Driving a supercar is a full-body sensory experience. The noise, the speed, the sensations of banging gears, the forces acting on your body; it all adds up to something most of us will only experience a handful of times in our lives.
The problem with supercar ownership is the expenses. It's well out of reach for the vast majority of car enthusiasts. Sure, you could try to find a "bargain" on a used one, or save your money for a less expensive sports car like a Porsche Cayman or a Lotus, but what if you're on an absolute shoestring budget?
This list is about 15 different options for the absolute cheapest thrills. These are cars that could be daily drivers that come to life on a good road, or they could be stripped out and made into cheap autocross or track cars. Plus, you'll probably have more fun in a car you're not worried about beating on than one where each wheel costs more than entire cars on this list.
Since "driving fun" is a subjective thing, these cars aren't just about horsepower-per-dollar value, but they are all platforms you can easily build on to create your ideal fun, cheap beater car that you might enjoy driving more than a six-digit supercar.
15 Honda CRX
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Originally sold as the Honda Civic CRX, this lightweight little hatchback became an instant favorite among Honda fans when it came out in the mid-'80s. It was smaller and lighter than the Civic it was based on, only had two seats and a little more power, making it the enthusiast's choice in the lineup. They're still regularly found tearing up tracks and autocross circuits, and they can still be found for plenty cheap.
14 Honda Prelude Si
Of all the cheap used Hondas you can find out there, the Prelude is something of a sweet spot. Across multiple generations, it was the best sports coupe you could get from Honda. Most models had VTEC-equipped engines, and some early ones even had four-wheel steering. The trouble with Preludes is their desirability nowadays, and if one of these stretches your budget too far, a good Civic or Accord Coupe would serve you nearly as well.
13 Toyota Corolla XRS
Toyota sold many cars with the brilliant 2ZZ-GE 4-cylinder engine you'll find under the hood of a Corolla XRS. If the sedan isn't your thing, look for a Matrix XRS hatch or a Celica GT 2-door coupe. The Corolla XRS makes the list since it's the easiest 2ZZ-GE car to find in good shape, and it would make a fantastic sleeper. No one would suspect this driving instructor's car to rev to 8,000 RPM and be fast enough to put Civic Si's to shame.
12 First-gen Mazdaspeed3
The prices of these early Mazdaspeed3s have dropped considerably, putting them into the "cheap beater" category. They're quick cars, with turbocharged 2.3l 4-cylinder engines with tons of tuning capacity. However, their low prices don't mean low maintenance. These engines can be tricky, and this generation of Mazda3 suffers nasty rust issues in most North American climates. Still, a clean one (with a good engine) makes a great performance bargain.
11 Subaru Legacy GT
Sure, it would probably be easier to find a used WRX or Forester Turbo, but its the early Legacy GT's unpopularity that keeps prices down, meaning you can get into a turbo Subaru for less than you might think. They weigh more than Imprezas but can still be made plenty quick, and the extra space could come in handy if you intend to daily one of these. They aren't easy to find, but a Legacy GT could be the only car you ever need.
10 BMW E36 3-Series
Cheap 3-Series' are track day darlings. Most of the interior creature comforts will have stopped working by now, so strip the interior down, install a good seat and a cage, and you'll have a serious machine to hone your track skills. Look for one with a bigger engine though, like a 325 or a 328, since the base models are pretty weak. These also come with the usual cheap German car caveats to look out for electronic gremlins and rust issues.
9 F-Body Chevrolet Camaro / Pontiac Firebird
If you prioritize V8 burnouts-per-dollar more than anything else, a cheap GM F-Body could be your best value for money option here. They are not as desirable as Fox-Body Mustangs of similar vintage, but most of them come with the venerable LS V8, and either a 5-speed manual or a bulletproof GM 4L60 4-speed auto. The interiors are made of Fisher-Price plastics, but the bellow of that beastly engine should be enough to distract.
8 Dodge Neon SRT-4
Before Ford so graciously gave us the Focus and Fiesta ST models (then cruelly took them away), the domestic sport-compact segment was practically defined by the Neon SRT-4. It had a 2.4l turbo engine that made heaps of power, all wrapped up in a compact car shell. They were far from refined or civilized, but they did offer a compelling power-per-dollar argument. If you can live with a Neon's faults, this could be a phenomenally fun beater car.
7 Chevrolet Cobalt SS
If you're not a Mopar person, the closest competitor to the Neon SRT-4 would be this hot version of the Chevy Cobalt. Early SS models used a supercharger to get more power out of its 4-cylinder engine. Those turned out to be quite troublesome so GM switched to a more tuner-friendly turbo setup for later cars. Being a cheap FWD car, these things don't handle amazingly, but they'll tear up the light-to-light Grand Prix with the best of them.
6 Ford Crown Victoria CVPI
The argument for a used cop car being a "fun" beater relies heavily on your definition of fun. These body-on-frame tanks are not exactly fast cars, nor are they track-friendly, but they are dead-reliable workhorses with V8 engines and rear-wheel-drive, readily available for only a few grand. Police package cars (look for "P71" models) come with a host of upgrades over standard Vics, for better braking, handling and cooling. Plus, used cop cars are just so cool.
5 Ford Taurus SHO
The Taurus SHO (Super-High-Output) is one of the most well-known sleeper cars among people who are into that variety of sneaky performance. They had brilliant, Yamaha-developed 3.0l V6 engines driving the front wheels through 5-speed manual transmissions. The best part of it was that the rest of the car was still a Taurus; a comfortable, spacious, high-tech (for the time) sedan that made an excellent daily.
4 MK3 / MK4 Volkswagen Golf / Jetta VR6
The reason we're listing multiple models here is that VW offered essentially the same package under the hood (VR6 6-cylinder, FWD, manual or auto box), in your choice of sedan, 3-door or 5-door hatchback. MK3s and MK4s regularly trade blows for which are cheaper at a given time, and your VW preference will lead you to one generation over the other. The 1.8t 4-cyl is another option, but VR6s are typically more reliable and sound much nicer.
3 Acura RSX
Sadly, prices for this car's predecessor, the Integra, are shooting through the roof, but the newer (though heavier) RSX can still be found for great deals. Like most fun Hondas, it's FWD with high-revving engines and great manual transmissions. Type-S models are the most sought-after, since they came with more powerful engines, but even base models can be tweaked and tuned to your liking.
2 Nissan Maxima V6 5MT
If there was ever a spiritual successor to the Taurus SHO, this is it. The A32 Maxima was an unassuming although handsome FWD sedan available with your choice of 4-cylinder or V6 and auto or manual 'boxes. In this case, the V6-manual combination is the one you want.
Nissan's VQ35 is a sweet-sounding engine that makes plenty of power and can be pretty reliable, and rowing through the gears yourself adds a level of involvement that makes this a genuinely fun car to drive.
1 Mazda Miata NA
It's almost rude to the legacy of this beloved little car to call it a "beater," but there are plenty of worn-out, dirt-cheap Miatas out there that do fit the bill. They make excellent autocross or track day cars, or even DIY restoration projects if you have the patience. The possibilities for modifying these things are practically endless. No matter what you do to it, it's still a Miata, and that means you're going to have a blast behind the wheel.