The sound of the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 is the soundtrack of American motoring, from the menacing throb during idle to the full-throated roar when the pedal goes down. This engine beats as the heart of the 2025 Ford Mustang GT, the definitive American muscle car. Big engine in front, long hood, rear-wheel drive, and a six-speed stick shift. Add the modern retro styling, aggressive nose, and swooping fastback on the coupe or laid-back cabriolet, and the Mustang GT is the perfect car. Or is it? It is a bit expensive, and to be honest, there are affordable cars out there that can take the GT in performance.
The challenge is to find an affordable sports car that can match or beat 4.2 seconds on 0–60 mph, but the problem is defining what a sports car is. If a sports car is just a fast car, this entire list could be just 20 used EVs, and that would be very boring. We tried to stick to two doors at that price, but that proved impossible, because we also made the cut-off age for our used sports cars 2020. This left us with a wider definition of sports cars, including a couple of sedans and one EV. There are two benefits to the cars on the list below: there is a wider choice of which car will suit you personally, and their prices reflect that they have already depreciated, something that your new Mustang GT still has to do.
The kind of somewhat affordable used cars that can meet or beat 4.2 seconds are quite rare, and for some of them, there were only a few on sale at any given time. The average price quoted is from Edmunds when it was available, or a rule-of-thumb average of prices found online for rarer models.
2020 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Sedan
Average Price: $49,000
The 2020 Mercedes-AMG C63 Sedan can do 0–60 mph in 3.8 seconds. It is the luxury German version of the muscle car. Powered by a hand-built 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 producing 503 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, this ‘hooligan’ is louder, angrier, and faster than the Mustang, but in leather-upholstered luxury.
This 2020 C63 is one of the last, and certainly now the most affordable, of the twin-turbo V8 monsters that were replaced by the unpopular hybrid four-cylinder a couple of years later. The four-cylinder is set to go as well, but will probably be replaced by some kind of six-pot setup. The V8 AMG is the epitome of the ‘One Man, One Engine’ philosophy that drove AMG through its wild years.
2021 Toyota GR Supra 3.0
Average Price: $47,500
The 2021 Toyota GR Supra can go to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. It is an international car, designed in Austria, with a BMW 3.0-liter turbo inline six with 382 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque that was tuned by Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division. The Supra is a front-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-door, two-seat dedicated sports car, smaller and lighter than the Mustang GT. Reviews describe the drive as telepathic, with smooth power and precision handling.
The Supra is a sports car legend that goes back to 1978 when the Celica Supra was launched, before the line was stopped in 2002. The icon was reborn in 2019 and released as the 2020 model. The Supra is a tuner icon and featured heavily in the Fast & Furious franchise. Many compare it to the Porsche 911 Carrera for its brilliant simplicity and great handling. It is also called the Goldilocks of sports cars, because it has perfect weight distribution, iconic styling, and the power to match its brilliant handling.
2020 BMW M4
Average Price: $47,500
The 2020 BMW M4 Coupe will reach 60 mph in four seconds flat. It is powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline six that makes 425 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, and the version with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission has fast 0-60 mph times. Reviews in CarBuzz point to a chassis that is more communicative than the heavier Mustang, and a firm ride with high-speed stability that is more refined than the standard muscle car.
The BMW M4 was the first of the F82 generation to carry the M badge and is seen as the bridge between BMW’s analog past and digital future. It brings with it the racing heritage and track dominance. This BMW also still has the classic grille, unlike the oversized beaver teeth of later models.
10 Affordable Performance Cars That Can Keep Up With A Nissan GT-R
The Nissan GT-R is one of the most fabled, but expensive super cars in the market. Here are 10 affordable alternatives that can keep up with it.
2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1
Average Price: $47,000
The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 will do the 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, despite having ten fewer horsepower than the GT. The Mach 1 uses the 5.0-liter V8, tuned to 470 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque, and it uses the specifically tuned 10-speed automatic transmission from the Shelby GT350/GT500. CarBuzz calls it “the most track-capable 5.0-liter ever,” with heavy-duty cooling and racing aerodynamics.
The Mach 1 nameplate first appeared in 1969 as the bridge between the base Mustang and the high-performance Boss models. The 2021 Mach 1 is a masterpiece, combining performance parts from the Shelby program with the reliability of the Coyote V8. It has more aggressive styling and an aura of a special edition that the mass-produced Mustang GT cannot match.
2023 Chevrolet Camaro SS
Average Price: $43,000
The 2023 Chevrolet Camaro SS is the Mustang GT’s direct rival in American Muscle, smoking the 0-60 mph in 0.2 seconds less than the GT. It has the iconic 6.2-liter LT1 V8 that makes 455 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque, and the super slick 10-speed automatic transmission. Reviews note the Camaro’s ability to switch from comfortable cruiser to track racer in a moment.
The Camaro SS is the last chance to own this classic, as this sixth generation was canceled the following year. It is sure to become a collector’s car, with the SS standing for Super Sport, a designation that has been around since the ’60s. The Camaro SS is considered a more hardcore car than the Mustang GT.
2022 Volkswagen Golf R
Average Price: $35,000
Disclaimer here: the official VW 0-60 mph time for the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R is 4.7 seconds, so 0.5 off the pace of the Mustang GT. But several respected publications like Car and Driver (4.1 seconds) and MotorTrend (4.3 seconds) measured faster times, and other sources mention sub-four-second times. But the Golf R deserves to be on this list. The 2022 VW Golf R was the relaunch after the R was cut in 2019, basically an upgraded GTI with AWD, part of the eighth-generation Golf. It features a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four engine that produces 315 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The fast acceleration comes courtesy of its launch control and AWD traction.
The Golf R is an iconic nameplate, first launched in the early 2000s with a 3.2-liter V6 engine. The R was, and still is, the maximum possible performance squeezed into a practical hatchback. You can use it to go and buy groceries, and scare a Mustang at a traffic light on the way home.
10 Used Turbocharged Cars Under $30,000 With Sub 5 Seconds 0-60 MPH Time
These models can accelerate on par with a 90s supercar while offering practicality and modern features, all for a reasonable price.
2021 Tesla Model 3 Performance
Average Price: $29,000
While we did not want to fill this list with a bunch of overpowered EVs, it would be churlish not to add one, just to give context. The 2021 Tesla Model 3 is a nice-looking sedan, but it can blister 0–60 mph in 3.1 to 3.5 seconds. It has dual-motors and all-wheel drive, making from 450 to 510 horsepower, depending on which source you consult. Any EV with motors within this power range would be shockingly fast. The low center of gravity, because the batteries are at the bottom, gives the Model 3 superb handling as well.
Some say the Model 3 lacks personality, and it certainly cannot match the visceral roar and vibration of a big V8 going flat out. The thing is that the Model 3 represents the future of motoring. When it was launched in 2017, its only EV competitor was the Nissan Leaf, a slow but effective commuter. The Model 3 showed that a compact EV did not have to be boring, and could take even supercars on the drag strip. The Model 3 itself is not the future of motoring, but the qualities it brings to the road are. It has the lowest running costs and highest performance per dollar spent than any other car on this list, and, current sentiments around EVs notwithstanding, this is where cars are going.