Ask most gearheads what they want from a sports car, and it would be interesting to know how many would say "a lightning-fast dual-clutch auto" or a "cutting-edge hybrid powertrain." Not to say there is anything wrong with these things, but I'd guess that a lot of people would put a snorting V8 and a quick manual gearbox somewhere high on their list.Sports cars, supercars, and rally cars for the road, have all tried different formulas, but the combo of eight cylinders and a stick seems like the full line up of the Beatles. It's honest, soul-stirring, and doesn't really work if you replace John, Ringo, George, or Paul with anybody else. The good news is that plenty of cars have gone with this analog recipe and there are plenty to choose from on the used market. We decided to hunt out the best with a budget of just $20,000 — and this is what we found... 2002 Chevrolet Camaro SS - $12,900 Bring A Trailer The 2002 Chevy Camaro SS was born in the '90s and it shows. This is a pebble-like muscle car with smooth surfaces and a slippery aesthetic that earned it the name "catfish Camaro." Nevertheless, the SS is cheap and bags of fun. For the 1998 model year, the Camaro received the LS1 block as standard, mated to a six-speed manual if you so desired. With the SS option, Street Legal Performance (SLP) helped to bring output up to 325 horsepower. This equated to a sprint to 60 mph in just 5.2 seconds. When you consider run-out 2002 models cost just $12,900 in good condition, the underrated SS is a bargain muscle car that is hard to ignore. 2006 Ford Mustang GT — $14,000 Cars & Bids Ford made a killer move in 2005, not by taking the Mustang into the future, but rooting it deeply in the past. The brand new S197 sixth-gen Mustang was a stroke of genius because it unashamedly looked like the '60s originals, with a bluff front end and plenty of attitude. Under the hood of the GT model is a 4.6-liter SOHC modular V8, pushing out a healthy 300 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque.Yes, the retro interior still managed to look only a little more exciting than the inside of a late-night cab, and the macho looks these days are very much of their era, but the Mustang is a great used buy. Especially as a sprint to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds means that you won't be troubled by too many hot hatches. Expect to pay $14,000 for a GT, says Hagerty. 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T - $14,300 Via: MecumThe cool thing about the 2009 Challenger is that it still looks like a very new car. That's because the retro-styled Challenger ran from that year all the way up to 2023. For the 2009 model year, Dodge introduced the Challenger R/T (Road and Track). This car may have been mid-range, but it still came with a 5.7-liter Hemi engine, linked to a five-speed automatic or Tremec six-speed manual transmission. A Hemi and a stick shift for (according to Hagerty) $14,300? Yes please. 2012 Audi S5 — $15,750 Audi If you want the combination of a V8 and a manual in an Audi S5, you'll need to keep an eye on the year. While the first-gen S5 ran from 2008 to 2016, the big German coupe switched to a supercharged 320-hp 3.0-liter V6 for the 2013 model year. Cars prior to that were fitted with a 354-horsepower 4.2-liter V8 mill. There's nothing wrong with the V6, of course, but the V8 gives the S5 different character and is worth seeking out. Both engines came linked to a 6-speed manual transmission. Expect to pay on average $15,750 for a 2012 V8 S5, says Classic.com. 2003 Maserati Coupé - $16,052 Via: Bring a Trailer One of the most exciting names in the car game, Maseratis are surprisingly cheap compared to other Italian exotica. The Coupé was introduced in 2002 and was part of Maserati's rebranding as a serious competitor to the likes of Porsche and Jaguar. Maserati Coupés came fitted with a 4.2-liter V8 engine, with the option of either a manual or semi-automatic transmission. Maserati made a total of 5,404 Coupés before production ended in 2007, says Classic.com. Expect 60 mph to arrive in five seconds. Expect to pay just $16,052 for a 2003 Coupé. 2004 Pontiac GTO — $16,400 Bring a Trailer Few names in the muscle car bizz are as illustrious as the Pontiac GTO, having started the whole genre in 1964. With Pontiac struggling to find its feet in the 2000s, Bob Lutz was brought in by GM to help get the brand back on track. The obvious starting point was to bring back the GTO. It would be based on the Australian-market Holden Monaro and pack an LS1 engine linked to either a Tremec six-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. The motor is good for 350 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque. This meant 60 mph in 5.3 seconds and a 13.6 second quarter-mile, making it the fastest American muscle car of the 2000s. Today, the GTO is a bargain at $16,400. 2004 Chevrolet Corvette — $17,000 Via: Bring a Trailer The C5 Corvette has long been an underrated iteration of the long-standing Chevy sports car. But as time has passed, the slimline looks have really aged well, serving as a bridge between the Miami-style C4 and the more focused 2000s-onward 'Vettes. There's a lot to like about a base C5 Corvette, and it's not just the low prices.These cars have a 5.7-liter LS1 V8 motor under that long hood, which started life with a decent 345 horsepower. Transmission options are a 6-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. Cars after 2001 had 350 horsepower, a small bump in output thanks to an intake manifold pinched from the Z06. Even these base cars could reach 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, which was near supercar territory in the mid-2000s. Not bad for $17,000. 2000 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6 — $17,800 Bring A Trailer Jay Leno owns a Trans Am WS6 — need we say more? If anyone thought that muscle cars were dying out in the '90s, then Pontiac was here to prove them wrong. The WS6 performance package added a "Ram Air" hood with functional front-end air dams leading to an underhood ram air system, dual tailpipes, tuned suspension, and available Bilstein shocks. For 2000, these mods were enough to take the Trans Am up to 320 hp and 345 lb-ft.In one independent test, the WS6 scorched to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds and roared across the quarter mile in 13.5 seconds. The great thing about these cars is that they are unashamedly old-school, and while the looks may be a bit extreme for some, they are starting to look right in the market's newfound love of 2000s excess. Snap up a coupe in good condition for just $17,800. 2008 Audi RS4 - $18,500 AudiThe B7 RS4 Sedan arrived for the 2007 model year. These sleeper sedans are powered by a 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine that pushes out 420 horsepower, linked to a 6-speed manual transmission. Of course, traction is provided by Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system. The body is gently pumped up to give the car an aggressive look without being OTT. The RS4 will get to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, which is nearly supercar territory. Yes, it has four doors, so it is more sports sedan than an all-out sports car, but it is worthy of a mention. Generally, RS4s do go for a bit over $20,000, but every now and again an example like this comes up for less. 2004 Ford Mustang Cobra SVT — $19,600 FordThe fourth-generation SN99 Ford Mustang was getting a bit long in the tooth by the late '90s. After all, this model could trace its Fox platform back to the late '70s, so the Blue Oval had certainly gotten its money's worth. But Ford wasn't content to put the 'Stang out to pasture just yet, introducing the Mustang SVT Cobra for the 1999 model year.The cars were hand assembled in Romeo, Michigan, and packed 305 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque from the 4.6-liter V8. In 2002, Ford added a supercharger, bringing power up to 390 hp and earning the car the nickname "Terminator." Power was sent through a six-speed manual gearbox. The performance of this Mustang still stands up today, with 60 mph arriving in 4.5 seconds and the quarter mile covered in 12.9 seconds. That's a lot of performance when you consider Hagerty's average price for one in good nick is $19,600.Sources: Hagerty.com; Classic.com