If you're looking for a high-performance SUV, you probably already know they're big money. New high-performance SUVs can easily crest the $100,000 mark, and used ones aren't exactly cheap, since the "high-performance SUV" trend has mostly come on in recent years -- meaning used examples are typically only a few years old.
But there's (at least) one situation where you can get a high-performance SUV without spending a fortune: the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8. Although new Grand Cherokee SRT models are very expensive, the Grand Cherokee SRT-8 was one of the first mass-market high-performance SUVs when it came out back in 2006. The result is some early models are cheap.
Just how cheap? Right now, there are about 80 different first-generation Grand Cherokee SRT-8 models listed for sale on Autotrader, and the cheapest ones are under $15,000, with the bulk of them listed between $15,000 and $20,000. That's not too cheap for a 10-plus-year-old Jeep, but it's a good bargain when you consider all that you're getting: not just a Jeep, which is desirable on the used market in its own right, but also a really fast Jeep, with a 6.1-liter HEMI V8 that touted 420 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. Zero-to-60 mph was 4.6 seconds, and it was surprisingly well equipped.
Admittedly, a used Jeep isn't exactly a BMW X5M or a Mercedes-AMG GLS63. But if you don't have X5M or GLS63 budget, a Jeep might be worth checking out -- especially since it will hang with those cars in terms of performance for a fraction of the cost. Find a Jeep Grand Cherokee for sale
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