[00:02] you what looks like slightly Swedish luxury sedan full width LED lights clean lines looks like something a dentist drives to a wine tasting. You know, yeah, I got this. Light turns green and he is gone. 300 horsepower turbocharged
[00:17] V6 all-wheel drive with an electronic limited slip rear diff adapted from the same platform as the Cadillac SRX and absolutely nobody at the stoplight knew what it was. That was a 2011 Saab 9-5 Aero and it is the most slept on car in
[00:31] America [music] right now. So don't tell anybody about it cuz guys, I'm Brad Danger. This is Ideal and here are [music] 10 sleeper cars under 10,000 bucks. Starting with the most insane opening act [music] on this list. Let's
[00:43] talk about this thing properly because it deserves it. Saab went bankrupt in 2011 which means these cars basically vanished from public consciousness overnight. Nobody talks about them. Nobody sees them on the road and the
[00:55] people who don't know cars look at one and just see a sedan. But here's what's actually going on under that understated Swedish body. 2.8 L twin scroll Swedish body. 2.8 L twin scroll turbocharged V6 300 horsepower 295 lb
[01:09] feet of torque. Saab's XWD all-wheel drive system with an electronic limited slip rear differential. One of the most advanced AWD setups of its era. 0 to 60 in around 6.4 seconds top speed of 150 mph and Edmunds who tested this car
[01:25] back-to-back against a BMW 5 Series said the 9-5 Aero was actually more rewarding and involving to drive. More rewarding than a BMW 5 Series. Let that sink in.
[01:37] The interior is genuinely premium. Full width LED lighting. HUD available. Drive mode that blacks out everything except the speedometer. This car was [music] $50,000 brand new. You can find one for under five grand today. Now, and I have
[01:55] that's the whole point of this channel. The part situation is real. Saab is gone. Body specific parts can be a challenge to source. The LED tail bar issues. Seat heaters go out. The key is finding a well maintained example,
[02:10] connecting with the Saab community, which is still very active, and knowing that most mechanical parts are GM sourced and still available. If you're isn't scared of being slightly unconventional, the 9-5 Aero is one of
[02:24] the most genuinely special cars on this entire list. Nobody will know what it is, and it will absolutely embarrass things that cost five times as much. things that cost five times as much. Number nine, Pontiac Grand Prix GXP.
[02:36] From one dead brand to another, the Pontiac Grand Prix GXP, 2005 to 2008, looks exactly like a rental car, four doors, smooth sides, zero aggression,
[02:48] the kind of thing you see in a parking garage and walk right past. GM stuffed a garage and walk right past. GM stuffed a 5.3 L LSV8 under that hood. 303 horsepower, 323 pound feet of torque in a front-wheel drive family sedan. Yes,
[03:02] front-wheel drive V8. Yes, there's torque steer. Yes, the four-speed auto is the weak link, but the LS engine, bulletproof. Parts everywhere, and nobody on Earth is going to see this car coming. Under five grand all day long.
[03:15] That is an LSV8 for the price of a used laptop. Number eight, Ford Taurus SHO Gen 5 Super High Output. Three words doing an insane amount of work. The doing an insane amount of work. The fifth gen Taurus SHO, 2010 to 2019, is a
[03:30] big, comfortable American family sedan on the outside. On the inside, 3.5 L on the outside. On the inside, 3.5 L twin turbocharged EcoBoost V6, 365 horsepower, all-wheel drive, zero to 60 in the low fours. Low fours in a Taurus.
[03:45] This is the car that destroys a Mustang GT at a stoplight with four people eating McDonald's inside it. Eight to 10 grand gets you a solid one, and that is one of the best dollar per embarrassment ratios on this entire list. Number
[03:58] ratios on this entire list. Number seven, Lexus IS 300 2JZ-GE. 3 L naturally aspirated inline six, rear-wheel drive, the same legendary engine block that lives in the Supra's more famous twin-turbo sibling, just
[04:10] without the turbo bolted on. Stock, 215 horsepower. Mine, turbocharged on completely stock internals, 400 plus horsepower routinely block for reasons that continue to bless
[04:23] every IS 300 owner alive. From the outside, it's a clean early 2000s Lexus sedan, understated, quiet, completely invisible. Find a manual, check the timing belt history. The market is waking up on these, and under 10 grand
[04:36] for a clean one is starting to get tight. Move fast. Hey guys, real quick, win a Mark V Supra with that twin-turbo straight-six or a Shelby GT350 with that screaming flat-plane crank V8, plus cash. Hit the pin comment down below and
[04:51] grab 100 free entries before they're gone. Good skill. Cadillac. Immediately, most people picture old guys driving slowly. Perfect. The first-gen CTS-V, slowly. Perfect. The first-gen CTS-V, 2004 to 2007, packed a 5.7 L LS6 V8, 400
[05:09] horsepower, rear-wheel drive, six-speed manual available, zero to 60 in the mid-fours from a Cadillac sedan that looks like it belongs at a country club. Maintenance costs are real. I budget for it and maintain it properly,
[05:22] but find a clean example under 10 grand, and you've got 400 horsepower in a body that most people register as nice old Cadillac. That is the definition of sleeper. Number five, Dodge Magnum R/T or SRT8, a station wagon.
