Summer loving: here are some great sub-£20k used performance convertibles

There are several candidates you could choose from Audi, including a second-generation RS5 or TT RS. We’ve instead opted for an older, slightly slower RS4. Why? Because they’re becoming increasingly harder to find. In this specific configuration, the 4.2-litre V8 is also damn near perfect - especially because it’s mated to a six-speed manual. Win.

Similar in approach to the Elise, albeit slightly different in execution, this Caterham K-Series Super Sport Seven is up for a fiver below budget. It’s got just under 12,000 miles on the clock, which means the wonderful British Racing Green and yellow pinstripe exterior combination still has plenty of sunshine left to see. Also, quilted seats!

Right, let’s knock out some of the usual suspects now that we’re done with a few oddities, and where better to start than with the definitive sports car? An estimated 10.6 million convertible 911s are roaming the used car wilderness at present (source: just trust us), but this Carrera 4S and its 350bhp 3.8-litre flat-six caught our attention. Probably because it’s not been yobo-fied too much.

Conversely, here’s a Sakhir Orange (which is just shiny red) F82 M4. This could well be the last mid-level Bimmer that doesn’t divide opinion since the dangerously handsome face has two average-sized kidney grilles fronting it. The soft-top option also allows you to hear that raucous 425bhp six-cylinder even clearer, which, in this car, is controlled with a stick. That’s quite rare on an M4.

You didn’t think we’d forgotten, did you? Up for sale for just over 19 large ones is this 6.2-litre Mercedes V8 engine which, in this guise, puts out 525bhp and as much torque as Kimi Räikkönen after a visit to the bar. Oh, you also get an entire car included in the price, too. This might just take our pick of the bunch this week.

We’re going to miss the F-Type, but given its long 10-year production span, there is no shortage of examples on the market. That’ll likely still be the case in the next 10 years too, when the prices for range-topping V8s should drop to below £20k. Until then, you could grab yourself a V6 like this. Still fairly punchy, mind.

The final two cars we’ve listed this week will require a bit of negotiation to creep below the price threshold, but they’ll be worth it if you can. The Mustang is arguably the most well-known V8-powered convertible in the world, and it has been for the best part of 60 years now. That formula continued with the sixth generation - the first to officially be sold in the UK - so it’s a pretty safe bet.

No nation exemplifies the word ‘suave’ quite like Italy does, and that ethos has been translated into its cars since the days of Julius Caesar. This Maserati Grancabrio is proof of the pudding, combining an addictive engine note with much comfort. Just be prepped to clench when it does eventually require maintenance of any sort, though, because receipts for big-engined Italian cars tend to have some big numbers on them.