SPECIFIC VEHICLE RECOMMENDATIONS - Sports Cars Under $40K:
Performance and styling are high. Some have decent (but not great) space as well. Premium gas is the norm.
Honda Civic Si - $22K. Very much a sports car with high quality, great handling, and 200 horsepower in an affordable package. Styling makes other cars look old. Definitely a keeper. 4 cyl front wheel drive. Premium gas. 6 speed manual transmission only. Vehicle shown has optional aero kit and wheels.
4 - Quite spritely 4 - Takes 115 to 120 ft to stop. Serious stopping power. 4 - 25 to 29 mpg on regular or 28 to 32 on premium fuel 2 - Seats for 2 adults plus 2 kids who don't fight 5 - Best there is. More reliable as a used car than many new cars 3 - Good trunk space 1 - Don't do it 2 - Hauls large boxes, but you have to fit them into the trunk 5 - Provides the best chance for survival
Nissan 370Z - from $28K. 2 seat coupe or convertible. Fast. Prices start at $27K, and is quite a deal at that price. Can be optioned out to around $40K in 5 major steps (versions), but drive train is the same for all versions. Hatchback utility is compromised by a large rear strut tower brace that looks like a surf board behind the seats. Also available as a convertible, but convertible is hard to see out of with the top up. Both are very high quality and reliability. V6, rear wheel drive. Premium gas.
5 - Downright fast 5 - Takes less than 115 ft to stop. Pavement grabber. 3 - 20 to 24 mpg on regular or 22 to 26 on premium fuel 1 - 2 seater 5 - Best there is. More reliable as a used car than many new cars 2 - Can do a trip for two 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 5 - Provides the best chance for survival
Infiniti G37 Coupe - $32K. 2 door version of the G37 sedan, but it looks and acts more like a 2+2 version of the Nissan 350Z, on which it is based. Does not have the 370Z’s hatchback. V6 rear wheel drive. Premium gas. Also available in convertible form.
5 - Downright fast 5 - Takes less than 115 ft to stop. Pavement grabber. 3 - 20 to 24 mpg on regular or 22 to 26 on premium fuel 2 - Seats for 2 adults plus 2 kids who don't fight 5 - Best there is. More reliable as a used car than many new cars 2 - Can do a trip for two 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 5 - Provides the best chance for survival
BMW 128i Coupe - $29K. Cheapest of the current BMWs, but quite competent as a sports car, even with the smallest engine. Only car anywhere near this price that stops in a shorter distance than a Corvette. Driving the manual is a delight. Back seat and trunk room are better than average for this type of car. Lower reliability and than competing cars, and repairs will cost more, but fair resale value. Available as a convertible. 135Ci is same car with larger, turbocharged engine. 6 cyl rear wheel drive. Premium gas.
4 - Quite spritely 5 - Takes less than 115 ft to stop. Pavement grabber. 3 - 20 to 24 mpg on regular or 22 to 26 on premium fuel 3 - Seats 4, okay for around town, a little crowded for trips 3 - Decent reliability for long term ownership 2 - Can do a trip for two 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 5 - Provides the best chance for survival
BMW 328i Coupe - $37K. Competent as a sports car, even with the smallest engine. Only car anywhere near this price that stops in a shorter distance than a Corvette. Driving the manual is a delight. Back seat and trunk room are better than average for this type of car. Lower reliability and than competing cars, and repairs will cost more, but fair resale value. Available as a convertible. 335Ci is same car with larger, turbocharged engine. 6 cyl rear wheel drive. Premium gas.
4 - Quite spritely 5 - Takes less than 115 ft to stop. Pavement grabber. 3 - 20 to 24 mpg on regular or 22 to 26 on premium fuel 3 - Seats 4, okay for around town, a little crowded for trips 3 - Decent reliability for long term ownership 2 - Can do a trip for two 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 5 - Provides the best chance for survival
Mazda MX5 Miata - $25K. 2 seat convertible built like a British sports car of the 1960s, but not big enough for large people, or even many average size people (due to limited seat travel). Not very fast. Reasonable price for competent and reliable car. Fun to drive. 4 cyl rear wheel drive. Premium gas recommended.
3 - Adequate for most situations 4 - Takes 115 to 120 ft to stop. Serious stopping power. 4 - 25 to 29 mpg on regular or 28 to 32 on premium fuel 1 - 2 seater 4 - Very good vehicle 1 - Not much 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 5 - Provides the best chance for survival
Mazda RX8 - $28K. Mazda’s latest rotary (wankel) engine sports car. Styling is weird since they wanted it to be a 4 door, 4 passenger car. Not comfortable for people in the rear seat. Great driving, but like all Mazda rotary engines, you have to keep the engine speed up to get to the power because there is not much low end torque. High reliability. 2 rotor wankel, rear wheel drive. Premium gas.
