Big engined cars for small bucks – from just £2000

If you thought the lower reaches of the used car market were filled with nothing other than lethargic superminis, tired taxis and neglected saloons, we’re about to enlighten you. Armed with a budget of up to £5000, you can pick and choose from a range of V8 monsters and luxury cruisers.

One day – probably when most of us are whistling around in an EV - these cars will be as rare as hen’s teeth. Here are some large capacity bargains to whet your appetite and make the most of their time left:

Performance SUVs might be commonplace in 2021, but things were very different at the turn of the millennium. Big-engined SUVs were designed for tearing strips off the countryside and towing horses to the point-to-point, not for terrorising sports cars on country lanes. The Mercedes ML55 AMG was one of the first of the breed.

The point-to-point reference is rather apt, because the ML55 AMG had one USP: an ability to go stupidly fast in a straight line. Thanks to a 5.0-litre V8 S-Class engine bored out to 5.5-litres, the ML55 could hit 62mph in 6.8 seconds before maxing out at 145mph. Tempting, if you can live with the thirst.

Speaking of thirst, how about a Cayenne. That factor, and the cost of putting things right if (when?) something goes wrong is the reason that these cars are so cheap. You knew that, but it’s worth reiterating the fact before you divert your gaze from a warrantied Hyundai i10.

Our very own James ‘Bangernomics’ Ruppert bought a 2005 Cayenne S V8 with 96,000 miles on the clock for £6000. You’re unlikely to find a working Cayenne Turbo S for our £5000 budget, but the standard twin-turbo 4.5-litre V8 boasts a 165mph top speed and an ability to hit 62mph in just 5.5 seconds. Don’t rule out the non-turbocharged Cayenne S.

It’s not all monstrous SUVs and ruinous 4x4s at this end of the big engine market. Nearly two decades on, the Audi S4 Cabriolet still offers more class and sophistication than just about any other four-seat convertible you can buy, regardless of price.

With the roof down, you can enjoy the smooth and muscular 4.2-litre 40-valve V8 engine in all its majesty. Roof up, it feels every bit as refined and comfortable as the tin-top S4 saloon. The roof opens and closes in 30 seconds of pure theatre – just make sure that it works before parting with your cash.

You’re far more likely to find a V6-powered Chrysler 300C for less than £5000, but budget versions of the range-topping V8 do exist. Some supersize haggling might be required, but the reward is a real taste of Detroit. A 340bhp 5.7-litre Hemi, to be precise.

We weren’t that impressed when we tested the car in 2005, and we suggested that you should look at the diesel version. That might have something to do with the fact that we averaged 12mpg on test.

The Mk1 VW Touareg is the thinking man’s Porsche Cayenne or Audi Q7. Some extra thinking might be required before you drop a few grand on the bonkers 5.0-litre V10 TDI, especially when you consider that a DPF light could necessitate a 13-hour gearbox removal to replace the sensor. A diesel SUV with CO2 emissions of 332g/km is looking increasingly like a square peg in a round hole.

There are alternatives, including the rare 6.0-litre W12. This left-hand drive limited edition shared an engine with the VW Phaeton and the power output of a Porsche Cayenne Turbo. The ubiquitous 3.0-litre V6 TDI makes more sense, but you’ll score more social media points with the V10 or W12.

Could this be one of the ultimate Q cars? Remove the 550i badge from the boot lid and most people will think you’re driving a BMW 520d. That’s until you unleash the fury of the 367bhp 4.8-litre V8, at which point the illusion disappears.

The E60-generation 5 Series styling is ageing like a fine wine, especially in light of some of BMW’s most recent efforts. Not convinced? A good M5 of this vintage will set you back at least £15,000, as well as making you master of its famously fragile-but-fabulous V10. So a 550i with its more dependable V8 could save you as much as £10,000. Buy one before the world wakes up to one of the bargains of the decade, especially if you can find a manual version.

The standard Jaguar S-Type V8 is a used car bargain, but the S-Type R is a performance gem. Power is sourced from a supercharged 4.2-litre V8 producing 390bhp and 399lb ft, attached to a six-speed ZF automatic gearbox. It could reach 62mph from rest in a hot hatch troubling 5.5 seconds.

When it was new, the smart money went on the BMW M5 or Mercedes E55 AMG, but time has been kind to the S-Type R. The styling, considered too retro at the time, gives the S-Type a caddish charm – isn’t that what we want from a Jaguar? Buying a standard V8 could save you a couple of grand, but you’ll miss that Eaton supercharger, though perhaps not its signature whine.

