10 Cars With 400 hp Under $20k

2012Mercedes BenzCLS5501 ・ Photo by Mercedes-Benz

It’s not always true that you need to spend a lot of money to get a great car. However, when big horsepower ratings are a requirement, it becomes harder to find a good vehicle at a great price. A lot of options you’ll see are run-down old sports cars, once-glorious machines whose prior owners have already wrung the useful life from them.

Even so, we’ve found a compelling variety of 400-horsepower cars for less than $20,000. Our selections include vehicles as new as five years old, and it’s a mix of dedicated sporty cars and luxury models with a big engine under the hood. We checked the inventory of cars for sale as of this writing in summer 2020, and we can confirm that each of our selections is a car you could actually buy today in decent condition at this price. (We ruled out some tempting options that just proved too difficult to find.) Check out our 10 cars with 400 hp under $20k to see which performance bargain is the best fit for your life. We’re going to start with the sports cars and then move into the luxury sedans.

1. 2007 Chevrolet Corvette

Chevrolet sold the first Corvette with more than 400 horsepower back in 1965, and buyers have expected high output ever since. More recently, it’s been more than 15 years since you could even get a Corvette with under 400 hp.

Recent Corvettes evolved from stylish cars but cheaply built cars that were fast only in a straight line into high-end two-seat sports cars with better-finished cabins and agile handling. Unfortunately, as we said, good things don’t usually come cheap. That means the Corvette is the oldest vehicle on our list of cars with 400 hp under $20k. To slip under this price cap, we need to go all the way back to the 2007 model year — for a 6.0-liter V8 making 400 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Fortunately, Corvettes are strong-selling cars that are often treated well, so you have a wide selection of good-condition ’Vettes even when they’re 13 years old.

Photo by General Motors

2. 2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS

General Motors has put the Corvette’s engine in a lot of cars in recent years, and the best value of those is the Chevrolet Camaro. For the same price of a 2007 Corvette, we find Camaros that are seven years newer — and that have more horsepower to boot.

The 2014 Camaro SS borrows its engine from a newer Corvette generation, and that’s a 6.2-liter V8 with 426 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. Transmission choices are a six-speed automatic or six-speed manual. This Camaro generation is a retro-styled four-seat coupe without the polish or extra-agile handling of the lower, lighter Corvette, but the Camaro’s superior practicality and value are hard to argue with.

Photo by General Motors

3. 2014 Ford Mustang GT

The Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro are archrivals when they’re both new, and they continue to stack up closely on the used market. They’re both rear-wheel-drive retro-styled coupes and convertibles with lots of power yet, in recent years, decent handling poise. We found 2014 Mustang GT models for around the same price as the competing 2014 Camaro SS.

The 2014 Mustang GT has a 5.0-liter V8 engine that makes 420 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque, running through a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic. Between the two cars, the Mustang is a little lighter, a little roomier, a little easier to see out of, and a little more agile than the Camaro, while the Chevy is smoother and a little more solid-feeling. You can choose between the two based on those preferences — or just choose the one you think looks better and have lots of fun with either.

Photo by Ford

4. 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT-8

The third member of Detroit’s retro-performance-coupe trio is the Dodge Challenger. But unlike the Mustang and Camaro, the Challenger’s entry-level V8 engine — a 5.7-liter Hemi — makes 375 horsepower rather than 400.

To get 400 horsepower for under $20k, we need to go back to the 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT-8. That model has a 6.1-liter V8 making 425 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, with either a five-speed automatic or a six-speed manual. The Challenger is a size bigger than the Mustang or Camaro, and that means it provides an unexpectedly spacious interior along with a more imposing size — which Dodge plays up perfectly with menacing styling that perfectly matches its V8 rumble. But this isn’t a lithe, sharp-handling coupe, and going back to the 2010 model year leaves you with more-dated infotainment and interior decor compared to the 2014 Ford and Chevrolet.

Photo by Dodge

5. 2010 Audi S6

Moving away from focused sporty cars, we also found some tempting luxury sports sedans with 400 hp under $20k. Many luxury cars lose their value quickly due to concerns about expensive repairs. But as long as you have the budget to keep them operational, these models can provide a fantastic luxury experience to go with their speedy performance.