5 - Downright fast 5 - Takes less than 115 ft to stop. Pavement grabber. 2 - 15 to 19 mpg on regular or 17 to 21 on premium fuel 2 - Seats for 2 adults plus 2 kids who don't fight 4 - Very good vehicle 2 - Can do a trip for two 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 5 - Provides the best chance for survival
Lexus IS250 - $32K. Offered by Lexus as a competitor to the BMW 3 series, it is slightly larger inside and smoother running, but not quite as sporty as the BMW. Excellent reliability, space, and smoothness for this class of vehicles. Seating for four people. 6 cyl rear wheel drive. Premium gas. For more power, there are the IS350 and the V8 powered IS-F.
4 - Quite spritely 4 - Takes 115 to 120 ft to stop. Serious stopping power. 2 - 15 to 19 mpg on regular or 17 to 21 on premium fuel 4 - Comfortable for 4 on trips 5 - Best there is. More reliable as a used car than many new cars 3 - Good trunk space 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 5 - Provides the best chance for survival
Honda Accord EX V6 - $28K. Two door version of the Accord. EX with 268 hp V6 and 6 speed manual transmission easily qualifies as a sports car. Suspension and steering are reminiscent of the Prelude. Great reliability. Regular gas.
4 - Quite spritely 3 - Takes 120 to 125 ft to stop. Good for non sports car. 4 - 25 to 29 mpg on regular or 28 to 32 on premium fuel 3 - Seats 4, okay for around town, a little crowded for trips 5 - Best there is. More reliable as a used car than many new cars 3 - Good trunk space 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 5 - Provides the best chance for survival
Scion tC - $17K. Made by Toyota and sold at Toyota dealerships, this car is not so much a sports car as a personal runabout. Decent back seat room, Camry engine, long list of standard features, great quality and reliability, attractive styling, and low price make it a very attractive package. Little on the heavy side, so gas mileage is lower than some others. 4 cyl front wheel drive. Note that the Scion price tags are non-negotiable, like Saturn. Window sticker price is the price you pay. Negotiation is done on the value of your trade in vehicle. Performance enhancements are available as TRD (Toyota Racing Development) parts from the dealers. Regular gas.
3 - Adequate for most situations 4 - Takes 115 to 120 ft to stop. Serious stopping power. 4 - 25 to 29 mpg on regular or 28 to 32 on premium fuel 3 - Seats 4, okay for around town, a little crowded for trips 5 - Best there is. More reliable as a used car than many new cars 4 - Swallows large household items 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 3 - Has a decent chance of avoidance
Ford Mustang GT - $30K. Holdover from the muscle car era. Larger car than 1979 - 2004. Big exterior relative to interior space. Back seat and trunk are smallish, but better than before. Sound and power from rear wheel drive V8 are intoxicating. Lower reliability than competing Japanese cars. V8 rear wheel drive. Regular gas. Convertible and Shelby models also available.
5 - Downright fast 5 - Takes less than 115 ft to stop. Pavement grabber. 2 - 15 to 19 mpg on regular or 17 to 21 on premium fuel 3 - Seats 4, okay for around town, a little crowded for trips 3 - Decent reliability for long term ownership 2 - Can do a trip for two 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 5 - Provides the best chance for survival
Subaru WRX - $26K. This car is a street version of Subaru's winning rally cars. Turbocharged 227 horsepower 4 cyl with 4 wheel drive in Subaru's smallest and lightest car. Very fast. Gas mileage is not very high relative to small economy cars, and it requires premium gas, but it goes fast, and it goes in snow. Available as a sedan or wagon. Then there is the $30K, 300 horsepower WRX STi. 4 cyl, 4 wheel drive.
5 - Downright fast 4 - Takes 115 to 120 ft to stop. Serious stopping power. 3 - 20 to 24 mpg on regular or 22 to 26 on premium fuel 3 - Seats 4, okay for around town, a little crowded for trips 5 - Best there is. More reliable as a used car than many new cars 2 - Can do a trip for two 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 5 - Provides the best chance for survival
BMW Mini Cooper S - $22K. This car is retro styled like VW did for the New Beetle. Very small, light car but a hoot to drive although dashboard layout is odd. (Speedometer is in the center unless you get the Chrono package.) Price is low for a sports economy car. Seating for four average size people or two average size people and some cargo. Reliability is only fair, so it had better be fun to drive. Sedan or convertible. 4 cyl front wheel drive. Premium gas.
4 - Quite spritely 4 - Takes 115 to 120 ft to stop. Serious stopping power. 4 - 25 to 29 mpg on regular or 28 to 32 on premium fuel 3 - Seats 4, okay for around town, a little crowded for trips 3 - Decent reliability for long term ownership 1 - Not much 1 - Don't do it 1 - Not for hauling 5 - Provides the best chance for survival
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