Audi RS4 (B7), 2006, 63k, £27,995
Probably Audi’s best fast car of the 21st century with space for all the family - the B7 RS4 really is that significant. Of course the R8 will remain the poster child of the firm's early-'00s renaissance, as the mid-engined 911 rival with concept car styling, but the 420hp compact exec arguably remains the greater achievement. Even as an S4, this era of A4 never really sparkled, but the RS4 was a radically different proposition. The 4.2-litre V8 was a masterpiece, addicted to revs and with a wonderful soundtrack. But it was the way that the RS4 steered, rode and handled - which is to say superbly - that really marked it out as a very special super-saloon and estate. Almost 20 years later, Audi has never quite launched a car with quite the same impact. Which is why a low mileage, nicely presented wagon like this one can still command the best part of £30k.
Subaru Legacy Spec B, 2005, 58k, £17,250
For the family-minded PHer who had maybe outgrown an Impreza, the Subaru Legacy - especially in its spicier Japanese Domestic Market variants - was the ideal alternative. It retained so much of what people loved about the smaller Subaru, including the EJ20 turbo flat-four, a clever four-wheel-drive system, and STI goodies if you were lucky, with a bit more space and a less overt appearance. Little wonder, then, that the best imports are now becoming highly prized; there haven’t been 2.0-litre Imprezas for a long time, and many have been thrashed, so a Legacy is a fine Plan B. Or Spec B, rather, just like this handsome 2005 example. It’s got 280hp, Bilstein suspension, gold Brembo calipers - and it’ll rev to 7,500rpm. With fewer than 60,000 miles, too, a five-speed manual like the good old days and what’s said to be a ‘top condition’ according to the seller, including underneath. The perfect family bus.
Saab 9-5 Turbo Edition, 2009, 60k, £9,995
A Shed staple for many years, the most potent Saab estates are now becoming rather more valuable modern classics. It’s easy to see why, with plentiful power courtesy of a turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder (260hp in this 9-5, no less), acres of space and a few little Saab idiosyncrasies that have endeared them to so many people over the decades. An after-dark drive with a Night Panel, loadsa torque and a manual gearbox really is an experience like no other. Because the big Saabs were so suited to big miles and worth precious little for so long, numbers have dwindled; big fixes were hard to justify with the car not worth much and others around. Which makes this Turbo Edition all the more notable: as a 2009 car, it’ll be one of the last ones around, made even more appealing with just 60,000 miles recorded. Not the obvious way to spend £10k - and all the more interesting for it.
Skoda Octavia vRS 230, 2017, 50k, £14,295
For more than 20 years now, the Skoda Octavia vRS has been a very easy answer to the question of which car might suit as many people as possible for the most jobs around. There’s always been very little arguing with ample turbocharged performance, vast amounts of traditional load lugger space and comparatively low cost. So Skoda has continued making them just like that, year after year and generation after generation. Only now the Octavia vRS isn’t available with a manual gearbox, which only makes the previous model - complete with an interior that’s actually quite good - all the more appealing. This one, as well as a six-speed, is said to be one of the 230hp models that benefitted from the VAQ diff up front. Which was said to improve the Nurburgring lap time to the tune of 10 seconds. What better car for a tourist day road trip?
Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Sportwagon, 2003, 106k, PH Auction
Now we’re talking. The Alfa Romeo 156 GTA was always a rare car, because UK buyers tended to prefer German badges on their compact executive cars, and the Sportwagon estate even more so. Because it wasn’t a tremendously practical estate, truth be told. So it’s believed that little more than 100 of these GTA wagons were officially sold in the UK. Bear in mind that that was two decades ago now and it becomes easier to understand why finding a good estate is such a big deal. This one has had just three owners since 2003, the current one for almost a decade, and was recommissioned last year. Oh yes, and the Q2 diff, Alfaholics downpipes and a Supersprint exhaust are fitted, so this 3.2-litre, Busso-engined GTA will go and sound just as good as it looks. Which is some promise. Bidding on this PH Auctions lot is already underway - don’t miss out…
Ford Focus ST, 2022, 6k, £27,500
For those who’ve always found the usual suspects a little plain, the Ford Focus ST wagon has now been around a dozen years as a rather more feisty alternative. (There was an ST170 estate once upon a time, too, but they’ve vanishingly rare.) While the 2.0-litre Ecoboost ST was a good giggle, it was sometimes a tad too lairy for its own good; the 2.3-litre replacement, launched in 2019, was usefully improved without losing the fast Ford fun. There was a chunk more torque with the extra capacity - 310lb ft - through a chassis more capable of harnessing it as well, which made the estate in particular very easy to recommend. Likewise, the six-speed manual, which was slick shifting and engaging where the seven-speed torque converter auto was sluggish. Brass tacks: this is the ideal spec of the best Focus ST, complete with Mean Green paint and a handy saving off list. The tip run will never be the same again.
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