Best sports car under $15k?

[spencer60]

hey! Some of those little Fords were pretty fast!

 

[Zeake]

hey! Some of those little Fords were pretty fast!

Compared to a civic

 

[Lazarus]

An Escort GT. . . . .. Turn in your man card sir.
That is just too far.

You obviously have no idea. Those Escort GTs were sleepers back then. Sure by todays 200-300hp standard they aren't fast but that little 1.9L engine had some pep and they light too under 2300lb.

 

[Ghost941]

Thats debatable. The S2000 has a little more torque, but it has a higher curb weight but it also has 80-100 more hp. Miata has an advantage of being cheaper, easier to mod but the S2000 is a lot more refined, better overall which is a factor if the OP is a bigger/taller guy. Stock for stock the S2000 is the better car.

Thw S2K has perfect 50/50 weight distribution too. Easy to work on, not a problematic car, and decent mileage. Great resale value and just fun to drive. I miss the heck out of mine but not a family man car. They only come in convertible and 6sp manual as well. Op, drive one and see for yourself. It's worth a look.

 

[Lancekl]

Thw S2K has perfect 50/50 weight distribution too. Easy to work on, not a problematic car, and decent mileage. Great resale value and just fun to drive. I miss the heck out of mine but not a family man car. They only come in convertible and 6sp manual as well. Op, drive one and see for yourself. It's worth a look.

If you are going to check out an S2K. Be sure to check the top in the corners where the top bars rub the material..They tend to wear holes in a very short time and a top is not cheap.

Have owned most of the british sports cars, an S2K, 4 Miatas and a couple of Corvettes and a host of other sports cars.
Many of the cars mentioned in these posts aren't even sports cars, Mustangs, Camaros, Buick Grand Nationals etc may be fast cars but not sports cars.

Of the bunch the Miata, the S2k, and the Corvettes stand out.
The chick thing with the Miata has always cracked me up. I usually hear that from someone in a Camaro, or Mustang that I have dusted over a stretch of mountain road. Currently I have a Corvette and a Morgan to scratch my sports car itch, but for cost effective all round fun. The Miata is hard to beat.

 

[TattooedGunner]

I swear this forum has a way of making me want stuff that I never would have considered before.

 

[MAK]

Is this one any good?
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/5006311597.html

I would run from that. Sort of defeats the purpose of the Miata. Here is a fairly low miles and good price 2nd gen. Definitely worth a look if it has a clean car fax. http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/5001806840.html
First gen with only 24k miles. Pricey for one that old but man, only 24,000
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/5043819246.html

 

[Kyzrsoze]

the boxter is a high maintenance car and can be expensive to work on they are usually cheaper because the previous owner couldn't afford the routines

True. The Boxter has no engine access from above. Even minor repairs require that the engine/subframe be dropped from under the car. Not for a 'do it yourself' guy.

 

[roadsterjosh]

I would run from that. Sort of defeats the purpose of the Miata. Here is a fairly low miles and good price 2nd gen. Definitely worth a look if it has a clean car fax. http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/5001806840.html
First gen with only 24k miles. Pricey for one that old but man, only 24,000
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/5043819246.html

That is actually an average price for that low of mileage and condition. We recently took one in on trade at my dealer that had 18k miles. It sold for 10k with hard top. The hard tops are expensive on their own.

 

[roundhouse]

Thats debatable. The S2000 has a little more torque, but it has a higher curb weight but it also has 80-100 more hp. Miata has an advantage of being cheaper, easier to mod but the S2000 is a lot more refined, better overall which is a factor if the OP is a bigger/taller guy. Stock for stock the S2000 is the better car.

the Mazda redlines about where the s-2000 starts actually making more power than your riding mower

Roommate used to have one
Like a 2 stroke racing bike

No power till super high rpm