9 ways to get a glorious 5 cylinder engine for under £6,000! #blogpost

We all know 5 cylinder engines sound amazing but not all of us can afford to spend £25k on a used Audi RS3, let alone £40k on a new one. So here are 9 cars that are much more affordable but still provide you with a sonorous 5 cylinder engine.

Volkswagen Bora V5

Interestingly the VW V5 is the only 5 cylinder engine on this list that is not an inline 5. In fact it is not really a conventional V engine either. It is a clever design that fits 5 cylinders into a narrow space by having a very narrow V arrangement which allows it to have just one cylinder head. 150bhp is not going to set your pants on fire but these cars are dirt cheap. You can pick up this year 2000 Bora V5 with 86k miles for just £895.

Volvo C70

The elegant design of the Volvo C70 will surely make it a future classic and of course it features a version of Volvo’s well known 5 cylinder engine. This one from the year 2000 is the 2.4T version, has done 88k miles, and has a two tone leather interior. It’s for sale for just £1,290.

Volkswagen Golf V5

For some reason the Golf, which shares most of its parts with the Bora, commands a premium over its larger sibling. So you pay more for a smaller version of the same car. Hmmm… maybe people find the design more appealing. Anyway, here is a 2002 one that has covered 58k miles and is for sale for £2,290.

Fiat Coupe 20V

Fancy something Italian? How about a Fiat Coupe? Marmite styling and unfortunately front wheel drive, but you get a neat interior and a 5 cylinder naturally aspirated or turbocharged engine. These must be approaching classic status now. This 1999 Turbo car is for sale with 87k miles for £2,595.

Audi Coupe

Audi famously used 5 cylinder Quattros to great effect during Group B rallying. The factory rally cars were monsters especially the later S1. The production cars probably used more engineering knowledge than parts from the rally cars but they are still great machines. So if you want to feel like a rally driver then this 1987 Audi Coupe is for you. It’s done 106k miles and is asking £3,995.

Volvo 850R

How could we leave this off the list? Legendary performance estate from Volvo which featured in the British Touring Car Championships in the 90s. With a 240bhp 2.3 litre 5 cylinder turbocharged engine this was no ordinary estate car. This example is a 1996 car with 123k miles but is unfortunately an automatic. The seller is asking £4,450.

Volvo C30 T5

The Volvo C30 is a hatchback that is refreshingly different to many other hatchbacks both inside and out, thanks to its Scandinavian design. It even has a ‘floating’ centre console that you can put your hand behind. Of course the T5 is the one to have and this one was registered in 2009, has covered 89k miles and is up for sale for £5,795.

Ford Focus ST

The only performance Ford with a 5 cylinder turbo engine, although it is actually a Volvo engine. The ST is much cheaper than the RS which costs upwards of £15k, but even the ST seems to be holding its value fairly well. This one is a 2006 car with 86k miles on the clock and is for sale for £5,795.

Volvo S60R / V70R

The V70 is the estate version of the S60 and both were available in R specification. This meant they used a variation of the well known turbocharged 5 cylinder engine cranked up to 300bhp and provided hot hatch beating acceleration. This car is a 2003 example that has covered 122k miles and is for sale for £5,950.

I have tried to pick out examples for sale in decent condition but obviously with these cars you may need to budget for maintenance or even upgrades.
Thanks for reading! If you think I have missed anything or if there is anything else you would like to say, please comment below!