30 CARS FOR £30K

A £30k budget would buy you only one of the new cars tested in this week's mag - or any of these used dream machines.

- By JOHN EVANS

Perchance to dream... Had Shakespeare been around today, P chances are he might have been referring to his next car rather than to the next life. After all, who doesn't spend half their waking hours scrolling through car ads, imagining themselves at the wheel of something they can't afford, such as a Ferrari or a Lamborghini? It passes the time but leads nowhere - so instead, scroll through these 30 choice motors no dearer than £30,000. Agreed, it's a significant sum, but many of them are less than half that and some cheaper still. Dream on...

ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE

Although the V8 Vantage never graced the 007 franchise, it still looks like something Daniel Craig might have driven in Casino Royale in 2006, had the DBS V12 not got the gig instead. No worries: today, used DBSS start at around £60,000, while for half that you can get into a Vantage with the later and more powerful 4.7 V8 rather than the launch 4.3.

WE FOUND Aston Martin 4.7 V8 Vantage auto, 2009/09, 50,000 miles, £29,000

AUDI R8

The noughties poster car still stirs the blood. The 5.2 V10 is the one people want, but prices start well above our £30,000 ceiling, so the 4.2 V8 it is. Fret not, though, because back in 2007, when it was launched, Autocar's testers voted the R8 4.2 the best car they had driven all year. Budget for a clutch every 20,000 miles.

WE FOUND Audi R8 4.2 FSI V8, 2009/59, 87,000 miles, £27,500

BMW i8

Autocar once put an i8 up against a Porsche 911. The 911 just edged it, but we accepted that people might have preferred the i8's futuristic design and technology. Those attributes remain and, better still, prices now start at £25,000. They're reliable things, so concentrate on the condition of the body and doors.

WE FOUND BMW i8, 2014/64, 78,000 miles, £27,490