10 Cheap Sports Cars For Under $5k

The days of ultra-cheap cars are over. It's nearly impossible to find any $500 beater cars now, let alone dirt-cheap sports cars. However, if you know where to look, you can still manage to dig up some cheap sports cars for under 5k. If you live somewhere like Southern California, your options for sub-$5,000 sports cars will be limited, but most of the United States has a variety of two-door coupes and convertibles that provide fun and engaging driving experiences. Of course, you're bound to find a host of rusty, beaten examples at this price point, so do your due diligence to source the best example within your budget. Here is a list of sports cars under $5,000.

2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK 230

Average Used Price: $5,000

2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK 230

We wanted some variety in our list of sports cars under 5k, so we're kicking it off with a first-generation Mercedes-Benz SLK 230 from 2001. When most people think about cheap sports cars, many Japanese tuner cars come to mind. However, if you can stomach the amount of maintenance it'll take to get this SLK in good standing, then it's a promising and fun option. This version of the SLK came with a 2.3-liter supercharged four-cylinder that makes 190 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque.

Combined with either a five-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive, you could coax it into getting from 0-60 mph in just under seven seconds and hit a top speed of 140 mph. It looks more expensive than it is, but it's still great to drive. It's also got the clever vario-roof that provides excellent insulation when closed; that's if, of course, the roof is still in good condition after over 20 years.

1999 Mitsubishi 3000GT

Average Used Price: $5,000

1998 Mitsubishi 3000GT

If you're looking for fast cars under 5k, then the 1999 Mitsubishi 3000GT is your best bet. You'll likely have to skip the more powerful VR-4, though. Fortunately, the base model 3000GT is plenty fast with its 3.0-liter V6 that makes 219 horsepower and 205 lb-ft of torque. This front-wheel-drive version can sprint from 0-60 in a little over five seconds, making it one of the quicker cars on our list, and it reaches a top speed of 158 mph. This Mitsubishi still looks good, feels fast, and stands out from the rest of the usual traffic.

2002 Acura RSX

Average Used Price: $5,000

2003 Acura RSX

Since its inception, Honda's luxury brand has brought us some great sports cars. We know that everybody wants the Type S version of the 2002 Acura RSX, but the truth is that those cost a lot of money again. Since those are out of our budget now, we can still look down the line at the base model. The base RSX uses the same 2.0-liter inline-four-cylinder engine as the Type S, but it's been tuned to have a lower redline, and it makes 160 horsepower and 141 lb-ft of torque. In manual guise, it's an enjoyable car to drive, and maintenance costs shouldn't be too extreme.

2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe

Average Used Price: $4,700

2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe

The luxurious yet sporty Infiniti G35 has a bad reputation for being used and abused at takeovers and the like, but in truth, it's still one of the best sports cars under 5k. It's fairly reliable, has decent power, feels comfortable, and it's faster than most cars in this price range. Its relatively powerful 3.5-liter V6 engine made 280 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. That's the most power any car on this list can make from the factory, and people use it to their advantage when building cheap drift cars. It came with either a five-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission, could power its way from 0-60 mph in about 5.5 seconds, and reach a top speed of about 155 miles per hour.

2004 Mazda RX-8

Average Used Price: $4,600

2004 Mazda RX-8

In the spirit of variety, we've decided to throw a rotary into the mix. While never reaching the popularity of its predecessor, the 2004 Mazda RX-8 is still somewhat desirable to the right crowd. This version was powered by a 1.3-liter Wankel engine that made 197 horsepower and 164 lb-ft of torque when paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. With the six-speed manual, the RX-8 made 238 hp and 159 lb-ft, but those models might still be out of our 5k price range in most states and in good condition. While those with a manual transmission are slightly faster, the automatics could do 0-60 in about 7.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 146 mph.

2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T

Average Used Price: $4,500

2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe is the cheapest version of the Genesis coupe, and the 2010 models can still be found for about $4,500 if you know where to look. You'll have to search for one that isn't totally beat, but good examples still exist. This version of the Genesis Coupe used a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 210 horsepower and 233 lb-ft of torque. With a six-speed manual transmission, these cars could sprint from 0-60 mph in about seven seconds, and could reach a top speed of 137 miles per hour.

1997 Nissan 240SX

Average Used Price: $4,500

1997 Nissan 240SX

One of the most popular tuner cars on our list for under $5k is the 1997 Nissan 240SX. It has a loyal following and, like most old Nissan and Datsun sports cars, is supported by a variety of aftermarket parts manufacturers, and will turn heads at your local Cars and Coffee when built right. In its stock form, it's not all that powerful. At 155 horsepower and 160 lb-ft of torque, the 2.4-liter four-cylinder is capable of reaching 130 miles per hour, and sprinting to 60 mph in about 7.5 seconds. It doesn't take much to turn these into some impressive track cars, though. Plus, they still look great to this day.

2006 Ford Mustang Coupe

Average Used Price: $4,300

2005 Ford Mustang Coupe V6

Just like every other car on this list, the price you pay for a 2006 Ford Mustang Coupe will vary depending on where you're located and the condition of the car. You'll be hard-pressed to find a V8 for under five thousand dollars, but the right V6 will only set you back about $4,300 on average. These 4.0-liter options had 210 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque. When connected to the rear wheels through a five-speed automatic, the 2006 Mustang V6 could sprint from 0-60 in about 7.1 seconds, and reach a top speed of 112 mph. Also, like many of the cars on this list, people have taken to the habit of modifying these and removing electronic limiters to make them a bit faster, if 112 mph isn't enough for you.

2007 Volkswagen Golf GTI

Average Used Price: $4,000

2007 Volkswagen Golf GTI

Not every GTI is affordable these days. In fact, some older generations are selling for more than these mid-2000's cars in good condition, but for an average price of around $4,000, the 2007 VW Golf GTI is a pretty fun hot hatch. Like we mentioned before, though, reliability is not something we're factoring into these cars. Any old German car is bound to have a myriad of problems to sort through, but once you do, you'll have a fun daily driver on your hands. Under the hood is a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder that makes 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque. With a six-speed manual and front-wheel drive, the '07 GTI can reach 130 mph and accelerate from 0-60 mph in about seven seconds.

2002 Chevrolet Camaro

Average Used Price: $4,000

2002 Chevrolet Camaro

The last sports car under 5k on our list is the 2002 Chevrolet Camaro, infamously known as the Catfish Camaro due to its somewhat polarizing design. Of course, being a Camaro, one version came with a V8 engine. However, those models with the V8 are still pushing nearly double our price range in some states. With that being said, you can find some Camaros with the 3.8-liter V6 for about $4k. These models had 200 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque that was sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual. While they aren't especially quick by today's standards, with a 0-60 time of about seven seconds and a top speed limited to 125 miles per hour, they can still make for a fun and engaging experience on such a tight budget.