Great 150mph used cars for under £20,000

Here are some cars that are more than capable of providing those top-end mph figures for low-end budgets:

While most other Porsche prices have rocketed in recent years, prices for the 996 have remained humble and cars can be had for under our £20,000 budget. Entry-level Power came from a 300bhp 3.4-litre flat-six and was fed through either an automatic or a six-speed box.

This meant a 231bhp-per-tonne figure for swift acceleration and, given enough room, it would barrel on to 174mph. High-milers start at around £12,000 but we clocked a 2001 car with just 57,000 miles for £19,700. 

There’s a plethora of choices when it comes to current-day hot hatchbacks but the 140i offered excellent value for money and a goliath amount of performance. The engine didn’t differ much from the old M135i; capacity was upped from 2979cc to 2998cc, and power sat at 335bhp while producing 368lb ft of torque.

This meant that the 140i would climb through either the six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic box rather rapidly and onto its limited 155mph top speed. We spotted a clean 2017 example with 42,000 for £17,500.

The bog-standard 4.2-litre XK is more than capable but the XKR takes things to the next level with its 294bhp to 503bhp jump from its 5.0-litre supercharged lump. Setting off could be a task as the XKR tries to light up its rear tyres with all the 461lb ft of torque on offer but when it is moving it would nail the 0-100mph time in around 10sec and fire onto a limited top speed of 155mph.

Derestricted, they’re claimed to hit around 180mph. We spotted a cherished 2010 car with 86,000 miles for £17,499, leaving some change for further engine modifications.

There are many ways to break the 150mph barrier on the autobahn although one of the cheapest is the LS430 with prices starting at just under £2000. The LS430 came with plethora of standard tech and a V8 engine that sat up front, feeding 279bhp through a six-speed automatic gearbox. This meant it could crack the 0-62mph dash in around 6.3sec and with the accelerator mashed to the floor, it would reach 155mph. We saw a 2004 car with 75,000 miles for just £8995.

Its driver’s car credentials were secured when the B7 RS4 was released back in 2006 with the transmission being offered solely as a six-speed manual. 414bhp was extracted from its naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8, and in true RS fashion, it was fed through all four wheels. This meant the RS4 not only made a fantastic noise under brutal acceleration but that it could also smash the 0-124mph time in just 16.6sec.

The top speed was limited to 155mph, but Audi claimed that 185mph was possible if the limiter was switched off. We found a fine 2006 Avant with 90,000 miles for £17,965.

Based on the S-Class platform, the CL500 was Mercedes’ range-topping grand tourer back in 2000 and its 5.0-litre V8 produced 306bhp through the rear wheels. Planting the accelerator flat to the floor conjured rapid acceleration and the CL500 would hit 62mph from rest in just a touch over six seconds while top speed was limited to 155mph; remove the limiter and it would hit 168mph.

High-milers and attention seekers can be had from £2000 with cleaner examples fetching around £12,000. We spotted a 2001 car with 55,000 miles for £6,000.

Competing side-by-side with the B7 RS4 was the E92 M3 with its naturally aspirated 4.0-litre V8, producing an identical 414bhp only fed through the rear wheels. 0-124mph was over in around 16sec and although the top speed was limited to 155mph, with the limiter removed, it’s claimed to hit a supercar-rivalling 193mph.

Convertible cars with around 100,000 miles come in at £13,000 but we spotted a 2008 car with 75,000 miles for £17,900.

Back in 2003, you’d hand over £110,000 for a new Continental GT, today one can be had for under £20,000. It’s worth bearing in mind that you might need some extra cash stowed away if anything were to misbehave, however. Behind the chrome grille was a 6.0-litre W12 that delivered 552bhp through all four wheels and a six-speed sequential gearbox, this meant the Continental GT was good for nearly 200mph.

Cars with 100,000-plus fetch around £12,000 but we spotted a 2005 car with 41,000 miles for just £17,300.

The dart-like nose, pop-up headlights and smooth bodywork of the more powerful 5.6-litre 850CSi made it vastly popular with many, but it is often hard to come by nowadays and demands top dollar. The 840Ci still had a slippery shape and a drag coefficient of 0.29, but instead, the V12 was swapped for a 4.0-litre V8 that produced 282bhp.

Like the V12 cars, this meant that the top speed was still limited to 155mph. Rougher cars start at around £11,000 but we spotted a fine 1995 car with 93,000 miles for £15,000.

The W204 C63 was regarded to have one of the best V8 engines ever produced by Mercedes with the naturally aspirated 6.2-litre producing 457bhp. It looked low-key with only some badging, subtle fins and quad exhausts to give things away, but it quickly earned a muscle car reputation as it easily lit up its rear wheels with the 442lb ft on offer.

