6 Used Straight-Six Cars For Under £10,000

‘Straight-six’. Simply saying it sounds smooth and satisfying, but even that can’t compare to the loveliness of six cylinders arranged in a line, perfectly balancing each other out to create possibly the most silky smooth engine layout to ever grace the automotive landscape.

Unfortunately, the packaging benefits of the more compact V6 meant the straight-six saw a steady decline in use throughout the late 20th century, and it’s only lately it’s made a bit of a comeback with the likes of Mercedes, JLR, Stellantis and Mazda all bringing it back to prominence.

Of course, you need a lot of money for any of that new stuff, but thankfully, there are cheaper ways of experiencing the sheer loveliness of a nice straight-six. Here are six cars (obviously) that can give you that buttery smoothness for under £10,000.

BMW 135i

Of course, one company that never gave up on the straight-six was BMW, sticking by the layout while it was slowly abandoned by nearly everyone else. As a result, your choices for a cheap I6 from Munich are bountiful.

We’d be tempted by a 135i, though. Launched in 2007 as the range-topper for the coupe and convertible versions of the original 1 Series, it packed a greater punch than its hatch equivalent ever did – 302bhp, thanks to a 3.0-litre turbocharged N54 straight-six. Combined with rear-wheel drive, a manual gearbox and, on the coupe, proportions that recalled the legendary 2002, the 135i seems more and more like a hidden enthusiast gem every day.

Lexus IS

Alan Partridge may have once called Lexus ‘the Japanese Mercedes’, but the original IS was much more like a Japanese BMW 3 Series, thanks to its sporting bent, rear-wheel drive and choice of not one but two straight-sixes.

If outright power’s what you’re after, you’ll want the IS300 with its 3.0-litre, 217bhp 2JZ-GE straight-six. In the UK, though, that only came with an automatic ’box, so if you want to row your own, you’ll need to either perform a manual swap or settle for the IS200, complete with a little 2.0-litre 1G-FE making 153bhp.

Volvo S60/V60 T6

Volvo bucked the trend of the times by introducing a brand new straight-six engine in 2007, which soon got a 3.0-litre turbocharged version badged the T6. It found its way into plenty of Volvos, but our favourites might be the handsome S60 and V60 duo of compact execs. Especially the V60, because estate car.

Neither could offer handling on a par with a similar 3 Series. Rather, with 300bhp, or 325bhp with the optional Polestar upgrade (not to be confused with the full-fat Polestar models, which very much can't be had for under £10k) and all-wheel drive, they were more like Audi-esque all-weather sleepers, but with an extra layer of Scandi cool thrown in. They’ll be at the upper end of a £10k budget, but they’re also easily the most modern cars on this list. Certainly more modern than a…

Jaguar XJS

We’re not going to pretend that buying a 30-year-old-plus Jaguar at any price is going to be a risk-free endeavour (nor is buying a three-year-old one, for that matter), but there’s no denying how good an old XJS is going to make you look.

For years lost in the shadows between the timeless E-Type and the future-facing XK, the big XJS finally seems to be having its moment in the sun. While you could get it with a V12, the straight-six – initially a 3.6-litre, later a 4.0 – is considered easier to work on and came with the added bonus of a standard manual gearbox. You’ll probably get a nicer one for your money, too.

Jeep Cherokee (XJ)

If reliability’s a priority, then a) why are you trying to buy an ageing six-cylinder car on a tight budget, and b) you may want to consider the super-boxy XJ-generation Jeep Cherokee. On sale in most markets between 1984 and 2001, and produced right up until 2014 in China, one of the only longer-lived things than the XJ was its range-topping 4.0-litre straight-six.

Although it wasn’t hugely powerful, peaking at 193bhp, it has a reputation for withstanding miles like few other motors, often not needing even a sniff of any internal work until well beyond 200,000 miles. Paired with the XJ’s off-road chops and robust good looks, it’s definitely the straight-six of choice if you want to head into the wilderness.

Mercedes SL320 (R129)

Before it moved over to V6s for its petrol six-pots in the late ’90s, Mercedes gave its M104 straight-six one last upgrade in 1993, boosting capacity to 3.2 litres and power to 228bhp. It found a home in many Mercs of the era, but for the best blend of style and affordability, you can’t go far wrong with the handsome R129 SL320.

This engine only lasted until 1998, when the SL320 became V6-powered (and slightly less powerful, no less). Still, all hope wasn’t lost for the M104 – some markets were later able to order it in… the SsangYong Rodius. Yeah…