V8-powered Sports Sedans are becoming increasingly rare in today's car market. The drive for efficiency has meant that many of the great V8 engines have died out, replaced by smaller and more efficient engines with fewer cylinders. These newer engines also get used in conjunction with hybrid technology, producing the same amount of power as those older V8 models but with better fuel economy and fewer emissions. While there are customers that don't mind this, a lot of us would rather have the old-school feel of a traditional sports sedan with an old-school V8 engine. As a result, some of those older V8-powered sedans are becoming very desirable.Here's a list of some of the best of those V8 sedans that enthusiasts are starting to hoard for their fantastic engines. Most of these are typical sports sedans. However, there is one proper high-performance luxury model in this list, and it's one of the most underrated sports sedans out there. There's also a slice of '90s Americana here that can become the basis for a fantastic sleeper. Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG (W211) Average Used Value: $21,286 Via: Bring a TrailerEveryone loves an AMG Mercedes, and the W211 E55 AMG has to be one of the best when it comes to its engine. Produced from 2003-2006, this version of the E55 got a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 that produces just under 470 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. While the 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 that the later E63 AMG received is brilliant too, the E55's engine has that supercharged sound and character that many enthusiasts crave. It's also surprisingly easy to tune, thanks to the supercharger being an off-the-shelf Eaton unit.Via: Bring a TrailerThe W211 E55 AMG is the most expensive car here. However, it's still very much affordable, with an average used value of $21,286. That used value seems to be holding steady, too. That'll likely be due to the increased demand for these simpler, rowdier, V8-powered AMG models. Mercury Marauder (Third Generation) Average Used Value: $19,905 Bring a TrailerThe Panther body sedans are some of the most celebrated cars that have ever come out of Detroit. The ultimate Panther body car has to be the third-generation Mercury Marauder. It's one of the best modern interpretations of the classic muscle sedan ethos, powered by a 302 horsepower 4.6-liter V8 taken from the SN-95 Ford Mustang Mach 1. While that makes it far from the most powerful car on this list, it's got a classic American muscle car quality that most of the other cars here can't match.Bring a TrailerThe third-generation Mercury Marauder has an average used value of $21,145 these days. That's a fair premium over other Panther body cars from the same era. Considering how desirable the Marauder is among enthusiasts, that's not surprising at all. Dodge Charger R/T (Sixth Generation) Average Used Value: $16,178 Bring a TrailerThe return of the Dodge Charger nameplate in the mid-2000s was celebrated by many enthusiasts. While it wasn't a 2-door coupe like the original Charger, nobody minded that the name had been re-assigned to a 4-door muscle sedan. There are plenty of great variants of the sixth-generation Dodge Charger, but one of the best has to be the R/T. This version has the brilliant 5.7-liter Hemi V8, a super solid Mopar unit that people still love now. It's got plenty of power stock at up to 372 horsepower, but it can also be very easily tuned to push things up to ridiculous levels.Bring a TrailerThe sixth-generation Dodge Charger R/T is now a genuinely affordable V8 muscle sedan option. You can now get one for around $19,500. Some mint condition examples with low miles are starting to go for over $25,000 or even over $30,000, though. With that in mind, it might be worth grabbing one now before the collectors really start hoarding them and pushing the prices up. Cadillac CTS-V (First Generation) Average Used Value: $18,250 Via Bring A TrailerThe first-generation Cadillac CTS-V doesn't often get talked about in conversations about great sports sedans. It absolutely should, though. While it may look like a fairly ordinary 2000s Cadillac on the outside, under the hood it's powered by a version of Chevrolet's super-solid LS V8. Initially a 5.7-liter unit, it was enlarged to 6 liters later on in the CTS-V's production run. Both versions of this engine could be found in the C5 and C6 generations of the Corvette respectively, and that gave the first-generation Cadillac CTS-V real