Best Affordable Italian Sports Cars

Many people would love the opportunity to own a sports car but few people can afford to go out and buy a new Ferrari or Lambourgini. The good news is that you don't have to be rich to enjoy your own sports car, as long as you don't mind having one that is a little older. Here are some affordable Italian sports cars.

These little cars were made until 1985 and are fairly easy to find. They are usually cheaper than the Alfa Romeo Spiders. They had 4 wheel disk brakes which was uncommon when this car came out. 5 speed trannys were standard with an automatic option after 1979. These cars are usable as daily drivers but tend to be high maintenance. I wouldn't mind having one of these. 

In my opinion this is the best car on the list. They were produced into the 90's and are easy to find in good shape. They are sporty enough to keep a smile on your face when you are driving them. The full convertible top is nice, as is the body styling. They get decent fuel economy and many owners use them as daily drivers to this day. Parts are obtainable due to a strong enthusiast market. Reliability seems to be better than similar Italian cars.

These little cars are fairly hard to find in good condition mostly because they were very rust prone. They are the only mid engined car on the list and they handle like go-karts because of this layout. They small 4 cylinder is quite underpowered especially since the body is pretty heavy. The strength in the overbuilt body does however allow the installation of much higher powered engines. I probably wouldn't buy one of these for myself, but some people like them. 

These cars got a very bad reputation when they were new, and they deserved it. You will need to know how to fix your own car if you buy one of these, otherwise you will end up bankrupt. They are fun when running right. The styling leaves a lot to be desired compared to other Italian sports cars, but at least you'll be able to tell people you drive a Maserati.

These cars are kind of obscure int the U.S. but you can find them. These cars featured a very unusual narrow angle v-4 engine which had only one cylinder head.  When equipped with the 1.6HF engine these cars are a blast to drive. 115-130 hp in a car this size is plenty.