The fastest cars of the 2000s were not only super fast, but they also had amazing looks and performance. With such great features, they also came at super prices, which meant that the average person would have had to work extra hard to afford one. However, there are some of these cars that were a hit in that era for their speed, and that today are typically found for almost nothing to say the least, as their worth has dramatically decreased, making them obtainable goals.
If this is your dream, you may have to slide back a few years, but you'll still get a nice, fast car, that is also agile. As much as the interior may not be made of fancy leather, or have cool navigation and other modern features, you will get yourself a truly fast and great car either way. There are thousands that you can pick from this group, so we sorta had some tough decisions to make on which one to pick and which one to leave out. The best part is you no longer have to be very rich to own one of these crazy fast and powerful cars, as there are a ton of variables. If you're looking for a fast but cheap or affordable and still good looking car, then you could do with these options.
From Mustang GTs, to the Subaru Legacy, or the sporty Miata and a cool Camaro, here are just some of the fastest cars of the 2000s that are already pretty much worthless.
19 Mazda Miata
The Mazda Miata is a four-cylinder Japanese car which is very sporty and energetic, and now less expensive too. But don't let those features bar you from buying this car since every generation of this car is a blast to drive.
The standard engine puts out 155-horsepower and provides good acceleration.
The standard manual transmission is a joy to use with quick throws and smooth clutch while the automatic transmission with paddle shifters also delivers a spirited performance with quick shifts. Regardless of the amount of money you have to spend on a car, there is always a Mazda Miata you can put in your driveway.
18 Saturn Sky
This car has been a tremendous success for various reasons, not only because it is a great car but also because it looks unique. Under the bonnet is a 2.4-liter, 177-horsepower Ecotec four with either a five-speed manual or auto transmission. Other features on this car include standard four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and 18-inch wheels. According to Motortrend.com the car has been part of the Keppa platform plan ever since the GM carmeister Bob Lutz declared that the company would create a legitimate, rear-drive sports car that would base for less than $20,000.
17 2001 Cadillac Seville
Cadillac's status as a luxury brand definitely has seen its share of ups and downs. This is a big car fitted with an enormous engine and also offers a sweet comfortable ride. It came with a wide variety of luxury options such as adaptive seating, a navigation system, tire-pressure monitoring, rear parking assist and satellite radio.
The Seville might not sound that impressive today but during its time it was a top-of-class car.
The car only came with one engine option – a 4.6-liter Northstar V8 that produce 305 bhp. When the car has been put into action the engine provides exceptional performance. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in seven seconds.
16 2003 Honda S2000
When you drop the top and smash the gas, this car will give you an exhilarating driving experience. The Honda S2000 is a technological statement from a company that has no peer in the realm of extracting big horsepower from small-displacement engines. The car is powered by a 2.2-liter DOHC, VTEC (TM) 4-cylinder engine that remains the pinnacle of naturally aspirated performance and makes 237-hp and 162 lb-ft of torque. The S2000 is fitted with a Drive-by-Wire throttle control system that eliminates the need for a mechanical connection between the throttle pedal and the engine. Its braking is great and it also remains a heel-and-toe champ. The Honda reaches 60 mph from zero in less than six seconds. Its price ranges between $7,677 to $26,393.
15 2004 BMW M3
Who doesn’t want to own a true racing machine? Absolutely nobody. BMW is known for not only producing luxury cars but expensive ones too.
The BMW M3 provides thrilling performance and fantastic handling.
It is powered by a brilliant 3.2-liter straight-six engine that makes 338bhp. The acceleration on this car will leave you tongue tied with no let-up until you reach the 155mph limiter. This engine is flexible enough to just dart around in traffic. With this car you will experience plenty of engine noise but it will be well compensated with the fantastic work of the engine. This car is surprisingly available on eBay at a price lower than $10k.
