Cars are being stifled. Without getting political... the future is trending towards slower and less powerful engines and cars like the Dodge Demon with wild amounts of stock horsepower are unicorns. Most sports cars we can afford and actually want to buy are two to four cylinders shy of their predecessors. Lower displacement is the new replacement... so what can be done? Well, much like the Japanese automakers did in the '90s when they set their own horsepower limit; they're focusing on letting us do the power-boosting.

The name of the game for these cars is to be reliable, capable of lots of boost and power-increasing mods, and have all the benefits of modern performance. The EPA may step on our metaphorical skateboard but car companies still have our backs with cars like the Subaru BRZ/ Toyota 86; an underpowered budget car with great potential for being a track demon thanks to a low center of gravity and impressive stock suspension. Conveniently, these sports cars aren't expensive! Most can own them comfortably on an American's average salary... now get your 10mm ready because these guys are just waiting for some major boost!

10 Subaru/Toyota/Scion BRZ/86/FRS

Front 3/4 view of a white GR86 on track
Toyota

Many cars have briefly held the title of "the poor man's Porsche," but again and again this is the car that holds that name most sincerely. Notoriously underpowered, the 4-banger boxer engine is just 2.0 L and has never come with a turbo. Before 2022 they made just about 200 horsepower, now both the BRZ and GR 86 come with 228... nothing to write home about. Stock 0-60 for the new guys are 6.1 at the fastest.

via speedhunters

The skeleton of this thing, however, is impressive. The car looks sport already and sits very low. While the tires are notoriously narrow they can easily be widened a few inches and, if you choose to keep it narrow, can be amazing for drifting! Previously only a manual was available, great for saving a transmission. The engine is a combined effort of Subaru and Toyota but, let's be honest... does Toyota make boxer engines? The pancake powerhouse has been spotted pushing 450 horsepower before forged internals would be required. That much power, RWD, and maybe some coilovers and you got a bonafide Porsche-beater. Imagine how the late Ferrari-powered 86 drove!

9 BMW M2

2021 BMW M2 Competition Perfect Track Car
Via: Facebook

The M2 is what BMW themselves have called their "gateway drug-" I mean "gateway sports car." The name of the game is an entry-level sports car to get you hooked on BMW without blowing your cash. Historically such cars have much more attention to detail and aren't bogged down by technology, in fact, they are pretty great purists sports cars even for the more experienced. The coupe (or convertible) already has a respectable 365 to 405 horsepower from a 3.0 L straight-six, but keep in mind that this is BMW performance!

via bmw-motorsport.com

Whether you pick rear-wheel or the fancy "X-Drive" (AWD) then you're getting into a car that's under $60,000 that can stick to the road admirably. It's like driving on rails, and in a straight line, it can really destroy domestic pony cars with a 0-60 of 3.8 at the fastest. That's right, this is one car you can buy and immediately get to 60 in 3-second or quicker with some bolt-on parts and a tune.

Related: 10 Things We Love About The BMW M2 Competition

8 Chevrolet Camaro LT1

Chevrolet Camaro LT1
Via hdcarwallpapers.com

Did you know they make a 2.0 L 4-cylinder Camaro? Please don't buy it, but we just wanted to let you know it exists for a mere $25,000 brand-new. We're talking about the LT1, the $34,000 V8 because... why would you get a muscle car and not get a V8? That's just silly! Also, it's best for what we're here for right now... power increase! The drive the Camaro is fun, there's no denying it, and stock it will break loose without too much prompting despite respectably wide tires (275 mm to the Corvette's 285).

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Vs Dodge Challenger Hellcat 2
via YouTube channel Wheels

The Camaro LT1 simply looks amazing, it was a significant step up in design for Chevy, and performance is the new directive so when you have eight cylinders working together to make about 450 horses then you have a playground for speed! In fact, so perfect is GM's small-block V8 that it's the number one choice for engine swaps in any car that needs to go fast and keep it's boost down.

7 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth

This is a lesser-known modern sports car that hasn't exactly made its mark in the U.S. but remains a fairly impressive sport convertible. Even though it runs with a 1.4 L 4-cylinder that you could probably pick up by hand, it only weighs 2,500 lbs (give or take based on trims) and it has a turbo, so it will be spry and lively when you need it to be. Need we remind you, Fiat owns and works closely with Ferrari, so the 124 Spider Abarth is a gateway-to-a-gateway car... a "free edible gummy" car maybe?

For just $26,000 you can have a sporty-looking sporty-feeling machine that sticks to the road and is already set up for a turbo. As far as we've seen it handles bigger turbos just fine, and that 164 horsepower can be a 250 without any qualm. Besides a fine-tuned lightweight car you also get modern amenities like hands-free entry and a backup camera.

Related: 9 Reasons Why We Love The Fiat 124 Spider Abarth

6 Mazda Miata MX-5

Front 3/4 view of the Miata on the move
via Mazda

From its start in the '90s to today, the Miata has been one of the most simple and ideal beginner cars to get into with a socket wrench and learn about cars. For all time it's had an inline-four that's naturally aspirated and despite its small size, there's room to play in the engine bay all day. A newer Miata offers more comfort and a very impressive jump in performance.

