The Best “BANG FOR YOUR BUCK” Cars You Can Buy! 

When i think bang for your buck, i think a 2005 toyota corolla with 60k miles for 1500 quid, ya can get well over 100k miles out of it and is what i call value for money.

Very interesting content Matt! More of this, please 🙏🏻. More for car enthusiasts. Your credibility is already earned, and your presentation style is down to talent and thus enjoyable.

I LOVE my i3 REx. The best car I've ever owned. Has the range of our Tesla, drives well, super reliable and has zero battery degradation. I did 400 miles in it on Monday, an amazing machine. You can do a video on mine if you want, based outside of Congleton.

Great show as always Matt, BMW F10 M5 is a real bargain, 560bhp for £30k , bought one 2 years ago some can be had for as low as 20, heard some horror stories about reliability but touchwood its been fine for 2 years. My heart still comes out my chest when i plant my right foot.

It would be interesting if you did a video of what dealers take notice of when they are looking at a car on paper rather than in the flesh, what are the red flags and particular stats that should worry us tourists but we're usually not aware of.

I think Jag XJ's and early L405 RR's fit into this category, both can be had for under £20k (XJ's for under £10k easily!) and with a private plate everyone else thinks you're a millionaire! ...another but slightly higher priced option (£30-35k ish) is the Aston Martin Rapide! 👍

I really enjoy your videos Matt. Whether it's sourcing cars for a friend or turning a car around or searching the Web for different types of car. Great channel. 👍

Great video. You mentioned that the bottom has fallen out of the EV market, that's super interesting. Have seen long queues waiting for working charging points this summer

I’m 19. I just bought my second car in April. It’s a 2.4L Honda accord I-VTEC EX. It had 59k miles when I got it for £5,995. The insurance is somehow cheaper than my first car, seat Ibiza 1.4, and I absolutely love it. It has everything I need. It’s comfortable, reliable, decently quick, and has all the gadgets. I’m probably one of the only 19 year olds with a Honda accord because I doubt it’s very sought after but I would highly recommend. It really is a bang for your buck.

It’s a brave man choosing to buy any of your choices without having to keep around 3k plus to cover for any repairs. Then there’s the breakdown anxiety worrying about the expense keeping it on the road. I long for your bravado Matt and applaud your love of cars but some are watchers and not doers and I am, sadly, one of the latter. That’s one of the reasons I follow your channel religiously 😢

I would say most of these bargain cars are a bargain as long as nothing breaks. then you bust into tears when your apologetic local independent garage says "are you sitting down?" "Yes mate, proper fuct it is, the warning lights are on and everything, we can get a reconditioned exchange unit in for £1,900 plus vat, but then there is fitting which will require disassembly of the dashboard and lower suspension".

Finally I hear Mat talk about my own car an Audi RS5! They're a lot more rare and expensive in Sweden, but still amazing value for what you get... that V8 is mental

Not sure about that collection.. they'll all go wrong in so many different and expensive ways, prices may be tempting but the repair bills will be horrendous

Class video again Matt !! Really makes you think where to put your cash on selection. Last 5 years I've had a Audi TTS, FK8 Civic Type R, BMW M140i, Toyota GR Yaris, Cupra290 and a Hyundai I20N. Just swapped out into a Kia Stinger GTS. A hell of of a car for the money, a hidden gem thats rare too....still with 3 years warranty left too !

Love this. Would love you to do one that’s under £10k

Followed your previous B4B advice and found a tidy Lexus SC430 with 50k miles - so much fun and such a great drive - and a double result as the wife doesn't like the open top driving nor the low down seat so I get the car to myself.

I spent a bit more than the cars you're showing, but for 43k, I got myself an Aston Martin rapide s. It's a 6 litre v12, 40k miles on a 14 plate. Seriously quick and sounds like a jet plane when I put my foot down. Plus, I'm driving about in an Aston. It was either this or something like a merc a35 brand new. The merc would be more expensive 😂 I'll drive the Aston for 12 months, sell for the purchase price, or very close to, and buy another monster. This is how I like to have cars. Had a porche 911 before this and a e46 m3 before that. Didn't lose a penny on either. Lovely!

