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AFTER years of driving diesel MPVs, I fancy a super-fast hot hatch. What can £25,000 get me?

To kick things off, we’ve found a 2012 Audi RS3 with just 29,000 miles under its belt. Powered by a monstrous 335hp

2.5-litre five-cylinder engine, it’s good for

0-62mph in 4.6s and a limited 155mph. That’s only half the story of what is undoubtedly one of the greatest engines fitted to a production hatchback.

The sound alone is enough to make you hand over the £23,400 asking price on the spot, while the ferocity of its power delivery is something to behold. Four-wheel drive means you shouldn’t have any problem putting down all that power.

Next up, we’ve found a 2015 Merc A45 AMG. Incredibly, it’s got more power than the RS3 – 355hp from a 2.0-litre turbo. Performance is identical, as is the drivetrain. In Jupiter Red, it’s done 38,000 miles and is £25,000.

If you fancy something a bit more tailhappy, how about a rear-wheel drive BMW

M140i? For £24,995 you can get a far newer, lower-mileage car in pristine condition.

A quick scout of the classifieds brings up a 2017 model with 7,500 on the clock and a

340hp 3.0-litre straight-six engine under the bonnet.

Again, performance figures are identical to the Audi and Merc, yet there’s arguably more fun to be had thanks to its rear-wheel drive layout which is unique among today’s super-hot hatches.