Top speed was limited to 155mph although, derestricted, it’s said that the C63 would climb to 186mph. Sub-100,000-mile cars fetch around £14,500 but we spotted a tidy 77,000-mile 2010 car for £17,000.

Honda’s bonkers Type R range has a reputation for mostly ironing out corners but the FK2, with all its aero, had a top speed of 167mph. Although its 306bhp had been fed through the front wheels, the Type R monstered its way to 62mph from rest in just 5.7sec while engaging the driver with its six-speed manual gearbox. There won’t be much change left as the FK2 just falls into our £20,000 budget but we spotted a clean 2016 car with 44,000 miles for £19,990.

With the trident emblem positioned on the concaved grille, its striking supercar looks, 399bhp V8 under the front bonnet and its affordability, the GranTurismo when released became a popular alternative to the likes of an Aston Martin DB9. It would accelerate rapidly, in manual mode with the sport-mode active, through the six-speed ZF auto with 0-100mph arriving in just 12.7sec while the top speed was around 177mph. Cars start at £16,750 but we spotted a 2007 car with 62,000 miles for £17,990.

Back in 2001, we put Chevrolet’s claim that the Corvette could hit 176mph to the test on the autobahn and walked away with a final number of 180mph. The C5’s 5.7-litre V8 fed 339bhp through a six-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels and its slippery body shape meant that it had a drag coefficient of just 0.29. C5 prices are rising with good used examples now starting at £18,000. We spotted a clean 2000 car with full-service history and 31,000 miles for just £18,500.

The Fiat Coupe was considered one of the most iconic shapes of the early 1990s with its bulbous headlights, slated grille, low-slung design and slashed arches. The 20v Turbo was the most popular as its 2.0-litre five-cylinder powerplant produced 220bhp and 228lb ft of torque which meant 0-60mph in just 6.4sec and a top speed of 150mph. Tatty project cars can be had for under £1000 while cleaner examples start at around £7000. We saw an immaculate 71,000-mile 1998 car for £9500. 

The 350Z became popular because of its range of body kits and aftermarket engine modifications but in stock guise the 350z originally fed 276bhp through the rear wheels from its 3.5-litre V6 which was later updated to 300bhp with the GT variant. Both variants were limited to 155mph although with the limiter removed it's claimed that 168mph is possible. Early 276bhp models start from around £3000 while GT cars start from £6000. We spotted a clean 2008 car with 75,000 miles for £10,000.

Before the time of the four-wheel drive Insignia VXR, all previous VXR models were front-wheel drive and, like the Astra, the Vectra suffered from some torque steer. Vauxhall had extracted 252bhp from the turbocharged 2.8-litre V6 which meant a 0-60mph time of around 6.5sec and a derestricted top speed of 161mph. Cars were later introduced with 276bhp although this still gave around the same top speed. Vectra VXRs are becoming rarer, but we spotted a later 276bhp 2008 car with 80,500 miles for £5000.

Launched in 2003, the V70R boasted 296bhp and 295lb ft from its turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine and was available with either an automatic or a six-speed manual ‘box. Its estate body shape and family car looks were subtle which made the V70R a bona fide sleeper car with a limited top speed of 155mph. The R can be rare to come by, but we spotted a 2003 car with 82,000 miles for £6000.

2005 introduced the Hawkeye WRX STI which gave further aggressive styling cues and a higher output of 276bhp from the 2.5-litre boxer engine. Four-wheel drive traction meant that 0-62mph was over in just 5.2sec while climbing through the manual gearbox’s six speeds would eventually see the car top out at around 158mph. Prices start at around £11,000 but we saw a rust-free 2005 car with 95,000 miles in desired WR Blue for £16,000.

Like all TVRs, the Chimaera was stripped of driver aids such as ABS and traction control in a bid to keep weight low, which in time measured the skill of the driver. Early 4.0-litre cars produced 240bhp with a top speed just shy of 150mph, the 4.5-litre cars had 285bhp and a top speed of 160mph and were able to provide brutal acceleration, hitting 60mph from rest in just 4.6sec. There’re a few 4.0-litre cars available with prices starting from £11,000 while 4.5-litre cars are a bit scarcer. We saw a 1998 car with 68,000 miles for £18,000.

Equipped with a 6.0-litre V8, the Monaro has 398bhp on tap and 390lb ft of torque, quickly earning a muscle car reputation. This allows it to barrel onto a Porsche-rivalling 180mph top speed, trumping the Lotus Carlton’s previous 177mph. While there are plenty of 5.7-litre 333bhp Monaros available, there are only a few VXR variants under £20,000, but we spotted a 2005 car with 74,000 miles for £15,500.