10 Best Used Sports Cars For Performance And Comfort
More often than not, sports cars are heavily focused on outright performance, especially in modern times with Nurburgring tweaked editions like roll cage-equipped Porsches or super-powerful Lamborghinis. As awesome as these cars are, they aren’t exactly ideal for regular usage and suit collectors more, who can have a variety of different cars, ready for different days and moods.
Some manufacturers though have produced models that are a perfect blend of luxury cars and performance cars, which are much more useable. Regardless of whether you’re taking a date out for a fancy dinner, or hitting the back roads on a Sunday morning, these rides offer a great combination of performance and comfort. Given the choice, which would you take home?
10 It Doesn’t Get Much More Comfortable Than A Bentley Continental GTC
One manufacturer who always hit the nail on the head when it comes to comfort is of course Bentley – a British manufacturer that has been responsible for some fantastic brutish luxury cars over the decades, and it’s easy to see they really pulled it off with the drop-dead gorgeous convertible also.
Not only is it ideal for cruising around in, but with a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12, it’s also got the potential to really get your blood pumping on an enthusiastic drive too – regardless of how comfort-focussed it is, 552 hp is always enough to have a bit of fun!
New examples will have set original owners back in the region of $200,000, but great examples are now plentiful and available for roughly a quarter of the original asking price.
9 The Jaguar XKE Is A Classic Approach To The Sports Car Brief
Part of the joy of having a sporty drop-top as your second car is that it doesn’t need to be suitable for daily commuting, meaning you can have a bit more fun and contemplate a cool classic instead of an ultra-dependable modern car.
Another cool offering from Britain is the ever-admired Jaguar XKE – the car Enzo Ferrari himself said was the most beautiful ever made. Sure, it’s a bit more expensive than the aforementioned Bentley, but it’s about twice as cool, and looking down that long bonnet should ensure some serious smiles per mile.
Plush leather seats and wood-rimmed steering wheels will keep you comfortable while wafting around in your ’60s daydream, plus there’s a great offering of 6 and 12-cylinder motors to keep you performing well on the back roads, too.
8 BMWs’ i8 Roadster Takes A Much More Modern Approach
Old-school British classics aren’t for everyone though, but this next option should be perfect for the ultra-modern tech-savvy gearheads out there – yes, the BMW i8 is the perfect sports car for those who want a solid blend of comfort and performance.
Plush leather heated seats, Harmon Kardon sound systems, and modern head-up displays will keep you comfortable and connected when driving this sleek sports car around, while the hybrid power-plant provides more than enough power to keep things interesting – a combined 369 hp to be exact.
They don’t come cheap, but the newer roadsters can be had in perfect condition for considerably under $100,000 now – plus they hold their values extremely well, ideal then if you’re nervous about losing too much money.
7 The BMW Z3 M Roadster Is Purpose-Built For Driver Enjoyment
Keeping it German then with another BMW, this Z3 M Roadster really does belong in the BMW hall of fame – coupling wind-in-the-hair motoring with the beautiful 6-cylinder motor from the beloved classic M3 range.
It’s tough to argue with this winning combination of 240 hp, wide arches, and a roadster body. This is arguably the last truly analog sports car from BMW, and it’s a dead-set modern classic that’s for sure. Big bolstered leather seats with keep you comfortable and hug your tight as you’re pushing the little roadster down the road, and that screaming inline-6 will encourage you to keep driving until the tank reads empty.
Great examples can still be picked up for $20,000, even in the iconic Estoril Blue, but act quick, as prices are only heading up on these small but mighty sports cars.
6 Enjoy Badge-Snobbery With A Retro Ferrari Mondial
Overlooked, undervalued, and unloved; that’s three quick ways, to sum up the history of the unfortunate Ferrari Mondial. In 2023 though, the Mondial does represent that very rare opportunity. A budget-conscious classic Ferrari – who’d have thought such a thing existed?
Early Mondial 8 models were slow, with a 0 to 60 mph time of 9.4 seconds, whereas the later Quattrovalvole examples soon brought that right down to a pretty respectable 6.4 seconds.
