10 High-Mileage Used Car Heroes From The Classifieds

All too often, performance cars and other interesting motors are kept hidden away, living their lives as reclusive garage queens. That idea has been thrown out the window with these 10 cars though, all of which have 150,000 miles or more on the clock. Most of these bargain buys will need brave new owners, but the rewards could outweigh the probably quite large bills. They’ve shown that cars can be reliable, and don’t have to be scrapped when the odometer ticks over to six figures.

Prices and adverts correct at the time of writing

1998 Ferrari F355, 151,000 miles

Anyone who puts 150,000 miles on a Ferrari is a CT hero, especially if the Ferrari in question is a late-90s 355. And it’s got an open gate manual gearbox, which is surely worth most of the £45,000 alone. It’s probably one of the cheapest ways into convertible Ferrari ownership, but the bills will be massive when something needs replacing. The last service apparently cost £3700, and more than £80,000 has been spent on the car throughout its life. Ouch.

1981 BMW M535i, 163,500 miles

The E12 M535i was one of BMW’s finest creations. After slotting in the big straight-six engine from the bigger 7-series, BMW effectively gave birth to the concept of the super saloon. The seller of this example, which has been in storage for 10 years, says that this is the only E12 M535i for sale anywhere in Europe. It’s by no means a concourse example – there are pockets of rust, the interior needs work and, ahem, it’s a convertible. Apparently it’s one of only three roof conversions ever done on the original M535i, and we’re kind of glad about that. Also, the price might be a bit steep at £25,000.

1970 VW Karmann Ghia, 190,620 miles

This rather nice Volkswagen Karmann Ghia first saw British roads in 1990, and spent the first 20 years of its life in sunny California. The advert says it’s done a commendable 190,000 miles, and the car looks remarkable if that’s true. It’s exempt from vehicle tax, too. It’ll set you back £13,500.

1988 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera, 207,000 miles

This 1988 Porsche 911 might have done over 200,000 miles, but it almost looks brand new. It has an electric sunroof, electric windows and an active spoiler (we’re going to assume they all work), and lovely classic Fuchs alloys. The dealer has a range of 911s to choose from, and, by the looks of it, some rather nice Skylines too. The 911 is yours for less than £35,000.

2007 Range Rover V8, 211,000 miles

Scanning through the classifieds, you’ll find many high-mileage Range Rovers. Few are petrol-powered though, probably because you need seriously deep pockets to run one into the mileage stratosphere. The 4.2-litre V8 of this one produces nearly 400bhp, and if you drive it in anger, you’ll get just 12mpg. This car might well have singlehandedly sunk a low-lying Pacific island, but we’ll forgive its foibles. You won’t get much more car for less than £6,000. Just make sure you have about the same amount of cash as a contingency budget…

2002 Porsche 911 Targa, 216,000 miles

Another Porsche 911, but this one is the cheaper of the two. At just £9999, this 996-gen car seems like a bit of a bargain. It’s had a new engine put in, all the bodywork looks straight, and according to the advert, has had one owner from new. There aren’t any pictures of the interior, but we salute anyone that daily drives a 911 Targa to such an extent.

1993 Nissan 300ZX, 225,000 miles

Believe it or not, some versions of the Lamborghini Diablo used the same headlights as the 300ZX. Non-car people might go one step further and mistake the whole car for a Lamborghini, with its four exhaust pipes, unfamiliar badge and rakish lines, at which point you’d have to politely say that it’s actually a Nissan that cost you less than £6000. And with a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6, the Z32 300ZX isn’t exactly sluggish. The interior is also a high point of this car – just look at the retrofest telephone and those back seats!

1988 Mercedes 300 SL, 246,000 miles

With a complete engine rebuild having been done just 6000 miles ago, this could almost be considered a new car. The bodywork has been completely refurbished, the interior looks to be in good shape, and the car comes with both the hardtop and soft top roofs. After nearly a quarter of a million miles and nearly 30 years, some of the electrics might not work, but £10,000 doesn’t seem unreasonable.

1995 VW Corrado VR6, 310,000 miles

That’s right, this £9995 Corrado VR6 has 310,000 miles on the clock, and the seller says it’s all on the original engine. This is the only picture provided, so the interior might need some love, but it seems to have been well maintained. It’s been serviced mainly at a VW dealer, and comes with a full year’s MOT. This particular car is also a ‘Storm’ special edition, and is one of very, very few left on the road. According to How Many Left, there are just seven VR6 Storms remaining on UK roads. Its future classic status is assured.

1998 Alpina B10, 313,000 miles

The highest-mileage car in this list is also one of the fastest. Under the bonnet of this sensible-looking saloon is a thunderous 4.6-litre, 340bhp V8 engine, and when it was new it had a 0-60mph time of just 5.9 seconds.

Inside, it’s got all the goodies – air con, heated seats, sunroof, cruise control and plenty more. You’ll need just £4995 to buy this rare super saloon.

Which of these high mileage heroes is your favourite?