Turn the clock back a few years and have a look at the automotive landscape. In the year 2000 there wasn’t an interesting car to be found anywhere. It seemed that for the average consumer, and by average I’m referring to people with less than $60,000/yr personal income, there wasn’t really anything fun to drive. Sure you had your Toyota Celica GTS (a 180HP high strung noisemaker) or the Ford Mustang (if that’s fun to drive to you), but was there anything really exciting?
Uhh… no.
Unless you started forking out coin for a used Porsche or BMW, or perhaps an older sports car such as a Mazda RX7 TT or Nissan 300ZX TT, there wasn’t much out there. The Camaro/Trans-Am/Firebird was on its way out, and even then those cars had become fat and hard to drive fast.
So, car fans and enthusiasts everywhere, what did we drive? 160HP Honda Civic Si coupes and Pontiac Grand Prix GTP’s. Pardon me, but that is in no way exciting. Sure you had your typical front-drive sport compacts (Acura Integra, Honda Preclude, Toyota Celica), but where were the lightweight RWD sports cars or the high-horsepower grand tourers? Oh, right, dead.
Let’s see what you had that was interesting in the year 2000:
- BMW Z3 - At $42,700 for a top model 3.2L 6 cyl Z3, it wasn’t cheap. Sure the average guy could afford it, but that’s aboutall they could afford.
- Chevrolet Corvette - With a 5.7L 8 cyl and plenty of good suspension, the C5 Corvette wa a great car. But at $38,320 starting (and climing to nearly $46,000), it was hardly affordable for the average person.
- Acura NSX - 3.2L and 276 horsepower, the NSX was (and still is) one of the best sports cars ever made. But, with a price tag exceeding $85,000, good luck affording one.
- Dodge Viper - Ha, next.
- Mercury Cougar - A minor upgrade over the deceased Ford Probe, the Cougar’s optional V6 made it decent to drive, but it was still a low-powered FWD at heart.
I could continue on but I think by now my point has sank in. In 2000, there were no cars that the average person could afford that were fun to drive. It was truly a sad state for automotive history.
Subtract five or six years…
Now, if you subtracted five or six years you had an entire array of exciting, interesting, fun cars to choose from. It seemed as if just about every manufacturer, from Chevrolet to Toyota, had some kind of vehicle out there that was half decent and affordable.
- Toyota had both the MR2 and the Supra - With the USDM MR2 being powered by a 205 horsepower turbocharged four cylinder engine (and with 245 horsepower versions of that engine existing abroad), the MR2 was the most affordable sports car you could buy. Mid-engined, turbocharged, and a heck of a lot of fun, the MR2 has gone down as a classic. With a fully optioned out 1995 MR2 costing “just” $29,250, it was a performance bargain that has lived on ever since.
The Supra, powered by a 3.0L 6cyl engine that came either naturally aspiration (NA) or turbocharged, was a true supercar. The twin-turbo version, with a “claimed” 276 horsepower and 300+ pound-feet of torque, has become an icon among automotive enthusiasts everywhere for its ability to generate huge amounts of horsepower and maintain that horsepower reliably. However, with prices climbing as high as $49,000 for a fully optioned out twin-turbo, it was not cheap.
- Nissan had the 300ZX and the 240SX - The USDM 300ZX came in two flavors: a naturally aspirated 3.0L 6cyl, or as a twin-turbocharged version of the same engine. Needless to say, the 300ZX twin-turbo, like the Toyota Supra and Mazda RX7 twin-turbo, has become an icon among the automotive enthusiast community for its reliability, performance, and longevity. The 300ZX, like the RX7 and Supra, has become timeless and is still a highly sought after performance machine. At $43,279 for a loaded twin-turbo, it was not cheap.
The 240SX was available with a 2.4L 4cyl that put out 155 horsepower which, even for the time, was not very impressive. However, this coupe was lightweight, RWD, and easily modified. In fact, a 205 horsepower engine from foreign 240SX models was a direct drop-in replacement. The result? A performance bargain that is just as sought after today as it was nearly 12 years ago, and 12 years ago it was just $21,789 for a fully loaded 240SX.
- Mazda had the RX7 twin-turbo, MX-3, MX-5, and MX-6 - While the RX7 twin-turbo is the only “true” sports car in the mix, the fact remains that Mazda had many sport compacts that were light enough to provide a good time and were affordable for the average person. The RX7 was powered by a 1.3L rotary engine that produced 255 horsepower, and it’s excellent handling and driving dynamics have made it one of the best handling sports cars, ever. However, a fully optioned out RX7 came to $37,800- by no means cheap, but much more affordable than a $50,000 Supra or Corvette.
