Not every car enthusiast can afford to invest in a Porsche 911 R. Heck, not everyone can afford to buy a house or apartment these days.

So the question is, could sub-$50,000 used performance cars work as potential investments in the future? We certainly think so.

Enter part one of our top 10 most affordable performance car investments … with the obvious caveat that the MOTOR team is hardly a group of investment banker types.

1989 Mazda NA MX-5

1989 Mazda NA MX-5

1989 Peugeot 205 GTI

1989 Peugeot 205 GTI.jpg

1994 Subaru WRX

1994 Subaru WRX.jpg

2000 Honda Integra DC2 Type R

2000 Honda Integra DC2 Type R.jpg

2000 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Makinen Edition

2000-Mitsubishi-Lancer-Evolution-VI-Tommi-Makinen-Edition.jpg

In part two of our top 10 most affordable sportscar investments, the remaining five models will fill out the $25,000 to $50,000 bracket. Stay tuned!