The Toyota GR86 is one of the best arguments for buying new in years. Rear-wheel drive, a 228 horsepower naturally aspirated flat-four, six-speed manual, and a price that doesn't leave you scratching your head. It's a genuinely honest sports car in a world full of crossovers and driver aids. But $30,000 looks very different when you start shopping the classic market.For the same money, sometimes less, you can own a sports car that defined a decade of the 80s. Machines that won magazine covers, set lap records, and delivered real driving thrills long before stability control existed. Every car on this list trades a little convenience for a lot of soul. Dodge Daytona Shelby Z (1987–1989) Average Market Value: $8,700 Bring a Trailer The Dodge Daytona Shelby Z is a front-wheel-drive American sport coupe that nobody asked for and almost nobody preserved. The Shelby Z package added a 174 hp turbocharged 2.2-liter four-cylinder, uprated suspension, and bigger brakes to an already sharp little coupe. Most importantly, it carries Carroll Shelby's name.Bring a Trailer Too American for the JDM crowd and too small for the muscle car set, demand has stayed low and prices have followed. A clean low-mileage example sold on Bring a Trailer for $11,200; a similar car with more miles went for $6,200. Demand has stayed low and prices have followed. Recent auction results across platforms put clean Shelby Z examples at around $8,700 on average. Remarkable for a turbocharged Shelby-badged coupe that would stop a car show cold. Alfa Romeo Spider Series 3 (1983–1989) Average Market Value: $9,737 Bring a TrailerPininfarina designed the original Alfa Spider in 1966, and the Series 3 refresh of 1983 brought it properly into the 1980s. The integrated bumpers, rubber tail spoiler, and Bosch fuel injection updated the look and drivability without losing any of the charm. Under the hood, a twin-cam 2.0-liter four-cylinder delivers a soundtrack that no turbocharged modern car can replicate.Bring a TrailerAt an average of $9,737, this is one of the most affordable open-top classics on this list. The Series 3 is the most common of the Spider generations, which makes it the easiest to find and the most accessible Italian classic, cheaper than a new GR86. Italian ownership requires patience. Rust, electrical gremlins, and deferred maintenance are the enemies. Buy a documented, rust-free example, and you'll have one of the most beautiful open-top drives of the decade. Pontiac Fiero GT (1985–1988) Average Market Value: $11,263 Bring a Trailer The Pontiac Fiero was America's only mass-produced mid-engine two-seater of the 1980s. It featured a composite body panels over a steel spaceframe, years before that concept became fashionable. Skip the Iron Duke four-cylinder base cars and go straight to the V6-powered GT. It's a different machine entirely.Bring a Trailer The 1988 model is the one to have. It finally received the suspension Pontiac originally designed for the car back in 1984, and it shows. It's the best-driving Fiero ever built. Classic.com puts the average sale price of a Fiero GT at $11,263. GM killed the Fiero at the end of 1988 just as it had finally become the car it was always meant to be. That story alone makes it worth owning. Nissan 300ZX Z31 (1984–1989) Average Market Value: $12,726 Bring a Trailer The Z31 300ZX is one of the most overlooked sports cars of the decade. A 3.0-liter V6, available T-tops, a digital dashboard, and an optional turbo variant, all wrapped in a shape that still looks purposeful today. Collector interest has stayed low, which means prices have too.Bring a Trailer Clean, original examples are the ones worth chasing. Modified cars are everywhere, but an unmodified Z31 in good shape is a genuine find. Classic.com puts the average sale price at $12,726. Strong value for a turbocharged Japanese GT with real Z-car heritage.Just make sure you're buying the right generation. Pontiac Firebird Formula (1982–1989) Average Market Value: $13,435 Bring a Trailer The third-generation Firebird Formula sits in the sweet spot of the lineup. Less chrome than the Trans Am, more purpose than the base car. That deeply sloped windshield, all-glass hatchback, and pop-up headlights give it a silhouette that still turns heads in a parking lot. V8 power was available throughout the decade, and the manual transmission cars are the ones worth finding.Bring a Trailer Classic.com puts the average sale price at $13,435. Notably