Fastest Used Luxury Sports Cars For $40K To $50K

Sports cars are fun automobiles that inject some adrenaline into the daily commute. They usually feature more powerful engines and have sportier drivetrains than most other cars on the road. These types of vehicles vary greatly from slightly sportier versions of existing models to bespoke cars that are only sold in their sporty state.

While we all like sports models for their added speed and performance over regular cars, many people who buy sports cars do not exactly intend to take them track racing every weekend. Some people drive them daily, which is why some automakers made a point to create more luxurious versions of the sports car, resulting in masterpieces like the Aston Martin Vantage, Maserati GranTurismo, and Jaguar F-Type.

Even sports cars that were more track-focused have become more user-friendly in day-to-day life – like the BMW M3 and M4, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, and Audi RS5. These cars are on many peoples’ lists to own, but thanks to depreciation, they are much more affordable than a few years ago.

All data for this list was retrieved from automotive websites such as Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds as well as the automakers’ websites themselves where applicable.

10 2005-2017 Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Average Used Price: $48,969

Speed & Performance

The Vantage, which debuted in 2005, was the first ‘entry-level’ Aston Martin model in the company’s history. This didn’t diminish the brand’s reputation for grand tourers but rather opened the floodgates to receive younger buyers from all over the world. The V8 Vantage featured a 4.3-liter V8 from Jaguar, which was later upgraded to a 4.7-liter.

The Vantage came with a manual transmission as standard, with an automatic being an optional extra. The V8 Vantage produced between 380 and 430 hp in regular trims, going up to 440 hp in the GT8. The Aston Martin V8 Vantage is still one of the best luxury cars on the used market, exuding great looks, excellent performance, and an intoxicating exhaust sound. A good 2011 model gets the larger engine and costs just under $49,000, according to Kelly Blue Book.

Related: 2005-2018 Aston Martin Vantage: Costs, Facts & Figures

9 2012-2016 Porsche Cayman S

Average Used Price: $42,980

Speed & Performance

The third-generation Porsche Cayman – also known as the 981 – was the last of the ‘entry-level’ Porsches to get a flat-6 engine as standard. The 2.7-liter motor produced 261 hp, going up to 370 hp in the top-spec Boxster Spyder with its 3.8-liter borrowed from the 911 GTS.

Contrary to popular lore, the Cayman is not a ‘lesser 911’, but rather a Porsche model all on its own, driving just as brilliantly as its larger, traditional sibling. The Cayman S is the mid-spec trim which features a 320 hp (and 330 hp with the PDK) 3.4-liter flat-6 that races the car to 175 MPH and returns a respectable 35 MPG when driving normally. It is a really good car within the allotted budget and is easily found for sale on Kelly Blue Book.

8 2007-2013 BMW M3

Average Used Price: $43,000

Speed & Performance

The E92 BMW M3 is widely regarded as one of the best, arriving in an era when BMW went all-out with its engine development. The 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 under the hood was basically the V10 from the M5 but with two cylinders chopped off. As a result, the V8 suffers from the same issues that the V10 does.

The 4.0-liter V8 produced 414 hp and revved all the way to 8,300 rpm. It wasn’t the torquiest of motors, but its performance more than made up for it. The E92 M3 is popular within the automotive community and is still a brilliant sports car – especially in the sedan body style with the manual gearbox. And it all costs under $50,000 on KBB.com.

7 2014-2018 BMW M4

Average Used Price: $44,502

Speed & Performance

Following the age of BMW engines, the turbocharging war started. BMW dropped the V8 and instead returned to their specialty – the straight-6. The F82 M4 – BMW also changed the name – featured a 3.0-liter twin-turbo motor producing 425 hp and a whole lot of torque in its base trim, rising to 444 hp in the Competition Package, 493 in the GTS and 453 hp in the ‘last hurrah’ M4 CS.

Like the M3 before it, the F82 M4 is a hugely popular car that is fancy, has excellent build quality, and performs way better than advertised – making it a proper driver’s car. The M4 is also the standard among the luxury sports car segment, with everything competing to dethrone it. It is amazing then to think that such a beast is available for between $40,000 and $50,000 on Kelly Blue Book.