One such vehicle is the Audi S6, a mid-size luxury sports sedan. We found 2010 models for less than $20,000. They have a massive 5.2-liter V10 engine that’s derived from the Lamborghini Gallardo’s; in the 2010 S6, it makes 435 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque. Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive and a six-speed automatic transmission are standard. So are a roomy, beautifully finished interior and a graceful exterior design.

Photo by Audi

6. 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLS 550

When you think about a high-performance Mercedes-Benz, you’re probably thinking about its specially tuned line of AMG models. But you can still get 400 horsepower from the standard Mercedes line.

Take the 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLS 550. It has a 4.7-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that makes 402 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque, and sounds great while doing it. The CLS is a more stylish version of the E-Class mid-size luxury sedan, and although the CLS was more expensive when it was new, we found they were priced equivalently on the used market. But when you’re looking for 400 horsepower, we figured you’d rather have the CLS’s sleek “four-door coupe” design than the more staid 2013 E-Class’s extra rear-seat space.

Photo by Mercedes-Benz

7. 2014 Infiniti Q70 5.6

Infiniti is known for luxury cars that deliver more speed for less money than the competition. Such is the case with the 2014 Infiniti Q70, whose optional 5.6-liter V8 generates 420 hp and 417 lb-ft of torque, and which is now available for under $20,000.

The Q70 is a mid-size luxury sports sedan that’s comfortable, well-finished, and agile. But it’s under the hood where it’s the most special, bringing naturally aspirated high-displacement performance and a smooth, rich V8 rumble. And not only is a $20,000 Q70 going to be a newer vehicle than similarly sized 400-hp European cars, but Infiniti repair costs should be lower. One downside: This wasn’t a strong-selling vehicle, so you may have a little more trouble finding the right one for you on the used market. To expand your search, note that the 2011 to 2013 Infiniti M56 is the same car with a different name.

Photo by Infiniti

8. 2015 Hyundai Genesis 5.0

Before Genesis was Hyundai’s luxury brand, the Hyundai Genesis was its beautifully finished sedan that straddled the mid-size and full-size classes. The 2015 model year brought a full redesign with more modern styling and superior driving dynamics. It still doesn’t rival the best-driving sedans in the world, but it’s no clumsy-driving boat of a luxury sedan either.

The Genesis’s optional 5.0-liter V8 engine — which sends 420 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic — is more about silky smoothness and exuberant performance. This car gets moving quickly but without the dramatic noises and tire squeals that draw some buyers to a 400-hp engine. But if you want lots of luxury to go with your speed, a 2015 Genesis 5.0 is a bargain at under $20,000.

Photo by Hyundai

9. 2015 Kia K900

The Kia K900 shares its 5.0-liter V8 engine with the Hyundai Genesis, but it’s a different type of car. This is an old-school luxury barge, more like a Lincoln Town Car than a Mercedes.

The K900 is decadently equipped with VIP-grade rear-seat features, but you won’t find the agility or suspension composure you’d get in pretty much any other recent-model luxury sedan. If you’re looking for a 400-horsepower car because you want effortless, silent performance rather than anything remotely sporty, this can be a powerful luxury bargain. And in the 2015 model year, the K900’s first in the U.S. market, the big V8 engine was standard equipment. 

Photo by Kia

10. 2013 BMW 750i

Full-size luxury cars don’t have to settle for being merely strong and silent. Take the BMW 750i, and its long-wheelbase 750Li variant.

The 2013 BMW 7 Series — the newest year that reliably brings 400-plus horsepower for under $20,000 — delivers the brand’s famous handling verve, without sacrificing the staples of a huge backseat and a cushy, quiet ride. The 750i and 750Li use a 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 engine that’s good for a mighty 445 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque. Going all the way back to 2013 means that you get interior design and technology that’s several generations behind today’s flagship sedans, but keep your eyes on the road, and this is perhaps an even sweeter ride than a brand-new 7 Series.

Photo by BMW