What are the best cheap supercars?
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Find a cheap supercar for sale
Supercars are dream car territory for the majority of car buyers. Whether you want something that looks a bit flash on the driveway or just desire a car you’ll get excited about driving every morning, a supercar ticks all the boxes.
Fortunately, a supercar doesn’t have to cost a fortune to buy. A budget of around £50,000 will get you a decent used example - that’s about the same as a premium SUV. We’ve found 10 cheap supercars you can buy now with a budget of £50,000.
Year launched: 2007
The Audi brand is one of the most desirable in the world today - and a large chunk of that success can be attributed to the original R8 supercar. It was seen as an odd launch at the time… why was this otherwise rather staid, premium car manufacturer selling a mid-engined sports car to rival the legendary Porsche 911?
Frankly, it was brilliant, and worth every bit the £77,000 price tag when it was new, and now the Audi R8 is just as likely to turn heads as some of the most exotic Ferrari or McLaren models. Naturally, prices have risen since 2007, and a new Audi R8 today starts in the region of £116,000. The most desirable models are more than £150,000.
But don’t let that put you off. A budget of £50,000 can get you a perfectly desirable R8. You’ll be looking at one of the last examples of the first-generation model - so a 4.2-litre V8 from around 2014. It packs 430PS and be able to accelerate to 62mph in just 4.3 seconds.
Year launched: 2011
It’s easy to dismiss the Porsche 911 because of its popularity. There’s every chance you could find yourself behind another one in traffic, and you’re not going to get young kids gawping in the same way as if you were driving a McLaren.
But, if you cross the Porsche 911 off your shortlist for these reasons, you’ll be missing out on one of the most complete supercars on sale today. There’s a reason the 911’s so popular - it’s simply brilliant, with an interior that feels totally special and a driving experience like no other.
With £50,000, you’ll be looking at the 991 model, sold from 2011. The 3.8-litre Carrera S is the one to look for, with a 4.3-second 0-62mph time and a top speed of 187mph.
Year launched: 2014
Jaguar: a brand associated with pub landlords, old-fashioned saloon cars and misplaced patriotism. But it also makes some of the most desirable sports cars ever, including the legendary Jaguar E-Type. The Jaguar F-Type is its modern equivalent and, frankly, it’s incredible.
No matter which engine you go for, the Jaguar F-Type is a lot of fun to drive. It feels more special than many of its rivals, and its price tag is actually very reasonable - a new one starts from less than £55,000.
With our £50,000 budget, you can get a three- or four-year-old F-Type R. This flagship supercar uses a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine to provide truly awesome performance, packing 550PS and covering 0-62mph in just four seconds flat.
Year launched: 2016
The Mercedes-AMG C 63 S is arguably a little too practical to be classed as a supercar but you’d be a fool to dismiss it on that basis. It uses a 4.0-litre V8 engine hand-built by AMG, which produces 510PS and can accelerate to 62mph in 3.9 seconds. Top speed is in the region of 180mph - that’s as fast, if not faster, than most of the supercar featured here.
Not only is it quick, it sounds the part too, and feels very special. The interior is a masterpiece, while Mercedes-Benz engineering ensures it can handle its power with just the right amount of drama.
You’ll be looking at a two-year-old example with our £50,000 budget, meaning it’ll have the remainder of its Mercedes-Benz warranty and will only have covered low miles. That’s a very tempting proposition.
Year launched: 2005
Buying a supercar shouldn’t be a logical purchase. If you’re ready to put all rationality to one side and search for a car that’ll make your heart flutter the second you look at it, we’d recommend the Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
The model we’re looking at here first arrived in 2005 but, if anything, it’s only got more attractive with age. You could easily park one up in your living room and just take it in. It’s glorious.
It also sounds glorious - even if it’s not quite as quick as you might expect. With 426PS, the 4.7-litre V8 will accelerate the Vantage to 62mph in around 4.7 seconds. A £50,000 budget will get you a six-year-old example, but your neighbours will think you’ve won the lottery.
