Affordable mid-engine sports cars are coveted items that should be preserved in as many numbers as is possible. When you think of a cheap mid-engine car, people immediately think of one of two cars, the Toyota Mr2 or the Pontiac Fiero.
These cars competed with each other tooth and nail throughout the late 80s and early 90s. But 30 years after they both went out of production, where does the debate stand today? Fans of American cars laud the Fiero as the American answer to European and Japanese sports cars for a cheaper price. While JDM fans covet the Mr2's peppy two-liter turbo coupled with Toyotas legendary reliability. So which is better? Of course, it's a matter of opinion, but let's set the stage for all of you to decide for yourselves.
Today, let's look at two of the best small, light, and affordable sports cars to see which one is the right one for you.
Lots Of Growing Pains
It's no secret what a debacle the designing of the Fiero was. With pencil pushers in GM's upper management seeing the Fiero as a threat to their market dominance of large family cars, they gave the car a pitifully low budget. One that necessitated the use of a four-cylinder "iron duke" engine from a Grumman LLV Mail Truck.
Fire Hazard
This made a car made for a screaming engine a slow revving, temperamental and unreliable brick of a car. The Iron Duke engine was also known to catch fire on occasion, that's always nice to know.
Late Bloomer
Luckily, the car did receive engine and suspension upgrades which made it far more competitive against the might of the Mr2, including an upgraded V6 engine. May make grabbing a late model worth a look.
Toyota At Its Best
Planned obsolescence will prevent a car as reliable as the w10 Mr2 from ever being built again. But needless to say, compared to the Fiero, it's a much better bet you'll be buying a car in good shape.
These W10 engines are known for running practically forever as long as you change the oil and filter at regular intervals. In extreme cases, people have squeezed out over a million miles in 1980's Toyotas on a number of occasions. Among these bulletproof cars, the Mr2 is by far the coolest.
Both of these cars represent the peak of style in the late 80s and early 90s, we recon anyone who buys either of them will look just as cool in 2020 as they would have in the early 90s. Which is best? let us know on our Facebook page.