When the time comes for increased responsibility, whether that’s due to the interests of a growing family or needing to be more sensible from a financial standpoint in general, it can be tough for gearheads to sacrifice a fast car. Most sensible stuff, such as something with a Toyota badge, be it a RAV4 SUV, or maybe a Corolla if you’re looking for an affordable and nippy runaround, lacks that bit of verve such a driver would be looking for.
Well, thankfully, buying something that’s interesting to throw about and also cheap to run is much more attainable than you might think.
Performance Cars Usually Mean Extended Costs
2003 Lexus IS430 Brembo brakes caliperLexus
While there are plenty of cheap and tantalizing used performance cars lurking on the used market for well under the $10,000 mark, that doesn’t mean you’ll be spending minimal cash on actually keeping them running on a day-to-day basis. Unless you opt for something with only a small performance bump over its standard siblings, the car in question will likely be full of uprated parts that, while increasing the level of pace you’ll be able to extract, will also boost the amount of expenditure you’ll have to face.
These upgraded components are not as plentiful as the more generic bits found on lower-end trims, and are also built to be stronger and more effective. From the brakes and suspension parts, and from tires to engine internals, your dream cheap performance car is packed full of fat dollar signs. This means you’ll be shelling out much more just to replace these normal bits to keep the car running, making what initially looked like a cheap deal a bit of a money-spending exercise.
It’s also somewhat of a two-fold situation, since, depending on how hard you use your car, they can also get used up and lose their effectiveness quicker than standard components. This forces you to replace them faster than you’d ideally want, which will leave you cursing that your bargain deal is suddenly looking more expensive than you’d first envisaged.
The MX-5 Comes To The Rescue
The Mazda MX-5 Miata remains a firm favorite among fans of naturally aspirated sports cars.Mazda
Thankfully, this scenario doesn’t play out for every performance car on the market. If you’re looking for a modern sports car that is pretty cheap to buy as well as run, you’ll have your work cut out searching for a better candidate than the venerable Mazda MX-5 Miata. Having been around for well over three decades now, Mazda has relentlessly tweaked the MX-5 recipe to ensure every last drop of potential is extracted from the design. This enhances not only the level of driving pleasure it affords its pilot, but also how cheap it is to run for normal owners.
According to iSeeCars, the 2021 MX-5 came out on top of its Most Reliable Used Performance Cars Under $25,000 study, courtesy of a strong 8.8/10 score for reliability. This left it well clear of all its used rivals, such as the Subaru BRZ and Ford Mustang, primarily as it easily came out on top if you combined dependability with how little you can pick them up for. The 2026 Mustang runs the MX-5 pretty close when it comes to overall reliability, but you’ll struggle to pick up a similarly aged example for the same kind of money as a Mazda, since they hold their value better, and cost more in the first place.
While that’s not so great for new buyers, it does open up the door for used bargain hunters to pick up a very tasty deal. This view is further enhanced by RepairPal, which estimates that you’ll only have to spend around $429 a year to keep the car running optimally. For reference, that’s only about $70 more than a Corolla will snatch from your wallet over 12 months, and just shy of $300 less than the Mustang will demand.
The MX-5 Even Gives Its More Family-Friendly Cousins A Run For Their Money
2026 Mazda CX-5Ian Wright/CarBuzz/Valnet
The MX-5’s impressiveness doesn’t end there, either. Alongside getting closer to a conventional Toyota runabout from a dependability and affordability standpoint than you’d perhaps expect, it even gets the better of some of its manufacturer mates, which you certainly wouldn’t anticipate. According to RepairPal, the more sensible and practical Mazda 3 sedan and CX-5 crossover SUV cost $433 and $447 to run over a year, respectively. These cars, which are designed to be cheap transport for families, are therefore more costly to run than the MX-5.
To further hammer this point home, iSeeCars‘ data shows that the MX-5 is expected to reach an age of 16.8 years on average, which is considerably higher than either the 3 or CX-5. While the former can manage around 11 years, the latter should achieve 14.8 years on average before it’ll be retired. That said, it must be noted that these cars tend to cover much more mileage during that time, and therefore have a better chance of reaching 200,000 miles than their sports car cousin does.
Still, given the MX-5’s relative impracticality, it’s likely most buyers will use it as a weekend toy anyway. If that’s the case, it should remain usable for a decent chunk longer than your average daily workhorse. Overall, neither the 3 nor the CX-5 can get anywhere near the MX-5’s 8.8/10 reliability rating. While the former manages 7.7/10, the latter musters a 7.9/10 score, leaving both pretty much a whole point adrift of the MX-5.
The MX-5 Offers Great Reliability At A Low Price
Mazda MX-5 Skyactiv engine, closeup of engine in bayMazda
The MX-5 is stacking up well at this point. It’s not only reliable and cheap to run, but also excellent to drive. Its lightweight and sleek frame hides a potent 2.0-liter inline-four engine that kicks out 181 horsepower to the rear wheels, culminating in a featherweight machine that also provides a balanced and usable handling balance that allows drivers of varying skill levels to feel like they’re as skilled as Max Verstappen. Well, nearly. Since the powerplant is naturally aspirated, you also get crisp throttle response, affording extra driver confidence. Its six-speed manual transmission is lovely, too.
The finely-tuned steering feel and weighting further enhance this feeling, making it one of the purest and most approachable weekend toys on the market. Getting a new one will set you back north of $30k by the time you include all the associated fees, but opting for a used 2021 allows you to retain a strong level of dependability, while also saving a good chunk of cash. The CarBuzz Marketplace shows that you can pick up a base MX-5 Sport Manual at an average value of $24,125, though you can easily get a better-specced machine in higher Grand Touring trim, and with less than 40,000 miles on the clock, for as low as $21,000 if you shop around.
If you’re willing to spend around $24k, you’ll be able to find a very tidy specimen with less than 30,000 miles on the odometer. One thing is for sure, anyone willing to argue against the MX-5 being amazing value if you’re searching for a reliable and fun performance car is in for a very tough task.
There Are Other Great Choices
2027 Subaru BRZSubaru
Should the MX-5 not float your boat when it comes to reliable sports cars, then there are some decent alternatives on the market. The Toyota GR 86 is considerably more powerful than the MX-5, and provides every bit as thrilling a drive, as well. It doesn’t perform quite as well from a reliability score standpoint with iSeeCars though, and used examples that are around the same age and mileage as the MX-5 are a good few grand more, so you’ll have to pay a hefty premium for the privilege of having one. The identical BRZ can be had for less money, so this could be the superior option for those looking to save some money.
Then there’s the Mustang. It shades the GR 86 and its BRZ sibling in terms of dependability according to iSeeCars, but it suffers from the same problem that used buyers are looking to get around. The CarBuzz Marketplace reports that values for even 2021 turbocharged four-pot EcoBoost machines have been rising over the last 12 months, and the average currently sits at just over $31,000. This makes it drastically more expensive than an MX-5 of similar vintage, making it a tough sell versus the Mazda.
Not only is it more expensive and not as dependable, but it fails to deliver quite as amazing a drive as the MX-5 does. These other options are undoubtedly solid, but when it comes to the ultimate bargain and reliable used thrill chaser, nothing gets close to the legendary MX-5 in 2026.
Sources: Ford, iSeeCars, Mazda, RepairPal, Toyota
