Performance Bargains
Slow day at work for me. Which means I have time for this, one of my favorite subjects = )
Performance cars, on the cheap. Did not follow my own advice here.. but these are some great cars that you can have a blast without spending a ton. I am not trying to be at all practical, these are just for fun.
My best advice is to buy a older car with lower mileage from the generation that you want. Car generations come in 4-7 year increments, and hardly change inside a generation. "Older" just means more years, and is worth a lot less than "newer" with a lot more miles... so you might sacrifice some paint and brightwork for a better car mechanically, a no-brainer if you are just looking for a fun, cheap, performance car.
10. The Saab 9000 turbo, 2nd gen
Pro: its cheap, you can find them all over the place, they are safe, they are a 4-door "saalloooon caar" (as Jeremy Clarkson would put it), and with the I4 they actually get good gas mileage, with 200+ hp.
Cons: Not exactly a looker. And she's heavy. And there is a lot of torque steer. But then again, this could be a daily driver and a winter car.. not common on this list.
9. Mazda RX-7, Series 5 (1989-1992)
Yeah, its not the series 6. Because that would be too expensive. For those who dont know, the series 6 became an icon of the time, along with the Toyota supra and Nissan skyline, as a fast, furious, and easily tuneable car. And it looks great. Series 5 however... does not look as good, because it is copied from a Porsche 928. But it is far, far, cheaper.
Pros: Good handling, high-revving crazy rotary engine with 190/200hp. Weight under 3000lbs.
Cons: Rotary engine sucks gas, hard to maintain.
8. Golf GTI Mk3 (1992-1999)
I actually like the look of this one the best, and it is damn cheap at this point, especially the early ones. It is also very easily tuneable. If you really want performance on the cheap, get one that someone has already tuned, though do your homework. Tuning a car often decreases it value, even with thousands of dollars spent on upgrades. Get the i4, not the VR6.
Pros: Cheap, cheap to maintain, fun to drive, practical, and VW = nice interior and good quality.
Cons: GTI I4 = 115hp. Yeah. Basically equal to a bottom-of-the-range Kia today. With 2600lbs.
7. Ford Taurus SHO (1989-1999)
Yeah. A Ford Taurus. What form of bovine feces is this you ask? Well let me tell you. Ford took its everyday sedan (which was pretty good in the late 80's early 90's) and dropped in a Yamaha V6, usually with a manual stick. And they stiffened the suspension etc. Its not going to win a beauty contest (especially the third gen blobmobile - that gen Taurus being one of the ugliest and most ubiquitous lumps of crap ever designed), but its is fun to drive. And CHEAP! Like under $1000 cheap. For 220HP in a 3000lb car! (if you can still find one that gets that much out of the engine...). The second gen though added 500lbs (!!) in weight.. mostly safety stuff... the 3rd gen is unspeakably ugly.
Pros: Crazy cheap. Very nice engine.
Cons: Craptastic.
6. Jaguar XJS (1981-1996)
Yeah, I'm not crazy. I always loved Jags, and though this looks downright awful next to a XK8 that replaced it, or the E-type before it, it is cheap. And fun to drive. Until it breaks down. Notoriously unreliable, totally impractical, but you can get it with a V12. Thats 12. Yeah. And from that giant engine you get..... wait for it... about 260hp. Goes up to over 300 in the 90's, but still not that much. Actually, the standard engine is a much better deal, still putting out about 240-280hp. Supposedly the mid 80's are the sweet-spot, not costing too much, but with better build quality.
Pros: Its a jag. It looks good. Its goes fast.
Cons. Its a jag. It falls apart. Its made of tin and bakerlite.
5. Mazda Miata 1989-1997
Basically a British 2-seater built by the Japanese. Which means it does not fall apart. And parts are cheap, because this is a common car. Two basic options here (they are all convertibles): Pre 1994 120hp 1.6l or post 1994 1.8l 131hp with dual airbags. Any way you look at it, this is a great car.
Pros: Light, fun to drive, convertible, good gas mileage
Cons: Dont get it in white, then if you are a guy you will just have to drive around with the top up
4. Porsche 944 (1982-1991)
Hands down, one of the best performance deals out there. Except for keeping it running. Ranging up to the Turbo S in the late 80's with a 250hp engine (the most expensive 4 cylinder production car of all time, still). This thing was a blast to toss around and has become a weekend racer and tuner classic. Its cheap, because it costs a lot to run, and because it is not a "real" Porsche. Until the Cayenne SUV came around and Porsche turned its attention to building rich-soccer-mom cars, most (the 911) Porsches were rear-engined with a straight six and rear-wheel drive. The 944 had a v4, in the front, powering the front wheels. Sacrilege. But good for buying one now.
