The Best Performance Cars of 2016 Under $30,000

(Credit: © Mazda)

10. Mazda Miata

The Miata has been and will almost certainly long be the budget performance car that sets the bar for all others. In 2016, the MX-5 Miata took a step back into yesteryear as it moved back toward becoming the tiny, lightweight, low-power roadster that it originally was after years of slow growth in output, size, and weight.

Today, the Miata weighs nearly as little as the NA generation and it uses a 155-horsepower 2.0-liter engine to deliver just the right amount of power to the rear wheels. This amounts to a 0-to-60 time in the low-six-second range. What really makes the Miata awesome is its super-low $24,915 price tag that leaves a lot of room for some premium features.