The average cost of a new car in the US is now $33,340 and if you are happy with a Accord/Camry/Sonata that’s OK. Dig a a little through the used car listings as we did and an exotic supercar is within reach. Bear in mind if you’re interested in a brand new exotic sports car then you need to be in the top 1% and most of us by definition are not. No need to panic though as these cars do become more affordable as they age and don’t get driven very much. Park one of these in your driveway and you’ll have the neighbors gossiping. We have selected 6 supercars cars for less than $35K. True cost of ownership may be a bit higher than for a Honda Accord, but unless you are James Bond, you only live once. Our favorite…..the second to last one.

Acura NSX

 

The Honda/Acura became the world’s first mass-produced car to feature an all-aluminum body. It was powered by a 3.0 L V6 engine, which featured Honda’s VTEC and offered 5-speed manual or 4-speed Sports Shift automatic transmissions.

  • 2-door coupe
  • RWD (rear-wheel drive), 3.0-liter V-6 with an automatic 4-speed gearbox
  • Power: 270 hp  @ 6,300, Torque 210 lb-ft @ 5,300
  • Curb weight: 3,097 lbs
  • Top speed: 161 mph
  • Acceleration: 0- 60 mph in 6.3 secs
  • 1/4 mile 14.6 secs
  • Fuel consumption: 18/24 mpg

2006 Maserati Gransport

 

The Maserati GranSport is a modified version of the Coupé and Spyder that was first unveiled at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show. It uses a Six-speed manual with ‘Cambiocorsa’ paddle-shift and a Skyhook’ adaptive damping control. After years of fails finally Maserati hit the bullseye with this car.

  • 2-door coupe
  • RWD (rear-wheel drive), 4.2 Liter DOHC 32-valve V-8, a 6-speed manual gearbox
  • Power: 396 hp @ 7,000, Torque 333 lb-ft @ 4,500
  • Curb weight: 3,700 lbs
  • Top speed: 180 mph
  • Acceleration: 0- 60 mph in 4.9 secs
  • 1/4 mile 12.8 secs
  • Fuel consumption: 11/18 mpg

1995 Lotus Esprit

 

Lotus built the Esprit in the United Kingdom between 1976 and 2004. In 1994 the S4 model was succeeded S4s (S4 sport), which increased the power to 300 hp and 290 lb-ft of torque. Top speed was increased to 168 mph. Most famous for being a submarine in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, that movie car was recently sold at auction for $780,000.

  • 2-door coupe
  • RWD (rear-wheel drive), mid engine 2.2 Liter turbocharged 4 Cylinder engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox
  • Power: 300 hp @ 6,400, Torque 290 ft.lb @ 4,100
  • Curb weight: 2,969 lbs
  • Top speed: 160 mph
  • Acceleration: 0- 60 mph in 4.4 secs
  • 1/4 mile 13.0 secs
  • Fuel consumption: 18/27 mpg

2003 Aston martin DB7

 

Who doesn’t love an Aston Martin. Not the fastest supercar but certainly one of the prettiest. In 1999, AM introduced the powerful DB7 V12 Vantage at the Geneva Motor Show. Its 5.9 litre, 48-valve, V12 engine produced 420 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque.

  • 2-door coupe – 4 seat
  • RWD (rear-wheel drive), 6.0 Liter V12 engine with a 6-speed manual gearbox
  • Power: 435 hp @ 6,000, Torque 400 lb-ft @ 5,000
  • Curb weight: 3,913 lbs
  • Top speed: 165 mph
  • Acceleration: 0- 60 mph in 5.0 secs
  • 1/4 mile 13.6 secs
  • Fuel consumption: 10/17 mpg

1980 Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS

 

The 308 was a replacement for the Dino 246 GT and GTS in 1975 and was famous for being the car that Tomm Selleck drove int eh TV series Magnum. Not the fastest Ferrari ever it had a 2.9 liter V8 which had been de-tuned from the earlier model due to the addition of fuel injection. Later models such as the 308 quattrovalvole with 4 valves per cylinder pushed the power back up to 240 hp.

  • 2-door targa body type
  • RWD (rear-wheel drive), 2.9 Liter V8 engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox
  • Power: 205 hp, Torque 181 lb-ft
  • Curb weight: 3,225 lbs
  • Top speed: 146 mph
  • Acceleration: 0- 60 mph in 7.2 secs
  • 1/4 mile 15.6 secs
  • Fuel consumption: 11/19 mpg

2000 Dodge Viper

 

Lamborghini, which was owned by Chrysler Corporation back then, designed the V10 for the Viper by recasting the block and heads in an aluminum alloy. It is still one of the few cars that has a V10 engine.

  • 2-door coupe
  • RWD (rear-wheel drive), 8.0-liter all-aluminum OHV V-10 with 6-speed manual gearbox
  • Power: 450 hp @ 5200, Torque 490 lb-ft @ 3700
  • Curb weight: 3,440 lbs
  • Top speed: 185 mph
  • Acceleration: 0- 60 mph in 4.25 secs
  • 1/4 mile 12.33 secs
  • Fuel consumption: 12/21 mpg