Cheaper is better, especially if you're getting a bigger bang for your buck. And it's easier than you might think too. It's a specialty that U.S. carmakers have managed for decades. Both Ford and Chevrolet have you well covered here. The Mustang and Corvette reigning supreme in cheap sports cars on a budget thrills.
Germany first, BMW coupes without M branding are quick, well-made, and cheaper too. However, Japan still holds sway with Toyota and Nissan battling it out for the best and fastest crown. The Supra is well established, but the Z is coming and promises to be every bit as quick. Looking further afield, things get better still. Imports rocking some astounding engine and chassis helping you go even faster.
Cheap sports cars are here to stay, and they're only going to get faster. How fast for how little? You're in for a surprise!
10 Porsche 718 Cayman (170 mph - $53,400)
Cheap, cheerful, and much faster than its sticker price would suggest. The Porsche 718 is the best sports car combination of speed and premium branding. A proper Porsche for cheap almost seems too good to be true.
With prices kicking off at $53,000, the only compromise we can see is the soundtrack. In the base model, a mid-mounted 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo lacks Porsche's flat-six wail. But, with 300 hp on tap, you won't have time to complain about the noise.
9 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack (176 mph - $48,535)
Anything European carmakers can do, the U.S. does cheaper. The Challenger R/T doesn't have the finesse of a Porsche, but making up for that you, get a 6.4-liter HEMI V8 cranking out 485 hp. If it's horsepower per buck you're after, the Challenger is hard to beat.
Scat Pack updates are cosmetic-based consisting of a meaner grille, hood, and badges. Under the hood, a bump in displacement unlocks an extra 110 hp pushing the Challenger drag its 176 mph top speed. In a drag race, 60 mph flashes past in 4.2-seconds.
8 BMW 230i (155 mph - $36,350)
Every gearhead swoons at the thought of a fast BMW M-badged model. But, lower down the range is where the real bargains are to be had. The 230i might have a small 2.0-liter engine, but the addition of a turbo yields impressive results.
In this cheap Bavarian sports car, you get 255 hp and 295 ft lb of torque to play with. Given the limited 155 mph top speed and 5-seconds drag to 60 mph, we suspect BMW is not telling the whole story.
7 Chevrolet Camaro LT1 (182 mph - $35,395)
More of everything for less is where the Camaro is coming from. No turbocharged small engine nonsense here, Chevrolet uses a small block V8. Reinforcing the "no substitute for cubic inches ethos," the Camaro puts down 455 hp from a simple 6.2-liter V8.
To get the best out of the LT1 will need some creative thinking. For reasons that make little sense to us, Chevrolet has fitted a limiter. Once freed of the performance hampering electronics, the Camaro will top 180+ mph.
6 Audi TT (155 mph - $52,285)
Still in production for the time being, Audi's TT remains one of the best sports cars money can buy. Taking a smaller, better path, the TT features a 228 hp turbocharged four-pot engine. By no means the biggest numbers in the present company, but it's still plenty to reach 60 mph in 5.1-seconds.
Where the Audi scores over its rivals, you don't have to risk life and limb to extract the most performance. Across the range, Audi specs all-wheel-drive as standard.
5 Toyota GR86 (140 mph - $27,900)
Putting the GReat back in to Toyotas sports car line-up, Gazoo Racing is a gearhead's favorite. The GT86 in stock form is a great bargain sports car. But, if you want more, then GR upgrades a worthy investment that add more power and performance.
In place of the standard fit 2.0-liter engine, you get a larger 2.4-liter unit cranking out 228 hp. The power gains shave almost a full second from its 0-60 mph time, leaving the car's top speed unchanged at 140 mph.
4 Toyota GR Supra 3.0 (160 mph - $52,500)
Building on the Supra name, Toyota handed the fastest model over to Gazoo for some refinement. For the upcoming 2023 car, that means a welcome return of a 6-speed manual transmission. Under the hood, needing little in the way of fine-tuning, you get a 382 hp turbocharged engine. The jury is out on the engine's true power output.
Every gearhead knows the Supra is a BMW in drag, but that doesn't detract from the performance figures. In a sprint, with the automatic box, 60 mph comes up in 3.7-seconds, suggesting that next year, the GR Supra will be even quicker.
3 Mustang Mach 1 (166 mph - $56,270)
Resurrecting the Mach 1 legend became a reality in 2021. Ford's iconic sports car was back boasting a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 to the one found in the Shelby GT500. That equates to 480 hp, 420 ft-lb of torque, and a top speed of 166 mph.
We suspect the Mach 1 is faster. To meet stricter emissions regulations for 2022, Ford has let a few of the Coyotes horses escape. Yet, top speed remains unchanged at 166 mph, while shaving a tenth from its 0-60 mph time.
2 Nissan Z Sport (155mph - $39,990)
2023 could finally be the year we've been waiting for. Nissan's lengthy, delayed, and near mythical Z is coming. Listed at under $40,000, and featuring a 400 hp V6 turbocharged engine, it's a bargain too good to pass up.
Nissan has been coy about the Z's performance, citing a top speed pushing 155 mph and 4.2-secnd 0-60 mph time. This is another performance sports car bargain that is sure to be quicker than its claims.
1 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (184 mph - $62,295)
Saving the best sports car bargain for the last, the Corvette Stingray lists for a little over $60,000. For that, you get a mid-engined chassis, composite body, and a top speed of 184 mph. How you might ask? Simple, less weight and more horsepower.
Weight savings are due to a glass-fiber body atop an aluminum chassis weighing 3,647 lbs. But, it's the mid-mounted V8 engine that steals the show. Displacing 6.2-liter, the push-rod 6.2-liter LT2 engine cranks out 490 hp. Even the base model Stingray can reach 60 mph in under three seconds.