2012_Mazda_MX-5_GT
source: allcarindex

Some say that the Miata's new and old are overvalued and we can see why they say it... a good 2020 Miata can't be found for less than $27,000. Consider, though, that this car is bulletproof, has a decent look about it, and comes with 181 horses from its little engine, a pretty impressive amount but still considered underpowered by most who drive it. A modified Miata, old or new, tends to be not too frustrating if modded properly, and once souped up it's really just a matter of enjoying the ride!

Related: 8-Second Mazda Miata Does The Unthinkable Edging Out A Ford Mustang In Drag Race

5 Hyundai Veloster N

2021-hyundai-veloster-n-lead
via: Pinterest

This is one car that starts more fights than any other. Love it or hate it, we're going to ignore things like reliability issues, coming from a country with a questionable government, or the three-door layout (two on the right and one on the left, it's kinda freaky). Those facts aside this is a cute, fast, small, lightweight car with lots of potential for a zippy track car and fun city car.

Large-48065-HyundaiGearsUpasTitleSponsorofIMSARaceWeekendatWeatherTechRacewayLagunaSeca
Via: Hyundai

The manual RWD is possibly the cheapest price per horsepower car you can get new. The way we see it, it's a Mini Cooper attempt that has more room to play around under the hood and decent potential for boosting the crap out of it. Worst case scenario, you got one of the older Velosters (not N) for a cool $16,000 and that's all you're out.

Related: 10 Affordable Sports Cars We'd Buy Over The Hyundai Veloster N

4 Ford Mustang GT

Front 3/4 view of the Mustang GT Stealth Pack
Ford

The Mustang GT is known for being a machine made for classic domestic fun and power! Continually we are impressed by the ability of the Ford engine to take what crazy Mustang owners do to them! Yes, new ones do come in a cringe-y 4-cylinder but we are still going to be focusing on the real one: the 5.0 L V8.

2018 Ford Mustang GT
Via-Wikimedia-Commons

The Coyote engine is capable of getting the 3,800 lbs car to 60 in 3.9 seconds which in the world of the 'Stang is the most important number you need to know. If you got some mechanical know-how a nice, clean Mustang is one car that could last you forever with the right care and tasteful power increasing... or you could just max it out to the craziest extreme your wallet will allow! A Mustang is really just a blank slate for adults to play with.

3 Ford Focus ST

Ford Focus ST Edition front third quarter view
Via: Media.ford.com

Are you noticing a pattern? No! Not the Fords. The lightweight cars! The ST is a 4-banger... it obviously can't fit much else and doing so would be counterproductive to the car's ability to avoid understeer. It's a front-wheel-drive car but the low-down is that even though this is the sport trim (ST), it's still a compact car, and is based on Ford's cheapest economy vehicle.

ford-focus-st-race-red-1
youtube.com

On the other hand, thanks to the ST's enhanced performance it's ready to impress you if only you can squeeze some power out of the already-decent 252 horsepower 2.0 L engine. The beautiful thing is that the aftermarket support for these is beyond amazing, as it ought to be with how many are sold.

Related: Here Are The Coolest Mods For Your Ford Focus ST

2 Audi A4

2009 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro - 1
Audi

The Audi A4 is bent to fit the mold of an affordable mid-luxury sedan, but it has Audi-like qualities that make it a four-wheel metal mass of potential. Quattro AWD is standard and while sometimes the standard 4-cylinder seems gutless (especially up hills for some reason), it is able to manage power in a way only a Group-B rally champion company could.

Via motor1.com

The Audi A4, brand-new, costs a person just shy of $40,000 and in our experience is a great snow-going car that is fun to drive but with just 188 horses to the 3,500 lbs, it doesn't thrill like it does when you spoof it up. Audi A4's are extremely common in drag races, drifting, racing, track days, and even as sleepers! A modified Audi sedan with the same engine even broke the record for the fastest (illegal) Cannonball time coast-to-coast in 2019, doing it in a mere 27 hours using over 800 horses to its name.

1 Subaru WRX STI

2020 Suabru STI WRX White Front Quater parked bronze gold rims wing newest fastest mod
subaru.com

What can we say about the WRX that we haven't seen before? The car has a bad rap from some major head gasket issues that as far as we've been told were fixed circa 2014-2015. WRX's since then have been slowly and carefully amping up the power in a way they can cover in a warranty. In the meantime, the AWD has not let us down even once! The only thing that has, really, is the 2022 WRX design...

Related: 10 Things Every Future Owner Should Know Before Buying A Subaru WRX

Travis Pastrana Subaru
Via Hoonigan

Frankly, we only know the WRX STI does so well because we've seen one go over 210 mph in person, and have seen too many instances of stock pancake engines getting 300 more horsepower (600 total). Balanced by the Symmetrical AWD, a high-powered STI is one thing you never want to race against!