10 Cheap Sports Cars For Tuners
Sports cars exist for the main purpose of providing a sense of joy and exhilaration to the driver. Plenty of car manufacturers have produced sports cars that every gearhead should drive at least once; but for many people, the car that rolls out of the factory is not going to cut it.
Many gearheads would very much like to squeeze every last bit of power and performance they can get out of their cars and unlock their full potential. Some people want a more intricate and/or unique experience from their cars that suits their specific needs perfectly. However, tuning a car is no walk in the park. Car tuning required tackling lots of problems, and the costs can quickly add up.
Cars that are iconic for their tuning capabilities can be pricey. But some cars still fall into the affordable category. And these cheap cars are no less capable of handling awesome mods either, performance or vanity.
We scoured through used market sites such as KBB, AutoTrader, Edmunds, and Classic.com to put together a list of sports cars under $20,000 that are well-known for their tuning capabilities.
10 Acura RSX
Starting Price: $6,000
Acura
The Acura RSX offers a solid platform for modding and upgrades. It's got a 2.0-liter DOHC Inline-4 that serves as a good foundation for performance upgrades. Moreover, the RSX features a strong suspension to accommodate different coilovers and sway bars. Acura is basically a Honda with a different badge, so you do not have to worry about reliability, and the RSX is no exception.
The RSX has a sporty chassis too, so people loved how easily it serves as a base for a lot of visual upgrades as well. The used market won't let you find an RSX so easily because there aren't many of them, but depending on your dedication and a little bit of luck, you can get one selling between $5,000 and $10,000.
Popular Mods:
Fuel and Ignition Mapping
Forced Induction
Cold Air Intake
Aftermarket Exhaust System
Coilovers or Performance Springs, Sway Bars
Larger Brake Rotors and High-Performance Brake Pads
Related: Check Out This Fully Race-Prepped Acura RSX
9 BMW E46 3 Series
Starting Price: $5,000
Via Jake Thomas / Wikimedia
The E46 M3 has gathered a very vibrant aftermarket tuning community. The E46 3 Series is one of the best cars BMW has ever made, for starters. Add the fact that you can own an M3 from that generation for around $15,000 with some models selling for as low as $5,000 is too good of a deal to overlook.
The M3 CSL comes with a 3.2-liter Inline-6 that makes 338 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque. The engine is just as robust and durable as it is powerful. Hence, a lot of people found it to be of good value for such a low price. Getting a powerful engine from the start helps keep performance upgrade costs low, and a lot of people benefited from that.
Popular Mods:
Eventuri Intakes
Karbonius Airboxes
Front Reflector and Grill Paintjobs
Ohlins R&T coilover setups
Future Classic Wheel Spacer Kits
Eisenmann Performance Exhausts
Related: Here’s Why The BMW E46 3 Series Is A Great First Drift Car
8 Chevrolet Corvette C6
Starting Price: $16,000
SOURCE: YouTube @AutoGlory
The C6 Corvette has become an icon in the tuning community. Not only is it powerful and a highly capable sports car in its own right, but it supports a large number of mods and upgrades to become even cooler. These 'Vettes are old enough so that you don't have to worry about warranty breaches, yet they are modern enough to handle more modern tunes.
The C6 Corvette's best feature for tuning is its LS2 engine. This 400 hp V8 motor is one of GM's most versatile engines since it's part of the popular LS series of engines. You can slap most performance upgrades onto this engine without worrying too much, and the sporty chassis can even handle some cool engine swaps.
Popular Mods:
Supercharger Kits
Performance Exhaust System
Coilovers and Adjustable Shocks
Aftermarket Front Splitters, Rear Wings, and Side Skirts
Aftermarket Body Kits
LS3 Engine Swaps
7 Toyota Celica GT-Four
Starting Price: $15,000
Via: Bring A Trailer
The Toyota Celica is one of the best driver's cars out there. It's a phenomenal sports car that gave birth to the legendary Supra. And the Celica GT-Four ST205 is a de-tuned version of the rally homologation special. So all you need to do is re-tune it back to its potential, and voilà! You got yourself a sick modified JDM sports car.
That said, there are some things you need to check first before jumping straight into tuning. The Celica is prone to heat soak, so you may need a better cooler. Also, check for rust with this one, but other than that, The Celica is a reliable sports car. So you should be able to stick multiple mods and upgrades without many issues.
Popular Mods:
Suspension Upgrades
Fast Road Cams (You may need to find a local firm to regrind a stock camshaft)
Increased Force On Turbochargers
Lighter Flywheel
Head Porting and Flowing
ECU Mapping
6 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4
Starting Price: $19,000 (first-gen)
Mecum Auctions
The Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR4 is a great used sports car bargain if you want to get a classic JDM car with great performance and even greater tuning potential. The 3000GT had a retro styling that allowed lots of different and interesting external mods including paint jobs, body kits, and retrofit aero parts.