Pro: Very fast, very good handling, a blast to drive.
Cons: Expensive to maintain.
3. Subaru SVX 1991-1997
Yeah... so before they had the WRX, they had this. Made for the American market, it had a opposed 6 cylinder engine that made 227hp (actually the same as the WRX). It was by no means the light, tossable, icon of driving that the WRX has become, but it would be an everyday supercar, with AWD, "unique" looks, and relatively low cost.
Pros: Its a subaru, so AWD, boxer engine, and great handling.
Cons: Because it was made for America, it comes with only one transmission: a crappy automatic
2. C4 Corvette (1984-1996)
Yeah, its like that. Big. Bold. You look like an idiot driving one. Especially if you are a guy. And no, it is not the sexy curvyness of the C3 Stingray, which is rightfully remembered as one of the most beautiful cars of all time. The C3, for all its sexiness, drove like crap, with terrible handling, a front heavy design, and little power. The C4 correct all of that, and you even get 80's style digital gauges! Ok, the best thing about this car is that it is cheap, fun to drive, targa top with 230hp and a manual transmission that loves to play rough. Its a big, hairy-chested beast of a car, and its a blast.
Pros: Engine, handling, targa top, style, cheapish to maintain
Cons: You look like a tool driving one
1. Nissan 300zx 1989-1996
"What the hell is that" you say? Yeah. Most people likely have never heard of this thing, and rightfully so. Basically a competitor to the c4 vette above, this was, some think, a bad time for Nissan Z cars. But I think its fantastic. It was pretty heavy at 3300lbs. The looks are polarizing, but I love them, and think they still do quite well 15 years later. The regularly aspirated car has 198hp, and to be honest, that is 50 less than today's toyota camry v6. But then, there is the twin turbo, a 300hp beast that can be easily tuned to 400 or 500hp (with a resulting loss in reliablity and bank account). Car and Driver put it as a 10 best car (best in its category) for 7 years in a row. In 1990 it was the "import car of the year." It is actually a relatively safe car, pretty easy to maintain (being a Nissan), but still not exactly practical. Whatever, I have wanted one of these for years, because they are cheap, fun to drive, and a supercar. Sadly, I am not the only one to know about these things, and good quality twin-turbos are still selling for north of $10,000 used, which pretty much knocks them off the list. But with a little searching, one can be found for for $5,000, and that is a heck of deal.
Pros: Drives, performs, and to some extent looks, like a supercar
Cons: possibly the most expensive car on this list, especially the twin-turbo
Performance cars, on the cheap. Did not follow my own advice here.. but these are some great cars that you can have a blast without spending a ton. I am not trying to be at all practical, these are just for fun.
My best advice is to buy a older car with lower mileage from the generation that you want. Car generations come in 4-7 year increments, and hardly change inside a generation. "Older" just means more years, and is worth a lot less than "newer" with a lot more miles... so you might sacrifice some paint and brightwork for a better car mechanically, a no-brainer if you are just looking for a fun, cheap, performance car.
10. The Saab 9000 turbo, 2nd gen
 | |
| Production | 1992–1998 |
|---|---|
Cons: Not exactly a looker. And she's heavy. And there is a lot of torque steer. But then again, this could be a daily driver and a winter car.. not common on this list.
9. Mazda RX-7, Series 5 (1989-1992)
Yeah, its not the series 6. Because that would be too expensive. For those who dont know, the series 6 became an icon of the time, along with the Toyota supra and Nissan skyline, as a fast, furious, and easily tuneable car. And it looks great. Series 5 however... does not look as good, because it is copied from a Porsche 928. But it is far, far, cheaper.
Pros: Good handling, high-revving crazy rotary engine with 190/200hp. Weight under 3000lbs.
Cons: Rotary engine sucks gas, hard to maintain.
8. Golf GTI Mk3 (1992-1999)
I actually like the look of this one the best, and it is damn cheap at this point, especially the early ones. It is also very easily tuneable. If you really want performance on the cheap, get one that someone has already tuned, though do your homework. Tuning a car often decreases it value, even with thousands of dollars spent on upgrades. Get the i4, not the VR6.
Pros: Cheap, cheap to maintain, fun to drive, practical, and VW = nice interior and good quality.
Cons: GTI I4 = 115hp. Yeah. Basically equal to a bottom-of-the-range Kia today. With 2600lbs.
7. Ford Taurus SHO (1989-1999)
Yeah. A Ford Taurus. What form of bovine feces is this you ask? Well let me tell you. Ford took its everyday sedan (which was pretty good in the late 80's early 90's) and dropped in a Yamaha V6, usually with a manual stick. And they stiffened the suspension etc. Its not going to win a beauty contest (especially the third gen blobmobile - that gen Taurus being one of the ugliest and most ubiquitous lumps of crap ever designed), but its is fun to drive. And CHEAP! Like under $1000 cheap. For 220HP in a 3000lb car! (if you can still find one that gets that much out of the engine...). The second gen though added 500lbs (!!) in weight.. mostly safety stuff... the 3rd gen is unspeakably ugly.
