Cheap Sports Cars: The Most Affordable Sports Cars in 2013

Sports cars aficionados typically tend to have loads of money in the bank and plenty of time to spend it. Turns out, though, that you don’t really need a whole lot of either in order to enjoy all the thrills of owning a sports car. In fact, those looking for cheap speed have plenty of good options to choose from, some of them starting at prices under $25,000.

Range of Affordable Options

Sitting at the top of most lists of cheap sports cars for 2013 are models like Toyota’s Scion FR-S, Mazda's MX-5, and Ford’s perennial favorite, the Mustang-GT. All three sports cars start at under $30,000 and deliver enough speed and power to satisfy sports car enthusiasts. The Mustang-GT is by far the muscle car of the trio with its big 5.0 liter, V8 engine and a dual-overhead cam design that delivers a heart-pounding 420 horsepower and over 390 pounds-feet of torque. Considering that it easily overpowers pricier sports coupes like the Lexus IS F and the BMW M3, the Mustang GT can lay reasonable claim to being among the best affordable sports cars out there, according to auto reviewers. In contrast, both the Scion FR-S and the Mazda MX-5 have much smaller 2.0-liter engines that deliver around 200 horsepower. Even so, both cars are considered as affordable sports coupes because of their ultra-lightweight design and sophisticated transmission systems. As a bonus, these cars, typically, maintain high resale values.

Perennial Favorites

Other cars that tend to find a way in multiple lists of most affordable sports cars are vehicles like the Ford Focus ST Base with its 2.0 liter, 252 horsepower engine, driveline traction control and 18-inch wheels, the Chevrolet Camaro with its six-cylinder 3.6 liter, 323 horsepower engine, and the Subaru WRX featuring a 2.5 liter turbocharged boxer engine capable of generating 265 horsepower. All three cars offer what critics describe as a perfect combination of hardcore performance, sporty looks and snappy handling at prices starting at less than $30,000.

More Options

There are even better affordable sports cars options for consumers willing to spend a little more cash upfront. One example is the 2013 Nissan 370Z, which has long been among the best sports cars in the country. The vehicle starts at over $32,000, and features a powerful 3.6 –liter V6 engine capable of cranking out 332 horsepower of thrust at 7,000 rpm. The car ships standard with a six-speed manual transmission configuration, though a well-designed seven-speed automatic transmission option is available for those who want it. Another car that often is held up as an example of an affordable sports car is the Chevrolet Corvette. The car, occasionally associated with people in the midst of a mid-life crisis, comes with a massive 6.2 liter, eight-cylinder 430 horsepower engine that is capable of chewing up the tarmac with its sheer speed and raw performance. Sitting at the highest-end of the affordable sports cars lineup is the Cadillac CTS-V. Though it is positioned as a luxury sedan, auto critics often consider the CTS-V a true sports coupe with its brutishly powerful supercharged V8 engine and its 550 horsepower rating. The car comes with a price tag that starts at over $62,000 and goes all the way to over $80,000.