Three-car garage: Used BMW 6 Series, Lexus RC F and Honda Civic Type R for under £85,000
Pure-electric cars not getting your pulse racing? Try these cars and their iconic engines
With the future being electric, there doesn’t seem to be a huge amount to look forward to if you’re a die-hard fan of combustion engines. Yes, car makers are dabbling with new technology to make EVs more engaging and exciting, but for some drivers the old adage ‘there’s no replacement for displacement’ will seemingly always be the case.
So we scoured the Auto Express Buy a Car service to see which of our newly voted best engines we could get and put them together to make the ideal three-car garage for fans of all things combustion. There’s something for everyone here, a naturally-aspirated V8, torquey diesel and a turbocharged four-cylinder housed in one of the great modern hot hatches – all for less than you might think.
BMW 6 Series - £10,995
We’ve given BMW’s 3.0-litre diesel engines in N57 and M57 form a slot in our best car engines list thanks to their tremendous performance and efficiency. It might be closely related to the 5 Series underneath, but the 6 Series' handsome styling (far removed from the controversial Bangle-era 6 Series) deserved a stronger motor – and in the 640d you get exactly that. The six-cylinder turbocharged diesel unit offers a respectable 313bhp, but what really hits you is the 630Nm of torque. On a motorway cruise, you can make overtakes with the knowledge that there’s plenty in reserve.
As for the sensible stuff, well, despite doing 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds, the 640d can average 49.6mpg, with more than 50mpg easily achievable on a long journey. Even though it looks sleeker than the 5 Series, it’s got a 460-litre boot, too.
Missed this BMW 6 Series deal? You can still get a luxurious grand tourer as there are plenty of 6 Series coupes for sale via our Buy a Car service…
Honda Civic Type R - £17,990
Early Civic Type Rs, particularly the EP3 generation, were renowned for their chuckable nature, but the naturally aspirated model was always a bit down on power compared with the turbocharged Ford Focus ST and Renault Megane 225. The FK2 Honda Civic Type R, based on the ninth-generation Civic, not only brought some wild exterior design but a turbocharged version of the iconic K20 four-cylinder engine, bumping power from 199bhp to 306bhp.
Despite the shift to forced induction, the K20’s rev-happy nature is still there to reward you at the 7,000rpm red line. There’s more mid-range shove, too, with 400Nm of torque, resulting in a 0-62mph time of just 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 167mph. No wonder it once held the record for the fastest front-wheel drive car around the Nürburgring.
Couldn’t quite catch this specific Honda Civic Type R deal? There are still plenty of other Civic Type Rs on the Auto Express Buy a Car service…
Latest Honda Civic Type R deals
Lexus RC F - £54,436
Let’s be honest, the BMW M4 is the cherry-pick of the sports coupe segment, just as its BMW M3 coupe predecessor always was. But they’ve become so commonplace that choosing one over its rivals almost requires no thought. So I pitch to you the thinking man’s M4, the Lexus RC F.
For starters, the RC F might be a collector’s item in the future. Already off sale, there’s no replacement planned for this wonderfully old-school sports car. The RC F, even in the Track Edition specification we found, doesn’t quite have the chassis polish of the German rivals, but its powerplant is much more characterful. It’s a naturally-aspirated V8 with 463bhp and 520Nm of torque. It sounds mega, too, although that shouldn’t come as a surprise because Yamaha helped to develop it.
The interior is festooned with buttons and while it’s not the most ergonomic cabin you’ll ever sit in, the build quality is second-to-none.
If this particular Lexus RC F has already found a new home by the time you get here, you can find plenty more examples available through the Auto Express Buy a Car service…
Head to the Auto Express used-car search page and let us know which cars you’d park in your dream three-car garage in the comments section below…
