Find Your Ride: The Sports Car You’ve Always Wanted

Maybe it’s your second or third car, maybe it’s your only car. We’re not even going to ask, because clearly if you’re looking for a sports car, your goal is not practicality. Your goal is to never stop smiling ever again. Take note that extracting enjoyment from a sports car doesn’t necessarily mean “go very fast” – really, it’s more about how the car feels to drive at any speed. Indeed, some relatively slow sports cars, like our first pick, handle so well that at times you might wonder if you’re piloting an F1 car, but for far less than the cost of an F1 steering wheel. With car buying, perhaps the biggest sticking point with performance is that it’s correlated directly with cost–usually, the bottom line increases exponentially with increased performance. Still, these three picks should satisfy and delight most buyers.

Budget Buy: Mazda Miata ($27,650)

Mazda

The Mazda Miata is suggested as an affordable sports car pick so often that you’d be forgiven for going glassy-eyed, but the very simple truth is that Miatas kick ass. They’re lightweight, pretty, well-balanced, adequately powered, affordable and reliable rear-wheel-drive convertibles. What more could you people want?? The Miata has been around for decades now, and the current generation has benefitted from Mazda’s gorgeous styling as well as the company’s dedication to spirited driving. If there’s a Mazda that still embodies the brand’s classic “Zoom, Zoom” slogan, this is absolutely it.

You won’t win many drag races – or other races, for that matter – but drive a Miata and you will know pure bliss. Underhood is a smooth 2.0-liter that makes 181 horsepower at 7,000 RPM. You should opt for the manual (while you still can). 60 mph comes in just under six seconds, which is way slower than other sports cars on this list, but that just means you have more time to mash your foot and cackle like a fool.

Also consider: Subaru BRZ, Toyota 86

Further reading: Don’t Worry. Mazda Has No Plans to Ruin the MX-5 Miata Anytime Soon

Sweet Spot: Ford Mustang GT Premium Fastback (w/options ~$55,000)

Ford

The Ford Mustang was an instant legend when it debuted back in the 1960s. The current generation keeps that spirit alive (literally – it’s the only U.S. passenger car Ford makes anymore) and then some. In this price range sits perhaps the platonic ideal of a Mustang: a V8-powered fastback coupe. The GT actually begins at about $37,000, but in this ~$50K range you can have all the go-fast goodies you could ever want: the GT Premium Fastback can be optioned to the hilt if you really want to get sporty.

Add the $6,700 GT Performance Package, for instance, and you’ll get Brembo brakes, bigger wheels, sticky summer tires, extra gauges, a Torsen differential and more. Add the $1,700 MagneRide suspension and $1,200 active exhaust and a few more options and you’ll find yourself spending in the mid-fifties for what is essentially a Saturn V rocket with wheels. The GT’s V8 makes 450 horses and 410 lb-ft of torque, and when paired with manual transmission (duh) and the above options, you’ll hit 60 in about 4.5 seconds–and never look back.

Also consider: Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger

Further reading: The 2023 Ford Mustang: Everything You Need to Know

Upgrade Option: Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 (w/options ~$88,000)

Porsche

Some might go so far as to say that the Porsche 718 Cayman, which is essentially a Boxster coupe, is more desirable for enthusiasts than the venerated (but now also somewhat bloated) 911. In some trims, it’ll beat the 911 around a track; it’s smaller and simpler too. Regardless, the numbers don’t lie, particularly if you opt for a 718 Cayman GTS 4.0. See, the “4.0” makes this a spectacular car for what it isn’t. The GTS sits above its somewhat underwhelming, turbo-four-cylinder Cayman counterparts, and while it doesn’t go as far as the hyperactive, track-focused Cayman GT4, it essentially defines the “purist road car” concept.

Its, naturally aspirated, 394-horsepower flat-six engine absolutely rips when paired with Porsche’s glorious stick shift. The car will reach 60 in under four seconds, do over 1.0 g on the skidpad (its GTS suspension is set almost an inch lower than four-cylinder models), and stop from 70 mph in about 140 feet. That stopping distance is with standard brakes – available carbon ceramics will stop sooner, but they’re… almost $7,500. This is probably the biggest drawback of this or any Porsche: options are mega costly. The 718 GTS could sticker for well over $100K if you lean into it. But then again, you did want to have fun, right?

Also consider: Chevrolet C8 Corvette, BMS M2 CS (discontinued)

Further Reading: The 2021 Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0 May Be the Best Porsche to Buy Today

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