A four-and-a-half-star car for less than half price is the deal with this BMW M235i that we’ve alighted on. The 2015 coupé has done 52,000 miles, it has a full service history and it’s painted in must-have Estoril Blue.
Annoyingly, the dealer levies a £250 admin fee. Not impressed: seems like a way of sneaking in a bit extra under the cover of a lower screen price. Still, back to the car.
It has a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six that produces 322bhp and 332lb ft of torque. It’s a smooth-revving motor and comes alive with a delicious howl at around 6000rpm. Mercifully, there’s very little turbo lag. Economy, even under hard driving, is around 30mpg.
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Our find has the six-speed manual gearbox, which can yield 0-62mph in 5.0sec. It’s much rarer than the otherwise excellent ZF eight-speed automatic, which shifts gears in a blink and which snips 0.2sec off the sprint time. That might be a dealbreaker for some, but the manual is the one to choose for its more authentic experience. In any case, it feels much quicker than the official figure suggests.
A coupé it may be, but the M235i is practical. It’s a full four-seater with a massive boot that’s easily capable of swallowing a few suitcases.
It’s not short of equipment, either. Sporty 18in alloy wheels, leather seats, dual-zone air conditioning, automatic headlights and a DAB radio are all standard. The only thing that you might miss is the limited-slip differential, which was an option on later models.
Our reviewer reckoned the M235i has future classic stamped all over it. Seven years on, we won’t disagree. Especially not for £17,190.
Volkswagen Scirocco 2.0 TSI GT, £10,200: It still looks so fresh that it’s hard to believe the Mk3 Scirocco is based on the Mk5 Golf. Still, its cabin and a drive around the block will confirm that it’s no spring chicken. That’s why we’ve been cautious and opted for a reasonably priced 60,000-miler.
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I refuse to buy a car (and I've bought lots) from any dealer that charges an admin fee. It's total nonsense. The price of the car is the price of the car. 'Admin' is about five minutes of paperwork. Pure profit. Just include it in the price - or don't.