10 Awesome American Sports Cars Regular People Can Afford

10 Awesome American Sports Cars Regular People Can Afford

10 Awesome American Sports Cars Regular People Can Afford: Many people’s first thoughts when they hear “American car” are of flashy muscle cars like the Corvette Z06, but there are many more vehicles that were built in the USA that are generally forgotten, especially sports cars.

There are plenty of muscle cars to select from, but there are also lightweight roadsters that rival the Mazda Miata and American-made supercars like the Hennessey Venom F5, which are currently priced out of our reach.

In this article, we’ll examine many excellent examples of affordable sports vehicles that won’t break the bank but nonetheless provide a thrilling driving experience on winding country roads.

Mustang GT 2010: $14,999

Let’s get this list rolling with the Ford Mustang GT, the go-to recommendation for anyone in the market for a fast, exciting car that won’t empty your bank account. The Mustang we’re discussing today is a stallion from the fifth generation, and he’s better than ever.

With a 4.6-litre Modular V8 engine producing 315 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque, the car can go from zero to sixty in 4.9 seconds and complete a quarter mile in 13.5 seconds; these times are just as impressive as they were when the car was first released. This vehicle’s V8 is practically indestructible, and we were able to purchase a pre-owned example from 2010 on CarGurus for $14,999.

1998 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 ($12,990)

For obvious reasons, the fourth-generation Camaro was nicknamed the Catfish Camaro, and today, the performance-oriented Z28 variant of this car sells for just under $13,000 on the used market and is widely regarded as one of the most underappreciated Camaros of all time.

Even though it shares its name with one of the greatest muscle cars of all time (the Z28), the Camaro produced in the 1990s was no ordinary vehicle. It had a 5.7-liter V8 engine that produced 275 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque, and it was paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. That means you’ll be behind the wheel of not only one of the most unappreciated American icons but also one of the most distinctive vehicles on the road.

2008 Pontiac Solstice ($14,000)

You may recall that we stated, in the opening, that America also manufactured enjoyable, small topless sports cars. Okay, the first of many is finally here. Pontiac produced it throughout the new millennium, and it was known as the Solstice.

It wasn’t as peppy as a Miata due to its underpowered 177-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, but it was rear-wheel drive, so it was fun to drive in turns, and its striking looks were icing on the cake.

2005 Chrysler Crossfire ($10,000)

The Chrysler Crossfire is yet another American Miata rival. The Mercedes-Benz SLK serves as the platform for this one-of-a-kind sports car, so it has the same agile handling as a light Mercedes sports car but at a far more reasonable price.

The standard Crossfire is powered by a 3.2-liter V6 engine, which produces 215 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque, and can accelerate the teardrop-shaped Chrysler to 60 miles per hour in 6.4 seconds. This is significantly faster than the NC Miata of the same era.

1995 Chevrolet Corvette C4 ($12,850)

Thanks to our old friend depreciation, you can pick up a C4 Corvette for far under $13,000, making it one of the most affordable classic American sports cars. Even though it’s not the top-of-the-line ZR-1 model, the C4’s base 5.7-liter V8 engine nevertheless produces an astounding 300 hp and 340 lb-ft of torque.

Not only does it have enough horsepower to race down the quarter mile in less than 14 seconds, but its classic styling ensures that it will always be regarded as a vehicle of distinction.

2004 Pontiac GTO ($12,000)

In the early 2000s, Pontiac decided to revive the GTO name because of the legendary status of the original GTO among muscle cars. The new Pontiac GTO was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, failing to live up to the legacy of its iconic forebear.

Its massive naturally aspirated 5.7-liter V8 under the hood delivered 350 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels, allowing the driver to summon a cloud of smoke at will and accelerate to 60 miles per hour in just over 5 seconds—a time that bested even the quickest modern sports cars of the day. It’s all yours for a little ounce more than ten thousand dollars.

1990 Plymouth Laser ($11,000)

There’s a good reason why the Plymouth Laser is largely forgotten, even among die-hard car nuts. The Laser faced stiff competition from the likes of the North American Mazda Miata and the Mitsubishi Eclipse when it was released in 1989, but it has held up well over time.

It had a unique glass-bubble back end, compact body, rear light bar, and pop-up headlights, but its sub-100 hp was the real killer.

The standard model Laser could only hit 60 mph from a stop in 9 seconds, but its front-wheel drive and 5-speed stickshift gave it an obvious tenacity through tight turns.

We saw one for sale on Cargurus for just $11,000; for that price, it’s easily one of the most interesting and enjoyable vehicles currently on the market.

2007 Chevrolet Cobalt SS ($11,000)

The Chevrolet Cobalt SS came with a wide selection of engine options, including both naturally aspirated and turbocharged motors, as well as a supercharged one. We needed to stick to our daily spending limit, so we used CarGurus to find a used model with the natural aspiration that cost only $11,000.

However, despite being the least popular of the lot, this motor produced a respectable 173 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque. Front-wheel drive meant that drifting was out of the question in the Cobalt, but pulling burnouts and tearing through hairpin turns at breakneck speeds was another thing entirely.

​​2005 Cadillac XLR ($19,000)

The Cadillac XLR is often overlooked, and wrongfully so. It resembled a more refined, downsized version of the Chevy C6 Corvette, and surprisingly, the two shared more than just a body style.

The standard XLR was driven by a 4.6-litre Northstar V8 engine, which produced 320 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque when run on natural aspiration. Even though it didn’t have as much power as a Corvette of the time, the XLR-V was more distinctive than the ‘Vette, and Cadillac also produced an XLR-V with a supercharged V8 for those who wanted even more muscle.

2008 Saturn Sky Redline ($15,000)

In spite of the fact that the Saturn Sky and the Pontiac Solstice were essentially the same cars with different skins, the Sky’s top-performance spec, the unappreciated Redline, was the best of the four. The Redline version of the Sky used the same N/A inline-four as the Solstice, but with a smaller displacement and a turbocharger to increase power.

Its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine sent 260 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels, making it significantly quicker than any Mazda Miata. Although the Solstice GXP, which shared the same powerplant, was released later, we believe the Saturn Sky Redline, which can be purchased and used for under $15,000, represents superior value.