American performance credentials.Via Bring A TrailerA first-generation Cadillac CTS-V can be yours for around $17,821. That value is holding pretty steady, thanks to enthusiasts realising that this car is a proper hidden gem with that old-school V8 muscle sedan feel. Pontiac G8 GT Average Used Value: $17,750-$29,250 Bring A TrailerThe Pontiac G8 GT is one of the quirkiest American muscle sedans ever. For a start, it's not actually American. While it may wear the Pontiac badge, it's actually a badge-engineered captive import of the HSV version of the Australian Holden Commodore. The G8 was even assembled at Holden's plant in Adelaide, Australia, before being shipped over to North America to be sold in Pontiac dealerships. The G8 was only sold for two model years (2008-2009) due to the axing of the Pontiac brand via General Motors budget cuts, so only a small number of G8s in any variant exist. The GT was the mid-tier model, and it came with the brilliant 6-liter LS V8. Unlike the Cadillac CTS-V we talked about earlier, though, it was only available with an automatic transmission. Manual transmission purists had to pay a bit more for the more powerful G8 GXP.Bring A TrailerThe Pontiac G8 GT's values have been holding well. Recent sales have ranged from between $17,750and $29,250. Collectors are clearly starting to go after this car thanks to its rarity value and its awesome V8, and the values are reflecting it. Chrysler 300C SRT8 Average Used Value: $17,133 Bring a TrailerThe first-generation Chrysler 300C is often thought of as being a bit of an ugly duckling in the Mopar/Stellantis family. Its looks are certainly up for debate, and most of its models used fairly ordinary Mercedes-Benz running gear. However, the 300C SRT8 is easily one of the most underrated sleeper sedans out there. It's powered by the 6.1-liter version of the Hemi V8, giving it serious clout as a sports sedan. Plus, as it's a Hemi, you can definitely tune it up to crazy levels.Bring a TrailerThe 300C SRT8 has a significant premium over other 300C variants, with an average used value of $17,133. Values are holding steady, too. Enthusiasts who know about how great these cars are are sneakily buying them up, and that'll only continue in the future. Jaguar XJR (X308) Average Used Value: $10,278-$35,501 The X308 Jaguar XJR has to be one of the most underrated sports sedans ever. A luxury sedan with muscle car power and performance, the later iterations of the X308 XJR came with Jaguar's 4-liter supercharged V8. This is an absolutely fantastic engine that was also used in the XKR, producing 370 horsepower and 387 lb-ft of torque. It set the tone for the future, too, as every generation of the XJR that came after it used some form of supercharged V8.X308 XJRs carry a significant premium over XJ6 or XJ8 models from the same generation. The cheapest you might be able to get hold of a good one of these is $10,278, while you can end up paying as much as $35,501 for one that's in immaculate condition. That fantastic AJ-V8 engine absolutely has something to do with how the X308 XJR's values have held well - people really want cars that have this engine, and that demand is only going to surge as the era of V8 performance sedans slips away. Buick Roadmaster (Eighth Generation) Average Used Value: $10,221 Bring a TrailerAt first glance, the eighth-generation Buick Roadmaster looks like the epitome of '90s American malaise. It's a big, frumpy-looking sedan that you might imagine your grandma driving. However, under the hood of this Florida retirement express is proper American V8 power. One of the engine options for this car was the 5.7-liter LT1 V8, the same engine that you could get in the C4 Chevrolet Corvette. In the eighth-generation Buick Roadmaster, this produced 260 horsepower and 335 lb-ft of torque from the factory. Add to the fact that it's pretty easy to tune LT1s and that the standard 4-speed automatic can easily be swapped for the C4 Corvette's 5-speed manual (as demonstrated by this widely-documented Roadmaster), and you can build one of these cars into an incredible sleeper.The eighth-generation Buick Roadmaster is currently a fantastic used bargain. You can grab one for around $10,221 right now. Values are definitely starting to go up, though, and that clearly has something to do with how these cars hide fantastic muscle-car style V8 options.Sources: Bring A Trailer, Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, Classic.com, Dodge, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Jaguar, Pontiac
