£20k budget - reasonably fast cars?

[BenGpistonhead]

Looking at selling my current car (430d X drive) and getting into a reasonably fast petrol for £20k or below.

I’ve been considering BMW 440i’s however would have to be a fairly poor spec to fit into the budget. I’ve come across Jag XE S and they seem to tick all the boxes, likewise with m240i’s, M235i’s and 435i’s however am aware the 35i’s aren’t the most reliable in comparison to the others.

Aside from those is there anything I’m missing? Or out of those is there one I should be avoiding or leaning towards? Criteria is:
Reasonably new (2013 onwards)
Reasonably fast (around 5 seconds or below 0-60)
Not too bad insurance (I am only 23, have had cancelled insurance and now have 6 points - this is the reason I’m selling my current car as can’t get insured for less than 3k…the cars I’ve stated above however I can get insured for approx 2k which I’m happy to pay)

Open to any suggestions.

[Douglas Quaid]

It is below budget but it generally ticks the boxes I think. O my 306bhp but that’s not bad and a sub 6 second 0-60.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301183...

[The spinner of plates]

Audi S3 / TTS
Golf R
Audi RS5
Ford mustang
Jaguar XFR
Maserati Ghible 3.0
Merc C63

[MDL111]

I would probably go for something like this with that budget and age restrictions

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/14396844

[ChrisH72]

I was looking at the Jag XE S the other week and think they seem to offer pretty good value for money.

If you like a rwd saloon you could also get into an Alfa Giulia Veloce for 20k. It's over your 5.0 sec 0-60 criteria but not by that much and should be a great drive.

M240i would seem a good choice too if you don't need rear doors and space. I haven't looked but is the 440i GC any better value? I'm sure when I've checked before they come out a bit cheaper used than the 2 door 4 series coupe.

[TREMAiNE]

BenGpistonhead said:

Not too bad insurance (I am only 23, have had cancelled insurance and now have 6 points - this is the reason I’m selling my current car as can’t get insured for less than 3k…the cars I’ve stated above however I can get insured for approx 2k which I’m happy to pay)

Not going to be easy getting all of the criteria ticked given the above...

[BenGpistonhead]

Douglas Quaid said:

It is below budget but it generally ticks the boxes I think. O my 306bhp but that’s not bad and a sub 6 second 0-60.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301183...

To be honest this looks like it ticks all the boxes and I just did a quote on that exact vehicle and it’s only 1.7k which for me is very good! My only concern is that it may feel a bit slow coming from a 430d X drive - would you agree or have i got it wrong?

[BenGpistonhead]

The spinner of plates said:

Audi S3 / TTS
Golf R
Audi RS5
Ford mustang
Jaguar XFR
Maserati Ghible 3.0
Merc C63

I don’t like Audis, i find them to just be worse than the alternatives in every way and have heard horror stories about their reliability.
I would have considered a golf R but bizarrely despite being a 2L I can’t get an insurance quote under 3.5k…
Ford Mustang is a good shout the only thing putting me off is the £600+ Tax costs!
I do like the XFR but I think an XE has a slightly nice interior and exterior for similar money.
Maserati I don’t think I could afford to maintain.
Merc C63, bizarrely I can get insured on for 2.5k however it’s the maintenance on these that concern me and the poor interior in comparison to BMW, although I’ve heard great things about the exhaust note from that 6.2L!

I appreciate all your suggestions, thank you!

[BenGpistonhead]

MDL111 said:

I would probably go for something like this with that budget and age restrictions

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/14396844

I think this would be considered quite a big downgrade coming from a fully loaded 430d, I’ll look into it though!

[BenGpistonhead]

ChrisH72 said:

I was looking at the Jag XE S the other week and think they seem to offer pretty good value for money.

If you like a rwd saloon you could also get into an Alfa Giulia Veloce for 20k. It's over your 5.0 sec 0-60 criteria but not by that much and should be a great drive.

M240i would seem a good choice too if you don't need rear doors and space. I haven't looked but is the 440i GC any better value? I'm sure when I've checked before they come out a bit cheaper used than the 2 door 4 series coupe.

Yeah I’ve never really looked into Jag’s too much until recently as have always seen them as ‘an old man’s car’ however having looked at the XE S it seems it’s incredibly good value for money! Do you know if there is any common issues to be wary of and the general maintenance costs?

Personally I don’t like the look of the Alfa.

M240i is pretty high on my list, I really like the B58’s, the only thing putting me off m240i’s is the looks - I think the 4’s look far better and of course the 2’s share the 1 series interior. I’m not too fussed about space. I guess it’s almost impossible to find a car that ticks every box, I think only a 440i would do this for me but unfortunately it would have to be incredibly low spec to be within budget. I haven’t considered a GC 440 until now, I will look into them - if I can get one within budget that will be very high on the list.