Pros: Crazy cheap. Very nice engine.
Cons: Craptastic.
6. Jaguar XJS (1981-1996)
Yeah, I'm not crazy. I always loved Jags, and though this looks downright awful next to a XK8 that replaced it, or the E-type before it, it is cheap. And fun to drive. Until it breaks down. Notoriously unreliable, totally impractical, but you can get it with a V12. Thats 12. Yeah. And from that giant engine you get..... wait for it... about 260hp. Goes up to over 300 in the 90's, but still not that much. Actually, the standard engine is a much better deal, still putting out about 240-280hp. Supposedly the mid 80's are the sweet-spot, not costing too much, but with better build quality.
Pros: Its a jag. It looks good. Its goes fast.
Cons. Its a jag. It falls apart. Its made of tin and bakerlite.
5. Mazda Miata 1989-1997
Basically a British 2-seater built by the Japanese. Which means it does not fall apart. And parts are cheap, because this is a common car. Two basic options here (they are all convertibles): Pre 1994 120hp 1.6l or post 1994 1.8l 131hp with dual airbags. Any way you look at it, this is a great car.
Pros: Light, fun to drive, convertible, good gas mileage
Cons: Dont get it in white, then if you are a guy you will just have to drive around with the top up
4. Porsche 944 (1982-1991)
Hands down, one of the best performance deals out there. Except for keeping it running. Ranging up to the Turbo S in the late 80's with a 250hp engine (the most expensive 4 cylinder production car of all time, still). This thing was a blast to toss around and has become a weekend racer and tuner classic. Its cheap, because it costs a lot to run, and because it is not a "real" Porsche. Until the Cayenne SUV came around and Porsche turned its attention to building rich-soccer-mom cars, most (the 911) Porsches were rear-engined with a straight six and rear-wheel drive. The 944 had a v4, in the front, powering the front wheels. Sacrilege. But good for buying one now.
Pro: Very fast, very good handling, a blast to drive.
Cons: Expensive to maintain.
3. Subaru SVX 1991-1997
Yeah... so before they had the WRX, they had this. Made for the American market, it had a opposed 6 cylinder engine that made 227hp (actually the same as the WRX). It was by no means the light, tossable, icon of driving that the WRX has become, but it would be an everyday supercar, with AWD, "unique" looks, and relatively low cost.
Pros: Its a subaru, so AWD, boxer engine, and great handling.
Cons: Because it was made for America, it comes with only one transmission: a crappy automatic
2. C4 Corvette (1984-1996)
Yeah, its like that. Big. Bold. You look like an idiot driving one. Especially if you are a guy. And no, it is not the sexy curvyness of the C3 Stingray, which is rightfully remembered as one of the most beautiful cars of all time. The C3, for all its sexiness, drove like crap, with terrible handling, a front heavy design, and little power. The C4 correct all of that, and you even get 80's style digital gauges! Ok, the best thing about this car is that it is cheap, fun to drive, targa top with 230hp and a manual transmission that loves to play rough. Its a big, hairy-chested beast of a car, and its a blast.
Pros: Engine, handling, targa top, style, cheapish to maintain
Cons: You look like a tool driving one
1. Nissan 300zx 1989-1996
"What the hell is that" you say? Yeah. Most people likely have never heard of this thing, and rightfully so. Basically a competitor to the c4 vette above, this was, some think, a bad time for Nissan Z cars. But I think its fantastic. It was pretty heavy at 3300lbs. The looks are polarizing, but I love them, and think they still do quite well 15 years later. The regularly aspirated car has 198hp, and to be honest, that is 50 less than today's toyota camry v6. But then, there is the twin turbo, a 300hp beast that can be easily tuned to 400 or 500hp (with a resulting loss in reliablity and bank account). Car and Driver put it as a 10 best car (best in its category) for 7 years in a row. In 1990 it was the "import car of the year." It is actually a relatively safe car, pretty easy to maintain (being a Nissan), but still not exactly practical. Whatever, I have wanted one of these for years, because they are cheap, fun to drive, and a supercar. Sadly, I am not the only one to know about these things, and good quality twin-turbos are still selling for north of $10,000 used, which pretty much knocks them off the list. But with a little searching, one can be found for for $5,000, and that is a heck of deal.
Pros: Drives, performs, and to some extent looks, like a supercar
Cons: possibly the most expensive car on this list, especially the twin-turbo
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