Best Affordable German Sports Cars

Many people would love the opportunity to own a sports car but not everybody can afford to go out and buy a new Porsche or BMW. 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 great affordable German sports cars, broken down by decade.

• Porsche 914

The Porsche 914 was a collaboration between Porsche and VW, in the U.S. it was sold as a Porsche but everywhere else it was badged as a VW-Porsche. There were four engine choices through the model run. The most desirable is the 2.0L Porsche six cylinder, which is considerably rarer than the others and is generally very expensive and hard to find. The other oprions were 1.7L, 1.8L, and 2.0L Volkswagen Type 4 based engines. These were built from 1969 - 1976. They are a two seater car, have a mid engine design, and feature a targa style top. The handling of these cars is great and makes up for its lack of speed. Extremely nice examples can go for less than $10,000 and daily driver beaters can go for less than $3000.

• BMW 3.0 CS

The 3.0 is a beautiful car and is not very common. They feature inline six engines with 180hp. They are four seater coupes. These cars are great drivers and turn heads everywhere they go. Despite their age, they are still dependable and practical daily drivers. These generally sell for between $5000 and $10,000 for clean drivers, restored ones go for considerably more. These were built from 1971 to 1975 and were the predecessors of the beloved BMW 6-series.

• Mercedes Benz 350/450SL

This car has great styling and is instantly recognizable. They are convertibles and are a blast to drive. They pack a 4.5L V8 into a relatively small two seater roadsters package. This is the first car on the list with an automatic transmission as an option. Nice ones can be had for $5,000 to $10,000. These were manufactured between 1971-1989. 

• Opel GT

Opel is the German branch of General Motors and their cars were distributed through Buick dealers in the U.S. The Opel GT is a great looking cars, similar to a small Corvette. Despite their small stature there is plenty of room for 6 feet or taller drivers. The base models featured a rather small 1.1L engine, but most chose the optional 1.9L . Some unconventional features are manual pop up headlights and the lack of a real trunk or rear hatch. These cars are also great fun and are relatively cheap. Beaters and projects can be bought all day long for less than $2,000. Nice drivers can be found for around $5,000. Made between 1968 and 1973.

• Porsche 944

• BMW E30 M3

• Audi Coupe GT

• BMW E36 M3

• Audi S4

• Volkswagen GTI

• Porsche Boxtser

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