14 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton
The VW Phaeton boasts of being the largest, costliest and most luxurious vehicle in the Volkswagen family. It features a restyled front grille, soft close doors, a cell-phone prep package, and revised alloy wheels. The car is powered by a 4.2-liter V-8 engine that makes 335-hp and is paired by a six-speed automatic Triptronic transmission though the more posh Premiere comes with a 420-hp 6.0-liter W-12 engine with a five-speed automatic. The power translates to fast speed and smooth driving. It is approximated that this car can reach 60 mph in 6.7 seconds. A brand new Phaeton might sound way out of reach to many but a used one ranges from $4,619 to $12,751.
13 Chrysler Crossfire
What makes this car outstanding is its unique looks. The Chrysler Crossfire is a rear-wheel drive built by Daimler Chrysler and shares most of its components including the interior, engine and chassis with a previous-generation R170.
The car is powered by a 3.2-liter, 18-valve, single-overhead-cam V6 engine which produces 215-hp and 229 lb-ft of torque.
For better performance, the engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission. The Crossfire accelerates to 60mph in 7.2 seconds and has a top speed of 155.3 mph. The crossfire sold quite briskly at below $40,000 a pop between 2003 and 2004 but sales later fell off so sharply and by 2006 you would get this car for less than an espresso machine. According to jalopnik.com this car was offered on the big O for $8,900 off MSRP.
12 2007 Subaru Legacy GT
Apart from its sporty looks, the Subaru Legacy GT hauls the bacon and sprints to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds. The exceptional performance has been made possible with its 2.5-litre engine that produces 243-hp and 241 lb-ft of turbocharged torque. When the engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission, the subtle GT becomes an effective stoplight sniper and launches with ferocity you won’t expect thanks to Subaru’s all-wheel drive system. This will come as a surprise, but even with this great performance, this car is available on eBay with a price tag less than $10,000.
11 2005 Jaguar X-Type Wagon
Our list can't have ended without a mention of Jaguar car. When you get to eBay you will find the 2005 Jaguar X-Type Wagon with a mark price less than $10k. This car is a station wagon version of the least expensive car in the Jaguar line-up. The wagon based in Europe Ford Mondeo has issues with cut corners and compromises, in particular an engine that is less powerful for its weight and a dated-looking interior. Its 3.0-liter V-6 engine produces 227-hp and is mated to a five-speed automatic that transfer power to all the four wheels. The performance of this car isn’t that impressive, but it accelerates to 60mph in 7.7 seconds and its quarter mile ends in 16 seconds at 88 mph.
10 2004 Pontiac GTO
You will get surprised when you visit eBay and realise that this car costs less than $10k. The Pontiac GTO might be cheap but has some of the greatest features you would admire. You will really struggle to find a reason for not buying this supremely comfortable, rear-drive, corvette-powered, all independently sprung, husky-sounding and highway-inhaling coupe.
There is life under the hood of this car; it contains a 350-hp version of the Vette 5.7-liter V-8 and a standard six-speed manual gearbox.
The car accelerates to 60mph in 5.3 seconds in manual-equipped versions and its quarter mile run ends at 13.8 seconds at 105 mph.
9 2002 Audi S6 Avant
In the market today there are many performance cars, and also a lot of practical, sensible wagons, but it is only special cars such as S6 that blends all these attributes. The high-performance sport wagon is an engaging performance car, an all-weather warrior and a utility wagon. S6 is offered in all-aluminium V-8 with several valves per cylinder, variable intake valve timing and a variable intake manifold and also makes 340-hp. This car is also a rocket ship. It boasts a zero-to-60mph time of 6.5 seconds with a top speed of 155mph. The S6 is available on eBay for less than $10,000.
8 Fiat 500 Abarth
This car first came on sale in 2008 and used examples are now available for less than $10,000. This is a little city car that produces great sound and it is difficult to go wrong with this car. The car has feisty handling that matches its styling thanks to its exhaust note and slammed suspension. This car comes as either a coupe or sliding-canvas soft-top, however the open-air form is a bit expensive. The car is powered by a 160-hp turbocharged 1.4-liter inline-four engine paired with the standard five-speed manual gearbox. The Abarth sprints from zero to 60 mph in seven seconds.
7 Chevrolet Camaro
One thing that remains as a fact is that the Millennium Z28 Camaros are now easily affordable but not as much as the base models. As much as they are cheap, these cars are fun to drive due to their orientation towards performance.
