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10 Best Japanese Sports Cars For Under $10,000

Japanese automakers have established their position firmly in the automobile industry as some of the best in the world when it comes to reliable cars with cutting-edge technology at affordable prices. Automakers can demand a significant amount of price when their cars get a ‘sports car‘ label. That’s one of the reasons why sports cars tend to be costlier than similar-sized economy cars, that, and all the mechanical upgrades, of course.


But a lot of us gearheads don’t have an exuberant amount of money to spend on a sports car, and an economy sedan isn’t going to cut it either. For a budget range of $10,000 or less, we can only expect used cars with hundreds of thousands of miles on the odometer and not necessarily in the best shape if we’re being realistic. In this case, Japanese sports cars are probably your best bet to get some gems at such a low price. So, we turn to the used market to find some reliable and affordable sports cars from the land of the rising sun, just to give you a head start on where to look and what to look for.

Related: 8 Reasons Why Cheap JDM Sports Cars Are The Best

10 Toyota MR2 Spyder W30 – $5,000

10 Best Japanese Sports Cars For Under ,000
Via Toyota

If you like the Lotus Elise, chances are, you’ll like the MR2 Spyder as well. The MR2 is a lightweight sports car, kind of like an affordable, mini version of the Elise itself. Toyota has been making the MR2 since 1984, but the ones that fit in our price range will be the W30 generation, circa the early ’00s.

But what you get is a two-door convertible with a 1.8-liter inline-four that makes 140 hp. It might not seem plenty by today’s standards, but it’s enough to push the lightweight body to awesome speeds and great cornering. You’ll find a listing or two in good to great condition, but with high mileage.

Related: Here’s Why You Should Consider The Toyota MR2 Spyder Instead Of A Mazda Miata

9 Nissan 350Z – $8,000

Nissan 350Z Front Right Quarter Chrome Silver
Nissan

The Nissan 350Z is one of the best pure sports cars from the Japanese manufacturer in the 21st century, right up there with the likes of the 370Z and the new Z. If you compare the 350Z with the succeeding 370Z, you’ll find that the 370Z works better as a stock sports car, but it’s also costlier.

The 350Z has more tuning potential, is cheaper, looks just as good, and is a great all-around sports car. Expect asking prices of slightly less than $10,000 for accident-free models, but again, with a high odometer count.

8 Mazda MX-5 Miata NB – $9,000

1999-Mazda-MX-5-1
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A Miata popping up in a list of this kind should surprise no one at this point. It’s the go-to affordable summer sports car for enthusiasts, and a great project car to work on. It’s one of the most popular cars in the US, so used models are in abundance, and not too costly either.

You should be able to find the NB generation MX-5 easily in this price range, since the newer ones tend to cross the $10,000 limit.

Related: This Is Why Gearheads Should Consider Buying A Mazda Miata NB

7 1990 Nissan 300ZX – $7,900

1990 NISSAN 300ZX, front
Mecum Auctions

Here’s another entry that should surprise little to no people. Older car enthusiasts or younger ones with knowledge remember the Nissan 240SX to be a go-to affordable sports car, but it soared in popularity, and used models became costlier. But right now, the 300ZX is worth every penny.

Think of the 300ZX as the 240SX of this time. It’s reliable, sporty, doesn’t cost much, and looks great with that wedge-shaped design. While getting a turbocharged one at this price would seem too good to be true, the regular one is no slouch either, with a 3-liter six-cylinder engine that makes 222 hp.

Related: These 8 Supercars Share Parts With Cheap Cars

6 Late ’90s – Early ’00s Acura Integra – $8,750

2001-Acura-Integra-GS-R-(Black)---Front
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The new 2023 Acura Integra kicked off the fifth generation and turned out to be a decent offering from Honda’s subdivision. But in the ’90s, the Integra was a very popular sports car with many happy owners. It was the Type R trim that put the Integra in gearheads’ minds, but it is out of reach for people on a tight budget.

You can, however, get the GS or LS trims for under $10,000. These came with a 140 hp 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine. It may not be a track monster, but it’s got the same spirit and driving dynamics, and with a few tunes or upgrades, it can be a great track-day car.

Related: Here Is The Acura Integra Coupe That The Fans Have Been Asking For

5 1997 Mitsubishi 3000GT SL – $9,990

1997 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4, White
Mecum Auction

The 3000GT was Mitsubishi’s answer to the Nissan 300ZX and the Toyota Supra. Judging by that info, and taking a look at it, one can figure out that the 3000GT is a pretty fast sports car. The VR-4 trim earned the name “the Swiss army knife of sports cars” due to its versatility.

But once again, we can only get the regular and SL trims in our budget, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The SL trim looks almost the same and comes with a 3-liter V6 that produces 218 hp and 205 lb-ft of torque. Add a five-speed stick to the mix, and you’ve got a bargain sports car in your hands.

4 Honda Del Sol – $4,000

Honda Civic Del Sol driving on the backroads ariel view
Honda

You might be familiar with the phrase, “there’s a Civic for everyone,” and that’s because Honda produced the Civic in many shapes and sizes. The one we’re after is the two-seater Targa top Del Sol, aka the CRX Del Sol. Despite its mid-engine appearance, the Del Sol shares the same platform as the front-engined Civic, so spare parts are easily available as well.

The 127-hp 1.6-liter engine taken out of a Civic makes the reliable and affordable Del Sol a fun-to-drive sports car, and we dig its Kei-car-like appearance as well.

Related: Why The Honda Civic Del Sol Is A Perfect First Car For A Budding Gearhead

3 1990 Mazda RX-7 – $9,800

1990 Mazda RX-7 FC, Red, side
Mecum Auctions

People can often overlook Mazda’s other cars apart from the MX-5 in favor of Toyota, Honda, and Nissan’s more popular models. The cost and rarity of the FD RX-7 and the unreliability of the RX-8 made things even worse for potential used sports car buyers.

But there are still a few gems, like the FC RX-7, that we can get for an affordable price. The model in question here has the popular rotary engine from Mazda, a 1.3-liter two-cylinder with multipoint fuel injection(MPFI), that makes 160 hp and 140 lb-ft of torque.

Related: Here’s A Detailed Look Back At The FC Mazda RX-7

2 Sixth-Seventh Generation Toyota Celica GT – $8,000

1998 Toyota Celica GT, Red, front view
Mecum Auctions

This may not be quite the Supra, but it’s what gave birth to it. While the Celica Supra or even the GT-Four falls out of our budget range, you can have the Celica GT or the GT-S with a 2.2-liter inline-four that made 135 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque, and it’s pretty affordable at that.

The chassis and platform of the GT and GT-S trims are the same, there is no compromise on weight balance or driving characteristics. However, you need to know that the Celica is a rare sports car, so finding one can be a challenging task.

1 2013 Scion FR-S – $8,950

2013 Scion FR-S
Scion

The Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ are pretty popular modern sports cars with great driving characteristics. But you’ll only find used examples with ridiculously high mileage or a troubled history under the $10,000 mark. But the twins were actually triplets, and the third sibling is the Scion FR-S.

The FR-S is a lesser-known avatar of the sports car that can be more affordable than the rest of the two. You’re basically getting a BRZ/86, but with a different badge, so you know exactly what you’re getting – a no-nonsense modern sports car.

Sources: Autotrader, Hagerty, Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book

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