Sports cars are the most popular type of used vehicle in the United States, according to data from Classified Ventures. While the vehicles are not necessarily readily available, they are the most sought-after. The top ten searched-for used vehicles are:
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06/12, 9:11 AM
posted by:
animal
Is no.4 a type-o?!
06/12, 9:16 AM
posted by:
Renton
This is not really news. Its pretty obvious.
These are all the decent Japanese sports cars and sporty cars from the last decade. I say sporty b/c some are FWD and therefore can not be considered a sports car.
Most of today’s young guys who want an affordable cool car will look for these cars. With the video games and movies like the Fast and the Furious its no wonder these are the more popular cars searched for.
06/12, 9:18 AM
posted by:
Madcapp
I’m no fan of the rice, but Honda really stuck their foot in their mouth in the Late 90’s when the Acura Integra was replaced with the RSX, and the Civic SI became a butt-ugly doorstop looking hatchback.
06/12, 10:19 AM
posted by:
Shane
Toyota Pickup? Since when is that considered a “sports car”?
06/12, 10:49 AM
posted by:
Peter Graves
“I say sporty b/c some are FWD and therefore can not be considered a sports car.”
That’s an incredibly stupid statement
06/12, 10:54 AM
posted by:
Gabriel
it says “Sports cars most sought after used cars” not “sports cars the only sought after used cars”
Too bad my rx-7 is only number 8. I can agree with the integra though, they are excellent, reliable cars. I agree, they definitely made a mistake with the RSX, it just didn’t hold the integra fans.
06/12, 10:55 AM
posted by:
Martin Landau
” ‘I say sporty b/c some are FWD and therefore can not be considered a sports car.’ â€?
That’s an incredibly stupid statement”
I know, front wheel drive should not even be considered sporty. That’s an impossible mission.
06/12, 11:18 AM
posted by:
Peter Graves
so what’s all-wheel drive then?
you guys need to get your heads out of your asses
06/12, 11:41 AM
posted by:
Martin Landau
We better get our heads out of our asses because it will self-destruct in 8 seconds? AWD and RWD can be sporty. FWD is still a cheap package meant mostly for economy cars. I know there are quick FWD cars out there but an understeering econobox with poor weight distribution and tons of front tire spinning power does not a sporty car make.
06/12, 11:48 AM
posted by:
ryan
It says “sports” cars … yes, some smaller displacemnt vehicles can remain front wheel drive… they tend to be sporty as they are lightweight and have a decent horsepower to weight ratio…etc.. However, if you’re looking for serious power or more along the lines of supersport then you are going to need something with rear or all wheel drive as asking the front wheels to steer and accelerate is suimply to much for higher powered cars such as a vette…etc…
In conclusion the term “Sports” car is best determined by each user. Typicaly the more serious sports cares are not FF.
We could be more elaborate and find more details… but this should sum things up…
06/12, 12:01 PM
posted by:
Ahk-Med
The entire list is Japanese, anyone suprised? This certainly explains the excellent resale value of these models. While half of these are not truly sports cars, they certainly all are (minus the pickup) more fun to drive than 90% of the other stuff on the road.
06/12, 12:08 PM
posted by:
Renton
I stand by my statement that FWD cars can’t be sports cars. When they start racing FWD cars at high levels, then I will think about changing it.
Those who feel a FWD car can be sports car have never driven a well sorted RWD machine. The Integra is a very good car, but not a sports car.
06/12, 12:08 PM
posted by:
danny
FWD=sporty, but not full blown sports cars. Idunno about you guys, but torque steer, understeering, and heavy amounts of nose pitch in the corners really doesnt sound like a sports car to me. That doesnt mean FWD sport coupes arent fun though.
06/12, 1:29 PM
posted by:
Dav
i love AWD and RWD, but my first car was an integra, and it torque steered like no other at speed. that almost got me into several crashes, so i only buy the other two formats(but then, i’ve really only had 3 cars). my old S4 turbo 6 was great, and my C32 handles like no other, but that integra was appauling.
06/12, 2:24 PM
posted by:
Ahk-Med
I’ve put extensive miles on 2 different 3rd Gen (pictured) and while they did have the typical chracteristics of FWD they handled FAR better than any other FWD I’ve driven.
If you almost got into several crashes with your Integra, it was certainly your fault. You were behind the wheel, you put the car at or near the limit of its abilities. The car has it’s shortcomings, as your the driver its your responsibility to manage them.
Torque steer usually occurs under acceleartion, not at speed. Also, the 3rd gen Integra had equal length half-shafts which goes a long way torwards eliminating torque steer. I never identified it as a problem. If you had a 3rd gen Integra I’d say either your’s was broken, or you don’t know what your talking about.
