Cheap sports car? NO MUSTANGS please.?

I am assuming you are talking brand new, because if you are talking used, you can get practically anything, well not anything but there is a huuuuuuge variety of sports cars out there for $25,000 or less!!

Brand new it would be tough, be here is a short list of "sporty" cars, not necessarily "sports cars" for right around $25,000 or less...

Mazda Miata MX-5 (one of greatest RWD vehicles ever built, what it lacks in straightline performance it more than makes up for in handling, a car magazine i read had an article where the Miata was pulling lap times around a twisty track that were within a couple seconds of the V-10 powered Viper!)

Subaru WRX (the STi is out of your price range brand new, but the WRX is still a great AWD sporty ride)
Honda Civic Si (FWD is a plus if you live where it snows, but a negative if you are concerned fully on performance)

Mini Cooper S (I personally would not drive one, but it does handle extremely well for FWD and can be modified)

Chevrolet Camaro (the base model V-6 should be right around the cut-off point with your budget, even though its no V-8 it still has a good amount of power while getting better gas mileage)

Dodge Challenger SE (great classic muscle car looks, the base model is underpowered, overweight and oversized, but it looks mean and sounds great)

VW GTi (a good alternative to the Civic Si in my opinion, a great mix of luxury, performance, reliability, and economy)

Pontiac Solstice (not a car I would ever recommend but it is defiintely sporty looking and in your price range)

Dodge Charger SE
Mitsubishi Ecipse GT
Subaru Legacy 3.0R (a great AWD sedan with luxury and performance)
 
For $22,000 you could get a very nice pre-owned Honda S2000.
laugh if you will but just try not to smile the first time you run it up to it's 8000 rpm redline.

So, you need something with a backseat? If the dealership hasn't marked up the hell out of it, you can score yourself a nice Genesis Coupe 2.0 turbo 4 cyl 6 speed.

for a few dollars more..roughly a grand or two...you can getcher-self a Cobalt SS turbo or a Mazdaspeed 3

Still need more room? Don't care how ugly it is? (and it is ugly) You are in range for a Caliber SRT/4

So, you want something a little more European with 4 doors? You can get a lightly used Saab 9-3. Maybe a C-class Sport or a 328i. Not really sports cars but the valet will park you up front with all the "good" cars

Oh, but you need a V8 huh? Since you've killed the Mustang idea that's going to leave you with a Impala SS, (imposter SS...Impalas are RWD) Charger or 300C. I wouldn't count any of those as "sports cars"
 
I would say A 2004 Mustang, but since you said no Mustangs, I would suggest a: Lancer Evolution, Toyota Supra, Nissan 350z (I suggest used), Nissan Skyline (If You live in the bahamas or Japan, because it costs way too much to import into the U.S.).
 
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