budget performance cars

Ozarker

Well-known member
What about the RX-7?
The poor Mazda front engine answer to the 911, LOL

A fun car, a competitive club racer if you can keep it running with that Wankel engine. Known as the worst gas guzzlers in the 2+2 coupe world they just had reliability issues, ignition and timing issues that were unique to the rotary was a bit foreign to most folks in the pits.

I'd say they are rare on the road, maintaining one is probably not for the old school mechanic, but a nice one should hold it's bottom basement value. Good power to weight ration for it's wheelbase would make it a fun weekend driver. Nice interior and sporty looks are a plus.
 

Ozarker

Well-known member
E39 M5

period. fullstop.
BEEMERS, first class I ran was 2 litter 2002's a fun, quick steering shoebox. I like the M5 (German car named after a stretch of roadway in England, LOL), the 302 could scream. Fine for sedan races, rallies and long tracks, but saying "sports car" they are not. Performance car, that gets a nod, they certainly are. A Camel series Mustang chaser.
I haven't kept up on Beemer prices but I have seen some pretty low asking prices on the 3 and 5 series.
 

86scotty

Cynic
Yes if you can find one. But the maintenance on them kind of kills the 'budget' aspect.

I will always regret not getting one a few years ago when they were cheaper and more plentiful.
 

jkam

nomadic man
While it is far from being a small budget, it is one of my favorite performance cars.
And, it's also a sleeper as well.
Mercedes 300 SEL 6.3.
Faster than a Camaro from 0 to 60 and also a higher top speed.
All in the comfort of a luxury car that seats 5 while doing it.
18c0270_01.jpg
 

Bob Boyer

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

Late to the party on this one but, yes. Buddy of mine - and autocross co-driver - had an Elise for a while. I had a well-prepared CSP Miata that was also my daily driver. We went on a run one Saturday and swapped cars back and forth. The Elise just smacked the ******** out of the Miata in the twisties, didn't matter who was driving it. That said, we both agreed that the Miata was the more well-rounded car.
 

Ozarker

Well-known member
While it is far from being a small budget, it is one of my favorite performance cars.
And, it's also a sleeper as well.
Mercedes 300 SEL 6.3.
Faster than a Camaro from 0 to 60 and also a higher top speed.
All in the comfort of a luxury car that seats 5 while doing it.
18c0270_01.jpg
The old 6 banger Camaros were slow.
 

jchasse

Active member
E39 M5

period. fullstop.
Nice cars, and you can find a bargain, but most are commanding good money. And maintenance costs could push them out of the "budget" category.

I decided to look for a fun car as a stop-gap while I decide what I want to replace my SUV with and I found this. $27k with 340 miles on it. (Older lady bought it and decided she didn't want a manual 6-speed and it was sitting on an Acura dealer's lot collecting dust). It's a freaking blast. It's more fun than my fully-sorted '90 Spec Miata race car was.

mx5.jpg
 

plainjaneFJC

Deplorable
While it is far from being a small budget, it is one of my favorite performance cars.
And, it's also a sleeper as well.
Mercedes 300 SEL 6.3.
Faster than a Camaro from 0 to 60 and also a higher top speed.
All in the comfort of a luxury car that seats 5 while doing it.
18c0270_01.jpg
Your data is off a bit- the Camaro v8s of the time were faster to 60 and in the quarter pound.
 

jkam

nomadic man
Depends on which Camaro you choose.
Anyway. For a big luxury barge of the late 60's
the 300 SEL 6.3 was very fast.

0-60 mph6.4 seconds
0-100 kph7.0 seconds
Quarter mile16.6 s @ 101 mph
Top speed221 kph / 137 mph
Curb weight1830 kilograms (4034 pounds)
Year introduced1968
 

yamaha225

Member
My budget performance car is one people often don’t think about, but that I think is great fun and quite fast. A Honda Accord… yes an Accord. But only with the J series V6 and the 6 speed manual. My particular car is a 2006 with the 3.0 V6 and 6 speed manual. Mine is a sedan which they only made with the manual in 2006 and 2007. It does 0-60 according to Car and Driver in 5.9 seconds and is quite fun in the twists for a family sedan.

It’s also extremely reliable to boot. I bought it in 2016 for $6,500 with 119,000 miles and it now has 215,000 miles and regularly sees its 7000 rpm redline. It has one of the smoothest shifting 6 speeds I’ve ever experienced.

The newer Accord coupes with the 3.5 liter v6’s are also a great option with a little more power. It’s kind of an unconventional performance car, but I love it. It’s comfortable, smooth, fast, and fun. Really the perfect daily driver. With snow tires it’s even good in the snow since it’s front wheel drive!
 

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