---
title: 'I Tested Every Budget of Sports Car'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=zTnghbxW6jU'
video_id: 'zTnghbxW6jU'
date: 2026-06-28
duration_sec: 0
---

# I Tested Every Budget of Sports Car

> Source: [I Tested Every Budget of Sports Car](https://youtube.com/watch?v=zTnghbxW6jU)

## Summary



## Transcript

I'm going to test the best sports car
you can buy at every budget starting
from 10 all the way up to $100,000. Of
course, starting with the first tier,
10,000 bucks. You have a few decent
options at this level, but we all know
there's only one right answer, a Mazda
Miata. Now, we'll be judging each car on
three parameters. Its looks, the driving
experience, and what it says about you.
As far as the aesthetic, Miatas just
look fun. They look like a good time.
It's not the sharpest, most aggressive
looking car, but for what it is, it's a
pretty clean, minimal design. I mean,
just look at that smile. It looks happy
to be here. And given that they weigh
like 2,000 lb and often come with a
manual transmission, they also drive
really fun.
It feels like you're driving a go-kart
on public roads, this thing is tiny. It
doesn't have all that much power, but
because of how light and small it is,
it's still such a good time. As far as
what it says about you, anyone who
drives a fairly stock or tastefully
modded Miata is a good time. They're a
fun person to be around. The only caveat
is the exhaust elite slammed subsect of
Miata owners. Fellas, it's 11:00 p.m. on
a school night. What are we doing? What
would you rate your car?
>> 10 out of 10.
>> Do you think others would agree?
>> Probably.
>> All right. Well, ask the next owner.
>> At $20,000, your options really start to
open up. And in this range, you can
squeeze into one of the most iconic cars
ever produced, the BMW E46M3. I've
personally owned one of these, so I
might be a little biased, but looks
wise, it's kind of perfect. These cars
have aged incredibly well. It's a
timeless design that's a perfect mix of
boxiness, aggression, and yet somehow
it's still kind of elegant. Now,
driving-wise,
wow, it's brutally raw. There's no
unnecessary assists of any kind. You can
really feel the road in this car, and
combined with a 50/50 weight
distribution, you just feel planted. As
much as I love this car, I also kind of
absolutely hate it. I've owned four BMWs
of this era, and they require a lot of
maintenance. My M3 has, in fact, left me
stranded on the side of the road. But,
you get a few good weeks without
anything breaking, and it kind of
becomes worth it. When I see someone in
an E46 M3, I think of an individual with
taste, someone who knows a little bit of
ball. You're not in it to impress
anyone. Realistically, most people on
the road will just see this as an old
BMW. And with how much maintenance these
require, I think you have to be a bit of
an enthusiast to own one. What would you
rate this car?
>> Like a seven.
>> What would you rate your car?
>> 11.
>> Do you think others would agree with
that?
>> I think they would.
30 grand can get you into some modern
BMWs, older Corvettes, but my pick would
be the best Porsche Cayman you can find.
Pristine first generation manual
Cayman's straight at this price point
all day. But if you're willing to risk
it on a sketchy Carfax or a higher
mileage one, you can squeeze into a
second gen 981 like this one here. And
man, I love how these look. It's a
classic silhouette, very premium, sporty
styling. Even the first gen 987 ones,
they look great inside. It's a modern
car. It has all the features you'd
expect, but it's not new enough to where
you have a bunch of screens everywhere.
And with it being a Porsche, it does
feel very premium. Now, the driving
experience might not blow your mind, but
it's kind of exactly what you'd expect
out of a car like this. It's mid-enine.
The handling is fantastic, and the
transmission is super quick. It's not
fast in a straight line, but you combine
everything together and it's a very
well- balanced car. It doesn't really
fall short anywhere.
>> Yo, it's actually like so slow.
>> Well, I guess other than in a straight
line. However, the Cayman does carry
some stigma with some calling it the
poor man's poor. And to that, I would
say worry about your own bag, bro. But
also, yeah, some people might buy this
because it's the cheapest way to flex a
Porsche, but I wouldn't let them ruin it
for you. Porsche Cayman completely
underrated.
What would you rate this car?
>> Nice. Uh, I would give it a solid seven.
>> And what would you rate your car?
>> 6.5. Not enough power, but handles well.
Can I say something without everyone
getting mad? This one is a little
controversial, but I'm standing 10 toes
down. This is one of my favorite cars on
this entire list, especially for the
price. 40 grand BMW i8. I mean, looks
wise, this is one of the coolest, most
