is not dead yet and is still the best naturally aspirated route to 400 hp. So if you want that sound and torque, you still have options for cheap cars with 400 horsepower. It’s taken a long time to get to this point, though.
In the 1990s, a Cobra Mustang came with a 200+ horsepower V8. The legendary early 21st-century E46 generation M3 made 360 hp and was expensive then. But now, cars with 400 horsepower are something you can get into new for not a lot over $40,000. However, we’re not limiting ourselves to new cars here in our hunt for cheap 400-hp cars. In the used market, you can find some gems from within the last decade.
Used: Infiniti Q50 / Q60 Red Sport
models, the cars are fine but dated in the technology department.
. The Q60 holds value better and is mainly around the $30k mark.
New: Nissan Z
is now one of the cheapest new cars you can buy with 400 hp, coming in with a base price of $42,970. Unlike the Infiniti models, it’s available with a manual transmission. It’s destined to become a tuner favorite, although outside the box, it makes for an excellent grand tourer.
Used Or New: Ford Mustang GT
is used. The first owner doesn’t tend to thrash the V8 as much as people think. In basic trim, it’s mostly a personality expression car. That makes them not just one of the cheapest cars with 400 hp you can pick up, but one of the best. We’re finding great 2017 examples for around $22-$26,000, and it comes with 435 ponies and 400 lb-ft of torque from the 5.0-liter V8. Those numbers are plentiful, even if they can’t match the 486 hp/418 lb-ft of the all-new Mustang GT.
The Ford Mustang is a proper sports car, so you can buy it with a manual transmission. Plus, the aftermarket is wild if you want to start tuning it.
Used: Chevrolet Camaro 1SS
.
New: Volvo S60 Recharge
is the only four-cylinder car here, yet it produces 455 hp. Of course, the 2.0-liter engine is bolstered by turbocharging and a plug-in hybrid system to deliver that output, which propels the sleek sedan to 60 mph in a little over four seconds. Besides being able to drive on electric power alone, the S60 also has a classy interior and is quiet on the move. It’s one of the most relaxing cars to drive with this level of power and performance.
New: Audi RS3
isn’t one of the cheapest 400 hp cars on this list at $62,300. It is one of the only cars here with an engine featuring less than six cylinders. However, the five-cylinder engine is turbocharged, and it’s an absolute riot. Seriously, it’s got a ton of character and sounds fantastic. For your money, you’re also getting Audi’s all-wheel-drive system and technology that blows everything else on the list out of the water.
Used: Audi S6
for just under $30k if you don’t mind a few miles. It’s a premium car with a lot of moving parts, so it’s not for the squeamish. As premium cars get older and cheaper, the cost of maintenance and repairs doesn’t tend to shrink. However, if you want something fast and stylish, the S6 will keep aging gracefully.
Used: C6 Generation Chevrolet Corvette
If you’re sifting through the cheapest used cars with 400 hp, you will eventually end up searching for a 2005-2007 model-year Chevrolet Corvette. We’ve just done the work for you. You can find them on used car lots for $15-20k. If you’re looking for cars with 400 hp under 10k, you’re still going to be looking for a 2006 Chevrolet Corvette. However, you’ll end up with one that has been thrashed within an inch of its life.
got a bump in horsepower from exactly 400 to 430 hp with an upgrade from the 6.0-liter LS2 V8 engine to the 6.2-liter V8.
New: Ford Ranger Raptor
you can buy fresh out of the box.
Used: Hyundai Genesis 5.0
Despite most of this list consisting of sports cars, there are other cheap 400-hp cars in the world for those seeking something more luxurious and stealthy. Another one of those cars happens to be a cheap, used Hyundai Genesis with its optional 5.0-liter V8 that made 420 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque. Now that Genesis has branched off to produce its own cars under its own name, we get more luxury-focused models, but back in 2015, Hyundai gave us something great under its name. Today, you can find them for well under $20k on the used market, which equates to a lot of car for the money.
