Coupes under $50k
- Home /
- Best coupes under $50k
Whether you’re just starting to drive or heading into a mid-life crisis, coupes appeal to all of us. Luckily, these days you don’t need to spend big money to enjoy the thrills of the swept-back driving experience.
While you are able to buy a Subaru BRZ or Toyota 86 for less than $40,000, choices start to expand once you’re shopping under the $50,000 so let’s start there.

Toyota 86
It is getting a little long in the tooth, but the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ combo still offers sports car thrills for an affordable price. Available in manual or automatic with a choice of specification levels, the Toyota 86 has stood the test of time despite external pressure to fill it with extra power.

Mazda MX-5
With the nameplate just celebrating its 30th birthday, there’s small wonder why so many flock to the Mazda MX-5 for an engaging top-down drive. Even if you’re more of a hard-top fan, Mazda now offers the RF version which includes a folding metal roof.

Hyundai i30 Fastback N
A relatively new player to the coupe game, Hyundai’s i30 N was transformed into a four-door coupe following the success of the hatchback. Sleeker styling marries with everything that made Hyundai’s first true hot hatch great

Gold Star champ dies
Respected race engineer and team boss Graham Watson succumbs to cancer.

Ambrose waves the Aussie flag at Daytona
Marcos Ambrose will be the first Aussie to grid up at the Daytona 500 in Florida this weekend.

Q & A with Marcos Ambrose on Daytona
Ambrose on his historic appearance at NASCAR’s opening round in Florida.

Motoring TV pioneer Peter Wherrett dies
Well before Top Gear there was Torque, and under that famous cap, Wherrett was the opinionated host who told it like it was.

New York Auto Show 2009
US correspondent John Lamm sniffs out what’s on show in the Big Apple.

GT-R takes off with a 7:27
Nissan has done it again, this time clocking a 7:27:56 around the Nurburgring Nordschleife …

Live from New York: Mitsubishi Outlander GT Prototype
Sneak peek at the ‘Evo SUV’.

Nissan GT1-spec R35 breaks cover
… and its beautiful.

Karmann gone
Long-time coachbuilder Karmann files for insolvency.

Spiders in downtown Tokyo
Alfa Romeo’s gorgeous 8C Spider has landed in Tokyo and already the order book is starting to fill up.

Adventurous antidote for tough economic times
Mercedes-Benz Oz takes to the track for an expensive but priceless week of excitement in Melbourne. Peter McKay takes a spin around Albert Park.

BUZZ: GM in ‘intense’ preparations for bankruptcy
A source close to GM says the carmaker is preparing to file for the big B.

Prius vs Insight in greenback war
Toyota has fired the latest shots in Japan’s new and increasingly contentious green car wars, claiming that the next gen Prius boasts nothing less than ‘the world’s best fuel efficiency’.

Mazda’s designs on the future
Its first Australian design forum gave an up-close-and-personal look at Mazda’s next-gen cars via head designer, Laurens van den Acker.

More good news from Ford: debt down by US$9.9 Billion
There’s still a long way to go for the Blue Oval, but restructuring initiatives will reduce its overall debt by 28 percent.

Less pay, but jobs stay at Holden Oz
Holden has decreased its production to a single shift, but says it has done so to protect its Elizabeth plant and retain its employees.

New design chief at Mazda…
Laurens van den Acker, the man who brought a smile to Mazda’s latest generation, is rumoured to be returning to Europe as new design head Ikuo Maeda takes to the drawing board.

Holden EcoLine gets the green light
Social, environmental and ethical acceptance at the flash of a badge.

Button down the hatches!
GP Wrap: Brawn, Williams and Toyota bring home a monsoonal Malaysian GP in Sepang.

Brabham wins ALMS race on the streets of St Petersburg
Acura posts its first LMP1 victory with an Aussie behind the wheel …

Keeping up with the Raymonds
ARC Wrap: Brothers Glen and Matt Raymond take their first stage, Heat, and round win in a tough ARC Quit Forest Rally in Western Australia.

Sube kicks on with big March
What downturn? Rex and Forester cut fine figures in latest sales results.

Aussie Brabham drives toward Sebring victory
Sebring reeks of history, but the books may be rewritten this year if David Brabham and Acura continue their current course.

US MAIL: Detroit’s dramas continue …
Days of our Lives – eat your heart out. Wheels US correspondent John Lamm is on the edge of his seat as the drama unfolds in front of a damning global audience.