Skip to main content
A 2020 Ford Shelby Mustang on display at an auto show

Affordable Cars That Make Over 400hp

You don’t have to have a car that offers a ton of horsepower to get a fun driving experience — after all, just look at the Lotus Elise and Mazda MX-5 Miata. For some of us, handling is just as important as power, but that doesn’t stop us from wanting to push our car to …

You don’t have to have a car that offers a ton of horsepower to get a fun driving experience — after all, just look at the Lotus Elise and Mazda MX-5 Miata. For some of us, handling is just as important as power, but that doesn’t stop us from wanting to push our car to the limits. Having a car with more horsepower is just an overall more enjoyable experience, and the performance is more than you get from a standard daily driver. You don’t have to spend tens of thousands of dollars on modifications or max out your credit buying the newest supercar, because these affordable cars offer 400hp from the factory.

Surprisingly affordable cars

It might surprise you to see that Jaguar is the first option on this list. The Jaguar XF isn’t known for being incredibly reliable, but what’s under the hood might be worth the risk. A 5.0L supercharged engine gives this forgotten car as much as 470hp, and you can find them on the market for as much as a used Honda Civic. It’s not the only luxury car that offers an unexpected amount of power.

1965 NHRA World Championship and Tulsa Invitational Drag Races Pat Brollier/The Enthusiast Network

Combing luxury and power, the Mercedes-Benz S600 AMG offers as much as 510hp. This twin-turbocharged V12 originally came with a high sticker price, but just like every other luxury car, it depreciated so much that you can find them for less than an average new car on the used market. Like the Jaguar XF, these cars aren’t notoriously reliable after they age, but when they have been adequately maintained, they can be as powerful as some new supercars.

Power is the name of the game

Mustangs don’t always have 400hp from the factory, but you can get up to that much pretty easily without breaking the bank. They are common enough that they are easy and inexpensive to modify, and you never know just how quick they will actually be. From classic Mustangs to modern, there’s a style that can fit any muscle-car lovers personal taste, and you can buy a lot of the used models for under $20,000.

Black-with-gold-stripes 2006 Shelby Mustang GT-H on a curvy desert road
2006 Shelby Mustang GT-H | Ford

Better yet, people love to hate the Mustang, and that could be because they spent way more money to get the same type of horsepower. It isn’t the only muscle car that offers affordable power though. There are a handful of Mopar cars that make the list as well, like used Challengers and Chargers in certain trim levels, and they’ve aged well enough to justify how much you’ll save buying one new. Better yet, you can get 400+ horsepower for less than the price of a brand new car.

Related

Why We Don’t Have Jet-Powered Cars