The Top Ten 300 Horsepower Cars for Under $10,000
Caption:
1991 BMW 850i, 300 horsepower, $9425 (fair condition)
You’ll have to search a bit to find an 850i that comes in under our budget, but you’ll likely be plenty happy once you do. Those efforts can net you one of BMW’s most singular designs, 5.0-liter V-12 power, and a car that stickered for six-digit prices when new. Looks really good in black, too.
Not so many years ago, cars that produced 300 horsepower or more were considered rather rare and desirable things. Generally only the top tier of sports car or the very most posh boulevardiers had engines that could muster such prodigious output, and the price tags of the vehicles reflected it.
These days though, thanks to depreciation, a decade-long power race, and newly changing customer tastes, 300 horsepower cars can be had for much more reasonable rates—often less than $10,000. Those power and dollar figures are exciting starting places for those second-hand shoppers who may be looking for a deal on a performance machine, which is why we picked them as our two markers for making this list.
We’ve gotten our pricing estimates from the good folks at Kelley Blue Book, though we understand that in some cases much better deals can be had. Unless otherwise noted, the prices we’ve listed represent the private party value of a car in “excellent” condition with about 80,000 miles on the clock. We’ve also strived to get the best combination of power and newness when selecting between discrete model years, all while keeping a close eye on the budget. Click through our gallery above to read about our 300 horsepower/$10,000 picks, and then be sure to let us know which gems we may have missed, in comments.
Comments
Anonymous
subaru impreza gt/ wrx :)
Anonymous
The target horsepower was 300, not 227... Unless your taking about the Sti, but you'd have to find one with like 200,000 miles on it in order to pick one of those up for $10,000... Or you could try some significant modding of a 200,000 mile normal WRX; That assumes that you could find one cheap enough that you'd still have enough left over to get the car to 300 HP...
87ninefiveone
Great list, but could you guys have managed to find an uglier photo of the 850i?
Michigan Volkswagen Enthusiast (www.michiganvw.org/forum)
Mena
There's a guy at work with a 600SEC. Interior and exterior still looks great. At this price point you could put aside an extra 10K a year for maintenance costs.
supraman215
Yup, I had a 92 BMW 750iL, $10k for maintenance sounds about right.
Also interesting that the 750 didn't make the list at all. I would have swapped it out with the 850 because I know parts and such will be more for that car, as well as the increased rarity of the 850, and for sub 10k you're not going to find one in very good condition.
Zane
easily. I'm a mercedes technician, and I've layed down some pretty mean repair estimates on those old 140 chassis. Especially the V12's. One guy bought one used for like $8000 or so, it needed about $30,000 to attain some level of decency, not including cosmetics.
Mena
I found a 35k mile 97 SL600 on Autotrader for $20k. 400hp V12 for $20K!!!
Rod Panhard
There's a good reason that a lot of these cars cost only $10k. For starters, there are plenty of parts that are made of unobtainium, lots of black boxes with no serviceable parts inside, and expensive bills for service. So although you might be able to buy the car for $10k, you'd better keep $5k under the mattress for a the rainy day.
Ducati Minor
The Trans Am WS6 might have been a better pick than the Camaro SS.
Trinks
Thank you for not including a Mustang on this list, I would've had to bitch and moan.
Anonymous
And they didn't, but you're still bitching and moaning =P
Anonymous
Ditto, Mustangs Blow. & Rocko Rocks!!! Favorite cartoon, growing up...
Anonymous
A ford hater, huh ? I've got a '97 Cobra that'll wipe up the econo-box you most likely drive !
Anonymous
Bring your Ford (Fix or Repair Daily or Found on road dead)! My 2006 Lotus Elise will kick your Cobra's butt. Besides that who are you going to get parts from when Ford goes into Chapter 11? Ha,Ha. Ford makes the worst cars ever built!
Anonymous
lotus show off more that they run, the cobra has more engine that the lotus, it will blow you off.
Anonymous
I agree I have owned a 97 Cobra (305HP BTW) for years and it’s a pretty fast and fun to drive car. Parts are easy to get and inexpensive. The Mod Motors are a great platform for upgrades. And you can pick one up for around $8000 (according to KBB). So I know you Mustang bigots are happy that one didn’t make the list but you might not be when you get the repair bill from the BMW dealership.
mo
No '96 Impala SS ...... that was my first car. It was great. well, It has 260 hp which is under the 300 limit but the torque is ample (320 ft-lb I think).
AdamVIP
I cannot find a V-8 camaro from 02 under 10gs let alone a special edition one. Im not sure what part of the country this list gets its data from but its not within 300 miles of LA.