Bentley Flying Spur, 550bhp W12 for less than 20k

I think in terms of 'bang for buck' cars like Mercedes E class or the CLS, Jaguar XF or BMW 5 series are prime candidates but maintenance costs can be high. Good service history is essential 👍

Matt, you missed out on one of the best cars around at the moment, the Alfa Romeo Gulia Veloce 2.0l, 280ps just a few years old with average mileage and you have a bargain, plus its an Alfa, the coolest badge of any car, except Aston Martin of course.

The expression "more bang for your buck " is an American military term used for purchasing explosives !

Pardon the pun but this video is gonna bang. Been looking for something like this for ages mate!

Had a E250 CDI BlueEf 2011 Coupe for a year until last September... 60+ MPG easy on motorway... 120 mph easy without any hassle on anywhere u can legally do this speed ;) .. Such reliable car.. Only had one problem and was fixed for 250 quids, which was the signal module failure... For a year i did between Selby-Leeds (for studying masters) back and forth every day, did 18000 miles, NEVER HAD ME A PROBLEM ... SUCH RELIABLE AND CHEAP TO RUN CAR... and it is an E "CLASS"

I've always looked at i3s on autotrader and gawked at the low price

Hi mat, could you do a video on 2nd cars at some point. Something fairly quick but also insurable for a teenager. Thanks!

I definitely would prefer something with lower running costs myself but that’s not really the point of the name of course it’s all about what the most sporty or luxurious care for the lowest price definitely crazy what you can get over there given the depreciation great video as always Matt

Intrigued by the Tesla. Not for me at the moment, as I regularly have to do a journey of over 300 miles, and I've seen real problems with the availability of chargers at motorway service stations. However, what really puts me off the older Teslas is that statistically they were one of the most unreliable cars on the road, as bad as a Land Rover. Newer ones are better, but the demonstrated failure rates on older ones would worry me.

I had a 3ltr amg sport clk 57 plate, 5 years ago amazing car. Had it 3 years, only depreciated a grand. Sold it used the cash as part of my house deposit.

Enjoy these vids 👍 Depreciation doesn't get considered enough when people buy used cars I think. Reckon you could do a video looking at used cars options that you think would likely hold their value well? Some cars can seem pricey but if they hold their value then they should be considered more of an investment than a cost (provided they're well maintained)

Mercedes E350 convertible is an excellent choice. Search for cars with Harmon Kardon sound as they usually have lots of extras. Also look for cars 2011 on with the straight DRL lights as they’re 265bhp and lower tax bracket. All facelift cars are euro6. Brilliant comfortable mile muncher.

Like the i3 - in its day a bit oddball/left field like the Audi A2 but much more so - a bold concept that wasn't repeated. Its carbon fibre/aluminium body puts me off - repair costs/insurance - but it would be good to see what you think after trying one.

YES! A Tesla Model S video would be great Matt.

Many of those vehicle you mentioned are money pits. The old adage 'if you can afford to run one you can afford a new one' explains why they are so apparently cheap used.

435d 335d 2013-2014 onwards one of the fastest and most reliable diesel cars that are also ulez free most 2013 onwards models

Why are used Teslas so cheap? Is it because a replacement battery costs 10 grand?

Would love to see you in an BMW i3, be interesting to get your take on it. I've driven a 120ah and the i3s version both proper nippy and fun and interesting, plus the one pedal driving thing is quite fun when you get used to it, especially around peaks roads 😊

Coming from a lover of Tesla - a 2015/2016 Model S with around 100k miles is not smart unless you buy directly from Tesla with an extended warranty. Very fun cars to own though.

UK sh car market is on a different level, the cars are so much cheaper than in EU that it's almost worth to buy and convert it to left hand drive

Nice one Matt food for thought. I would look at the Kia Stinger GT at that price range. A definite Q car. Also Skoda Superb 280 estate or saloon, VW Arteon maybe.

I could do this on auto trader all day!

My Dad has a BMW I3. Range Extender. If it wasn’t for the motorbike engine in it he would have spent a lot of time being rescued on long journeys because of the abysmal charging network in this country. Having said that it is a nippy fun to drive car if a little challenging in poor weather conditions because it is rear wheel drive with 19inch tyres which resemble biscuit tin lids.

