10 used hot hatches for under £5,000 we found this week

Starting off strong, the three-door Peugeot 208 GTi’s questionable grille is offset by a thrilling 200bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged engine and entertaining handling dynamics that enable it to temporarily become a tripod. The interior can feel cramped at times, but the Club Nappa leather and optional sunroof make amends.

Yep, it’s entirely possible to find a V6-powered Golf R32 for under £5,000, but expect big numbers on the odometer and a hint of TLC required. We found a 2007 R32 DSG listed for way under budget, which still looks in pretty good shape for a 16-year-old car.

Its seemingly endless grip paired with a screaming 2.0-litre VTEC power plant and eager transmission makes the FN2-generation Civic Type R a barrel of laughs to chuck around. The styling was divisive upon release back in 2007, but time has certainly been kind to it. Possibly.

The hot Corsa's worn some rather interesting nicknames over the years, but the Nürburgring Edition fired right back at the critics when unveiled in 2011. A smudge over 200bhp is sent to the front wheels and is controlled deliciously thanks to a tuned LSD.

If a hunkered down, really quite sticky car with absolute focus on driving pleasure is what you’re after, the Megane R26 by Renaultsport may just lead the pack here. Mint examples are hard to come by, so you may have to settle for a lightly modified example like this one. Juvenile street racers, beware.

Really, it’s a question of which of the million trim combinations you’re after here, because the global population of Fiat 500 Abarths may just usurp the human number soon. Here’s one such example we found that’s had a pretty significant price drop.

Japan’s second entrant on our list comes with a 2.3-litre inline-four that produces around 260bhp and gets you to 60 in under six seconds. A good showing then, given that used pre-facelift examples like this one can be found floating around for as low as £3,900.

Like the Abarth, the market for Mini Hatches that boast the John Cooper Works badging is far and wide. Expect to find a late Noughties example with a 1.6-litre engine and many, many owners across its resume in exchange for five large. A common example can be found here.

We found a 2013 vRS DSG facelift for just under the budget, and on rallying heritage alone the Fabia is a worthy option. Considering you also get a suite of technology and creature comforts inside the spacious cabin means this is a no-compromise hot hatchback.

We bring this week’s list to a close with a Top Gear Car of the Year alumnus in the exceptional sixth-generation Ford Fiesta ST. After dropping in price over the last few years, the consensus is they've now stabilised at close to £6,000. But cheaper examples - like this one - are out there. Happy hunting.