Wow. I sure do feel chummy trying to enjoy my FWD Prelude. Not only is it extremely popular and highly likely to be stolen but it’s also regarded as econobox crap by “real” drivers.
…as if I’m not well aware of the shortcomings of FWD cars. I’d rather be driving a RWD/AWD sportscar but– guess what! For a good six years most automakers stopped manufacturing good “true” sportscars and sport sedans.
Now I’m faced with two extremes if I want to sell my “crap econobox” for a RWD/AWD sportscar: buy a 10-15 year old car and deal with high mileage, abused drivetrains….. or magically pull another $20,000 out of my pocket and buy the new range of sportscars that have only been in prodduction for a couple of years.
At least with all this popularity my well maintained Prelude will fetch respectable resale– oh wait… I’m forgetting that it’s a FWD econobox and we all know that Undesirable Desirable cars like these depreciate faster than you can find a suitable “true” replacement.
FWD cars are not “true” sportscars? Well I’ve owned mine since new for six years and I’d really like a change. Too bad only underpowered or ruined older cars are all I can aspire to own right now if I want to resurrect my cred.
Whatever the hell that means. Jesus, this is a stupid topic. Pointless. Useless. Go enjoy the wonderful acceleration and handling of your Corvettes and Supras for me. I’ll see you on the curves for the two seconds I can keep up.
I’d still love to drive something that isn’t FWD.
06/13, 3:25 AM
posted by:
Anonymous
Only people that drive any of those things are Asians and Mexicans. I have no interest whatsoever in plastic Far Eastern junk
06/13, 8:44 AM
posted by:
Paul D.
Hooray of ignorance #19…
06/13, 12:24 PM
posted by:
John Foster
Are you sure these are real sports cars. Or half sudans. Really there was only three reall sports cars on that list. And kids playing on the internet looking for a Acura Int come on Sports Car.
06/13, 4:26 PM
posted by:
Craig
Paul, I’m not ignorant.
I think you may have interpreted my post as saying “what do you guys know about FWD cars?! Ha! They’re just as good as any Corvette! Screw you!”
I wasn’t saying that at all.
What I WAS saying is that it makes me sick that the resale on a Prelude is so low and that, basically, despite the great driving feel and handling (for a FWD) almost any serious sportscar from 1985 onward will outdo it in every way. So I lose. I’m jealous. I’m tired of being jealous. At long last I just want a better driver’s car that is RWD/AWD.
Ignorant? On the contrary, I hate my FWD Honda. It’s *close* to a sportscar but it doesn’t measure up. I will never buy another car like this again.
06/13, 4:38 PM
posted by:
Craig
The shortcoming of posting in an online text-based forum is that it’s impossible to convey inflection and emotion the way you intended it.
Post #19 is a lament in agreement with all other parties here that completely bashes on the so-called “FWD Sportscar”. IE: I hate it that I own one and hate it that I can’t afford to get rid of it. I’ve been saying that my car is a pretend car.
06/23, 7:10 AM
posted by:
Ryan
For you guys saying that a FWD vehicle isn’t a true sportscar, than you’ve obviously haven’t driven an Integra Type R (my primary vehicle) …. which by the way, has destroyed 99% of that list on the track since its introduction. Check out the video “best motoring vol. 1 – Type R legend” and you’ll see Supras, RX-7s, 240s, Evos, MR2s, getting their asses handed to them by a stock FWD type R. The Type R is not “sporty” … it’s a true sports car period.
07/17, 5:58 PM
posted by:
Jay
I am sooo sick of people always undercutting cars that they don’t understand. FWD cars are really one of the best cars out there simply because they are half as likely to crash because you can simply steer out of it. And yea there will always be people that feel different about things they do not know but its natural. Now I’m a gearhead, and probably one that is just as experienced as the others out there, but my car is FWD, and I haven’t had any major problems with it other than the fact that it is used. I have an idea, how about all you that doubt FWD cars, or just simply hate them, how about you take one out on a track and put it to THE TEST?!
08/29, 4:22 PM
posted by:
Don
i’m laughing at you idiots who think these aren’t sports cars
01/04, 2:47 AM
posted by:
prelude4life
I’ve got a 95 prelude and its a sports car, decent power, tight suspension, and wide tires by normal sedan standards, its built for high speed manuevers so i say its a sports car, and all of them on the list are. FWD owns on the track. RWD drive is for people that are too scared to take high speed turns, “Hey check out my 11 second quarter”, ok all you did was floor it and keep it straight, run an 11 second quarter on a road course!