I really don't drive enough so spend on these cars. However I inhabit the cheap and cheerful luxury car market. (1.5 to 3k). Its great fun if you're not bothered about gadgets.

Back in the 60s and 70s some Maseratis were named after winds, hence Ghibli, Bora, and Khamsin

I really like the i3 please do a video

Surely the reason that these cars depreciate so much is because the maintenance costs are so high? Looking at the statistics the probability of something going wrong hugely increases in luxury car brands as they reach the 10 year mark, which means owners can be hit with huge repair bills.

As a Brit living in Austria for a few years now, I was very curious to see how the same cars compared here to the UK market. So, in order, and with the same general spec and condition, this is what you’d be paying in Austria (Euros; multiply by 0.85 for sterling) for an equivalent: Mercedes E class coupe/convertible - €20k Mercedes SL - €45k + Mercedes S class - €35/40k Tesla Model 3 - €30k Tesla Model S - €30k BMW i8 - €70k BMW i3 - €14k BMW 8 series - €70k BMW 6 series - €25k Maserati Ghibli - €30/35k Maserati Quattroporte - €50k Maserati Levante - €45/50k Audi S7 - €40k Audi RS5 - €35/40k As the population of Austria is only a fraction of the UK’s, the car market here is considerably smaller. So for any particular model there will be fewer to choose from. Also compared to the uk, the cost of new cars here is higher, ballpark +20%, but varies according to manufacturer. This obviously dictates higher used car prices once people move them on. Electric cars seem to be roughly on a par with the uk, but luxury cars hold their value here a bit better. Especially anything that’s rarer or a bit more unusual. One devastating reality of buying a new car in Austria is the registration tax. Particularly appropriate for this video when talking about “bang for buck” and luxury/performance cars depreciating. In 2021 this tax was raised from a maximum of 32 to 50 % of the cars sticker price. As of January this year it stands at 70%. The tax is based on WLTP emissions (details here: www.finanz.at/kfz/nova/?calc=32 ). An example given on the government website is for a Porsche Cayenne (model, engine not specified) at a list price of €143k which would require a NoVa (new registration tax) of €93k… The annual tax(road fund license) is also substantially higher than in the uk. It’s based primarily on 2 factors - horse power and CO2 emissions. As an example, I’m currently considering buying a Jaguar S-type. There’s a very tidy, low mileage V6 for sale (€5k), which would be €1200 a year to tax. The supercharged V8 “R” is also an option (they’re about €12k and upwards) and the tax for that would be €2200. Another point of frustration/bewilderment, is the correlation between mileage and price. For any given car, if the mileage is low or very low, the cars are advertised for double, triple or more, the typical price. High mileage cars, however, are not particularly cheap. A well maintained Volvo, with 300k+ km will only be marginally cheaper than one with half the mileage. The most common website/app for selling cars - both new and used - is “Willhaben”. That’s where I got the prices from. Another good video Matt, loving your work! If you’re ever coming to Austria, for a holiday or RU-vid content, give me a shout!

I3 is a great car, the body is carbon fibre and it's rear wheel drive plus the doors open outwards from the centre which is brilliant for baby seats in the back. Never owned one but had one for a loan can when in for service and it's super quick off the line to 30/40mph, lots of fun too!

I'm running around in a £7k E Class Estate 350 CDI, couldn't be happier :)

You didn't mention a 2003 Citroën saxo they can all do 150mph and a sub 3 seconds 0 - 60 anyone around here will tell you that. Oh and they can pull more G than Lewis Hamilton around Silverstone! It's strange how they fall off the road into a ditch around here!

Hey Mat. I had a look on autotrader as well and ive found an rs4 from 2013 63 reg for around that. Also mercedes cls, E class, volvo v90 and similar, audi q7, Jaguar xj 3.0,xf,xe loads of diesel ones. Its still a jag even if its a diesel. Alfa stelvio. Thats what i found so far for a 20k budget. Cheers and keep up the great content mate

Great video Matt ,just to let you know I spent 5 minutes trying to wipe a white spot off my screen until I realized it was on your top 😂, there are some bargains out there,

Hi Matt! Great Video - how about a video for the folk who live outside of the ULEZ zones - bargains that we can pick up cheaper now everyone has to get rid of them?

