10 Cheap Sleeper Cars Every Gearhead Should Own

Most drivers dream of owning one supercars with head-turning designs and exciting performance. However, there is a small group of riders who crave performance but don’t want designs that draw attention wherever they go. This is precisely why the sleeper car segment exists.

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Sleeper cars have regular designs that fit in with normal traffic, but when the roads open up, they have the capacity to destroy a large number of sports cars. The best thing about sleeper cars is that they offer great value for money, as they usually offer better performance than their prices suggest. Let’s explore ten cheap sleeper cars that shifters should consider.

10/10 Cadillac CTS-V – $20,000

When Cadillac introduced the CTS in the early 2000s, its main goal was to compete with BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the compact luxury sedan space. While the CTS looked the part and had a luxurious interior, it didn’t match its competitors in the power department, which is why Cadillac built the CTS-V.

Cadillac equipped the CTS-V with the same engine as the Corvette C5 Z06 – a monstrous 5.7-liter V8 that develops over 400 hp. Acceleration from 0 to 60 in just 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 163 mph made the first-generation CTS-V one of the fastest american cars days.

9/10 Mercedes-Benz 500E – $23,000

In the late 80s, Mercedes-Benz needed to create a new high-performance E-Class model that could take on the fastest luxury sedans of the day. However, with its engineers too busy developing the next-generation S-Class, Mercedes-Benz hired Porsche to build the car, resulting in the legendary 500E.

Porsche quickly got to work and modified the W124 to ensure it could accommodate the 5.0-litre V8 from the SL of the day. Porsche was successful and eventually the 500E had 322 hp and 354 lb-ft to work with. With only around 10,000 examples made, the 500E is becoming increasingly difficult to find. Mercedes-Benz 500Es continue to sell for less than $30,000 at auctionbut not for long.

8/10 1989 Ford Taurus SHO – $8,000

Although Ford never went bankrupt, it came close on several occasions. Ford once came close to its end in the 80s thanks to the fuel crisis, but luckily the Taurus saved it.

The Taurus is a four-door sedan introduced by Ford in 1986 to appeal to customers looking for a stylish, practical, reliable and affordable car. The Bull became a huge success, selling millions of copies in the process. The Taurus was so successful that in 1989, Ford introduced a high-performance version – the SHO. Equipped with a 220 hp 3.2-liter Yamaha V6 engine, the Taurus SHO was among the fastest Fords days.

7/10 2007 Mazda Speed ​​6 – $18,000

In 2006, Mazda introduced the first mid-size version of the high-performance Mazda6 sedan. Called the Mazdaspeed6, this sedan resembled the base model but featured a revised front fascia with a slightly raised hood.

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While there wasn’t much to separate the Mazdaspeed6 from the base model in terms of looks, it was a completely different car in terms of performance. It had a 2.3-liter turbo four-cylinder engine with 270 hp, a six-speed manual transmission and an all-wheel drive system.

6/10 GMC Syclone – $25,000

Compact pickup trucks are designed to offer affordable service to workers across the US. They’re not usually meant to be fast, but that didn’t stop GM from creating crazy Syclones in the 90s.

The Syclone started out as a GMC Sonoma compact pickup, but received several upgrades that turned it into one of the coolest pickup truck of all time. For one, the Syclone received a styling change that gave it a menacing blacked-out look and new bumpers that made it look a lot cooler than the Sonoma. It also had improved performance, as it was equipped with a 4.3-liter turbo LB4 V6 engine that developed almost 300 hp.

5/10 Chevrolet Impala SS (7th generation) – $22,000

The seventh-generation Impala SS left many gamers with confused faces when it debuted in the ’90s. Aside from the subtle badging, there was no way to tell what the shifters were looking at was an Impala SS, as it looked like any other four-door sedan on the road—a far cry from the iconic muscle car of previous generations.

Fortunately, the Impala SS makes up for its ordinary looks with its outstanding performance. Powered by the same 260 hp V8 engine as the C4 Corvette, the Impala SS was super fast.

4/10 Volkswagen Golf R32 – $23,000

The Golf is Volkswagen’s most successful model of the modern era. There are multiple iterations of Gold available, but R has to be the most underrated. Volkswagen built the first Golf R in the early 2000s and it has been a hit ever since.

Dubbed the Golf R32, this fantastic hot hatch shares many components with the Audi TT, including its superb 3.2-litre DOHC VR6 engine. The R32 also made history for being the first production car to feature a dual-clutch transmission. It’s no surprise that the R32 is often on the list the best hot hatches ever made.

3/10 Chevrolet Cobalt SS – $15,000

When the Cobalt replaced the Cavalier in the early 2000s, it wasn’t much to write home about. That all changed a year later when Chevy introduced the Cobalt SS. Anyone familiar with Chevy history knows the significance of the ‘SS’ badge, and the Cobalt SS did not disappoint.

While the Cobalt SS drew a lot of criticism for retaining the Cobalt’s boring design and basic interior, it made up for it in the power department. The Cobalt SS had several exciting engine options, the best of which was a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that delivered 260 hp.

2/10 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning – $20,000

The new Ford F-150 Lightning is among the most exciting developments in the automotive industry in recent times, as it is Ford’s first electric pickup truck. However, Ford previously used the ‘Lightning’ name for another amazing pickup truck – the SVT Lightning.

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The SVT Lightning debuted in the early 90s and was among the first performance trucks. The first SVT Lightning was so successful that Ford introduced another generation in 1999. Equipped with a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 that develops up to 380 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque, the second-generation SVT Lightning was no slouch.

1/10 2004 Pontiac GTO – $18,000

The GTO is, without a doubt, the car that makes us miss Pontiac the most. Without the GTO, there’s a good chance muscle cars would never have become as popular as they are today.

Unfortunately, the GTO had a tragic end to its story. After a hiatus of several decades, GM decided to revive the GTO in the early 2000s, but instead of a muscle car, the fifth-generation GTO was a rebadged Australian coupe. Obviously, the drivers couldn’t let this move fly, and the GTO failed. However, if you ignore its name, the fifth-generation GTO is actually a great car. Despite its quiet styling, the fifth-generation GTO had a massive 5.7-liter V8 that developed 400 hp.