[05:36] With a Hemi, let's go. The Dodge Magnum is one of the greatest sleeper concepts ever executed in American automotive history, and it is criminally history, and it is criminally underrated. RT, 5.7 L Hemi V8, 340
[05:49] horsepower, rear-wheel drive in a wagon that looks like it should be hauling that looks like it should be hauling kids to soccer practice. SRT8, 6.1 L Hemi, 425 horsepower, Brembo brakes, a Mercedes-sourced transmission, 0 to 60
[06:02] Mercedes-sourced transmission, 0 to 60 in 5.1 seconds in a wagon. This thing lapped a road course within 3 seconds of a Viper in wagon form with cargo space. right now.
[06:15] This is a no-brainer. The E65 series gets a bad reputation for reliability. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. BMW maintenance is expensive and the N62 V8 has known issues. But, a well-maintained example with records is one of the most
[06:29] [music] capable sleeper sedans ever built. The 540i makes 325 horsepower. built. The 540i makes 325 horsepower. The 550i hits 360. Both rear-wheel drive. Both with chassis tuning BMW spent serious money on. Both look like
[06:43] nothing more than a nice-ish used BMW some guy drives to work. Get a independent BMW specialist. Budget for deferred maintenance. Then enjoy one of the best driver sedans ever made for the price of a used pickup truck. Number
[06:56] price of a used pickup truck. Number three, Pontiac G8 GT. The G8 GT makes me angry that Pontiac is dead every single time I think about it. Built in time I think about it. Built in Australia. 6.0 L LS2 V8, 361 horsepower,
[07:09] rear-wheel drive, six-speed automatic. From the outside, a slightly sporty family sedan. Nothing screams performance. Nothing says, "I will embarrass you at the next light." But, 0 to 60 in around 5.3 seconds from a car
[07:22] that looks like something a high school principal drives. Rear-wheel drive balance. Proper suspension. LS engine that shares its DNA with the Camaro and Corvette and responds to modifications like it was born for it. Under 10 grand
[07:35] for a solid G8 GT is still doable right now. That window is actively closing. Get one before enthusiasts fully wake up to what this car actually is. Number two, Chevrolet SS Sedan. This one is the hardest to find under 10 grand, but they
[07:51] might be the greatest American sleeper of the modern era. Chevrolet SS Sedan, 2014 to 2017, built in Australia, rear-wheel drive, 6.2 L LS3 V8, 415
[08:05] horsepower, six-speed manual available. From the outside, it looks like a Malibu. A Malibu. The average person driving next to one has zero idea what it is. None. Car and Driver clocked 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds, quarter mile in the
[08:19] low 13s. From a car that most people cannot even name. Production numbers were low, manual examples are genuinely rare. These are future classics and prices are moving. If you find a manual SS under 10 grand right now, then buy it
[08:33] immediately. Do not hesitate. Do not sleep on it. Number one, Dodge Charger sleep on it. Number one, Dodge Charger R/T/SRT8. This is it, the definitive
[08:46] Charger RT or SRT8, 2006 to 2014. RT, 5.7 L Hemi V8, 370 horsepower, rear-wheel drive, four doors, trunk big enough to move
[08:59] doors, trunk big enough to move apartments. SRT8, 6.1 L Hemi, 425 horsepower, Brembo brakes, 0 to 60 in the low fives. Here's why it's number one. It looks like a normal car to normal people. Enthusiasts know, but
[09:13] your average person at a stoplight sees a big four-door American sedan. Nothing threatening, nothing that makes them nervous until the Hemi wakes up. And then everyone within three blocks knows exactly what just happened. These cars
[09:25] are everywhere. Parts are cheap. The Hemi is one of the most durable V8 engines in American history. Community support is massive and clean, well-maintained examples are available right now under 10 grand. Easy buy, loud
[09:37] Hemi, zero regrets. 10 sleepers all under 10 grand, all built to make somebody deeply regret pulling up next to you. Do your research, get a pre-purchase inspection on anything with a luxury badge, and buy the right
[09:50] example, not just the cheapest one. And if you want to win the next dream car winthisidealcars.com. I've linked it in the pinned first comment. You can win a Shelby GT350 or a Mark V Supra. Plus,
[10:02] giving you 100 free entries [music] right now today only. Click the link, go get entered for free. Also, like, subscribe, turn on that notification vids over here. I'm Brad Danger, this Ideal, and promise me one thing. Keep
[10:16] Ideal, and promise me one thing. Keep living the ideal lifestyle.