Your membership has expired

The payment for your account couldn't be processed or you've canceled your account with us.

Re-activate

Save products you love, products you own and much more!

Save products icon

Other Membership Benefits:

Savings icon Exclusive Deals for Members Best time to buy icon Best Time to Buy Products Recall tracker icon Recall & Safety Alerts TV screen optimizer icon TV Screen Optimizer and more

    Reliable Used Sports Cars for Under $25,000

    For spirited drives or cruising, these reliable coupes, sedans, and roadsters are good choices

    2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata
    Mazda MX-5 Miata
    Photo: Mazda

    A good sports car can make almost any drive more enjoyable, whether it’s carving up winding roads or just cruising along. But a breakdown can quickly turn that enjoyment into frustration.

    While most of today’s sports cars can deliver the fun without the worry about being stranded on the side of the road, there are still cars and model years that aren’t as reliable as others.

    That’s why we mined our road-test and survey data to come up with a list of the best used sports cars. First, we looked at the results from our Annual Auto Surveys, in which owners told us how well their cars have held up. From this data we’re able to predict the reliability for each model year.

    After that, we cross-referenced those results with our road-test data to find the top-performing models. Finally, we broke them into two price categories to help meet different budget needs. The results include European sports sedans and coupes, hard-core muscle cars, and nimble roadsters. There’s something for every buyer.

    MORE ON USED CARS

    We included data and a profile for each car generation that meets our criteria. If a generation is repeated in different price categories, we included it as another option to consider. They’re all ordered alphabetically by manufacturer.

    If you’re a CR member, the list below is already available to you. But if you haven’t signed up, click below and become a member to access the list and all our exclusive ratings and reviews for each vehicle we buy and test. Joining also gives you full access to exclusive ratings for the other products our experts evaluate in several categories, including electronics and home appliances.

    CR members can search our Used Car Marketplace for vehicles for sale in their area, sorting by the factors that matter most. The listings include CR reliability and owner satisfaction ratings, and most vehicles include a free Carfax report. Members can also access ratings and information on used vehicles going as far back as 20 years.

    Sign up for CR’s Cars email newsletter to be notified when we post our latest road tests.

    Become a member to read the full article and get access to digital ratings.

    We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.


    Jon Linkov

    Jon Linkov is the deputy auto editor at Consumer Reports. He has been with CR since 2002, covering varied automotive topics including buying and leasing, maintenance and repair, ownership, reliability, used cars, and electric vehicles. He manages CR’s lineup of special interest publications, hosts CR’s “Talking Cars” podcast, and writes and edits content for CR’s online and print products. An avid cyclist, Jon also enjoys driving his ’80s-era sports car and instructing at track days.