Porsche 718 Cayman review – snap up this top sports car before it’s too late
Top 10 best used coupes
If you’re looking for a used coupe, be sure to take a look at this list of our favourites
A traditional coupe is a sporty two-door car with a fixed roof that has a steeply sloping rear end. It can be a two-seater or have seats in the back, whether that’s in 2+2 guise or as a full four/five-seater with slightly more space. Coupes can be genuine sports cars or style-led variants of relatively mundane saloon cars.
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In recent years, we’ve seen the term coupe applied even more widely; it now encompasses SUVs like the three-door Land Rover Evoque and an increasing number of swoopy four-doors like the Mercedes CLS.
Whatever you’re looking for from a used coupe, be it performance, style, or a modicum of practicality, we’ve got you covered with our list of the 10 best used coupes.
Since Porsche put a lid on the fabulous Boxster sports car and called it the Cayman back in 2005, it’s been all but impossible to find a two-seat sports coupe that offers such an engaging mix of pure driving thrills and everyday usability.
Aficionados were horrified to learn that the third-generation Cayman would have an engine down-sized from six cylinders to four, but with 296bhp as standard – 345bhp in the Cayman S – there was still plenty of power, even if there wasn’t quite the same character. A six-cylinder version reemerged in 2019 in the shape of the fantastically potent 414bhp GT4, and you can also buy a GTS model with the same engine.
Whichever Cayman you like the most, or whichever you can afford, the car’s fantastic grip and high-speed composure, responsive steering and slick gear-change are guaranteed to make it one of the most rewarding cars you’ll ever drive.
The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is one of the new(ish) breed of four-door cars designed to give drivers the sporty feel of the coupe with fewer of the compromises.
The BMW is one of the best of an appealing bunch, and it’s been on sale since 2014 so there’s loads of choice when you’re looking for a used version.
With room in the back for the family and a decent boot, the real joy of this four-door coupe is the way it drives. The 420i entry-level four cylinder petrol version is fun, while the more powerful six-cylinder 440i feels genuinely sporty. Diesel versions are smooth and punchy too, and you can even find four-wheel-drive models if you’re worried about driving in poor weather.
Audi’s largest and most luxurious take on the four-door coupe concept – there’s a similar-looking A5 Sportback too – uses the same engineering as the brand’s flagship A8 saloon.
As well as being extremely easy on the eye, that shared engineering means the A7 is packed to bursting with tech, while the size of the car means it’s a coupe with acres of room inside. Shared underpinnings also mean there’s a great choice of powerful petrol and diesel engines that give the A7 the muscle to back up its handsome styling, or you can opt for a plug-in hybrid version.
Four-wheel drive is standard on all models apart from the entry-level version, and more recent A7s get a futuristic twin-screen central dashboard display, as well as Audi’s digital dashboard.
We’re back to more traditional coupes with the last-generation BMW 2 Series, which was a two-door fastback version of the popular 1 Series hatch.
This generation of 2 Series is also available as a convertible and although entry models get a three-cylinder 1.5-litre engine, they’re spritely enough to provide plenty of relatively low cost fun. More thrills are available via the 181bhp 220i, while the rorty six-cylinder M235i and M240i models are seriously quick.
While billed as a four-seater, the rear seats are best reserved for children, but the traditional coupe profile does mean the 2 Series comes with a large and practical boot, which makes it a more usable alternative to its sportier-looking rival, the Audi TT.
See the latest prices for used BMW 2 Series Coupe models on our sister site Buyacar.
One of the most recognisable coupes on the road today, the Audi TT is also one of the best to own and drive, thanks to its agile chassis and practical yet luxuriously trimmed cabin.
The latest TT has been on sale since 2014, and its long-time popularity means there are options to find used ones at a wide range of prices. All versions from the two-wheel-drive 178bp 1.8 TFSI to the spectacular 395bhp 2.5-litre TT RS are good performers, and there were economical diesel TTs available until 2019.
Whichever model you buy it shouldn’t be any more hassle to own than a small Audi hatchback; after all, much of the TT’s mainstream appeal stems from the fact it shares much of its engineering with the A3 and VW Golf.
The stunning Supra coupe roared back into UK showrooms in 2019 with a 335bhp 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine, while a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder version arrived in 2021 with 254bhp. Both variants offer superb driving thrills – Toyota claims it benchmarked the Porsche Cayman in this respect – but the lighter weight of the 2.0-litre model makes it even sweeter. The 3.0-litre model’s 0-62mph time of 4.3 seconds and six-cylinder soundtrack are hard to overlook if you can afford the higher price.
Under the skin the Supra shares much of its tech with the BMW Z4, including its engines, so there’s no real surprise it’s such a great car to drive. However, you may be surprised to hear that we rate the Supra as more fun than the Z4, which is set up as a more softly sprung cruiser.
The F-Type looks good and is great to drive. Performance is helped by the significant power of all its engines, from the 2.0-litre entry-level model to the supercharged 5.0-litre V8.
The F-Type has been around since 2014 now, with a facelift in 2017 bringing worthwhile upgrades to tech and engines but all versions will bring a smile to your face. It hasn’t changed much visually since launch either, so you can feel as glamorous in an early car costing not much more than £20k as you would in a late model costing more than twice as much.
The E-Class Coupe is an upmarket take on the traditional saloon-derived two-door format, but its styling looks more like that of the CLS four-door coupe – right down to the quarter-lights in the rear side glass that suggest the E-Class coupe has an extra set of doors.
It hasn’t, but the E-Class coupe does boast more space in the rear seats than most two-door rivals, where it is able to accommodate adult passengers quite comfortably. The interior is pretty fabulous too, just like the regular E-Class saloon.
The E-Class coupe also shares the saloon’s luxurious suspension setup and its punchy diesel and petrol powertrain options, so it’s a terrific car for long journeys. It may not be as sporty as those svelte looks suggest but it’s a satisfying package all the same.
If you want show-stopping looks in a big bruising coupe, then it’s hard to find anything as spectacular as the Lexus LC. It’s so good-looking that it outshines the Porsche 911, Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Jaguar F-Type in a car park.
This isn’t the case out on the road, as the LC is not a pure sports car, but it is a wonderful ‘Grand Tourer’ in the classic mould, with the choice of a 467bhp V8 or a similarly powerful 3.5-litre V6 hybrid.
While the hybrid is probably the more responsible option, the V8 has more enthusiast appeal thanks to its burbling soundtrack and 0-62mph time of 4.5 seconds. With a lavishly appointed and high-tech interior, the Lexus LC drips with as much feel-good factor as you could hope for in a coupe.
The boldly retro Ford Mustang is an American dream car that’s been roaming UK streets since a right-hand-drive model was launched in 2015. While you can get a 3.7-litre turbocharged V6 EcoBoost version with 286bhp, everyone’s favourite is the Mustang GT with its 444bhp 5.0-litre V8 – giving it the classic American muscle car feel.
The Mustang is a big bruising car, and while it doesn’t quite match up to the build quality standards of German premium rivals, it will definitely turn more heads than a similarly priced Audi A5 at the petrol station. When you’re filling up the 5.0-litre car’s petrol tank - again - you might occasionally be jealous of the Audi’s frugal TDi engine. But the Mustang’s muscular V8 burble will soon help you get over it…
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