Fast car under 20k and 10 years old

[rubez]

20k is my upper limit budget and I don't want something that is older than 10 years - so what are my options?

Jaguar XFR is tempting but I am reading about timing chain reliability issues plus it is a heavy car, I know it has the engine to compensate, but still.

Another option could be BMW M3 E90 (another V8!) these seem harder to find though and relatively low torque.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Jamescrs]

E90 M3'S have gone up in value and you would be lucky to get one much under 25k now.

Maybe look at the BMWs with the B58 engine such as 140, 240, 340 etc. With a remap you are comfortably over 400bhp

[Xenoous]

Depends what sort of 'fast' you're after. Traffic light GP fast, or twisties fast? If the latter, a Megane RS275 Trophy should just about be in your budget.

[rubez]

Nothing specific in mind just fast. Coming from a BMW 135i so faster than that.

What about AMG A45?

[Xenoous]

rubez said:

Nothing specific in mind just fast. Coming from a BMW 135i so faster than that.

What about AMG A45?

Well in terms of straight line speed, not a whole lot will beat one of them or have the mid range grunt. It's the corners where they fall apart. I find driving more entertaining in the twisties with a manual box, not straight line speed, hence my suggestion. But as you're after outright speed, Audi RS5?

[OutInTheShed]

10 year old car, I would be thinking about the total cost of it, not just the asking price.
How long do you expect to keep it, how many miles do you expect to do?
How much of that mileage do you expect to use much of that performance?

What will maintenance cost?
Will you want to spend on tuning, suspension upgrades?
Do running costs matter? You might get through a few £k in fuel, insurance, tax, tyres etc in a few years.
Can you afford to blow it up?
Do you depend on it having a strong value after 'n' years?

Most cooking hausfrauautos are 'fast' enough to lose your licence, so what do you really want?
Maybe consider something not too expensive, invest in fettling it and invest in track experience and other forms of 'driver improvement'?

Because once you've got an adequate car, 'fast' A to B times are mostly about the nut behind the wheel and not needing to stop for fuel.

[J1990]

Last month that would've got you a ~35k mile 2019 i30N with a good amount of warranty left, which includes track usage if that interests you.
They're fully equipped as standard (Very early models had the winter pack as an option but that quickly became standard). Up until my F-Type this has been the most fun car I've owned, despite being far from the fastest. It's a good sounding car (for a 2L), it's engaging to drive and it's nowhere near as common of a sight on the roads as a Golf R, R/S3, A45 etc.

It looks like the cheapest non-CAT example at the moment is £21k on AT but I'm sure more will pop up if that was to be the car of choice.

[CrippsCorner]

Would be a M235i for me... 0-60 in under 5 seconds, available with a manual box, 7 years old for £14k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303074...

[rubez]

CrippsCorner said:

Would be a M235i for me... 0-60 in under 5 seconds, available with a manual box, 7 years old for £14k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303074...

Thanks for the tip. I would say it's a little ugly compared to the 135i but still a contender with the right styling.

[P700DEE]

rubez said:

20k is my upper limit budget and I don't want something that is older than 10 years - so what are my options?

Jaguar XFR is tempting but I am reading about timing chain reliability issues plus it is a heavy car, I know it has the engine to compensate, but still.

Another option could be BMW M3 E90 (another V8!) these seem harder to find though and relatively low torque.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Post 2012 the 5.0 Jag engine has sorted tensioners and its far from a big issue. Its been blown up as the early 4.0 had chain issues. £20K puts you in an XFR, XKR or a supercharged XJ if you can find one! Drive one , don't assume it will be heavy and not handle well , they are made of Aluminium .

[ZX10R NIN]

If you have an M135i I'm guessing you want to make the natural progression to the next level.

RS5:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305087...

E400 good cars but it's more of what you already have:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304136...

[NortonES2]

P700DEE said:

they are made of Aluminium .

That's the XJ not the XFR or XKR.

[georgeyboy12345]

Jaguar XE S
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305117...


BMW M4
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304296...


Maserati Ghibli V6 S
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304176...


Mercedes C63
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303125...


Chevrolet Corvette
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202172...