cheaper than the earlier Smokey and the Bandit-era Firebirds, which have climbed sharply in value over the past five years. Shop dry-climate cars, check the documentation, and avoid anything modified beyond recognition. A clean, rust-free V8 Formula for around that money is still very realistic. Porsche 944 Non-Turbo (1982–1990) Average Market Value: $13,461 Bring a Trailer Few cars from the 1980s balance performance and accessibility as well as the non-turbo Porsche 944. Built from 1982 to 1990, it packs a 2.5-liter alloy four-cylinder, a rear transaxle for near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution, and handling sharp enough that Car and Driver named it the best-handling production car in America in 1984.Bring a Trailer Classic.com puts the average sale price at $13,461. Stick to the naturally aspirated base or S models. The Turbo and Turbo S regularly exceed $30,000 and are a different proposition entirely. One caution: the timing belt and water pump service is not cheap. Budget for it upfront, and you'll own one of the finest-driving sports cars of its era for well under new-car money. Toyota MR2 W10 (1985–1989) Average Market Value: $13,755 Bring a Trailer The first-generation Toyota MR2 was something genuinely new when it arrived in 1985. The first mass-produced mid-engine Japanese sports car. It weighs around 2,300 lbs and runs a 1.6-liter 4A-GE twin-cam, the same engine found in the legendary AE86 Corolla. Light, balanced, and endlessly communicative, it drives bigger than it looks.Bring a Trailer The supercharged GT-S variant, introduced in 1986, is the one to hunt. 145 hp, a 130 mph top speed, and a character that still impresses today. Classic.com puts the average sale price at $13,755, with supercharged examples pushing higher. Clean survivors are the challenge. Many were driven hard, heavily modified, or left to rust. Buy the best example you can find. Mazda RX-7 FC 2nd Gen (1986–1992) Average Market Value: $14,597 Bring a Trailer The second-generation RX-7 arrived in 1986 with cleaner lines, true independent rear suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes. A meaningful step forward from the car it replaced. The 13B rotary engine produces 146 hp in base form, or 182 hp in the Turbo II. Hagerty notes the FC is the least expensive rotary-powered sports car you can buy today.Bring a Trailer Classic.com puts the average sale price at $14,597, with clean Turbo II and convertible examples pushing well above that. All remain comfortably under the GR86's sticker. The most common problems with rotary engines demand respect and care. Apex seals, oil consumption, and cooling are the known weak points. Buy the cleanest, most maintained example you can find, and budget for proper care. Toyota Celica Supra 2nd Gen A60 (1982–1986) Average Market Value: $16,180 Bring a Trailer Before the Supra became its own car, it wore Celica badges and shared a platform, but it was never a Celica at heart. The A60 generation ran a 2.8-liter DOHC straight-six, carried an exclusive front end, and sold new for $13,500 in 1982. Hagerty recognizes it as a milestone in Japanese performance, crediting it with changing how Americans saw Toyota.Bring a Trailer Classic.com puts the average sale price at $16,180. The later cars from 1984–1985 are the ones to seek out, with power climbing to 160–161 horsepower. For the money, this is one of the most underrated straight-six sports cars of its era. And almost nobody is talking about it yet. Toyota Supra Mk III Turbo (1987–1989) Average Market Value: $24,566 Bring a Trailer Everyone chases the MkIV Supra. The poster car of Hollywood made famous by the Fast and Furious franchise. Meanwhile, the Mk III Turbo sits quietly in the background, faster than people remember and cheaper than it has any right to be.Bring a Trailer The Mk III finally cut ties with the Celica platform in 1986, arriving as a proper standalone sports car. The Turbo spec brings a 3.0-liter DOHC inline-six with 230 horsepower and 246 pound-feet of torque, 0–60 in under 7 seconds, and available TEMS electronically adjustable suspension. While Hagerty values a good example of the MkIII Turbo at $15,200. Classic.com puts the average sale price at $24,566 — still well under the GR86's sticker. Stick to the Turbo and manual transmission. Parts availability is strong, the community is growing, and clean unmodified examples are still out there.Sources: Toyota, Hagerty, Classic