Seat leon cupra mk3 are the best hatch for the price. Early cupra 280s are as cheap as 15k. The cupra 300 can be had for as low as 18k. 300hp with all the modern tech

I was surprised by the Ghibli. That's 3-series money

Thanks for a geat video Matt. "S Class 60mpg Euro 6 £240 Road tax" what's not to like? Tesla synopsis very interesting too. Thanks.

Nice one Matt (again). Not a single Peugeot 😂 and, as the owner of a 2012 E350 CDI coupe, for once I seem to have made the right choice! Granted I’ll soon have to give £25 to Sadistiq Khan every time I go to work at Heathrow, but with a 250 mile round trip from Somerset (at 55mpg), and only 4 trips a month, I’m struggling to find something I could replace it with for the additional £100. That said, some of those V8s are tempting…

Every car you've talked about are cars I look at all the time😊

That BMW I3 has seriously impressed me.

Must of missed the affordable cars ! 😆

Great vid Matt, we currently run an E350 CDI BEFF Vert, and so far (touch wood) it has been very good. Head is at the moment being turned by a 958 Cayenne though, would be a first venture into Porchworld...

Just looked up a few of your "buck bangers" in Germany on the Autoscout platform: both BMW "i-cars" are about 60-80% more expensive here than in the UK. Talk about "cost of living crisis"... I'm not sure if the range extender reaĺly makes the i3 a usable hybrid: I read that the ICE is a noisy clattering thing and the fuel tank only holds 9 litres, good for around 100 miles. So while the range extender may occasionally protect you from running out of battery juice on the open road, it's no good if you want to go on a long holiday trip with it. Once you've got that thing, you'll probably want to use it occasionally to keep the fuel in the tank from going bad - but as a usable hybrid, I'd probably pass on the i3's quirky looks and go for a Lexus or Toyota instead.

Scary low residuals on pre Euro 6 diesels at the moment. Only going to get worse with ULEZ expansion and other similar schemes in major cities...

Older I get. 46. More the 8 series seams more and more me. I’m more Brit lotus Italian Alfa or JP Lexus but the 8 is the pretty BM

Thanks for this video Matt.... am buying a Mercedes E Class 350CDI Convertible after watching this 😂. Didn't think id get something so nice for so little money. Have seen the one I want but the dealer is on holiday. And then i go away for 2 weeks so im hoping to leave a deposit before i go.

Can’t believe the prices of cars in the UK compared to the US, every car you showed is at least double the price here

Fantastic video mate, properly addicted to your channel at the moment!

Love the channel Matt really enjoy the variation between cheaper and more expensive cars. Im coming out the motortrade after having company cars for a while and only got a couple of grand to spend on a runaround. (Need to be relatively cheap insurance also) what models should i be looking at?

Anyone surprised how difficult this game in EU? It is impossible to get the same car here. Prices are doubled

Can you make a video with cars from the Netherlands with good prices in Netherlands everything is minimal triple prices then in the uk so hard to find something

Good video as always. Could you do a video on value for money automatic cars that are ULEZ compliant and cost less than 20k. Thank you.

Hey Matt - c’mon spill the beans on where you go to get you auto gearboxes serviced and fluid replaced. It can’t be a trade secret surely? Sadly I think Scotty would have something to say about your recommendations of best bang for your buck? No mention of Lexus or Jaguar. These 2 depreciate heavily when bought new so second hand there are some bargains to be had.

Used cars in the uk are dirt cheap wow, in ireland atm, im looking at all Renault Clios from 2013 to 2016 being at least 7000 euros. For a 10 year old clio, crazy. Im restricting myself to Renaults because as a Renault mechanic, i can get parts much cheaper. But for maybe 3000 more i get the much more modern and functional 2017 megane for example so, prices are all over the place.

Car prices in the UK are so cheap. You pay literally double that in Germany

Those Merc SLs are rough. Losing 50k in value during 24k miles. That car has cost about 2 bucks per driven mile for the previous owner.

In Portugal those same Cars cost two to three Times more.