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06/12, 9:11 AM
posted by:
animal
Is no.4 a type-o?!
06/12, 9:16 AM
posted by:
Renton
This is not really news. Its pretty obvious.
These are all the decent Japanese sports cars and sporty cars from the last decade. I say sporty b/c some are FWD and therefore can not be considered a sports car.
Most of today’s young guys who want an affordable cool car will look for these cars. With the video games and movies like the Fast and the Furious its no wonder these are the more popular cars searched for.
06/12, 9:18 AM
posted by:
Madcapp
I’m no fan of the rice, but Honda really stuck their foot in their mouth in the Late 90’s when the Acura Integra was replaced with the RSX, and the Civic SI became a butt-ugly doorstop looking hatchback.
06/12, 10:19 AM
posted by:
Shane
Toyota Pickup? Since when is that considered a “sports car”?
06/12, 10:49 AM
posted by:
Peter Graves
“I say sporty b/c some are FWD and therefore can not be considered a sports car.”
That’s an incredibly stupid statement
06/12, 10:54 AM
posted by:
Gabriel
it says “Sports cars most sought after used cars” not “sports cars the only sought after used cars”
Too bad my rx-7 is only number 8. I can agree with the integra though, they are excellent, reliable cars. I agree, they definitely made a mistake with the RSX, it just didn’t hold the integra fans.
06/12, 10:55 AM
posted by:
Martin Landau
” ‘I say sporty b/c some are FWD and therefore can not be considered a sports car.’ â€?
That’s an incredibly stupid statement”
I know, front wheel drive should not even be considered sporty. That’s an impossible mission.
06/12, 11:18 AM
posted by:
Peter Graves
so what’s all-wheel drive then?
you guys need to get your heads out of your asses
06/12, 11:41 AM
posted by:
Martin Landau
We better get our heads out of our asses because it will self-destruct in 8 seconds? AWD and RWD can be sporty. FWD is still a cheap package meant mostly for economy cars. I know there are quick FWD cars out there but an understeering econobox with poor weight distribution and tons of front tire spinning power does not a sporty car make.
06/12, 11:48 AM
posted by:
ryan
It says “sports” cars … yes, some smaller displacemnt vehicles can remain front wheel drive… they tend to be sporty as they are lightweight and have a decent horsepower to weight ratio…etc.. However, if you’re looking for serious power or more along the lines of supersport then you are going to need something with rear or all wheel drive as asking the front wheels to steer and accelerate is suimply to much for higher powered cars such as a vette…etc…
In conclusion the term “Sports” car is best determined by each user. Typicaly the more serious sports cares are not FF.
We could be more elaborate and find more details… but this should sum things up…
06/12, 12:01 PM
posted by:
Ahk-Med
The entire list is Japanese, anyone suprised? This certainly explains the excellent resale value of these models. While half of these are not truly sports cars, they certainly all are (minus the pickup) more fun to drive than 90% of the other stuff on the road.
06/12, 12:08 PM
posted by:
Renton
I stand by my statement that FWD cars can’t be sports cars. When they start racing FWD cars at high levels, then I will think about changing it.
Those who feel a FWD car can be sports car have never driven a well sorted RWD machine. The Integra is a very good car, but not a sports car.
06/12, 12:08 PM
posted by:
danny
FWD=sporty, but not full blown sports cars. Idunno about you guys, but torque steer, understeering, and heavy amounts of nose pitch in the corners really doesnt sound like a sports car to me. That doesnt mean FWD sport coupes arent fun though.
06/12, 1:29 PM
posted by:
Dav
i love AWD and RWD, but my first car was an integra, and it torque steered like no other at speed. that almost got me into several crashes, so i only buy the other two formats(but then, i’ve really only had 3 cars). my old S4 turbo 6 was great, and my C32 handles like no other, but that integra was appauling.
06/12, 2:24 PM
posted by:
Ahk-Med
I’ve put extensive miles on 2 different 3rd Gen (pictured) and while they did have the typical chracteristics of FWD they handled FAR better than any other FWD I’ve driven.
If you almost got into several crashes with your Integra, it was certainly your fault. You were behind the wheel, you put the car at or near the limit of its abilities. The car has it’s shortcomings, as your the driver its your responsibility to manage them.
Torque steer usually occurs under acceleartion, not at speed. Also, the 3rd gen Integra had equal length half-shafts which goes a long way torwards eliminating torque steer. I never identified it as a problem. If you had a 3rd gen Integra I’d say either your’s was broken, or you don’t know what your talking about.
06/12, 6:01 PM
posted by:
Anonymous
YAWN !!
