What’s Your Favorite Affordable Sports Car?

Let’s be honest: The premise of this story is absurd. What does “affordable” mean? If you’re loaded, an “affordable” sports car is a base Porsche 911. That’ll hurt you to the tune of $132,000. A 911 GT3 RS will run you a tidy quarter-million bucks. Millionaires can sneeze that much in a day’s stock earnings. Mere mortals cannot. To me, “affordable” means a price point of $40,000 or less, allowing for a manageable car payment for someone still juggling rent or a mortgage, as well as paying other bills. I’m thinking you’re living off a salary, not your wad of Bitcoin.

The other loaded word is “favorite.” Favorite for what? If you’re not wealthy, then “favorite” could easily mean this is your only car. What else is in your garage? Do you have a garage? Presuming favorite and “only” are synonymous, I’ve arrived at the following thought process. Yours will not be mine, because you’re not an A.I. driver—as far as I know. You’re human and have your own biases and needs. So please feel free to weigh in on why I’m a P.O.S. not deserving of a parking space at your next Cars and Coffee. I will understand. Because I am also a passionate car nerd.

You Probably Want A Manual

If you want a stick-shift sports car, your options are very limited. The latest Ford Mustang EcoBoost slays the horsepower-per-dollar ledger I’ve created below—but you can’t have a 2025 MY with a manual gearbox unless you’re willing to part with $46,050, and bump up to the V-8. That may be a fine compromise if you have the scratch, but not if you don’t.

$30,000-$40,000 2025 Sports Car Spec Comparison

By default, the winner of this round goes to the Subaru WRX, because you can get yours with a manual, and it has the advantage of all-wheel drive, too. You’ll note that the above list is confined to four/five-seat coupes. Yep, that’s my thumb on the scales.

TopSpeed | Michael Frank

An MX-5 Miata is a great car. I’ve owned one. But it’s tough to justify it as a “favorite” because it’s so much less practical as a one-quiver sled that needs to be a daily driver, and possibly haul an infant, too. Putting a toddler in the front seat of any car is a big safety NOPE. Whereas every other car on this list makes that possible, and some of these cars are hatchbacks, too, making them even more viable as your daily-driver sports car.

The Most Practical Option Is?

Guillaume Fournier | TopSpeed

You are not getting a sports car because it doubles as a minivan. But you have a life that requires some level of compromise to your preferred go-kart. The above list shows only three rear-wheel-drive cars. The miracle of stability and traction control, and snow tires, can make the GR86, Ford Mustang, and BMW 2 Series viable options even if you live where it snows. But I wouldn’t say that’s the safest way to travel. Obviously, here the WRX has an edge, yet again, but front-wheel drive cars with snow tires are decent in the slush and ice.

If you’re paring for practical, all-weather handling, plus you want a stick, because being able to manually downshift rather than brake also aids in handling wet or sloppy weather, that leaves you with the Subaru WRX, Honda Civic Si, and Acura Integra. And those three cars are also the roomiest on the list, by far. FYI: One reason I list total passenger volume and rear-seat legroom is that all of these cars have decent front legroom and headroom. But if you need cargo and passenger volume, they all get tight.

William Clavey | TopSpeed

But how tight? Well, the WRX, Honda Civic Si, and Acura Integra are all about 25 percent roomier than either the Toyota GR86 or Mini Cooper S. So you also need to know that on a dollar-per-volume-of-space comparison, the Honda is cheapest, while you might be able to justify the added cost of the Acura Integra or WRX versus the cheaper Mustang or GR86, because you’re getting a much roomier car, as well as the stickshift you can’t have from so many other sports cars I’ve tabled above.

Which Car Is The Most Fun?

Guillaume Fournier | TopSpeed

What are we here for? Again, it’s not to drive a minivan. It’s to have a blast behind the wheel! Arguably, the Honda Civic Si offers a very good flavor of sportiness, and has a much slicker gearbox than the WRX’s okay, but not stellar transmission. No, the Civic Si cannot keep up with the WRX in a straight line, and it’s slower than almost every car on this list, save the model it shares an engine with, the Acura Integra.

The Factor Sports Car Drivers Need To Care About Most

Guillaume Fournier | TopSpeed

Here’s what buyers overlook. It’s not 0-60 times, and it’s not horsepower. It’s weight. A Civic Si weighs 2,952 pounds. An Acura Integra with the manual weighs 3,084 pounds. And that WRX with all that extra power? It weighs 3,351 pounds. It’s not exactly porky, especially when you consider that the BMW 2 Series in base trim weighs 3,534 pounds and doesn’t have to support all-wheel drive.

How a car feels isn’t always down to weight, either. But there’s a reason that, for fun factor alone, the Civic Si and the 2,838-pound GR86 are the most enjoyable, cheap-thrills sports cars on this list.

If you don’t think the 513-pound difference between the GR86 and the WRX is a lot, that’s 18 percent more. And it just so happens that the WRX is 18 percent more powerful than the Toyota, too. What you can’t put a number on precisely is how much more nimble the Toyota feels versus the Subaru. It’s just more playful, flickable, and daily-driver enjoyable based on my test drives. And it’s not hard to argue that with the Honda Civic Si, too, because it’s still 400 pounds lighter than the Subaru, and its featherweight bearing pays off similarly.

Michael Frank

If you’re in the dark on what to choose, that can be aided by Reddit threads, Facebook owners groups, and the aftermarket. Every single car on this list has a rabid fan base. But that doesn’t always mean there are a ton of Mini Cooper advocates within 50 miles of where you live. Or, ditto, Acura Integra owners. So you might want to do a little digging, especially if your goal with this car is to have a little bit of fun at the track or to autocross your car, or eventually upgrade the exhaust—or go down the tuner rabbit hole.

One reason people love sports cars is that they bring you into a ready-made community. Buy a Volkswagen GTI, and you’re immediately studying the exhaust of the one in front of you on the freeway on-ramp, or noticing the small sticker for the performance part another GTI owner in the neighborhood has slapped on the rear window of their Mk6. Which club do you want to join?

TopSpeed’s Take: It All Depends On Your Wants, Needs, Budget, And Environmental Requirements

William Clavey | TopSpeed

It’s not my job here to be “right,” but I’d probably get the Civic Si, with a close second on the WRX or the Toyota GR86. Despite what you may think of my life choices, I do love manuals and recently went out of my way to find an old car with a stick, even though autoboxes were way more common. However, because of where I live, with frequently messy winters and a garage that’s already occupied, going rear-wheel-drive is tough. If I lived in SoCal, this would be an entirely different story! But that’s why the exercise is fun, because there is no “correct” answer to the question.

Honda

One final question to ask is what’s going on with used prices for your particular sled? And how reliable is that car if you opt for used, instead? And how expensive is the thing to service? You should really weigh all of those, too. For example, eyeballing the 2023 Integra on CarGurus, which tracks resale prices, shows an average of $27,624. That’s 12 grand cheaper than new. Or, maybe going the used route would let you step up to the Integra Type-S? Now that your mind is properly blown—or you just think I’m wrong—go ahead and ask yourself the same question, and weigh in on why I’m an idiot in the comments section below.