Maybe same again but SUVs? Thanks for your time and knowledge once again

The used EV car prices are shocking Definitely review an i3 they're brilliant cars

When those Merc diesels hit 80,000 miles the electrical gremlins emerge. My experience and that of my best mate. Such annoyances as the Exhaust gas recirculation position indicator. Limp-mode city ..... not the valve itself which was as clean as new but a silly pcb with a few capacitors and transistors you cannot source. From Merc ..... £600+. After a ton of faffing £350 from Ebay. Then the steering lock/ignition switch ..... nightmare. Glowplug control unit, lighting control unit. These things fail with monotonous regularity along with every sensor and electrical widget under the sun. I'd recommend finding the car that gives you best SPARK for your buck ..... it's not a Merc. There's a good reason they depreciate very quickly.

“ and the Maserati running costs will only be the same as …” … a fleet of Bentley Gt’s / Ferrari ‘s I mean ..cmon 🙄

Not wishing to nit-pick but... a lot of the deals you show are for diesels. I own 2 of them but opinion has turned against oil-burners and I don't expect it to recover with the move to EVs gathering momentum and governments forcing ever stiffer rules - surprised you even mentioned a pre-EU6 diesel. I also like the i3 but a lot of people seem to have put a shed load of miles on them and, despite this, they still want a good deal of cash for them. I wonder how long 2nd hand EVs will be in the doldrums, I suspect part of this will be ex-lease cars arriving in higher volumes which reflects the uptick in new sales 2-3 years ago.

Hiya Matt great video as normal but if any of these cars go bang you may as well weigh it in 😳

~2013 Suzuki Swift vs Citroen DS3 vs Opel Adam. Any thoughts? I lean towards the Swift.

Very tempting, but I'd be scared stiff of maintenance/repair costs and insurance.

Brilliant video as always Matt! Very interesting! The F10 M5 is brilliant and stunning and for a good price! :D

Lol, I’m not alone! A normal person does this too!

nooo the Ghibli quality construction is so poor.. many options you've showed are way better. I'm shocked on how much car a 2015 S-Class can be for 20k. would be my choice, or a E-Class if my parking situation would not allow me.. Great video as always Matt

In my opinion, the best " bang for your buck" car is the E92 or E93 BMW 3 Series with a 3 litre, inline six petrol engine.

Problem with mercs is the parts cost. Parts are insanely expensive.

Great review but I wouldn’t touch an EV with a barge pole. Those £22k Tesla’s will cost £10k by Christmas I’d have added the Bentley Continental to the list as well

Ah…..the quattroporte…..now that has the advantage that if you drive into the city in that nobody in the right mind would shoot at you because they know with 100% certainty that you are Italian Mafia from a very good family……far safer to sort out the arrogant Ghibli driver❤

You forgot the 2 most obvious... Bentley Continental GT or Range Rover. Maybe a late L322 Westminster or an early L405

Great video, I can vouch for the R231 having just purchased one, great value for little money compared to the 85k price new

Merc CLS 350d shooting brake/ or coupe, 2016, around 40k miles, 18k 👍

It's so crazy to see that you can buy a luxury mercedes for 6-7 grand, while in my country you can barely buy a base model Toyota Aygo with no AC/Cruise control/central locking from 2008.

Can you do a video on should you buy a disco 3, I’m thinking of buying one as a work horse around the field and occasionally use as a family road trip if we need the 7 seats.

Audi S7 is a gorgeous car, that seems quite rare. That would be my pick from your list

Enjoyed this post,so many bargains out there if you’re ok for 20k . Wonder if you time to pick your expertise or any follower of this channel knows! On a possible 3k spend looking for BMW zero tax automatic Economical 3series ? Zero idea on mechanical issues,so I don’t want to get rinsed . Regards

I think Ford Mondeo is very cheap yet comfy car

Only one SUV. Is that a reflection that SUVs are just holding their value better and hence don't crop up in a "bang-for-buck" list? What about Alfa Romeo Stelvio? Great video though and generated some interesting ideas. I've been looking at ideas to replace my aging Ford F150 (I'm an Englishman in Texas) with something more interesting that will look good in at the golf club. Not looking for new (other than maybe a Defender) because there's so much available in cars a few years old. Plus I only do around 5,000 miles per year now so a car with a bunch of miles on it isn't a problem. Almost everything on your list fits what I'm looking for - other that the wife thinking I need an SUV......

A few more affordable cars would be good ???