Year launched: 2007
Fancy a supercar with a Ferrari engine yet want something a little less in-your-face? Say hello to the Maserati GranTurismo. The Pininfarina-designed supercar uses a 4.7-litre V8 engine and can accelerate to 62mph in 4.9 seconds, while top speed is a mighty 183mph.
Despite its gorgeous looks (you can hardly tell it’s been on sale since 2007), the Maserati GranTurismo passes under the radar for a lot of supercar buyers. That means it’s significantly cheaper than an equivalent Ferrari.
With £50,000, you’ll be looking at a four-year-old example from one of our approved dealers. It’s possibly the classiest way of spending that kinda money.
Year launched: 2019
Is the Toyota GR Supra a supercar? Perhaps not, but it certainly is a super car.
We make no apologies for the cheesy intro. With only 335PS from its 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine and a Toyota badge on the bonnet, it perhaps isn’t in the same league as an Audi R8 or Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
It does, however, provide a huge amount of fun for £50,000. It’ll also attract a huge amount of attention, turning heads thanks to its bold looks and an exhaust which is happy to pop and bang. It’s also just as rare as many of the supercars featured here.
Year launched: 2012
The BMW M6 shares an engine with the BMW M5. That means it’s powered by a twin-turbo V8 engine producing 560PS and a stonking 680Nm of torque. It’ll cover 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds, while top speed is limited to 155mph.
It really is ballistically quick and it will put a smile on your face just the same way as some of the much more exotic cars in this list. But the M6 also has another side - it’ll happily settle down into a cruise and cover hundreds of miles in comfort. You could even use it as your daily driver, if you wished.
Our £50,000 will get you one of the last examples of the BMW M6 coupe, registered in 2018.
Year launched: 2010
A footballers’ favourite, the Bentley Continental GT has now dropped in price enough to bring it within reach of a wider audience. The most affordable models are now - incredibly - less than £20,000, but we’d hunt out a second-generation car, introduced in 2010.
Originally powered by the firm’s immense hand-built 6.0-litre W12 engine, the Continental GT had 575PS and could cover 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds. It’s the 198mph top speed that’s more impressive - although fuel economy in its teens will soon start to hurt if you’re planning a cross-continental road trip.
Our £50,000 budget will also get you one of the later V8 models, introduced in 2012. With 500PS, the twin-turbo motor is almost as quick as the V12, with an official top speed of 192mph. This is where the sensible money goes, if buying a Bentley could ever be described as sensible...
Year launched: 2009
Capable of covering 0-62mph in just 2.7 seconds, the Nissan GT-R is one of the fastest cars you can buy no matter what your budget. In terms of power per pound, however, the supersonic GT-R is unbeatable value, while its large and practical nature makes it surprisingly easy for everyday use.
Powered by a 3.8-litre V6 twin-turbo, early GT-R models (launched in 2008) featured 480PS and a 588Nm of torque. £50,000 will get you a later 2014 model, which packs 550PS, while maximum torque was extended to a hefty 632Nm. Not only will the GT-R embarrass much more exotic cars on the drag strip, its precise steering, reassuring brakes and huge amount of grip means it’s an enormous amount of fun in the corners, too.
All this from a brand that sells the humble little Nissan Micra.
A supercar is generally a high-performance car that’s very focussed (so usually has just two doors and a small boot). It usually has in the region of 500PS and offers the kind of performance that could get you in trouble very quickly on public roads. Most - but not all - are mid-engined, and they’re usually quite rare so will turn heads wherever they go. Examples include the Ferrari 458 and McLaren 570S.
A Nissan GT-R is a good entry into supercar ownership. A new one is priced from around £86,000, which is decent value for money for the performance on offer. Obviously, used examples are even more affordable. You should also consider the Porsche 911 or a Jaguar F-Type.
The Bugatti Chiron is one of the fastest production cars on sale, capable of an incredible 261mph. Accelerating from a standstill to 124mph takes just 6.5 seconds. Most class it as a hypercar rather than a supercar but, semantics aside, that’s pretty impressive. Other quick cars include the Koenigsegg Agera RS and Hennessey Venom GT.