06/12, 7:06 PM
posted by:
VDub
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_cars
06/13, 2:08 AM
posted by:
Craig
Wow. I sure do feel chummy trying to enjoy my FWD Prelude. Not only is it extremely popular and highly likely to be stolen but it’s also regarded as econobox crap by “real” drivers.
…as if I’m not well aware of the shortcomings of FWD cars. I’d rather be driving a RWD/AWD sportscar but– guess what! For a good six years most automakers stopped manufacturing good “true” sportscars and sport sedans.
Now I’m faced with two extremes if I want to sell my “crap econobox” for a RWD/AWD sportscar: buy a 10-15 year old car and deal with high mileage, abused drivetrains….. or magically pull another $20,000 out of my pocket and buy the new range of sportscars that have only been in prodduction for a couple of years.
At least with all this popularity my well maintained Prelude will fetch respectable resale– oh wait… I’m forgetting that it’s a FWD econobox and we all know that Undesirable Desirable cars like these depreciate faster than you can find a suitable “true” replacement.
FWD cars are not “true” sportscars? Well I’ve owned mine since new for six years and I’d really like a change. Too bad only underpowered or ruined older cars are all I can aspire to own right now if I want to resurrect my cred.
Whatever the hell that means. Jesus, this is a stupid topic. Pointless. Useless. Go enjoy the wonderful acceleration and handling of your Corvettes and Supras for me. I’ll see you on the curves for the two seconds I can keep up.
I’d still love to drive something that isn’t FWD.
06/13, 3:25 AM
posted by:
Anonymous
Only people that drive any of those things are Asians and Mexicans. I have no interest whatsoever in plastic Far Eastern junk
06/13, 8:44 AM
posted by:
Paul D.
Hooray of ignorance #19…
06/13, 12:24 PM
posted by:
John Foster
Are you sure these are real sports cars. Or half sudans. Really there was only three reall sports cars on that list. And kids playing on the internet looking for a Acura Int come on Sports Car.
06/13, 4:26 PM
posted by:
Craig
Paul, I’m not ignorant.
I think you may have interpreted my post as saying “what do you guys know about FWD cars?! Ha! They’re just as good as any Corvette! Screw you!”
I wasn’t saying that at all.
What I WAS saying is that it makes me sick that the resale on a Prelude is so low and that, basically, despite the great driving feel and handling (for a FWD) almost any serious sportscar from 1985 onward will outdo it in every way. So I lose. I’m jealous. I’m tired of being jealous. At long last I just want a better driver’s car that is RWD/AWD.
Ignorant? On the contrary, I hate my FWD Honda. It’s *close* to a sportscar but it doesn’t measure up. I will never buy another car like this again.
06/13, 4:38 PM
posted by:
Craig
The shortcoming of posting in an online text-based forum is that it’s impossible to convey inflection and emotion the way you intended it.
Post #19 is a lament in agreement with all other parties here that completely bashes on the so-called “FWD Sportscar”. IE: I hate it that I own one and hate it that I can’t afford to get rid of it. I’ve been saying that my car is a pretend car.
06/23, 7:10 AM
posted by:
Ryan
For you guys saying that a FWD vehicle isn’t a true sportscar, than you’ve obviously haven’t driven an Integra Type R (my primary vehicle) …. which by the way, has destroyed 99% of that list on the track since its introduction. Check out the video “best motoring vol. 1 – Type R legend” and you’ll see Supras, RX-7s, 240s, Evos, MR2s, getting their asses handed to them by a stock FWD type R. The Type R is not “sporty” … it’s a true sports car period.
07/17, 5:58 PM
posted by:
Jay
I am sooo sick of people always undercutting cars that they don’t understand. FWD cars are really one of the best cars out there simply because they are half as likely to crash because you can simply steer out of it. And yea there will always be people that feel different about things they do not know but its natural. Now I’m a gearhead, and probably one that is just as experienced as the others out there, but my car is FWD, and I haven’t had any major problems with it other than the fact that it is used. I have an idea, how about all you that doubt FWD cars, or just simply hate them, how about you take one out on a track and put it to THE TEST?!
08/29, 4:22 PM
posted by:
Don
i’m laughing at you idiots who think these aren’t sports cars
01/04, 2:47 AM
posted by:
prelude4life
I’ve got a 95 prelude and its a sports car, decent power, tight suspension, and wide tires by normal sedan standards, its built for high speed manuevers so i say its a sports car, and all of them on the list are. FWD owns on the track. RWD drive is for people that are too scared to take high speed turns, “Hey check out my 11 second quarter”, ok all you did was floor it and keep it straight, run an 11 second quarter on a road course!