Untamed V8 Vitriol For Mondeo Moolah

A V8 rumble is the soundtrack of the car enthusiast. Its noise covers a variety of genres from burbling, languid American to raucous, fruity Italian. However, few of us can afford the cars they come in - the cheapest new V8 is the left-hand drive only Chevrolet Camaro at £35,000 - and with manufacturers rapidly ditching the big vees in favour of smaller turbocharged engines, they're getting harder to find.

But there's very good news lurking in the classifieds. For less than the cost of a third-hand econobox Mondeo, you can have a V8-powered monster on your driveway.

Here are five of the best:

Lexus LS400 - £1990

Okay, so the Lexus LS may have something of an image problem, but this 260hp, 4.0-litre V8 makes this the ultimate beige sleeper of the selection. Japanese build quality and reliability is legendary, which explains why the brand topped the JD Power customer satisfaction surveys. This is certainly one Lexus not one to turn your nose up at.

Range Rover HSE - £1595

The Rangey is a timeless beast and practically classless too. They fit in at race meets and at supermarkets with equal aplomb. Even this seventeen-year-old example will give the impression that you’re doing well for yourself – despite it costing bugger all today. It's not the fastest car here, but it can tow a 1.2 Corsa faster than the Corsa can manage itself. It's almost certainly the thirstiest car here though. But who really gives a damn?

BMW E39 535i - £2000

Sitting on the brilliant E39 chassis, the 535i was the embarrassing relative of the 5-series range – it was just as thirsty as, but slower than, the 540i above it, you see…DOH! Still, that makes it a used bargain and as a relative lightweight amongst behemoths here it's quite the sporty option. There was even a rare manual ‘box option in the line-up for those who like stirring gears themselves.

Jaguar XJR - £1800

Every Jaguar XJ of this vintage came with a V8, but the pinnacle was this supercharged 4.0 example. With nearly 400hp on tap, the XJR was a match for the flagship sports saloon car of the day - the BMW M5. With a £50k list price, this car has depreciated by 96 percent (!) and is the performance bargain of this list. Servicing and parts costs are still on a par with a £50k car, however. You have been warned!

Porsche 928 - £1900

V8 saloons and SUVs are all well and good, but they all have that old man image. Not so the 928 - Porsche's only front-engined V8 coupe. Arguably the most stylish car here and, as the oldest, eligible for classic car insurance too, the Porsche comes with the innate cachet some of these other V8 leviathans lack.

This is a guest post by Andrew Evans, UK reporter for GTPlanet.net