There was a time when you could buy a Lexus LS400 for a grand. That’s almost an insult to the research and development that went into giving Mercedes a bloody nose. Three decades on, the LS400 remains a masterclass of engineering and refinement; cars with 250,000 miles on the clock are not uncommon.

Buying an LS400 of this vintage is less risky than spending a few grand on a big Mercedes or BMW. Maintain it, enjoy it and learn to live with the fuel bills. It’ll be worth it, because we sense values won’t stay low for much longer.

If you loathe the concept of a four-door ‘coupé’, you should direct your angry letters to the Mercedes-Benz CLS. It arrived in 2004 as a kind of E-Class in a sharper suit, with styling that was at odds with anything else available at the time. The CLS500 arrived in the UK in 2005, armed with a 5.0-litre V8 producing 306bhp.

We prefer it to the more expensive CLS55 AMG. The 469bhp 5.4-litre supercharged V8 might look good on paper, but the CLS500 is smoother, more comfortable and more discreet. CLS55 prices start from around £11,000, but a good CLS500 could cost less than £5000. In the case of the CLS, less is more.

Unveiled in 1980, the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit was a development of the phenomenally successful Silver Shadow. Penned by the Austrian Fritz Feller, the styling was deliberately evolutionary, with Rolls-Royce keen to avoid alienating its existing customer base.

The Silver Spirit retained much of the Silver Shadow’s running gear, including the familiar 6.75-litre V8. It was marketed alongside the Mulsanne, with the Bentley aimed at a younger clientele. Just £5000 gets you on the Silver Spirit ladder, but be prepared for the inevitable wedding car jokes.

The second-generation Ford Explorer arrived in 1994 for the 1995 model year. Its arrival coincided with the SUV’s boom in popularity, offering UK buyers a distinctly American take on the 4x4 formula. Launched with a 4.0-litre V6, Ford expanded the range with an optional V8.

Just a few grand is enough to bag a second-generation Explorer, but you’ll need to spend more for a third- or fourth-generation model. A 4.6-litre V8 with three rows of seats could be a good reason to blow the budget.

You have a choice of budget Range Rovers. P38 prices have hit the bottom of the depreciation curve and there are signs that values are on the rise. That said, a couple of grand is enough to secure a serviceable 4.0-litre or 4.6-litre V8.

Alternatively, L322 prices have dropped to around £3000. Some caution is required when buying a third-generation Range Rover, but the issues are the same regardless of whether you’re looking at a £3k or £10k example. Insist on seeing the service history and take the car for a long test drive.

The Toyota Land Cruiser retains its value better than its European and American rivals. Why? Because enlightened owners know that these workhorses rarely go wrong and are just about unstoppable when the going gets tough. Check out the prices of some of the older models to see where we’re coming from.

A budget of £5000 should be enough to secure a 4.2-litre straight-six diesel, but some haggling might be required. Alternatively, blow the budget on a 4.7-litre V8 petrol. The only time you’ll need to stop is when you’re filling up with fuel.

The E63/64 6 Series is a lesson from history. Its styling, though controversial at the time, has aged wonderfully, so we might learn to love BMW’s current design direction. In the meantime, should you consider buying a cheap BMW 645Ci? Yes, but these cars are cheap for a reason.

Oil is the biggest problem. As an expert told us in 2017: “They can leak oil – lots of it: hoses cracking or getting blocked, gaskets failing, gearboxes running dry.” The N62 4.4-litre V8 engine is superb, but regular maintenance is essential. The later 4.8-litre unit in the 650Ci is even better, but you should buy any 6 Series on the strength of its condition and history.

Although the figures aren’t entirely accurate, there are thought to be fewer than 100 Volvo S80s with a V8 engine on the road in the UK. That makes this super Swede rarer than many illustrious supercars. It’s a proper Q car, with a 311bhp Yamaha 4.4-litre V8 engine under the bonnet, four-wheel drive and a chassis developed on UK roads.

High running costs, terrifying depreciation and the ‘wrong’ badge meant that sales were slow, but you sense that a used Volvo S80 will have led an easier life than any of its German rivals. A great stereo system, supremely comfortable leather seats and strong safety credentials are the highlights, and as a top-of-the-range model you’ll usually get lots of fancy kit like adaptive cruise control, xenon headlamps and power-everything.

Buying a non-AMG Mercedes-Benz with a V8 engine is a strangely appealing prospect. Be it a 5.0- or 5.5-litre V8 under the bonnet, these cars are less shouty than their AMG equivalents, so you can go about your daily business without fear of attracting the attention of traffic light Grand Prix heroes.

