Market Finds – Millennial patrons of performance

So, you want something seriously fast, prestigious, reliable, and relatively inexpensive as a daily driver? Some would choose a Noughties powerhouse, where the depreciation hit has been taken by someone else – and with our selection, we prove you don’t need an undesirable spec to bag a bargain…

A 2006 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti for €74,980

For less than the price of a new BMW M4, you could find yourself behind the wheel of a V12-engined Ferrari grand tourer whose initially unappreciated design has softened with age. Considering the rising value of other ‘modern classic’ Ferraris of the same era, this could be as low as the big Scaglietti goes. In this rather fetching combination of Grigio Silverstone over beige leather, it’s definitely worth a second look – as long as you’re finally able to stomach the styling.

A 2012 Jaguar XKR for €54,390

Before you know it, your thermals will be returned to the far depths of the wardrobe, and that hankering for a convertible will make a niggling reappearance. You could do a lot worse than a current-model drop-top XKR – all the better for hearing that sonorous supercharged 5.0 V8 wailing. This well-specced, 30,000-mile example boasts special-order Italian Racing Red paint, and can be bought for the cost of a mid-range, diesel-engined family saloon. Just remember that point when you’re explaining the purchase to your spouse.

A 2006 Lamborghini Gallardo for €77,500

When we promised desirable specifications, you probably expected us to automatically exclude anything with an orange interior. But if there’s any car that can pull that one off, it’s a Lamborghini – and given the relatively sombre exterior colour of this example, it’d be rude not to be at least aninward extrovert. Since it’s a 2006 model, its gearbox will be a revised version of the E-Gear transmission that was already better than the single-clutch units of many of its contemporaries. Plus the Gallardo is four-wheel drive, of course, meaning it could be your daily-driver the whole year round.

A 2004 Aston DB9 for €51,743

Okay, so a 12-year-old DB9 is hardly going to give pedestrians voluntary whiplash when you pass them in the street, but classy understatement is surely a positive factor for anyone in the market for a British GT? That legendary V12 and the design purity of the early cars, free of the styling addenda applied to their latter-life siblings, make them certified future classics (if they aren’t already). This22,000-mile, two-owner example is said to be in mint condition – and the seller is happy to arrange shipping back to its homeland, where right-hand drive is, in fact, right.

A 2007 Audi B7 RS4 Avant for €42,205

Do they make travel sickness pills for dogs? Hauling families around at supercar speeds is the RS4 Avant’s forté, and we’re particularly keen on the B7 version: we have a Grey over Cognac leather Avant on our London office fleet that we nickname the ‘Station Weapon’. This late-model, low-mileage example is one of the best on the market and, almost a decade on, will still be able to hold its own against newer, more exotic machinery. Just don’t expect Fido’s tail to be waggling, especially if the rear-wheel-drive-biased Audi’s is.

Photos: Millennium Heroes / Global Car Trading Company / Wim Prins / Art & Revs / Alexanders Prestige