I personally like the NSX, because folks thought Honda was crazy for making a sports car hybrid. And now, it seems like it is all the rage.

The emira gets my vote. Such an attractive car and far more unique than other entries on your list.

Personally as much as I love the Cayman I think the rs6 is the best all around. You’ll be happy to have the extra space at some point

Emira or 911 will be the best options for you based on the criteria you have.

I'd personally go for either the 2017 NSX for V-TEC power, quick turning, and easy handling or the Porshe Cayman 4.0 for being the essential sports car you're looking for with a club you're familiar with.

You live in the US and want a sports car in the $30-40k range? There's only one car I would buy. A Corvette. In most countries they are way too expensive due to engine size and/or CO2 based car taxation which doubles or triples the US price. The Corvette is relatively simple and uncomplicated compared to a BMW which has lots of tech to go wrong as the car ages. As a car gets older, a big non-turbo engine is a much better bet than a highly stressed turbo engine.

Most new Corvettes are bought by older guys who's kids are grown up, the mortgage is paid, they are in the top income bracket, and they now have the money to get the car they always promised themselves. Look for a one-owner car in perfect condition (kept under a dust cover) no modifications, low mileage, and full service history, owned by an older guy who has several other cars in the garage.

Never buy a fast used car from a young or low income person. Expensive maintenance will not have been done, and it was probably trashed and crashed a few times.

Do your research, decide which colour and specification you want, and take your time looking for the best possible car. Good luck!

PS If I lives in the US, that is exactly what I would be doing.

I know you didnt mention it, but at 19 I bought my GT Premium Mustang for 30k with only 18k miles on it. Ive only had to replace a cam shaft sensor and tires basically, regular maintenance isnt too expensive either. Lots of fun, plenty of power and didnt break the bank. Also, huge market for add ons and upgrades. Still running great at 83,000 miles and the new gens look nice. I hear BMWs are pretty expensive to keep up with and personally always wanted a corvette.

Nissan Zs are currently around $10k off.

Elantra N at that price point

For supra, you're going to get the 4 banger at that price range. Honestly, best bet is probably a C7 or a BMW M car.

First, keep your current car and save the money as long as you can. The longer you wait, the better shape you’ll be in to buy a replacement.

Second, if you need a truck to do truck things, then get a truck. But it doesn’t sound like you have that need. If that’s true, absolutely get the sports car. Miata, GR86/BRZ, possibly the Prelude when it comes out if that’s of interest. They’ll be cheaper and way more fun to drive than a truck.

Good luck.

I’m partial to the GR86, because I have one, but it’s pretty much a consensus that it’s the best sports car you can get new for under $40k. It’s far more practical to daily than a miata, and it’s insanely fun in general.

Honestly for 30-40k grab a Miata or gr86, both reliable and affordable to do maintenance on. If you want to go the sports car route, that is. If you’re just looking for a good reliable car that’ll save you money in the long run, you can grab a brand new Prius with AWD drive for somewhere in the low 30k range, if I’m not wrong. If you want a truck in the 30-40k range, I feel like a Maverick is probably the right answer. There are plenty of SUV options as well

Yeaaa it depends on what you're trying to accomplish. Fastest Lap? Low cost of consumables? Something to learn in? Something you can live with daily, but also take to track? So many factors, there isn't 1 answer... well ok there is Miata... but besides that. ;-)

Have a CTS vsport, can confirm the chassis is amazing. Magneride doesn't hurt either.

Depends what your doing. Canyon carving? Hot hatch’s are fantastic, Fiesta ST is a riot, Focus ST/RS, GTI, civic Si/Type R. If you’re getting into track use, that becomes a different conversation, how much speed do you want to buy?

Original NSX. Not fast by today's standards, but the car is BALANCED.

The original NSX and its handling was cited as one of the inspirations for Gordon Murray, when he designed the McLaren F1.

from Wikipedia:

Gordon Murray, the designer of the McLaren F1 supercar, stated that he used the NSX as the inspiration for the F1 after test driving many high performance cars and finding the NSX chassis performed the best. Murray stated that the design was "monumental" to sportscar design.

The original NSX also has the blessing of having Ayrton Senna's input on chassis stiffening.

If you want to see what heel-toe driving really looks like, here is Senna driving the NSX at Suzuka:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUVkVB3SUf4

Anything Lotus and Caterham i guess.

Lol I get that from a first impression but I daily drive it with no issues. The mirrors are set up so there are no blind spots, the seat is adjusted so I can clearly see out. Its definitely intimidating at first but once you set it up for you its not bad at all. I do still back into parking spaces though because I don't want to run my front splitter into anything, that is the tough part.

6th gen Camaro. I own a 2023 1LE and for it being a V8 muscle car, you wouldn't expect the type of handling performance it is capable of. Absolute track monster that is planted at high speeds. Punches well above its price point.

Z4 ??? 😂

خذ سوبرا. توأم زد ٤

شف انا ماعندي خبرة فالسيارات ماشاء الله زيك واللي فالتعليقات لكن اقولك شف سيارة تصمل معك خاصة مع اجواءنا الحارة وقطع غيارها متوفرة الله يوفقك داري كلام اباء بس يبقى هو اصدق كلام

ابد انا مالي خبره بذي السيارات بس عين خير وخذ لك شي يمشي معاك كلها ذي قطع غيارها اغلى من الثانيه وبتتعبك اذا بتشتري مستخدم وماتصمل

دقيقه كم سعر كورفت دام تقول الماديه ضعيفة😭

Better save money for the insurance first

And get ready for 243,654 ppl on here to tell you to buy a Miata.

