No car guy or girl can resist the appeal of a fast car. But should you buy them? When the scary check engine light comes on again, you should keep that in mind. Thankfully, it is possible to have highly tuned engines, Sports Cars, and stability.
There are two possible outcomes when you jump in. Choosing an older sports car that doesn’t have as many technological parts can be a big plus. Ask any serious car fan about how good a Rover V8-powered sports car is, and you’ll almost certainly hear about how reliable it is even after a lot of miles. But if you want better speed numbers, you should get a newer car with a turbocharged engine. Be smart about what you choose.
GM’s LT/LS engines are the best of the best when it comes to US-made cars. Consider a new Corvette or Camaro with a V8 engine. In the long run, you can’t beat the use of simpler, more lasting push-rod units. GM tries to get people to buy the C8 Corvette by giving it 495 hp, which is close to the speed of a Supercar.
But if you change the exhaust and filters, that number goes up to about 700 ponies with little trouble. It’s never been so easy to get good performance at a good price. No longer do gearheads only buy sports cars for the weekend. Here are the 10 best sports cars with engines that are made to last.
Miata MX-5 Sport is inexpensive, fun, and reliable
All hail the cheap sports car king! Even though the MX-5 is cheap, that doesn’t mean that Mazda scrimped on its build or style in any way. The MX-5 Sport price list for 2023 shows that it has been slightly changed. At these low prices, it might be the most fun and reliable sports car you can buy for your money.
Mazda did well where others have tried and failed because the design and layout are so simple. You don’t need complicated gadgets just to have them. Everything in the Japanese icon always works. Under the hood, the reliability continues with a simple, rev-happy 1.8-liter engine that makes 181 horsepower at 7000 RPM. Even though it is cheap and has a small engine, the MX-5 is a good driver, going from 0 to 60 in less than 5 seconds.
Old Version Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingrays are better than new ones
What is a good fast car to buy? Most of the time, the answer rests on what you want. Yet, it will be hard to find an American sports car that is better and more durable than a C7 Corvette Stingray. For its replacement, moving the engine to the middle of the car does improve speed in some ways. But this one is a good deal for speed junkies on a tight budget who don’t want to worry about how long it will last.
There are so many used Corvettes on the market, which is good news. This makes it as easy as a quick look through the classified ads to find the color you want with the right trim level. All C7s have a load-bearing frame and a composite body to make them last longer. Of course, all of the cars have V8 engines as standard. From 2014 to 2019, the C7 came with a GM LT V8 with a 6.2-liter displacement and 460 horsepower, which should be enough power for any gearhead.
Subaru BRZ: Cheap Fun That Won’t Let You Down
It can be risky to step into the shady world of cheap used sports cars. Cheap things are cheap for a reason, so gearheads on a budget should keep this in mind. If you don’t listen to the advice, bad things could happen. But even with a small income, you can find some great deals. Subaru and Toyota worked together on a small sports car project in 2013. The BRZ/GT86 that came out of this has a small 2-liter boxer engine that is known for giving a lot of speed when revved.
There are sports cars that cost less than $10,000. Both brands offer a fun front-rear drive frame with 204 hp under the hood. 204 hp isn’t a lot of power, so speed could be better. The Subaru BRZ can go from 0 to 60 in 6.4 seconds, but the Japanese giants’ original goal was to make a car that was cheap and fun to drive. Just based on those things, the BRZ is hard to pass up.
BMW Z4 (G29): Six Cylinders Will Last Longer Than Four
Even though they are all tempting, not all BMW Z4s are the same. Even though it might be tempting to buy an older used car, we think you should stick to cars made in 2018 or later. Even more so if you can afford the straight six-engine model. The extra cubes and pistons will not only give you more power, but they will also make the engine last longer. Most car fans know that the Z4 is very similar to the present Toyota Supra. But, for a price, the BMW badge does give the car more status.
The BMW B58 straight-six engine in the Z4 and Supra has a displacement of 3 liters and is paired with two turbochargers to make at least 382 hp. In a sprint run, it takes 4.2 seconds to go from zero to sixty. We already said that the older the car, the better. Some small problems happened with earlier B58 engines.
