Mustang doing the affordable sports car for almost 60 years.

Not a real shock to see the Ford Mustang on our list, as it's been doing the affordable sports car thing for almost 60 years. But there may have never been more choice than now when it comes to legitimate performance options. Depending on budget, there are several choices that offer a lot of performance for the money. The base Mustang starts with a 310 hp turbocharged engine and builds from there, offering variants with 330 hp, 460 hp, 480 hp, and even 760 hp. Depending on trim level, there are various engines, handling and other performance upgrades.

The Ecoboost starts at just $27,205, which is a bargain for the performance. But it’s worth adding the Performance Package and the Handling Package if the car will be a weekend track toy. If V8 grunt and burnouts are the priority, the GT starts around the same price as they loaded up Ecoboost and includes a 460 hp V8 engine. There is a handling package available on the GT trim level, but it is worth stepping up a few thousand dollars more for the better all-around Mustang MACH 1.