Seyth Miersma
Here's the link to the listing we used Adam. Doing the same search at KBB for LA (ZIP 90001), I got a predictable bump in the private party price for an excellent condition, 2002 Camaro SS 35th Anniversary Edition, with 80K miles, but only to $10,320. I'd guess that under $10K should still be manageable then.
Thanks for the comment!
Seyth Miersma
Senior Editor
Winding Road // NextAutos
Anonymous
Everything is more expensive in L.A.! You can buy 3 houses in Texas for the price of the one you're livin' in right now! And chances are they'll be much nicer!
Everything's bigger and better in Texas except the weather and we didn't have a lot to say about that!
Anonymous
The weather is bigger too, bigger tornados, bigger rains, bigger winds, bigger lightening, bigger dust storms, bigger hail. ;')
Anonymous
great list for the most part, but no love for AWD?
audi a8 4.2 swb is available for under 10k for 1997-2001 model years, and the lwb through 2000.
Nick
The Stealth TTs were all AWD, so there's at least a little love on this list. :)
Anonymous
The stealths were awd all wheel steering TT v6 with a sport and touring mode for the exhaust and suspention. exept for the size its a cool car.
Anonymous
good choice...however the picture is of a 91-93 stealth, not a 96. You will NEVER be able to find a '96 stealth TT for under 10k, as they are extremely rare (56 made).
speedzzter
After 35-55+ M.P.G. Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations kill off about everything with more than four cylinders, older, high-torque 300+ h.p. cars will be almost as sought after as 1960s muscle cars.
You may have to buy and hold for a while (just like with 1960s muscle), but a decade or decade and a half from now, nearly any well-preserved car in the over 300 h.p. class will likely triple your investment. Rare and particularly desirable models will do even better.
This cycle has occurred in every "high performance" era of the automobile. If you'd bought a good Mercer Runabout or an Auburn Speedzzter or a Duesenburg or a Pontiac G.T.O. or Boss Mustang at the right time and preserved it, later on you were richly rewarded.
If the Detroit 3 craters in 2009, the few survivor cars from the "Second Supercar Era" will escalate in price even more because they will be the last American muscle cars ever built.
Buy low. Sell high. It's the American way.
Boldar
have to agree... In Australia, just look at Ford Falcon GTHO Phase3... Originally sold at less than $AUS20,000.. was fastest 4 door sedan in world at its time.. now sell at 250,000-750,000 $AUS.. lol
John Chennavasin
Interesting that most of the cars here are listed as being in fair condition. I agree with Rod Panhard and would budget another 10% of the original MSRP for immediate repair needs.
Also, V12 cars are the ultimate money pits. Most BMW enthusiasts would recommend the 840Ci instead.
Seyth Miersma
Actually John, only two of the cars on the list (BMW 850Li and the Porsche 928) have to be valued as "fair" to make the $10K cut. Good call on the 840 though, I would certainly believe that to be a much more livable proposition than the (admittedly awesome) V-12 car.
Seyth Miersma
Senior Editor
Winding Road // NextAutos
merton
I agree about the 840, but the stock M62 engine misses the 300hp threshold by 18hp. But... the BMW V8 is easily modded without hurting reliability. My 540iT (282 hp stock) has a Dinan cold air intake and chip that probably cost the previous owner $1k or so, with a 26hp increase. An engine rebuild for the 850 could cost double the purchase price. Ten years ago I mentioned wanting an 850 to the shop manager of my longtime BMW indy. Without being condescending, he just looked at me and said "you don't have enough money".
Wahoo
For most of these cars, a better title would be, "Top Ten 300 HP Cars for About $10k per Year." or "High HP Moneypits for Under $10k." Still, an interesting list with a few like the Lightning and the Chevys that should be relatively inexpensive to maintain. The Lexus won't need a lot of maintenance, but when it does, you will pay through the nose.
Jon Kepler
I own a Lexus LS400. You're right. I celebrate when something goes wrong for less than $400.
Anonymous
I have an LS400, '98 and after some heavy checks at the dealers and some mistakes in
work needed, I switched to a private repair shop referred by a friend. I have been very happy. Roy's in La Habra, Cal.
R. L. Evans
What, no Cadillacs with the 300hp Northstar engines? Eldorado ETC, Seville STS, Deville Concours? Those made in 2000 and later didn't even need premium gas...
Also, I think they "only" had 295hp, but last month saw two Mercedes 560 SECs for sale, a white 91 model private owner, and a black 89 at a small used car dealership. Prices: $950 and $1200...
And what of the Infinity Q45?
Any other suggestions?
Wait a couple years, we can include a used Dodge Charger with police package... a couple more years and a Dodge Magnum or Chrysler 300C.