Did you drive an XE S? What did you think of it?

[BenGpistonhead]

TREMAiNE said:

Not going to be easy getting all of the criteria ticked given the above...

Haha yeah unfortunately my circumstances are far from ideal but thankfully I’ve managed to get reasonably quotes on cars I would never imagine getting good quotes on. It seems insurance will never make sense to me… cars I thought I could easily get insured on e.g a 2L Golf I can’t whereas a 5L mustang I can…or a 6.2L C63 I can too… makes no sense at all to me.

[ZX10R NIN]

My picks are these would be these all are swift & should see sensible insurance numbers:

Maserati Ghibli S:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302104...

Or the regular model:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301173...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211211...

The XE S would be my next pick the V6 is a peach as is the chassis:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302214...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301163...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301163...

As good as they are I think personally I'd take the slightly bigger facelift XF S they just feel like a better package:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301123...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209089...

Last but not least is the Giulia Veloce 280:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302104...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302144...

[MDL111]

BenGpistonhead said:

I think this would be considered quite a big downgrade coming from a fully loaded 430d, I’ll look into it though!

I have not driven one, but my RS Clio 200 is a lot of fun to drive and I hope one of these would be too. I guess it depends on what you want from the car - it will be a lot less comfortable and probably have less gadgetry and cheaper feeling plastics than a BMW. On the flipside it will likely have a good manual and feel much more sporty and engaging to drive.

[ChrisH72]

I haven't driven the Jag XE but did watch some favourable reviews. That engine does sound good.

[LightningBlue]

MDL111 said:

I have not driven one, but my RS Clio 200 is a lot of fun to drive and I hope one of these would be too. I guess it depends on what you want from the car - it will be a lot less comfortable and probably have less gadgetry and cheaper feeling plastics than a BMW. On the flipside it will likely have a good manual and feel much more sporty and engaging to drive.

Correct on the plastics and gadgets but they drive very well and I bet the OP would enjoy one down a B road

[BenGpistonhead]

ZX10R NIN said:

My picks are these would be these all are swift & should see sensible insurance numbers:

Maserati Ghibli S:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302104...

Or the regular model:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301173...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211211...

The XE S would be my next pick the V6 is a peach as is the chassis:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302214...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301163...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301163...

As good as they are I think personally I'd take the slightly bigger facelift XF S they just feel like a better package:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301123...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209089...

Last but not least is the Giulia Veloce 280:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302104...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302144...

Unfortunately the Maserati due to be group 50 is giving me quotes for £3.5k but that is a good suggestion - something I hadn’t thought of before too.

So far the XE is looking like the best choice, it’s cheaper than any decently spec’d 40i from the BMW’s and better insurance. I just don’t know whether it’ll feel dull to drive and how reliable they are I’m not sure.

Giulia Veloce is another very good suggestion I’ve not thought of. I got a reasonable quote and I like the interior, it looks simplistic but modern at the same time. Definitely something I am going to look into more.

Thank you for all the suggestions

[BenGpistonhead]

MDL111 said:

I have not driven one, but my RS Clio 200 is a lot of fun to drive and I hope one of these would be too. I guess it depends on what you want from the car - it will be a lot less comfortable and probably have less gadgetry and cheaper feeling plastics than a BMW. On the flipside it will likely have a good manual and feel much more sporty and engaging to drive.

I think it would have been a great suggestion had I not been coming from an incredibly comfortable yet capable car already that also has nice interior with Gadgety stuff - I think it would make me miss the comfort and gadgets. Had I not had them I think it would be a great choice though!

[BenGpistonhead]

LightningBlue said:

Correct on the plastics and gadgets but they drive very well and I bet the OP would enjoy one down a B road

I’m sure they are great fun to drive I just think I would miss the interior + gadgets

[ZX10R NIN]

BenGpistonhead said:

Unfortunately the Maserati due to be group 50 is giving me quotes for £3.5k but that is a good suggestion - something I hadn’t thought of before too.

So far the XE is looking like the best choice, it’s cheaper than any decently spec’d 40i from the BMW’s and better insurance. I just don’t know whether it’ll feel dull to drive and how reliable they are I’m not sure.

Giulia Veloce is another very good suggestion I’ve not thought of. I got a reasonable quote and I like the interior, it looks simplistic but modern at the same time. Definitely something I am going to look into more.

Thank you for all the suggestions

You won't feel shortchanged in the XE S they have plenty of go & a very good chassis, they're a reliable unstressed unit, like anything performance related I tend to advise 10 between services.

The first Veloce looks like a great colour combo.