budget performance cars

[BritKLR]

Two door XJ looks clean!

It was! I bought it for him as his 16, high school and college car. It was the in-line 6, 5 spd manual, Up Country addition and it survived all those crazy years......Once he got his first job he traded it in on a new car with over 200k on it....Gotta say, was a tough little thing!

 

[BritKLR]

I KNEW those cars were powered by a tiny Honda engine, I just knew it!

Nah....it ran/runs like a Toyota!

 

[vwhammer]

I feel like you can't talk about a budget "performance" car without mentioning several generations of the VW golf.
You can get a bunch of them for well under $5000 which leaves a lot of room for improvement
The MK5 is a good example.
Whether you get the GTI or base model with the 2.5 (which is the one I would get) virtually everything can be upgraded for the remaining $5000

 

[calicamper]

I have a inherited 2006 SLK350. I’ll say its been decently fun and fairly easy to keep. Faster than the Miata but definitely does not corner like the Miata with the Cast Iron 3.5 lump up front. The newer version with the lighter turbo 4 is probably better in the twistys. But as a fun road trip rig the SLK has been solid. Fast as hell in a straight line. I like driving it more than my buddies 2006 911 which feels heavy in comparison.

 

[Ozarker]

@calicamper it wouldn't keep up with my Miata on the Hockenheim track.

Now, hate to bring this up, it's kind of a secret or sleeper...Jaguar XKR and XK series, 2000 through2014/15 are dirt cheap for what you get, beautiful cars in the shadow of the famous XKE. Turbo passes 200 mph!

 

[calicamper]

@calicamper it wouldn't keep up with my Miata on the Hockenheim track.

Now, hate to bring this up, it's kind of a secret or sleeper...Jaguar XKR and XK series, 2000 through2014/15 are dirt cheap for what you get, beautiful cars in the shadow of the famous XKE. Turbo passes 200 mph!

Nothing keeps up with the miata in the turns except the little Lotus Elise.

 

[Ozarker]

Nothing keeps up with the miata in the turns except the little Lotus Elise.

And a Morgana 4+4, Lotus Super Seven, Lotus Elan, Lotus Europa, Mini Cooper S, Porsche 911, 912,914, more expensive 908, Triumph TR7, Donker Voort GTO, going back to more vintage types, considering the ability to carve corners, the Austin Healy Bug Eye, an MGA, the MG-TF and TD.

Certainly, honorable mentions, the Opel GT, Alfa Jr., Audi 3, Audi Quatro, Peugeot 205 GTI, Volvo P1800 and hold on to your hat, the VW Karmin Ghia!

I've forgotten some of the other "open wheeled" vintage sports cars similar to the Morgan, the Super Seven and the Voort GTO, MG-TF/TD as these cars placed the wheels outside the main body covered by rolling fenders and running boards, like a Formula car with fenders. This allowed the front wheels to have a greater turning radius turning sharply without hitting inner fender wells of full bodied cars. The Super Seven is probably one of the fastest cornering sports car built for the street and would compete with the Ford GT, Mcclearn and the European exotics.

As to the best corner carving street sports car, not being familiar with all the late model offerings, my vote would go to the Lotus Europa in a full bodied two seater class, the Lotus Super Seven taking first place overall.

But, the Miata certainly belongs in this group of carvers, I really enjoyed mine.