The Cheapest Twin-Turbo Car You Can Buy Used

If you are someone who likes to subtly brag about what car you drive at parties, dropping the two words 'twin-turbo' into a conversation is not that far from a Royal Flush in poker. Yes, there are a few ultra-exclusive cars, such as the Bugatti Veyron, which have a slightly ostentatious four turbochargers, but generally having a pair bolted on to your engine puts you in the performance car game. Ever since Maserati brought out the first twin-turbocharged car in the early '80s, this style of forced induction has been fairly standard practice for manufacturers wanting to create performance cars with considerable boost, but without the lag.

Who wouldn't want to join the twin turbo gang then? Becoming a fully paid-up member of this group of gearheads isn't just about kudos, it's surprisingly cheap too – less than two-and-a-half grand will get you the keys to a twin-turbocharged machine. The cheapest twin-turbocharged car is a super saloon too, and probably one of, if not, the most sleepy-looking sleepers out there. Strap in, hear the turbochargers spool up, and drive incredibly safely – this is sensible speed, twin-turbo style.

Audi rear

Related

The Cheapest Twin-Turbo V8 Car You Can Buy New In 2025

Twin-turbo V8s power some of the most capable performance cars in the world, but only of them two are cheaper than $100k in 2025.

The Volvo S80 T6 Is The Cheapest Twin-Turbocharged Used Car

8008_Volvo_S80

1999 Volvo S80 T6 Specs

Source: Volvo

Not only is the Volvo S80 T6 the cheapest twin-turbocharged car out there, it's also one that most people would have forgotten about, if they even knew about it in the first place. You probably wouldn't even notice if one of these bulbous Volvos was parked outside your house right now, it's that below the radar – and this makes it a great sleeper car, up there with the best.

The S80 Was The Car To Take Volvo Into Mercedes Territory

The S80 was a car that was very much the result of Volvo's efforts in the '90s to jazz up its image a bit. The company had already called in Porsche to help build an outrageously quick and impossibly cool wagon, and now it had its sights set on selling to the kind of people who would buy BMWs and Mercedes, rather than just Labradors and Golden Retrievers. Out went the cardboard box aerodynamics and in came sculpted, chunky lines with rounded edges.

The S80 T6 Was Groundbreaking – Because There Was No Wagon Option

The S80 was the flagship, a full-size luxury sedan that packed safety, performance and a base price of more than $40,000. The S80 was all-new and made its debut in May 1998, with a new architecture, internally labeled P2. Perhaps the most shocking thing about this sedan was, well, that it was just a sedan.

Until this point, most Volvo models had been sold with an option of sedan or practical estate bodies, but the S80 was pure sedan. There were the usual Volvo safety innovations too, with 'Inflatable Curtain' for side impact protection and front seats with built-in protection against whiplash injuries.

The S80 T6 Came With A Feisty Twin-Turbocharged Six-Cylinder Engine

The S80 was launched with a six-cylinder in-line petrol and a five-cylinder diesel, but the top of this Swedish luxury tree was the T6. The car has a 2.8-liter inline-six (later increasing to 2.9-liters) with a pair of Garrett turbochargers tacked on. Power is rated at 272 horsepower, with drive going to the front wheels via a choice of manual or an automatic transmission. Top speed is a heady 150 mph, making the S80 a quick, leftfield luxury barge. One of the company's official brochures at the time asked 'Is this really a Volvo?'. The answer is yes, and these days you can buy one for extremely cheap.

V6

Related

This Twin-Turbo Japanese Sports Car Had More Power Than A Porsche 911 Carrera... Now It's A Bargain

Twin-turbo Japanese sports cars have become expensive collector's items, but this '90s powerhouse remains criminally underpriced.

Here's How Much A Twin-Turbocharged Volvo S80 Will Cost

1999_volvo_s80-pic-813342080737740866-1024x768

Aside from special models, such as the T-5R and the cool V70 R, used Volvos of the '90s and 2000s are not exactly the most sought-after cars on the planet. One of the biggest issues with the S80 T6 is that even though its swoopy lines were a step forward for Volvo's conservative styling department, the T6 didn't really have much to differentiate it from a diesel model.

You can't help thinking that Volvo could have spiced it up a bit and added a spoiler or two, just, anything really. So, unless you are looking for a luxury performance sedan that most people would think is a well-used Stockholm taxi cab, you probably won't have one of these on your radar.

The Prices Of Used S80 T6s Are Incredibly Low

This means the prices are super cheap. According to Kelley Blue Book, the Fair Purchase Price for a 1999 Volvo S80 T6 is $2,438. If you go for a later 2002 model, you won't pay much more. In 2002, the S80 T6 had a base price of $46,819 and the 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged 24-valve inline-six, also with 268 horsepower, would send the car to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds. One of these in 2025 will cost $3,037, according to the KBB.com. We found this 1999 Volvo S80 T6 in Las Vegas for $5,995.

Here's What Makes The S80 T6 A Good Used Buy

1999_volvo_s80-pic-5129744336356902922-1024x768

Aside from the fact that the S80 T6 is pretty quick, there is a lot on offer here for not a lot of cash. This near-$50k luxury barge also featured a tuned suspension to give it nimble handling (for its size) and the six-cylinder was designed to be efficient (compared to similarly quick V8 cars) and low emissions, giving a city driving rating of 19 mpg. Volvo’s special engine emission control tech eliminated 95 to 98% of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides from the exhaust gases.

The Volvo S80 Is Packed Full Of Features

This being a Volvo, it performed extremely well in both European and American crash tests. The S80 T6 includes an array of safety features, including side-impact protection systems, side airbags for front passengers, head air-curtains for front and rear passengers, pre-tensioner seat-belts, whiplash-reducing headrests and ISO-FIX child seat attachment points. There is also a list of goodies that would have been the talk of the director's boardroom at the time, including cruise control, multi-disc CD player, dual electronic climate control, and a top-flight audio system.

Other Cheap Twin-Turbocharged Options

Mecum

If the S80 land yacht doesn't float your boat, there are a few other bargain twin-turbo options. The 2007 BMW 3 Series 335i Sedan has a KBB Fair Purchase Price of $5,169 and packs a chunky 300 horsepower. If you are looking for a twin-turbocharged sports car with an American badge, look no further than the overlooked Dodge Stealth, which can hit 60 mph in a heady 5.2 seconds. A 1996 model has a KBB Fair Purchase Price of just $5,718.