Epic super-saloons for £20k | Six of the Best
A whole lot of engine, a whole lot of car, and not a whole lot of cash - who can resist?
Jaguar XJR (X350), 2005, 65k, £14,495
There really is little beating the secondhand super-saloon. As new ones become ever more complicated and expensive (you might rightly say the same for all cars), so the appeal of a handsome four-door with a large, powerful engine, on offer for a small amount of money, absolutely soars. Oh sure, running costs can still be prohibitive, as they can for so many old cars. But with a retro ‘bahnstormer, there isn’t a showroom tax, it’s unlikely to depreciate very much, and all the family can enjoy the fast and four-door fun with you. It’s persuasive, alright, especially when contenders look as good as this Jaguar XJR. The company is legendary for its sporting saloons, with both earlier and later variants of this available as well as the XFR, but an X350 looking this good couldn’t be ignored. The poor old thing hasn’t been used much in the past few years, which is a real shame as there’s little better for great distances. Time to get adding to that 64k total…
Mercedes E63 AMG (W211), 2006, 131k, £14,948
One day we might stop harping on about AMG’s M156 V8, and the abandon with which Mercedes hurled it at its late-'00s model lineup, but it won’t be today. The willingness of MB to fit a 6.2-litre V8 to just about anything, from R-Class MPV to CLK cabriolet, really was extraordinary. Seemingly nothing was safe from a wild enthusiasm to ensure that AMG’s first ground-up V8 was available to as many different customers as possible. Laudable insanity. ML-Class SUV? Sure. C-Class wagon? Great idea. An oversquare, 7,250rpm 6.2 in an S-Class? Rude not to. It all meant that, 20 years ago, an E63 with the M156 seemed like the most normal Stuttgart saloon going. Now it’s the ultimate Q car, with more than 500hp in what appears to be a minicab. You’d want to know more about the history of this one, but it looks really smart and the last three MOTs were flawless - plus it’s just £15k…
Audi S7, 2014, 56k, £20,990
It’s an oft-forgotten car, the S7, largely because not that long ago Audi was determined to offer so many four-and five-doors with the 4.0-litre turbo V8. It was Audi doing an AMG, just a few years down the line once (relative) downsizing had taken effect. So there was an RS6, of course, as well as a slightly less spicy S6 - the latter available as both a saloon and Avant. Not forgetting the larger S8 saloon as well. Plus the RS7, sharing the mechanical makeup of the ‘6 in a Panamera-style hatch body. So you can see how the regular S7 didn’t enjoy much time in the limelight - it was the glory days of a decade ago when there were too many V8s to choose from. It means that now for £20k you get 450hp, an eight-speed auto, quattro four-wheel drive and a properly nice interior. This one benefits from a Milltek exhaust, new discs and pads, plus a wheel refurb. Maybe it’s time to remember what the S7 is all about.
BMW M5 (E60), 2005, 81k, PH Auction
The BMW M5 celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, so it had to be included somewhere. Especially as the £20k budget means decent cars available across three generations: the epochal E39, the dual-clutch, twin turbo F10 monster, or this - the V10-powered E60. Enough has been said and written about the 5.0-litre M5 over the past two decades that we don’t need to repeat, but much as the E39 did before it these cars are appreciating in value. A design that was abhorred back in the day is being appreciated now, and the charm of the infamous 8,000rpm V10 grows by the hour. As recently as 2022 there were good ones at less than £15k - not any longer. This gorgeous 80k-mile Interlagos Blue car goes under the PH hammer soon after 15 years with its current keeper; great M cars get under your skin like that…
Bentley Flying Spur, 2008, 46k, £17,995
Perhaps not the first car that comes to mind for a shortlist like this six, the Bentley Flying Spur absolutely adheres to the required criteria: a four-door saloon (that never did look quite as good as the two-door equivalent), loads of power (560hp, courtesy of the twin-turbo W12) and palatial luxury (check out the quilting). It won’t be as incisive to drive as an M car or a more modern Audi, but a good Spur will undoubtedly have a charm all of its own. This 2008 car is festooned with kit, from four massage seats to a rear blind. The Meteor Blue is a nice alternative to the usual blacks and greys, especially with ‘Cotswold’ main hide and Dark Burr Walnut Veneer. There’s a good amount of history and the big B presents nicely - a new set of centre caps and it’ll be fantastic. Quite some machine for £17,995.
MG ZT 260, 2005, 85k, £10,995
The keen will have noticed we’ve been missing something important in this Six of the Best: a manual gearbox. A super-saloon is always a great idea; a super-saloon with six speeds and three pedals is one of the very best. See the current demand for manual conversions in old M cars, plus the values of factory-fit manuals where they were available, for proof of that. So it makes this ZT look even more of a steal. Sure, it has half the power of some cars here (relatively simply addressed to a large extent with a supercharger), but it’s also not far off half the price at £10,995. For a rare, V8-powered, few-owner super-saloon with a manual gearbox. Hard not to be intrigued. Especially with the recent work done to this MG, including new brake pipes, suspension parts and radiator. All in a ZT that looks remarkably tidy for 21 years and 85,000 miles old. The sound will probably be worth the price on its own…
Bentley for me. So much car but a £18k Bentley? Very deep pockets to keep that in fine fettle and would be always fearful of a very large bill just around the corner and a buyer of this will probably just buy it and run it for a year just because he’s always wanted a Bentley and needed to scratch the itch and hopes to move it on before a big bill arrives or puts off a known fault for the next owner.
Doctor or accountant? I won’t even bother doing an HPI check. SOLD!
Heart says Jag (for overall lovelyness) or AMG (for THAT engine alone !)
Head says "no" to to M5 (that gearbox more than the engine)
Heart says "no" to Bentley (not my cup of tea), Audi (anonymous) and Rover (got to be joking, especially at that price)
in reality i'd probably be happy with any of them except the Rover and the Bentley which whilst it's just not for me I am sure it is lovely,
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