The MX-3 and MX-6 were both front-wheel-drive sport compacts that are rather anemic by today’s standards, but remember 12 years ago having 166 horsepower on tap (for the MX-6) and five speed transmission was a good time. The MX-3, with it’s 1.8L V6, was slow, but handled beautifully. Would I buy one today? No, not a chance, but 12 years ago it was a serious contender for those interested in sport-compacts. A fully loaded MX-6 cost less than $24,000, and a fully loaded MX-3 was just under $16,000.
The MX-5 Miata is, of course, iconic all on its own right. It’s early-90s release made the two-door convertible popular again, and Mazda has since sold hundreds of thousands of them. At just $18,000 for a well equipped MX-5, the fun to price ratio couldn’t be beat.
- Honda had the Prelude SR-V - With 195 horsepower out of a 2.2L VTEC-enabled 4cyl, the Prelude was immensely popular among those looking for a reliable sport-compact with a bit of punch. At $25,620 for a fully-loaded Prelude, and with 195 horsepower, it was a great choice in terms of both affordability and reliability. It become sought after for its funky interior (including the famed “digital dash”) and consistent performance.The CRX Del Sol was also available with a 160 horsepower 4 cyl VTEC engine, but it was much more a two-seater economy car than it was a performance oriented vehicle.
- Acura had the awesome NSX and Integra - While the NSX was far too expensive for the common person to afford, the Integra wasn’t. A 1995 Integra GSR, with a 170 horsepower 1.8L 4 cyl VTEC engine, was one of the top selling vehicles in North America for nearly five straight years since its re-introduction in 1994.
- Chevrolet had the Corvette, Camaro, and Beretta - The Corvette and Camaro were heavy, rear-wheel-drive V8’s with tons of horsepower, the Beretta was a less-popular front-driver that had a decent amount of horsepower and appeal. Really, the only choice here for the typical person was the Camaro, and with an easily modified V8 it sold in droves. At under $24,000 for a loaded V8, it was a performance bargain that many muscle car lovers gleefully enjoyed.
Do not
leave a comment about how the Cavalier Z24 was a car designed for enthusiasts because it wasn’t.
- Dodge had the Stealth and the Viper - The Stealth, based on Mitsubishi’s 3000GT, could be had as a 276 horsepower twin-turbo 6 cyl and all-wheel-drive. While heavy, it was a gorgeous grand tourer that handled well and went like stink when your foot hit the floor. However, at $38,000 for a loaded twin-turbo, the Stealth was hardly a performance bargain.
The Viper, powered by an 8.0L V10, was a monster machine. The Halo car that Dodge had needed for a long time, the Viper brought back the excitement and energy to the Dodge brand. It was big, bold, and it had massive brass balls and a thunderous exhaust note that silenced anyone and everyone near it. At $56,000 it was not cheap, but then again, neither were any of its direct competitors. This is the car that saved Dodge.
- Ford had the Probe GT, Mustang, and Taurus SHO - The Probe GT, sharing the mechanics with the Mazda MX-6 and powered by a Mazda built V6, was a performance bargain for its time and named as Car and Driver’s “Car of the Year” in 1993. At just $16,545 for a loaded Probe GT, it was possible for anyone to purchase a well-handling, fun-to-drive car.
The Mustang, with its 4.6L V8, was the only real competitor to the Camaro. It was big, heavy, and fast in a straight line. A loaded Mustang GT was $25,605, and for many worth every penny.The Taurus SHO, with its 3.8L Yamaha-built V6, was a performance sedan that had plenty of “oomph” where it counted. At just $25,140, it was also a great bargain and practical to boot.
- The Eagle Talon/Mitsubishi Eclipse - These cars speak for themselves. Powered by a 2.0L, 205 horsepower turbo-charged 4 cyl and mated to a sophisticated all-wheel-drive setup, these cars were the performance bargains. Without question, these were the best bang for the buck cars sold at the time. Gorgeous, capable, and ridiculously fun to flog around (and capable of being driven year-round), these vehicles have attained a cult-like following and an extensive after market. With pricing under $22,000, these cars were the “Subaru WRX or Dodge SRT-4″ of their time.
Isn’t it amazing how much the landscape changed in five years? Thank god for it being 2007 and there being plenty of capable, fun vehicles to choose from (Subaru WRX, Mitsubishi EVO, Honda S2000, Nissan 350Z and Altima Coupe, Hyundai Tiburon, BMW 3-series, Chevrolet Cobalt SS, Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky, Dodge SRT-4, Volvo C30, Audi A4 and TT, BMW Mini Cooper S, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Saturn Ion Redline, Ford Mustang GT, Mazda MazdaSpeed 3, MazdaSpeed 6, and MX-5, just to name a few). I tell you what, I’m glad that I wasn’t buying a new car in 2000.
Much like you, I love sports cars and love racing. I’ve always fantasized about being the next Michael Schumacher or Richard Petty. A couple years ago I wanted to go to a sports car driving school, but didn’t know where to start. 
Location: 