Sure it’s never going to set your world alight with mild performance figures like that, but when you’re cocooned in a leather-clad cabin with that prancing horse adorning the steering wheel, and an open-gate gearbox to your right, does it matter?
5 A Mercedes-Benz SLK Ticks All The Boxes On A Budget
If budget is somewhat restricted, then look no further than the original Mercedes-Benz SLK, namely the supercharged SLK230 – surely this is the best sports car available for under $10,000?
The 2.3-liter supercharged engine squeezes out a plentiful 193 hp, which is enough to propel this diminutive sports car from 0 to 60 mph in just 7.6 seconds, plus it’ll keep on going all the way to 144 mph.
Being a Mercedes-Benz, you know you can rely on a comfortable ride and sumptuous cabin. Heated leather seats are standard equipment on most models, plus Mercedes offered several limited-run special editions with brightly colored trim panels and contrasting interiors, ensuring the R170 SLK is always a pleasant place to sit.
4 Grace And Pace With A Used Jaguar XKR
Back to Britain now, and time to consider what some would call the modern XKE. Yes, it’s the supercharged, 8-cylinder Jaguar XKR.
Hagerty recommends no more than $13,700 for a good used example, which is pennies really when you consider the package Jaguar put together in this stylish coupes. You’d be hard-pushed to get more than the 370-hp Jaguar offered here anywhere else for the money, and the pristinely-presented cabin is a super comfortable place to enjoy it from.
If you need more convincing, check out how DriveTribe set about recommissioning this unloved example – it might just give you the inspiration needed to get out there and acquire your own.
3 Take A German Approach With The Robust Audi TT 3.2 Quattro
The Audi TT has been a cornerstone sports car now for a quarter of a century, and for many, the original MK1 is still the most desirable – it’s certainly the cheapest, and there’s nothing we love more than an easily accessible sports car.
The 3.2 Quattro has to be the pick of the bunch, especially with the ultra-quick-shifting DSG gearbox. When coupled with a 247 hp V6 the TT really comes alive, especially in this guide as the V6 is naturally aspirated, meaning this simplistic little coupe doesn’t suffer from any unwanted turbo lag.
Similarly to all premium-brand sports cars in this list, the TT has a luxuriously appointed interior with leather seats and plenty of gadgets for the age, meaning you’ll be more than comfortable when tucked inside the cozy cabin.
2 British V8 Goodness With The Striking Triumph Stag
There’s always room for one more stylish classic sports car, especially when it’s as striking as the Michelotti-designed Triumph Stag – a V8 powered 2+2 sports car from the 1970s.
This British bruiser might just be the best old sports car money can buy, and respectable examples don’t even cost that much. A good condition useable example of this 3.0-liter 145-hp drop-top can certainly be had for just $15,000, which isn’t something you can say about many classic V8 sports cars.
in 1971, Sean Connery had the pleasure of piloting one of these in the hit film Diamonds Are Forever – we’ll bet he was more than comfortable too, sitting atop the plush, deep foam-filled perforated vinyl seats!
1 Is A First-Generation Audi R8 The Perfect Sports Car?
There can only be one winner though, and for us, it’s the Audi R8 – specifically the early first-generation models. This mid-engined sports car really broke the mold when it was first released, as Audi finally gave the world a contender for the 911 for the best daily-driveable sports car-slash-baby-supercar.
The handsome coupe had a well-appointed cabin, with lashes of quality Nappa leather used in conjunction with rear carbon-fiber panels; not only were you comfortable, but you knew you were in a serious sports car. Audi gave us coupe and spyder variants, with the choice of V8 and V10 powerplants, both in automatic and manual guise, although the dedicated driver should certainly opt for the open-gate six-speed transmission.
For just $70,000 you could be seated behind the 220 mph tachometer, with 420 hp at your disposal (even more if you fork out the extra bucks for a Lamborghini-derived V10 model) so performance will never be an issue for you, whether it’s country road drives or highway cruising you enjoy more.
A modern classic in the making, the Audi R8 should be on every gearheads’ most wanted list as the ultimate comfortable performance car!