Turn back now before you become the stereotype.

User post: I'm thinking of getting a dog. Maybe a Mastiff, St. Bernard, or a Wolfhound. Thoughts?

Reddit: You should get a pug.

Classic -E1 tings right here

Pariah but it is bound to change to GTO. Check broughy1322 for updates.

Unless the meta has changed since I stopped playing the pariah should be the best in sports class

Check out Broughy1322 on YT. Click on videos and you can see his testing of new cars by both highest top speed, or fastest around a track.

GTO, beware is still a wild horse even with the advanced flags correction from rockstar.

The GTO or Pariah will be the tops in the sports class. The GTO hasn't been retested since it was fixed, so it's likely faster than the Pariah now, but either will do you just fine.

You're 15, you don't have enough driving experience to get a real sports car. Trust me it's not a good idea, your insurance would be high, if you finance your apr would be high, you have the risk of making an honest rookie mistake and causing damage to a nice car, etc. If you want a fun car, a Miata is the obvious choice. Good platform, not a lot of power to be dangerous for a new driver, would be really easy to work on and cheap to maintain, etc.

There are plenty of comments on here already, but I'll add my 2 cents.

I don't mean this in an offensive or disrespectful way, but you are 15 and you should not be getting a $40,000 like you said in a previous comment. Just because you have the money, doesn't mean you should spend it on a depreciating asset like a car that if you purchase in the near future you'll be paying much more than it's actually worth. Using all your saved money to buy a car is like slowly burning your money with each day that passes. You also need to remember that cars have maintenance costs, and in general the more expensive the car is the more expensive the costs to maintain it is. Couple this with if you want to modify it and you're looking at thousands of dollars. Don't forget taxes and registration fees along with cost to insure it and gas. If you really have all that money saves, and based on the deal with your dad, start with something affordable and something you don't mind beating up, and then in a few years when you're more confident you'll hopefully be in the financial position to buy a better car with more confident and more economic stability while not overpaying.

In addition, once again as you are 15, you may have driven a little but nowhere near enough to be considered an experienced or knowledgeable driver. People make mistakes in the first few years that they start driving, and it's much better to make those mistakes in a car you didn't spend your life savings on.

As others have said, driving a slow car fast is much better than driving a fast car slow, or wrapping a fast car around a tree. I have no idea what car you've been learning to drive in, but believe me a muscle car or any car sports car with 300+ HP will be much different and more dangerous than you think. Giving it too much gas on a turn = lose traction, giving it too much gas from a stop = lose traction.

If you're really hell bent on a performance car, start with a BRZ/86 or some kind of hot hatch (and I'm not talking about a Focus RS or Type R). Velosters, GTIs, Focus ST, are all great cars with 4 seats, good fuel economy, sporty, and beloved in the car community. They'll allow you to learn the car and push it to its limits without killing yourself or anyone else. I also recommend taking the car to autocross to learn how its limits and how to really handle it.

I realize that you may not care about any of this, but you need to hear it. I was the same way. I'm only 22 years old and I've owned 2 cars, a Nissan Sentra I learned on for a few years and now a BRZ. When I was car shopping I looked at everything from Scat pack challengers to corvettes to Supras etc, so I get the desire to get something flashy and fast. But, I'm very happy I got the BRZ because while it is a little slow, I love to push the shit out of it and the handling is really unbeatable. It also gets plenty of compliments and looks from people so it's still relatively flashy.

I'd also like to add that, and I'm not saying this is your reason for the price range or car, but you won't be impressing anyone by getting a sports car or an expensive car. I get that in high school it's all about reputation and whatever, but believe me it'll be hype for 1 day and then it'll be whatever. And trust me, especially if you park it at school the car WILL get hit. People love to be jealous and will door ding your car at the very least.

TLDR: Please do not spend all your money on a depreciating asset in a sellers market that will most likely end up scratched, in an accident, or causing you or someone else to get hurt. Not saying it will happen, but the statistics of new drivers don't lie. My recommendations if you are dead set on a performance car are BRZ/86, veloster, GTI, Focus ST, and Mazda3.

You're 15, you don't buy a sports car. Buy a cheap economy car and learn how to drive first.

Prius. You can get a brand-new one within your budget.

Mazda 3

You've eliminated like 90% of cars in your budget

Guilia...Nissan z...civic type r are what I can think of

I dont recommend a lexus if you actually want a sports driving experience. They're boats.

There are 2020-2021 STIs out there. Might be hard to find an un-abused one though, just need to do your due-diligence.

Type R could work, but possibly out of your price range.

~2010-2014 Porsche Cayman is probably the best bang for buck in this price range if you're ok with an older car and the maintenance that comes with it. Not sure it's any less "girly" than a BRZ/GR86/Z if that's your perception of them though lol.

Sounds like you’ve narrowed it down to Lexus IS or Alfa Giulia

My GR Corolla is a rally car, drives exactly like an old EVO or STI.

Many people are calling it the modern evo and sti since they no longer exist in new form.

Do you like to drive, or do you worry more about the look/perception? This is not a rhetorical question or trying to be rude. Honestly curious. I’ve owned nearly 70 different types of sports/sporty cars over the past 25 years and have driven many more. Tell me what you are looking for and what you enjoy and I can give you direction.