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What I'd say if the context is ok

je715

examples:

I bought the car dirt cheap.

It was a dirt cheap price.

I bought the car for a song.

"dirt cheap" is American English, as an Englishman I wouldn't use it...
I don't think "for a song" is very common, I wouldn't use it either.

I suggests "for peanuts" as a British English equivalent to "fur 'nen Appel...":
"I paid peanuts for the car."
"I bought the car for peanuts."

We also use it as in "he gets paid peanuts."

"peanuts" also works in AE

"dirt cheap" is American English, as an Englishman I wouldn't use it...
I don't think "for a song" is very common, I wouldn't use it either.

as a BE speaker that surprises me, and others too, possibly...

"For a song" is very common in AE.

how would you translate

dirty deeds done dirt cheap ?

'For a song' is a nice, rather Cockney-sounding phrase I would have said was commonly enough in BE. I wouldn't describe 'dirt cheap' as American only, either, but it is obviously a negative term, so might not fit depending on context.

dreadful, abgesehen davon, daß Du hier in der falschen Abteilung bist, wäre das was in der Richtung "niederträchtige Taten für nen schmalen Taler ausgeführt" ;-)

P.S.: "for a song" hab ich grad wieder in "Tinker, Tailor ..." gelesen.

P.P.S.: Gibt es nicht auch "for a song and a dance"?

Oder knapper: Niederträchtiges zum niedrigen Preis! ;-)

Biiiilllliiiich, biiiillich, Missetaten heute NOCH biiillliiiiiiger ....

#14: Gibt es nicht auch "for a song and a dance"?

Are you thinking of "to make a song and (a) dance about something" (which means something different)?

Kinky, how should I know what I am thinking of ...?

;-)

Aber könnte sein, daß ich das verbuchselt hab ;-)

*disappointed*

I thought "verbuchselt" was a real word and I was going to steal it and keep it forever.

Nein, Bub. Im AE existiert das schon.

#18: Im AE existiert das schon

So in AE, "for a song and a dance" = "for a song"?

Depending on the context you can also say
It was a (real) bargain (ich hab's für ein Appel und ein Ei gekauft)
but I would also say dirt cheap, bought for a song and actually though peanuts was originally AE

@Kinky: yes