The 10 Best Sports Cars For Under £10,000

Peruse the recommended list of new sports cars and it's easy to find yourself getting disheartened. The thrill of driving can come at a serious cost, beyond the reach of most.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Sure, new sports cars are pricey, but buy used and you can find yourself wedded to the road for much less. If you can rustle up £10,000 there’s a wealth of driving excellence available to you. Don’t believe us? Well, shame on you for doubting us, and here’s a list of our favourites – the best sports cars you can buy for less than ten grand. No need to thank us.

By the way, we’ve focused specifically on sports cars here rather than just sporty cars – you might also consider hot hatches if you’re on a budget, because there are some crackers available for less than £5000.

Mazda MX-5

“Oh come on CarThrottle, an MX-5? Ugh, such a cliche.” Sure, but we stand by it – the reason the Mazda MX-5 pops up on so many Best Sports Car lists is because it’s one of the best sports cars, so hush your whining. Taking the classic recipe for a sports car – light weight, rear-wheel drive, manual gearbox, direct steering – makes for a deliciously engaging driving experience, and it’s hard to find anything more fun for less money. With three decades of MX-5s to choose from and numerous tuning and mod companies to tweak your car to your liking, it’s an easy recommendation. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried one.

Fiat 124 Spider

If the ubiquity of the MX-5 puts you off, then try one dressed in an Italian suit. The Fiat 124 Spider didn’t sell that well in the three years it was on sale, which is a shame as it’s essentially a more stylish MX-5 that now has the added bonus of relative rarity. You can pick up one for less than £9000 if you’re lucky, and for that you get smart looks, drop-top appeal and a punchy 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine with 138bhp. That doesn’t sound much but, like the MX-5, the appeal of the 124 Spider isn’t in brute power, it’s in handling and finesse. On a twisty country road, it’s great fun without risking your driving licence.

BMW 4 Series

OK, we’ll admit this is a tenuous one. The BMW 4 Series probably doesn’t count as a sports car, but we’re including it anyway. Why? Because it’s rear-wheel drive, sharp and engaging to drive and has myriad other qualities that make it a great car for less than £10k. The budget won’t get you a fire breathing version, but there are plenty of 420i models around for that price and a few 428is too. As well as involvement behind the wheel you’ll also have an excellent long distance cruiser with a top-quality interior, a cracking infotainment system and an enviable badge. If you want fun without too many compromises, a 4 Series is a great shout.

BMW Z4

If the 4 Series isn’t sports car enough for you, then the BMW Z4 definitely will be. Having been around for a good 20 years now, there are lots to choose from including many for less than £2000. But £10k will get you a more modern example with relatively low mileage, and it ticks numerous sports car boxes, with meaty engines, drop-top motoring and low-slung, involving handling. It’s very nice inside, too, especially if the original owner went nuts with the options list.

Toyota GT86

Much like the Mazda MX-5, the Toyota GT86 understands that driving fun isn’t about pure horsepower, it’s about feeling. Skinny tyres, mega-communicative steering and a snickety gearbox make for excellent fun. Some people fit big ol’ fat tyres, but that’s missing the point – Michelin Premacys move around for a thrilling experience even at 45mph. You could up the standard 197bhp with tuning if you really want to, but the GT86 is about using the car’s dynamics to enjoy your driving, not just mashing the throttle. This is a car that pretty much nailed its brief the first time round, and you can pick one up from around £8000.

Nissan 350Z

It’s getting on a bit now, but Nissan’s sports car of the mid-2000s is still a great drive today and there are plenty of them about. You’ll have to sort through the over-modified, thrashed examples to find a good one, but with prices starting at around £4000 you can have yourself a 276bhp 3.5-litre V6 for a snip. The Nissan 350Z is low slung, with a snug cockpit and quick steering and, of course, rear-wheel drive. The Porsche Boxster had all the brand cred and the Honda S2000 won fans for its screaming engine, but the 350Z is a very legitimate alternative.

Peugeot RCZ

Peugeot has plenty of plaudits for its hot hatches, but it’s rarely in the conversation when sports cars are first mentioned. But the RCZ is well worth looking at, as it’s got some eye-catching looks and very decent handling, and purchase prices are as cheap as chips – you can find high-mileage examples for just a couple of grand. The 197bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine sings very nicely, but the less powerful 156 model is also entertaining and you can even find diesel examples if you do a lot of longer journeys. Just be aware that they can be a little pricey to service and maintain, so hold out for one with full service history.

Audi TT

The Audi TT has only recently gone out of production, which prompted lots of retrospectives appraising the long history of a car that caused a design revolution when it first arrived. But the TT is about more than looks – it’s a genuinely fun and engaging car to drive, with a fantastic quality interior that feels every inch the premium badge it wears on its nose. Ten grand will get you all manner of TTs, but that budget is also enough for the more fun TTS, with north of 250bhp and enhanced handling and characteristics. The mileage on these will be moderately high, but a full service history should give you plenty of reassurance.

Honda S2000

The Honda S2000 won’t be for everyone – especially if you’re tall, because you’ll struggle to get into it – but for those ergonomically gifted enough, it’s a tremendously talented sports car. The four-cylinder VTEC engine rightly gets lots of plaudits, with a redline of about a million rpm and an intoxicating scream when you let it sing. But the chassis is very impressive too, with very well sorted handling and suspension. Values seem to be on the up, but 10,000 should still get you a FSH example, albeit with quite a few miles on it – well, they are 20-odd years old now. Step into a slice of history and you’ll have few regrets.

Porsche Boxster

Let’s reiterate an oft-made point – a Porsche Boxster can be surprisingly affordable to buy, but it’s still a Porsche, and comes with Porsche running costs. That said, as long as you keep a big chunk of change aside to keep it running, a Boxster can be an absolute bargain. You can pick up a high-mileage example for around £3000 although we’d recommend you spend a bit more than that to avoid scary bills the first time something goes wrong. Whichever version of the Boxster you go for, you’ll get exquisite handling that barely anyone can match, especially at this price point. It’s far, far more than a cheap alternative to a 911, so feel free to mock anyone that tries to tell you otherwise.