Related: 5 Of The Finest BMW M4 Special Editions (And 5 M3s)

6 2015-2023 Mercedes-AMG C63 AMG Coupe

Average Used Price: $46,990

Speed & Performance

Speaking of competing, the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG was one of the F82 M4’s rivals. Unlike the BMW, the Merc featured a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 producing 470 hp from the get-go – 500 hp for the C63S. The Merc may have more power than the BMW, but it is more of a German muscle car instead of a precision tool. To use a Jeremy Clarkson reference, the BMW is a scalpel and the Merc is a sledgehammer.

Mercedes-AMG updated the C63 over the years but didn’t really do much with it – unlike the previous generation with its awesome Black Series. The C63 AMG is now available for between $40,000 and $50,000 on the used market (Edmunds) and is a pretty good car that makes an awesome noise. Sadly, the new C63 comes with a hybridized 4-cylinder.

5 2012-2017 Audi RS5

Average Used Price: $40,590

Speed & Performance

The first-generation Audi RS5 was a spectacular beast of performance. Yes, it had a slight understeering issue thanks to the poorly calibrated Quattro all-wheel-drive system and the fact that the heavy V8 sits in front of the front wheels, but it is a great car.

The 4.2-liter V8 under the hood made 444 hp and screamed to its redline, causing all the people in the immediate area to become intoxicated by the noise – especially when the car is fitted with the optional titanium sports exhaust. The RS5 is also quite practical and easy to live with, just like its pricier R8 cousin. A good RS5 is available on the used market for just over $40,000 – as per Edmunds.

Related: 9 Reasons Why You Should Drive An Audi RS5

4 2014-Present Jaguar F-Type

Average Used Price: $47,499

Speed & Performance

The Jaguar F-Type is now nearly ten years old, but it has lost none of its appeal. The base 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 is out, and only some markets still get the 3.0-liter supercharged V6 – leaving the big supercharged V8 as the only engine option in the US. While this is great, the slightly older F-Type S is still a brilliant car.

The V6 produced 335 hp with its V6 engine – rising to 567 hp for the top-spec F-Type R models. The F-Type may not entirely capture the essence of the legendary E-Type, but it does a pretty good job of being a sports car. The bronzed buttons and switches in the cabin are a great touch and the whole car is extremely stylish. Being an exotic European sports car, the F-Type commands a slightly higher price than most on this list, coming in at an average of $47,500 for the R – according to Kelly Blue Book.

3 2007-2019 Maserati GranTurismo

Average Used Price: $42,990

Speed & Performance

We’re sure everyone is by now familiar with the Maserati GranTurismo’s story – Ferrari wanted a new ‘entry-level’ car – so they took what Maserati made and called it the California, leaving Maserati to design and build a new car in a year. The result was the GranTurismo – a brilliant piece of Italian engineering.

The GranTurismo shared the engine with the California but used a cross-plane crankshaft to differentiate it from its Rosso cousin. The 4.2- and 4.7-liter V8 produced 400 hp and 434 hp respectively, but the latter displacement got a bump to 444 hp in the MC Stradale trim. The GranTurismo is a beautiful car that continues to impress with its performance and price.

2 2011-2014 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

Average Used Price: $44,590

Speed & Performance

The Cadillac CTS-V is the American rival to the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E55/63. It took the American muscle philosophy of shoving a massively powerful V8 into the front of a sedan and calling it a day. It may not have been quite as dynamically brilliant as the Europeans, but it was spectacular!

The second-generation CTS-V gained Coupe and Wagon body styles but kept the big supercharged 6.2-liter V8, which produced 556 hp and 551 lb-ft, going to the rear wheels only via either a 6-speed automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual. Today, the CTS-V Coupe is a relatively rare car that turns heads wherever it goes and makes the sounds of a Corvette when speeding away. Due to the slightly scarcer nature, the CTS-V Coupe comes in at around $45,000 according to Edmunds.

1 2011-2020 Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG

Average Used Price: $41,295

Speed & Performance

The Mercedes-Benz SL-Class is the special convertible GT car that made Mercedes-Benz the king of the segment. To capitalize further, Mercedes made a smaller version called the SLK, which featured smaller engines and was easier and cheaper to run.

The third-generation SLK upped the ante by stuffing a naturally aspirated version of the 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 from the E63 AMG under the hood and calling it the SLK55 AMG. The engine produced 422 hp and turned the SLK from a hairdresser’s car into an elegant but angry muscle convertible. It also looks great and is still pretty affordable for anyone who likes to cruise down a coastal highway or do burnouts in a parking lot. The SLK55 AMG is available on Kelly Blue Book for around $41,000.