Porsche 991: 60 Years of the Flat-Six Engine
To stay with the Germans, Porsche 911s are known for being tough and long-lasting. The number of confusing names makes it hard to choose one to use every day. The car in the shot above looks almost exactly like any other 911, but it is actually a 991. Even though the car’s history of names is complicated, all 911s are built with the engine in the back.
The engine in the wrong place is the key to Porsche’s success. Porsche uses a flat-six design, while most of its competitors use V8s. Well, why not? Since 1964, when the first 911 came out, the German car company has made small changes to the boxer shape. The only big change was switching from cooling with air to cooling with water.
Lotus Elise S3: Japanese Reliability, British Know-How
People know how reliable Lotus is, or how unreliable it is. Still, is a Lotus really a bad car? When it came to older cars, the saying “Lots of Trouble, Usually Serious” was a sign that led people to buy other brands. The Elise, on the other hand, is a completely different story. The Elise was designed to be a lightweight, simple sports car that could be used both on the track and on the road. It was very simple.
The only thing the Elise has going for it is that its frame and body are made of metal and fiberglass. Even though Lotus was very good at engineering, the Elise never had an engine made by Lotus. Instead, the company used units that were bought. This is great news for car fans who were thinking about getting an Elise S3. A supercharged Toyota 2ZR-FE engine is attached to the back of this tiny rocket. By the time production stops in 2021, the Elise will be able to put out up to 245 hp without much trouble.
When Only a V8 Makes Sense: Ford Mustang GT
Which old fast car is the best to buy? It has to be a Mustang. There’s no question about it. Why? Even though this US icon is mostly known in the US, gearheads all over the world know about it. Older cars might look better from the outside, but the sixth-generation Mustang is the most reliable and fastest. As long as you choose the right engine.
Anything less than a V8 engine under the hood is heresy in the car world. Ford is very familiar with this mix, which is why the Mustang GT’s 5-liter V8 Coyote engine can make 460 hp. You will have a hard time finding another V8 engine that gives you as much for your money. But the Coyote’s made insides are what make it a monster that can eat miles in the long run.
Toyota Supra A80: Power and durability with a history
Time for a taste of the royal family of cars. When the Toyota Supra Turbo came out in 1993, it caused a stir. Here was a car from a normal brand that could drag and run faster than the best European brands. More importantly, the Supra cost less than half as much.
Even after 30 years, the Supra is still a very famous car. The Japanese coupe is loved by gearheads, tuners, and street drivers. But people like it not just because of the car. The most exciting part is what’s under the hood. When it came out of the Motomichi plant, the famous 2JZ straight six made 321 hp. In the hands of tuners, that number goes up much higher, and 800 hp is not out of the question.
Honda S2000: Screamer with Four Cylinders
Another famous sports car from Japan that has a cult following. The 1999-born S2000 has a different way of getting to driving heaven. Honda went with a high-revving four-cylinder engine instead of a turbo, which makes a whooshing sound. Near a 9000 RPM limiter, the S2000’s engine screamed like a banshee and almost blew the roof off. With Honda’s VTEC cam system, the F20C motor could reach speeds that had never been seen before at the time.
Now, putting out 247 hp at the top of the rev range might sound like a bad idea, but you’re in for a treat. Because Honda is so good at making high-performance engines, the F20C can easily go 300,000 miles without any big repairs.
Nissan Skyline GT-R is a legendary touring car that is going to hit the streets
Nissan has the last spot on our list of durable sports cars. No other car here blends high-tech engineering and blistering speed as well as this one. For the record, Nissan said that the RB26DETT engine made 276 hp, which is what the law in Japan says. Those who knew knew that the real number was a lot more than 300 hp.
More specifically, this motor can gain a lot of power with just a boost increase. Still, the Skyline isn’t some flimsy prima donna that breaks down all the time. Instead, the Skyline is famous for how long it lasts. Nissan made the GT-R so it could race, and from 1990 to 1993, it won 29 tours with it. Taking bulletproof success to the roads has, of course, been driving paradise ever since.
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