When it comes to getting cheap thrills in a car on a budget, time and time again we’ll tell you to buy used. A used performance car has already depreciated and, as such, you’ll get a lot for your money.
We’re also willing to admit that sometimes that argument is horseshit. Buying used or vintage isn’t for everyone — you’ll be covering the (presumably astronomical) repairs on your own and you’ll spend hours searching and waiting for the right car to show up in your area. There are real life benefits to spending money on a new car: you get a warranty, you (usually) get better financing rates, you aren’t burdened with a previous owner’s neglect and, generally, buying a car new is easier than scouting out the perfect used example.
Even in a world filled with 200 mph luxury sedans and hybrid hyper cars, there are still plenty of great driver’s cars to be found at the budget-end of the price spectrum. In fact, their low prices are, in many ways, paramount to their success. Most of the best driving cars you’ll find around $25,000 are small, light and, above all, simple. So they may not hit 200 miles per hour, but that allows them to offer up plenty of driving fun — these seven do it best.
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Internet car nuts have long declared the Miata the king of enthusiast cars, and for good reason: while cars have, on the whole, gotten bigger and fatter, for the fourth generation Mazda MX-5 went to great lengths to shave off 148 pounds from the outgoing generation. What’s more, Mazda actually lowered power output from the older model in order to keep the power-to-weight ratio on par with the original 1989 — proof that Mazda still puts the driving experience above all else.
Engine: 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed manual or six-speed automatic
Horsepower: 155 hp @ 6,000 RPM
Torque: 148 lb-ft @ 4,600 RPM