But the 3000GT's twin-turbo 3.0-liter DOHC V6 engine takes the cake here. It's a very dependable 300-hp engine that can handle more boost through the turbos, better fuel mapping, and even supercharger kits. However, it should be noted that the 3000GT will require some attention to its transmission and transfer case as they might have issues down the line.
Popular Mods:
Lightweight Coilover and Suspension Setup
Competition Clutch
Powerflow Exhaust
FMIC Intercooler
Supercharger Kit
5 BMW E90 335i Coupe
Starting Price: $8,000
Via BMW Blog
The E90 3 Series generated much hype during its launch. One of its most talked-about features is the debut of the twin-turbo N54 engine under its hood. The N54 is an award-winning Inline-6 that blew people away with its performance and tuning potential. Also, the 335i benefits from it not being an M3, and hence, it's more affordable.
You shouldn't be worrying about the difference in performance either. A stock 335i may not be as fast as an M3, but BMW has forged the internals of the N54 engine to take on more power than it delivers out of the factory. The E90 335i is a good-looking car and a reliable one at that, and you won't find many other highly tunable European sports cars at this price.
Popular Mods:
VRSF/ETS/Burger Charge Pipe
VRSF/ETS/MISHIMOTO Intercooler
MHD AFR and Spark Advance
BILSTEIN Coilovers
INJEN Ram Air Intake
SNOW PERFORMANCE Water-Ethanol Kit
4 Ford Mustang
Starting Price: $5,000
Via: YouTube via StangMode
The Ford Mustang might not be the most agile or sportiest or even the most powerful sports car, but it's got a big trick up its sleeve. And that's popularity. You should not have any trouble whatsoever finding a good Ford Mustang model for cheap in the used market. The abundance of Mustangs, and by extension, Mustang parts make it really easy for tuners.
You can easily find multiple options for a reliable year for a Mustang and avoid money pits. When it comes to tuning, the sheer amount of souped-up Mustangs on the internet and in real life should acquit you of any worries related to finding parts and people available to work on a Mustang and its engine.
Popular Mods:
Cold Air Intake
Independent Rear Suspensions
Superchargers
Sway Bars
Tuned Shifters (especially for the automatic ones)
Spoilers
Related: These Cheap Ford Mustangs Can Be Modded Into Powerful Sleeper Cars
3 Toyota 86
Starting Price: $14,000
Toyota
The Toyota 86 derives its name from the AE86, a legend in the tuner and drifting communities. Thankfully, the apple never falls far from the tree, and the new 86 shares some integral features with the AE86, one of them being tuning capabilities. The 86's Boxer-4 engine was a bit underwhelming when the 86 first came out.
But Toyota remedied the problem, so some of the later models got powerful engines, and are still affordable. Toyota also made sure to keep the reliability up to their world-class standards, so you can pretty much go buck wild with mods and tunes as long as they're compatible, like this one from SEMA '22 with an LS3 stuffed in it.
Popular Mods:
Rocket Bunny Body Kits
Bigger Tires
Weight Reduction
Intercooler
Forced Induction (usually Turbos)
Engine Swap (especially the 2JZ)
Related: These Are The Coolest Mods For Your Subaru BRZ Or Toyota 86
2 Nissan 350Z
Starting Price: $5,000
Source: FavCars
Nissan has had a good record of giving us one good and affordable sports car after another. The 240SX, 300ZX, 350Z, 370Z, and the 400Z are proof of that. Out of those, the 240SX and the 350Z are the best and most popular for tuning purposes. Out of these two, the 350Z is still affordable in the used market.
The 370Z may be newer and more powerful, but the 350Z has insane tuning potential compared to the 370Z. Some 350Z models are pretty reliable, so you won't have to worry about many problems either. The 350Z is also a good first drift car with the right mods, for people looking to get a cheap sports car to start with.
Popular Mods:
Exhaust (Single-, Dual-, or even Quad-exit)
Clutch (2003-2007 350Z had minor clutch issues anyway)
Steering Wheel
Forced Induction
Cold Air Intake
Short Throw Shifter
Body Kits
Related: 2023 Nissan Z Vs 2003 Nissan 350Z: Here’s How The Two Nissan Zs Compare 20 Years Apart
1 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Starting Price: $4,000
via Classics.com
The Mazda MX-5 Miata is an evergreen sports car in terms of popularity. The same can be said for its tuning potential as well. If you are ever confused about choosing an affordable and capable sports car for tuning, just look up used Miatas in your area. The Mx-5 Miata is one of the best project cars in the US right now.
The good project car is affordable, reliable, and offers good aftermarket support. That's basically a recipe for a good tuner sports car! You will see a plethora of tuned Miatas with people ranging from learning their first mods to experts trying out something crazy on the Miata's 1.6-liter 116-hp to 2.0-liter 181-hp engines.
Popular Mods:
Source: HotCars