CLKs tend to be owned and driven by, how can we put this, more mature boulevard cruisers than young tearaways, so finding a cherished example should be easy enough. In original 306bhp 5.0-litre form, the CLK500 could hit 62mph in 6.0 seconds. The engine was upgraded to a 5.5-litre V8 boasting 388bhp.

The thing to remember about buying the cars first owned by very wealthy people is that you often require their wealth to run one. The big book of used cars is littered with stories of optimistic punters buying supercars for Mondeo money, only to discover this reality.

Not that we’re trying to stop you from buying a BMW 750i for £5,000. We’d be eternally jealous of the 4.8-litre V8 engine, ride quality and gadgets. Even the fuel economy is a respectable 24.8mpg, but big repair bills can and often will come.

If you really want to stand out in the golf club car park – or more likely, the petrol station – buy a Cadillac SRX. At the last count, there were 30 of these all-American SUVs on the roads of Britain, but only a handful are powered by a 4.6-litre V8 engine.

We said the SRX was “one of the most broadly talented cars Cadillac currently makes”, but that wasn’t enough to tempt buyers away from Land Rover, BMW or Mercedes-Benz dealers.

Now firmly established as a modern classic, the Jaguar XK8 is a surprisingly sensible used buy. A plentiful supply of parts and an excellent support network should ensure that running an XK8 is no more challenging than running a diesel hatchback.

For this price, you’ll be looking at an early 4.0-litre version, rather than the 4.2-litre V8 introduced for the 2003 model year. Good for 290bhp, this was the first V8 engine designed in-house by Jaguar.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee doesn’t do small engines. It speaks volumes that the 4.7-litre V8 is arguably the mid-range choice, with 5.7, 6.2 and even 6.4 Hemi options available, depending on the generation.

A budget of £5000 is enough for a second-generation WJ model. Reliability isn’t a strong point, and you’ll have to live with the Jeep’s unquenching thirst for unleaded, but if you’ve made it this far, fuel economy is unlikely to be high on your list of priorities.

Even today, 20 years on from its debut, the VW Passat W8 is a hard sell. The idea of ‘half a Veyron’ sounds good on paper, but in reality, you’re still driving a B5.5 Passat. A handsome saloon or estate car, but you’ll be forever explaining what’s lurking beneath the bonnet.

It’s a terrific Q car, but the car isn’t up to the challenge of meeting the demands of the 4.0-litre eight-cylinder motor. As a ‘baby’ Phaeton it almost makes sense.

You could make a strong case for the Land Rover Discovery 2 being the most sensible of all the Discos. A big step up from the original Discovery, but without the complexities of its successors, the Disco 2 should lead to the fewest headaches.

The 4.0-litre V8 is the one you want, assuming you can live with the fuel bills. Overheating issues can often be traced to a failed head gasket or cylinder liners, with the latter rendering the car uneconomical to repair. Check for rust on the steel chassis, particularly at the rear.

Two decades on from its launch, is it time to give the Lexus SC430 a break? Sure, the styling hasn’t aged particularly well and it’s not that nice to drive, but as a comfortable cruiser, there’s a lot to like about the SC430. It’s a Lexus, so reliability is good and there’s a good chance it’s been serviced on the dot, every year.

Lexus improved the SC430 over the years, so the later the car, the better it will be. The aluminium folding roof takes 25 seconds to open or close, which is enough time to count the array of gadgets fitted as standard. The Mark Levinson sound system is a particular delight.

Just £3000 should be enough to get you behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz CL500 from the early 2000s. Think of it as an S-Class with fewer doors and a greater desire to sit in the front rather than the back.

Neglected examples are commonplace. Avoid a CL500 with sketchy service history, dashboard warning lights and current ownership measured in days or weeks. Some problems are expensive to put right, so don’t be left high and dry by a lemon.

Few, if any, of the early luxury SUVs have aged as well as the first-generation BMW X5. We’ll stop short of labelling it a gamechanger, but the X5 was the first of its kind to marry a heavy SUV with the dynamics of a performance saloon. It launched with a 286bhp 4.4-litre V8, but 4.6 and 4.8 versions followed.

Check for oil and coolant leaks, make sure the automatic transmission fluid has been changed every 70-80,000 miles and check the suspension. There’s a big difference between a ropey £3000 example and a cherished £5000 X5. We’re ending on a high; the BMW X5 is one of the best cars on this list.