10 Best Used Sports Cars Under $10k

So you've set yourself a hard budget limit and are searching for the best used sports car under $10k that you can find. Lucky for you, you won't have to look too hard, as we're entering the fat part of a depreciation curve that has sucked scores of attractive sports cars belong the $10k mark. The golden age of affordable automotive fun is upon us, with an exciting range of coupes, convertibles, and even a few sport sedans out there at prices that will sorely tempt you to fill that empty spot in your garage with a weekend warrior.

Let's take a quick look at the 10 best used sports cars under $10k.

To snag a BMW M3 for under $10k, you're going to have to go back - waaaaaay back - to the late 1990s, when the M3 was still in its second generation. The 'E36' M3 model was available as a sedan, a coupe, and a convertible, and while the drop top was more of a cruiser than a thrill ride, the four-door and two-door fixed-roof body styles offer some of the purest handling available at any price. In 1996, the BMW M3 received a larger 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine good for 240 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque, and it stuck with this configuration until the end of the production in 1999 (backed with either a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic gearbox).

The Ford Mustang GT has seen many different iterations over the years, but if you want to stay within budget you'll have to target one that was built between 1999 and 2004 - the so-called 'New Edge' cars, named for their sharper, creased styling. Special models like the Bullit and the Mach 1 offered additional horsepower and suspension upgrades to go with minor design differences that improved their looks and performance, but in general you'll find cars with between 260 and 305 horsepower along with a five-speed manual transmission (with the option of a four-speed automatic).

The Toyota MR2 has been largely forgotten by sports car fans, but that merely works in your favor when trying to locate an example below $10k. The Toyota MR2 provides a mid-engine design and a convertible top, making it an unusual roadster that leverages a light curb weight to provide exciting cornering capability. The MR2 came with a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine throughout its entire lifespan, and the unit (best paired with a five-speed manual transmission) offers 138 horsepower. The last Toyota MR2 was sold 10 years ago, in 2005, which gives you plenty of depreciation to play with.

The Mazda MAZDASPEED MX-5 Miata was a special turbocharged edition of the popular sports car that was built for the 2004 and 2005 model years. Adding a turbo to the Miata's 1.8-liter engine saw 178 horsepower squeezed from its four cylinders, a substantial boost over the stock model and enough to knock a second or two off of the base MX-5's acceleration times. Combined with upgraded shocks and springs and a six-speed manual gearbox, the Mazda Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata is a fun and inexpensive sports car, although with less than 6,000 built you might have to look long and hard to find one near you.

The Mazda RX-8's rotary engine was its defining characteristic, and ultimately, its Achilles heel as the automaker couldn't find a way to improve its fuel efficiency enough to meet ever-stricter government standards. But honestly, who cares? You're buying a sports car here, not a commuter, and the Mazda RX-8's 232 horsepower, 1.3-liter rotary engine (with a 9,000 rpm redline) provides substantial full-throttle thrills. You'll also keen to the car's six-speed manual transmission, near-perfect weight distribution, and low-mass design philosophy that let it handle corners with considerable skill. Oh, and should you decide to the kids to your weekend autocross event, you'll appreciate the second set of rear-hinged doors that come standard with the RX-8 coupe.

The Subaru WRX is more appropriately labeled a sport sedan (or wagon) than a pure sports car, but with its griptastic all-wheel drive system and rally-inspired turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the WRX has become a modern day performance icon. Aim for the 2004-2005 model year to get the most bang for the buck from this Subaru, as it offers revised styling compared to the introductory 2002-2003 models, new strut design, and a raucous 227 horsepower from its 2.0-liter mill. A four-speed automatic transmission was offered with the car, but a five-speed manual is definitely the way to go when searching out your sub-$10k WRX.

The Honda S2000 is the third and final Japanese roadster on our list of the best used sports cars under $10k, and it also happens to be the most potent. Blame the car's 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine, which pushes out 240 horsepower at over 8,000 rpm (although torque sits at a somewhat paltry 153 lb-ft). A six-speed manual was the only gearbox ever offered with the Honda S2000, and to sneak under our price cap you'll need to find an early AP1 car, which means models built between 2000 and 2004. A word of warning: AP1 S2000s are notorious for snap oversteer during high speed cornering, so keep that in mind should you ever find yourself piloting one on a race track.

Sitting right on the $10k line is the Saturn Sky Redline, the high performance edition of the short-lived Sky roadster built by General Motors in the mid-2000s. With 260 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque on tap from a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder motor, matched with a limited-slip rear differential and a stiff suspension system, there's no doubt that the Saturn Sky Redline has the attitude required to hang with the rest of the models on our list. A six-speed manual gearbox was also available with the car. Scarcity is the biggest problem when it comes to finding affordable versions of the Sky Redline, and you'll most likely have to aim for the initial 2006 model year.

The BMW Z3 has emerged as a performance bargain on the used sports car market. The best value can be found in BMW Z3 models produced towards the end of the 90s, which makes them new enough to feature the 2.8-liter inline six-cylinder engine introduced in 1997, but still old enough to fall under our $10k price cut-off. The Z3 roadster's 189 horsepower and well-tuned chassis make it a fun canyon carver without sacrificing comfort over rougher stretches of road (it is, after all, a BMW). Make sure to avoid four-cylinder versions of the car, as they aren't nearly as lively in a straight line, and it's well worth paying a small premium for Z3 models with a five-speed manual transmission.

The Honda Civic Si is the only front-wheel drive example on our list of the best used sports cars under $10k. So ubiquitous in the tuner community, it would have been heresy to exclude the Honda Civic Si, but we're going to be picky and say you should look for a 2006-2007 model of the car, in coupe (not sedan) form, to get the best balance between drivability and peak power. 197 horsepower from a rev-happy 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine put a spring in the Civic Si's step, and a standard six-speed manual transmission and aggressive springs, shocks, and swaybars transform the car's driving experience when compared to the base Honda two-door.