Travis Stark
I wish they would bring the BMW 850 back, that is one awesome car. I'm glad they are under $10000 now, but I bet it would have a ton of mileage on it. This is an awesome top ten list. If you like top ten lists, you should visit my buddy's site http://www.toptentopten.com/.
pontiacguy
my 07 grand prix Gt get great gas mileage on a 3.8 supercharged engine and more roomier inside and trunk space then that cramp toyota camry or ford fusion, smoothier ride and compfort and very reliable car for the money it with it to spend a tad more and keep it long as u own it.I think this car should be the top 10 seller !!
Anonymous
Apparently spelling and capitalization skills are not a requirement for owning on.
Anonymous2
uh..... owning "one", anon.
ou812
Pretty good list....the 300zx is by far the best of the bunch, however. I would probably pass on the Benz, Stealth, and Jag due to their styling, weight, and repair expense, respectively....
bjmsam
Yeah, the 3000GT VR-4 and Stealth TT are so porky that MotorTrend could muster only 4.8 secs 0-60, 13.5 secs @ 101.6 mph in the 1/4, 116 ft 60-0, .95 Gs lateral, 68.9 mph slalom, 24 mpg highway and 18 mpg city. And with winter weather approaching, who would possibly want all-wheel drive?
Anonymous
I was just watching an old episode of Top Gear and they commented on the 300zx as a lethal car. JC said if you think about doing something in it, it will kill you. I do remember when they came out that people were wrapping them around light poles on a regular basis. I do like the style though.
Jake the delivery guy
My personal favorite (after two of them) is the early to mid 90's Infiniti Q45T. Rated at 278 hp, the reviews of the time called that a blatant underestimate. The appeal to me, apart from the engine jollies, is that they are relatively cheap to maintain, and they last as long as you want them to. I'm a definite fan of the old and undervalued in a world full of $30,000 Camry's and $50,000 Buicks.
Scott Lewis
I was stunned how similar this was to an article I just published yesterday. My budget was $15K and I found all my cars for sale by private sellers on Autotrader. I found a 928 S4 for $12K, a 911 for $10K, a 850i for $9.8K, a S600 Coupe for $10K, and more.
Check it out:
http://www.scottlewisonline.com/archive/cars200812.html
SubaDave
Somewhere out there you must be able to find a Subaru STI for around $10K. You might find that they have been enjoyed a little too much to be called in excellent shape because they were so much fun to drive and still cheap to repair. Some of the other choices posted sure sound like fun too but like Rod Panhard said, so full of unobtanium that you couldn't afford to repair them. Even toys must have a good business case to continue to exist anywhere but in a museum. The essence of these cars is in their use.
Phd_Engineer
As much as I love wooden boats, these are automotive wooden boats.
The Lightning is the only exception, if you have a unit with the upgraded intercooler.
oldcarnut
I think that this was an excellent selection and my favorite is the BMW 850i, I believe it is a car designed by Pininfarina in Italy. I found one several years ago in dark blue with tan interior and was immediately smitten. I checked with my local BMW shop and the trusted mechanic told me to keep my hands off it unless I was prepared to spend $10K/yr on maintenance. So much for dreams....I have since learned that there is a conversion available to install 2 computers from 6 cylinder engines and have them control it and be more reliable. I have not found any reports form owners. It sounds like some of the other high end cars are this reasonable because of the maintenance and parts costs. Too bad, really! They were meant to be driven, not garaged and babied.
Anonymous
Hi, I have owned a 93 850ci for about 8 years and never came close to the 10K mark. Nor do I know of anyone in the 8 series car club (international) who has. There are way too many myths out there about this car. If you keep up with the regular maintenance, it is no more expensive than the luxury cars today. If you don't, get your wallet ready. Incidentally, the car was designed by a German.
Anonymous
The Stealth you show is a 1993, the '96 is more rounded and bulkier looking. Still a great powertrain for the money.
bjmsam
A Tribute to the Rarest 3S, the 1996 Dodge Stealth R/T Twin Turbo
VII
One of my best friends from back in high school had a Stealth (non turbo DOHC) when we were all still walking/taking the bus. I must admit, it was pretty bad-ass...when it wasn't in the shop. DSM cars are destined to break, and break often. I swear he broke something on it at least once every week. The Stealth/3000GT has so little aftermarket support when compared to cars with similar production numbers because of this fact...and the fact that they're heavy as all hell. If they were more reliable and you could easily get big power out of the motors then they'd be more popular. Hell, Eclipses of around the same years aren't worth a damn, but they're light and you can get upwards of 300 horses on the stock internals (albeit not for long). Which I guess is remotely cost effective for the aspiring boy-racer in your life. >_>
...me, I'll stick with my hatch. :] It fires up every day with no problems and doesn't suffer from crank walk (piss poor engineering). :P
~TheDarkWind
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