One of these cars fitted with a V8 engine usually produces around 300 horsepower that is more than enough to ensure easy overtaking and quick acceleration.
For weight reduction of this car, most of the sound dampening has been removed in it. If you want to get an affordable sports car then the F-body Z28 Camaros would be a good choice.
6 Ford Mustang S-197
The freshest fifth generation Mustang didn't get to stay on the market very long before the sixth generation came into place in 2015. The sixth generation came with the code name S-197 with considerably lower prices. You can find this car for less than $10,000 but don’t expect much for models beyond 2010 models for a cheaper cost. The Mustang is always an epitome of performance whether powered with a V-6 or V-8 or even a four cylinder engine (except the second generation, which was just bad).
5 Volvo V70 T5 Estate
Have you ever wondered why most police constabularies in the UK use Volvo V70 T5 as a motorway chariot? The reason for this is simple, this is because the cars are highly durable, practical and genuinely fast. Under the hood of this car is a 2.3-liter five cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 250 bhp that pushes the car from zero to 62mph in 6.8 seconds.
The car has a top speed of 155 mph.
The Volvo V70 T5 is fitted with thick, comfortable seats together with a high safety rating. Despite this car having a spacious cabin and high interior quality it also has an issue of lacking sharp handling. When you check carefully in the classifieds, you will find some examples of this car but you can also get the 2003 T5 estate with good mileage at £1,800.
4 Renault Sport Megane R26
The first Megane for Renault - the 225 - was decent but it isn’t that memorable. Though as expected from the RS division, there were some changes that turned the car into a seriously entertaining and competitive hot hatch, into cup, F1 team and lastly into R26 models that culminated with the R26, R which was the most intense hot hatchback that was ever built. Those that were built were massively expensive so a regular R26 would be a better option when looking for a cheaper one. You can find the regular ones with less than £5k, for a front-drive, 227bhp hatch weighing a modest 1355kg. This car however lucks the straight-line performance of modern cars. With a sprint capability of zero to 62 mph in 6.5 sec you will be definitely left in dust.
3 Mercedes-Benz CLK 55 AMG (W208)
It would sound quite crazy to name affordable performance vehicles without a V-8 and Mercedes AMG models have been among the best in the list. The car was introduced in 2003 and was powered by the same 5.4-liter naturally aspirated V-8 that produced 362-hp with torque holding of 376 pound-feet. With such figures, this car was a high performance car even in a modern context. CLK 55 AMG would sprint to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds and had a top speed of 155 mph. Mercedes machines from this era had their image tarnished by electrical gremlins and the CLK was a major victim, with a propensity to rust too much. These cars have also been driven with more verve too, therefore it would be advisable to look for evidence care, attention and regular servicing. When see in the modern terms, the CLK 55 feels a bit unsophisticated despite having tempting performance and value.
2 Nissan 350Z
Japan has been known for producing some of the cheapest cars in the market for years. The 350Z is an example of Japan’s 2000s muscle cars with great value. Some of the Japan’s cars sneak up to below 5K but this won’t take long with the growing interest in Japanese performance cars. Though you can get a Nissan 350Z with a price below £10k, this car is a dope. The car is a neatly-styled, compact coupe powered by a muscular naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter V6. At launch the engine produced 287-hp but was later increased to 306 bhp. One thing that is fascinating about this car is that even at its least potent, it would still sprint to 62 mph in time of 5.9 seconds and had a top speed of 155mph.
1 Vauxhall Monaro
The Vauxhall Monaro features a conservatively-styled coupe body shell, manual gearbox and under its hood is a 5.7-liter V8 engine that produced 403bnp and the power was sent to the rear wheels. Yes this car is a brisk as you have imagined; it can sprint to 62mph in just 6 seconds and doesn’t stop till it reaches a top speed of 160mph-plus if you get a long stretch of derestricted road. Despite the great performance, you will be frustrated with its relatively subtle engine noise and stodgy steering. With understated appearance, this car with Holden’s Vauxhall-badged muscle car comes with a price tag less than £10,000.
Sources: topspeed.com, caranddriver.com, motortrend.com