spaceship looking cars ever made. The
butterfly doors, absolutely insane
futuristic styling. It's one of the most
unique looking cars on the road, even
now, 12 years since BMW first released
it. Now, the driving experience is, of
course, part of why this car gets so
much hate. It's got a 1 and 1/2 L
3-cylinder engine in the back and an
electric motor in the front. That tiny
of an engine on something that looks
like a supercar and originally retailed
for 150 grand, I can see why people are
upset. And it's not the most
exhilarating car to drive, but I owned
one for a while and it's a very
comfortable drive. It's not as slow as
you'd expect from all the hate that
these get. The electric motor puts in
some work. I took mine on a couple road
trips. It's a plug-in hybrid, so it's
great on gas. I probably wouldn't pay
150 grand for one, but now that they've
come down into the 40s, they make for a
really cool daily drivable sports car.
Now, for what this car says about you,
that's the second reason why these get
so much hate. This is the cheapest way
to get into something that looks like a
supercar, so naturally it attracts lar.
This is known as the fake flexing car.
People associate the eight with
Soundcloud rappers, influencers looking
to appear more wealthy than they really
are. But if you can get past that
stigma, you get yourself an incredible
car, especially for the price. What
would you rate this car?
>> I'm not a big Porsche fan, so I'm gonna
go like with six.
>> What would you rate your car?
>> I think my car is pretty unique. It's
i8, so I'll give it a seven and a half.
>> Now, in order to squeeze into some of
the cars on this list, you're going to
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At 50,000, you should probably just go
buy some lowcost index funds. But if
you're going to blow on a car, you can
get a really nice C7 Stingray, a 718
Cayman, or you can buy what is often
referred to as the pinnacle of driver
focused sports cars of BMW M2
Competition. This car looks well
balanced. It's really not the flashiest
car, but it's very proportionate,
aesthetically pleasing, and kind of
aggressive. BMW didn't really take a lot
of design risks here. Pretty much anyone
can get behind this. It just looks good,
especially in this color. However, most
people aren't buying these for the
looks. The BMW M2 is the smallest MC car
in size, but it still has a good amount
of power, which is a recipe for a pretty
impressive driving experience. This
thing handles well. There's like no body
roll. The brakes are excellent. It's
shifty. This is a driver's car. And when
it comes to optics, this is kind of on
the opposite end of the spectrum from
the BMW i8. The i8 is known to be a bit
of a flexer car, while this is the most
if you know, you know, type of car out
of the M lineup. You make 100 grand on
TikTok, you're buying a G80 M3 M4. This
is a car you'll find true BMW
enthusiasts driving, and I think it gets
a lot of respect anywhere it goes.
>> What would you rate this car?
>> Um, is isn't that your old car?
>> I I had that got repossessed, bro.
>> Oh, okay. Uh, probably like a five out
of 10. What would you rate your car?
>> Uh, seven out of 10.
>> Do you think others would agree?
>> No.
>> Fellas, I'm not even going to ask you to
hear me out. I'm just going to apologize
in advance. I did choose the Tik Tocker
Miami car for the 60K mark. I just can't
believe that you can pick one of these
up for 60,000. The Chevrolet Corvette C8
is so much car for the money. At this
point, there's a ton of these on the
road. People have kind of gotten used to
them, but I still do a double take
anytime I see one. Chevy just absolutely
cooked with this design. Yeah, you can
say it's kind of flashy. Oh, it's a
wannabe supercar. End of the day, it
looks incredible. Both the exterior and
interior is so well done. This wasn't my
first time driving one of these, and I'm
impressed. From all the hate these get,
I didn't expect it to drive as well as
it does. Shift smooth, almost too
smooth. Like, you can barely feel it. I
almost wish it kind of tossed you around
a little bit. But I love this interior.
It's very driver focused, and it
actually kind of feels premium. You get
this really cool Spongebob square
steering wheel. And at least from what
I've heard, these are also pretty
reliable with some referring to them as
the reliable version of a Ferrari. But
unfortunately, people may assume that
you're either having a midlife crisis or
smoking crypto forex or both. Kind of a
similar perception to the i8 when it
comes to this car. But if you can get
over that, wow, this thing is great. And
a used one is like one of the best deals
on the car market right now. And
honestly, no one actually cares. All the
hate these get kind of stays online. In
the real world, most people love it.
This thing is really cool.
What would you rate this car?
