Great 150mph used cars for under £20,000

Slide of You don’t need to spend big money on a 200mph supercar to have fun on Germany’s autobahn. Here are some cars that are more than capable of providing those top-end mph figures for low-end budgets: Slide of Porsche 911 Carrera 996 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.  Slide of BMW 140i 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. Slide of Jaguar XKR 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. Slide of Lexus LS430 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. Slide of Audi RS4 B7 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. Slide of Mercedes CL500 C215 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. Slide of BMW M3 E92 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. Slide of Bentley Continental GT 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. Slide of BMW 840Ci Series E31 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