Think German sports cars and cars such as BMWs, Audis, Porsches, come to mind, all of which are synonymous with hefty price tags. And indeed, German cars are known to be the epitome of luxury and thus, also end up costing quite a bomb.
German cars are also known for their precision engineering and bold and aggressive looks, which is why their sports cars especially are highly vaunted throughout the world. Owning one mostly means you have reached where you wanted to be, or are at least getting there, and in a German car, you are getting there fast.
But are there any cheap German sports cars as well, perhaps not as known as their luxury counterparts? Apparently, there are. And we dug some of them up just for you.
Here go 10 cheap German sports cars that would make all gearheads green with envy. Especially those who still think German sports cars naturally have to be expensive. Which of these catches your fancy?
10 1971 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia: A Sporty Classic
One doesn’t think of sports cars when you say the word Volkswagen. Volkswagen is best known for the quirky Beetle, the economical Jetta, and the nifty Golf than it is for cars that can outdo the best on tracks, even if they are amateur.
Now, let’s say the magic words: Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. This one was a gorgeous sports car from the ‘70s that was fun, beautifully designed, and gave its owners enough thrills to remember it by fondly. Reason enough why more than 445,000 of these were made and sold. Especially since this was a car built by hand, not by machine.
9 2001 Audi TT: The Golf-Derived Sports Car
The Audi TT Mk 1 came out in 1999 and stayed put till 2006, and it came pretty much as the model it debuted at the motor shows before. It looked retro, with an aluminum body for modernity, sitting on a Volkswagen Golf Mk 4 platform.
The 1.8-liter engine, with a turbocharged option, made pretty cool horsepower numbers of between 180 and 220 and ran on a Quattro four-wheel drive. The TT ran as good as it looked, although today it's overshadowed by others and comes rather cheap on the used car market.
8 1985 Porsche 944: Fun, Attractive & A Porsche
A cheap Porsche? Sounds too good to be true, right? But an ‘80s Porsche 944 is pretty reasonable on the used car market, and for no other reason than being just obscure and overlooked enough. It’s a very well-balanced sports car, with a Porsche engine, a sloping nose, and bulging fender flares that make it look and run pretty awesome.
So no, it does not have the legendary flat-six, but it's still plenty of thrills for its price, and can be had naturally-aspirated for an even more economical buy, or turbocharged for maximum speed.
7 2003 BMW Z4: The Z3’s Successful Successor
The Z4 basically addressed all the problems of the Z3 and came larger, with a stiffer chassis, and with more power. What more can you ask from a sports car? The 3.0-liter straight-six engine made a cool 230 horses and boasted a 0-60 mph sprint of 5.9 seconds.
The rear-wheel-drive made it fun to drive the car and it came designed by Anders Warming, formerly the head of MINI designs, a bit ahead of its time if truth be told.
6 2000 Porsche 911: A Sudden Shift From Before
The 1998 Porsche 911, type 996 marked a huge shift from the 911’s legacy because it eschewed the 34-year-old air-cooled engine for a water-cooled one. Plus, the 911’s design went through a major rehaul, by the noted automotive designer, Pinky Lai.
911 purists balked at the car, calling it the end of the true 911 and engine-failure fears further steered sales down. Today, a 2000 Porsche 911 can be had for less than $20,000, pretty much a bargain in our opinion, considering this is a fun-to-drive car.
5 2009 Mercedes-Benz CLS 550: The First Four-Door Coupe
The CLS 550 was marketed by Mercedes-Benz as the very first four-door coupe and came designed by Michael Fink, the man behind the Maybach 57 and 62. It’s stylish and looks great, plus it comes with all the practicality of a sedan. Sadly, not many understood the car all that well, which is why it now comes cheap.
While it also came in a pricier AMG 63 version, the stock CLS 550 came powered by a 5.5-liter V8 that jetted 380-plus horses for a thrilling if rather safe, and comfortable ride.
4 1997 Porsche Cayman (And Boxster): All Thrill, No Spill
The Porsche 911, 996 is one of the cheapest Porsches you can get. But the Boxster and its hardtop, fixed-roof twin, the Cayman are pretty affordable as well. They are great to drive and you can choose to go with the Boxster to let the wind ruffle your hair, and stay more placid whilst speeding in the Cayman.
Since the Boxster is a convertible, it comes slightly cheaper than the Cayman, and if you are lucky enough, either can be had for less than $10,000.
3 2004 Mercedes-Benz SLK32 AMG: Thrillingly Fast
The SLK line of cars from Mercedes-Benz is designed to be sportlich (sporty), leicht (light), and kurz (compact) roadsters, and the SLK 32 AMG took on the Miata and the BMW M with ease. It used the same V6 engine as the SLK 320 but the AMG variant also boasted a supercharger and an intercooler for premium performance.
The specs were impressive: 350 horses, 332 ft-lb torque, and a 0-60 mph sprint of 5.2 seconds. Only 2,000 of these reached the US, and yet, they can be had for less than $10,000 today.
2 1987 Porsche 924S: The Worst Porsche?
For many Porsche purists, the 924 is the worst of them all and often the most overlooked of all Porsche models. And yet, this front-engined car got trashed because, under the hood, it carried an engine from Audi.
At the time, it managed to make 150 horses, which wasn’t top-class but then again, wasn’t bad either. To be honest, it's not a bad car at all and comes with plenty of driving thrills and looks to give you whatever you want from a sports car.
1 2000 Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG: Sporty Looks, Sportier Performance
The Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG looked pretty capable with an optional AMG styling package that gave it a modified front and behind, plus side moldings. With a 5.5-liter V8, the CL55 AMG nearly entered the muscle car category except that it had a sporty soul, and skin.
Jetting 360 horses and 391 ft-lb of torque, the CL 55 AMG boasted a ceramic brake system that made it very lightweight and also made it handle like a dream. It may have growled muscle but this car drove pure sport.
Sources: TheWallStreetJournal, TheDrive