Mouth-watering sports saloons at less-than-list price? Vijay Pattni runs through Auto Trader’s used car ads to discover big-bhp bargains…

Four-doors? Check. Big boot? Check. Space for a family? Check.

Supercar-slaying horsepower? Definitely.

There is something alluring about a powerful four-door sports saloon – a car which can cart around a family and then, in the blink of an eye, happily tear around the Nurburgring.

But what to choose? With entries from BMW, Mercedes, Audi and even Vauxhall, there’s plenty to choose from on Auto Trader to help you save more than £2,009 in 2009…

BMW M5 – save £32,335

Yes – we couldn’t believe it either. A BMW M5 for half price?

We found a 2-year-old BMW M5 with 22,500 miles for £32,990 – and what a car. A seven speed automatic gearbox, personalised settings for the differential, suspension and even the engine power, and a motorsport-tuned handling package…the M5 is the Godfather of super saloons.

Oh, and don’t forget the 507bhp V10 engine up front…

We also found this 2007 BMW Approved Used BMW M5 with less than 5,000 miles on the clock for £42,990, saving £22,335 off the list price.

Audi RS4 – save £14,985

They don’t make ‘em like they used to, traditionalists would lament. Well, they don’t make the Audi RS4 at all anymore.

Following Audi’s rule of only one RS model in production at any time, the RS4 is taking a back seat while its big brother, the RS6, destroys the laws of physics.

What is does mean for YOU, is that a used 414bhp four-door four-wheel-drive sports saloon can be on your drive with around £20,000 off the list price – which is a bargain in any book.

We found a 2006 Audi RS4 with 8,500 miles on the clock for £34,995 – and if you can deal with higher mileage, there are examples online for around £26,000.

BMW M3 saloon – save £11,670

The facts speak more clearly than any cliché can – 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds, a limited top speed of 155mph and space for four.

Chuck in motorsport-honed handling and a sublime 400bhp V8 up front, and you have one of the great sports saloons.

Straight out of the factory BMW will charge £49,520, but opt for a BMW Approved Used model and you’ll pay anything up to £12,000 less – like this BMW M3 saloon with around 6,000 miles on the clock for £37,850.

Car history - the BMW M3

The Audi RS4 might have taken a back seat - but at the 2008 Essen Motor Show, Audi unveiled its hardcore LMS racer...

Vauxhall VXR8 – save £10,243

A 6-litre V8…in a Vauxhall? You better believe it, because this Aussie-sourced bruiser has come spoiling for a BMW-shaped fight…

With 411bhp on tap and muscle-car looks, the Vauxhall VXR8 is an old-school performance car, with bags of pulling power (405lb/ft), and loads of kit. And it matches the BMW M3’s performance times too – 0-62mph takes 4.9 seconds, and the unrestricted VXR8 will power up to a top speed of 170mph-plus.

Brand new the big Vaux’ costs upwards of £35,000 – still a fantastic bargain for a bona-fide muscle car – but hunt around in the classifieds and you can pick one up with around £10,000 chopped off the price.

We found this 2007 Vauxhall VXR8 approved by Network Q, with just 7,000 miles on the clock, for £24,995.

Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG – save £7,346

Squaring up against the formidable BMW M3 and Audi RS4 is this – the 457bhp Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.

A stunning road-machine, the monster Merc boasts a 6.3-litre AMG-tuned engine which powers the C63 from 0-62mph in just 4.5 seconds, together with people and things.

Brand new, the C63 costs £50,341, but we found used examples hovering just over the £40k mark – like this 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG with 10,000 miles on the clock for £42,995.

Are you buying a new or used car?

A shape-shifting BMW? Check it out now...