Sports cars encompass a broad category of vehicles with one main goal — to put a smile on your face.
That giddy grin can plaster itself on your face for a number of different reasons. Some people yearn for straight-line speed while others find the simple joy in placing a vehicle exactly where they want it to go. Regardless of whether you enjoy outright pace or pacing yourself through the turns, we have gathered five sports cars that should do the trick.
2004 Mazda MazdaSpeed Miata MX-5 - $14,480
What we have here is a very special incarnation of the long-lived Mazda Miata. While the Miata combined a classic roadster with Japanese reliability when it first came out, it wasn't until this run-out special of the second generation that Mazda did anything special under the hood. Take a Miata, throw a turbo at it with a six speed manual and some extra suspension goodies and you have a recipe that hasn't been seen since.
For $14,480 you get fun-in the sun car that can hang with the big boys with 29,250 miles from Westboro Toyota, according to Cars.com.
2008 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 - $59,995
American sports cars don't get much more iconic than the Chevrolet Corvette. With a big V8 up front, light fiberglass body and the ability to smoke the rear tires at a moments notice what more could you want in a bright yellow, attention seeking automobile? Well, what about a race-bred 7 liter V8 and six speed manual in the ZO6 model? At the time it was produced, this was the fastest Corvette and on a track it still would give the new supercharged ZR-1 a run for its money.
For $59,995 you get what has been called "America's Sports Car" with 815 miles from Bezema Pre-owned, according to Cars.com.
2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Limited - $34,990
This Subaru represents a middle ground in the sports car world. The company has taken a normal impreza sedan and replaced everything important with the singular goal of making it turn, go and stop faster. What it lacks in the purity of vehicles like a Corvette and Miata, this rally-bred beast makes up for with four doors and a trunk. Throw some snow tires on and your smile will only get bigger while the other cars on this list are relegated to the garage for the winter.
For $34,990 you get a sports car you can schlep the kids to practice in with 15,660 miles from Patrick Subaru, according to Cars.com.
2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S - $95,900
No list of sports cars would be complete without a Porsche. While the Boxster and its fixed-roof sibling the Cayman may be the more pure car to drive there is something special about the 911. With an engine hanging out of the back, the basic structure of the car is unlike anything else on the road. But with a newly updated chassis and 7 speed transmission everything comes together in a wild way to create one of the most unique sports cars you can buy today.
For $95,900 you get the German sports car with 11 miles from Audi & Porsche Westwood, according to Cars.com.
2013 Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera - $267,000
If everything else here seemed a little mild then here is the truly wild. While most people would argue this goes beyond a sports car into the supercar realm, this vehicle still embodies everything you want in a sports car just with the dial turned up to 11. With styling that could only be pulled off by an Italian exotic, this car packs a V10 punch with an all-wheel-drive system to ensure it can put that power to the ground.
For $267,000 you get a rocket ship for the ground with 56 miles from Foley Motorsports, according to Cars.com.