Time’s up for this old lad to get a new ride but while it would have been great to be able to buy a brand new set of wheels, this month’s (and the previous…) bank statement has set a limit on the budget: under $10,000. In most parts of the world, that wouldn’t buy you much of car but luckily here in the States, there are plenty of sub-$10k sportscars to choose from.
A couple of days ago we started our sportscar-hunt in the greater
We’re going to keep you updated as we continue our search, but we’d like to hear what sub-$10,000 sports car -or GT for that matter- would you propose we’d search for. Give us your answers in the comment section.
Go with the E36 M3. They drive great and well maintained ones hold their value. Autotrader listings are ripoffs. It seems like people looking for idiots post there. Look on craigslist or cars.com.
MR-2 !?
Late Prelude Type SH
BMW E36 M6!
Saab 9-3 Turbo
How about a nice Corvette ZR1? It'll probably need some TLC, but its worth it
Agree with you mate, a 300ZX - the twin turbo version. Awesome GT, great looks, well built.
I'd probably go for a BMW 325is with a standard gearbox
Dam those cars are cheap in the usa. In Greece we cant even get a 10 year Mazda MX-5 with that much euros!
Michalis - Athens
if you want a true sports car i'd go with an old vette or an E36.
if you want something with decent power and a sporty look then the doors blow wide open with anything ranging from an srt-4 to a supra.
I'm for 300ZX...great car
Same thing in Romania Michalis...we pay 10.000 euros for a Chevrolet Aveo or Dacia Logan (new ones of course)....
As for old sports car, the prices go up up up...
Find a rust-free Miata for about 8K$ and spend 2K$ on parts and tires.
10000$ is about 6500€. You can by a 2001 Audi TT Roadster 1.8 Turbo 20v here in Belgium for 4500€.
I have to with a Sub Impreza GC8.
Look at all fluids and filters. If maintenance history cannot vaerify timely fluid & filter changes changes, walk away. Have a senior technician familiar with the brand inspect the car before purchase.
$10K buys allot of choices. Since you said Boston area, I'll assume it's going to be a 4 seasons car, so AWD would be a definite in the NorthEast. And a manual transmission ( it's a problem in the States to get in big numbers) 1st: Audi A6 2.7T. a Bi-Turbo AWD rocket.
2nd: Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR4. AWD, sports car body & has ballz.
3rd: Mitsubishi Eclipse AWD
I own an a6 2.7T.....it beats the hell out of BMW's
well i would say an 02-03 subaru WRX not sure about the prices up there but down here in florida they drop down in the sub 10k range every once in a while. and yes i have one of these cars best car i ever bought
I have no idea of the price used in the us, but a Eagle Talon turbo...
I would probably also go for a BMW
Trans am Firebird or Camaro!!!!
V8 ram air mid miles.
Don't forget about the 240sx (all model years)especially the 95-98 models,a hard find for this price point,but they can be found
Easy - MR2 or an NSX.
Or a renaultsport R26 F1 if that makes the price limit.
Or, get the most powerful rebuilt late 60s musclecar you can find on say oldrides.com for the budget.
In my region (AZ) they have 2003/2004 Saab 9-3 Linear Models going for just about 10k (sub 50,000 miles). Honestly, you can't beat the value, age, and handling of a 2003 Saab for that price.
Subaru SVX - just to be different!
I have just bought a wonderful 1994 Volkswagen Corrado under 10k! This was rated as one of the 25 cars to drive before you die by Motor Trend. You can find models from 2000-10k, and they are a cool sports car. I use mine for track days at Infineon.
get the 300zx twin turbo, basic bolt on mod's will blow the door's off the other suggested car's.. 400rwhp easy.
I'd look for a clean, well maintained (and documented) Porsche 944 S2, or 968 - :-)
Matt - JHB, S.Africa
I own a 91 2+2 NA 300zx. It's awesome fun. You must be in Cali with those prices though. I'm in NY and you can get a decent 100k NA 300zx for about $6k and a decent twin-turbo for about $8-$9k. Be aware you will probably have to or at least want to drop about $2 grand as soon as you get the car to make it right (i.e. fix any suspension and engine issues). Go for 94 or later if possible. They resolved a few earlier model problems. Also, be aware that turbos, while great, require and will probably right away need a lot more maintenance than the NA.
dolo54# No, I'm actually near Boston and I've been searching for some time now. Unfortunately, the only descent manual I found ('95 model with 81k miles) was priced way too high - $11k. I did find a '93 300ZX 2+2 with lower mileage and better price, but it's equipped with an automatic gearbox.
John @ Carscoop
I love the 300zx as a first choice. And if you have 10k to spend then go for it! Now for an even smaller budget, like under 5k there's a few options that are still great buys. My first example would be an s13 240sx. - or any 240sx for that matter. Being a 4 cyl, they come standard with adequate power and handle great! They have unbeatable aftermarket options too.