>> On fun to drive, I'd rent that I'd rate
that a 10. On overall car, I'd say an
eight.
>> And what would you rate your car?
>> I would surprisingly rate it a 10. Um, I
wasn't a big Corvette fan before, but
after getting into this, it's a whole
another animal.
>> Do you think others would agree?
>> I think once they got in it and drove it
and put a smile on their face, they
definitely would.
>> At $70,000, you have an overwhelming
amount of options, so it might make
sense to go with something that you're
not likely to regret. And this is kind
of the sports car. If you ask someone on
the street to draw a sports car, they'd
probably draw a Porsche 911. The
absolute classiest of cars. And looks
wise, I mean, there's nothing to
critique. This is kind of the gold
standard of sports car design. It is
more elegant rather than flashy or
aggressive. It's definitely timeless.
The steering feels incredibly precise,
just straight point and truth. There's a
reason why the 911 gets so much hype.
This thing is an absolute joy to drive.
Now, as far as what it says about you, I
mean, everyone respects the 911. No one
sees one on the road and thinks gh a
911. The only place you can go wrong
here is if you make it your entire
identity and become a bit of a Porsche
snob. What would you rate this car?
>> Believe it or not, is that the normal C8
or is that the Z06?
>> It's the normal.
>> I would give it uh an eight.
>> And what would you rate your car?
>> Uh 9.5.
>> $80,000. That's a down payment on a
house. You can get the forbidden
vehicle, a J82 M4, or you can get the
best sounding car in the world, really,
the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT. Looks wise, I
personally love the long hood design.
It's very exotic, very unique. I guess
it's not for everyone. Some people say
they don't like it, but I mean, just
look at this thing. It's the perfect
juxtaposition of brutal aggression and
classy Mercedes elegance. It has a twin
turbo V8, which again just sounds
incredible.
It just sounds like a lion growl. It's
actually really fast. It does not feel
as heavy as you think. Before getting
in, I kind of assumed that this would
drive like a muscle car, but the
handling is very sporty, very precise.
The price range for these does start in
like the high50s, which is an absolute
bargain, but you do have some specs and
examples that climb up to 80.
Stereotypes, it might be a bit of a
Unmobile and older gentleman car, which
also kind of gives it a James Bond vibe.
I won't lie, I felt very cool, very
mysterious driving this thing around.
What would you rate this car?
>> Uh, base 911 like six.
>> What would you rate your car?
>> Uh, like 8 1/2, nine.
>> At $90,000, you can get into something
very special. I don't know if it's even
fair because this is technically a
supercar, not a sports car. But for 90
grand, you can buy a piece of history, a
PLP Lamborghini Gallardo. An absolutely
epic car. You get the iconic Lamborghini
wedge silhouette with a massive front
headlight. It's super wide and low to
the ground. The design has really held
up. 20 years since it's been released.
You take a look at this car. It still
looks incredible. I bought a crashed one
and after repairs, I was into it in the
low60s, but the one I'm inside today
would actually be worth a lot more than
90. This is a very special Gallardo as
it comes with a
Now, driving an automatic Aardo because
it's a single clutch V10. I've never
driven anything like it. It's so harsh
and mechanical. It genuinely feels
dangerous. Such a unique, exciting
analog experience. And this manual
version is all of that amplified.
>> Yo.
>> Now, you'd think with this being the
cheapest way to get into a Lambo that it
would attract a lot of laring and
flexing, but from my experience and
ownership, the Gallardo is a true
enthusiast car. Because of its almost
classic status at this point, it gets a
lot of respect. You don't see many of
these on the road. I'd argue that this
has less of that streamer Instagram
Lambo stigma that say a Huracan may
have. What would you rate this car?
>> Uh, I'm going to give that a seven.
>> And what would you rate your car?
>> I'd give it a nine.
>> Do you think others would agree?
>> I don't think so. It's a little bit old,
but they should agree because it's got
>> And for $100,000, you can purchase what
many of the top automotive scientists
agree is the best driving sports car
ever made. They've solved it. We've
reached AGI when it comes to vehicles.
I'm of course referring to the 981
Porsche Cayman GT4. It's pretty
aggressive with the low front end and
the wing in the back, but it still looks
kind of fun. It's truly the most
wellbalanced driving experience you
could have. It just hugs the road, feels
nimble, the handling is incredible.
>> What would you rate this car?
>> Um, that's probably a eight.
>> What if I told you it's a
>> maybe an 8.5?