auto.
Used Maserati Quattroporte 2004-2013 review
Ford S-Max (2006-2014)
Today, choosing which MPV is your favourite is like choosing which eyebrow you like best - the difference between them is so infinitesimal that you may as well choose according to a nursery rhyme.
But back when the Ford S-Max was on sale, it was basically a foregone conclusion. Even today, it’s as sharp to look at as it is to drive, and it proves that genuine driver enjoyment doesn't stop at seven seats.
It's those seven seats, though, that give this car the practicality that's likely to have drawn you towards it in the first place. Not only can it accommodate several kids, but also their clutter can be stowed away in cubbies so numerous and door bins so vast you wonder whether you’ve actually bought a barn.
Throughout its eight-year production run, 20 engine variants were offered, ranging from 1.6 to 2.5 litres. We recommend the 197bhp 2.2-litre diesel, especially for motorway work. Get the 2.5 if you just want a laugh: it was described by our used car expert, John Evans, as "the Clark Kent of motoring".
Prices range from less than a grand for a rough one to around £14,000, with the sweet spot around the £10,000 to £14,000 mark. For that, you'll find a choice of clean, low-mileage 2012 and 2013 cars that are well specified.
