Fun cars under $40k are almost extinct, but these 10 still exist

Despite new-car prices continuing to climb, you don’t have to spend more than $40,000 to find something genuinely fun to drive in 2026. The choices are certainly getting thinner, with affordable sports cars, hot hatches, and manual-transmission models disappearing at an alarming rate, but enthusiasts still have a surprisingly diverse selection. From lightweight rear-wheel-drive roadsters to practical sport sedans and powerful turbocharged hatchbacks, there are still cars built to do more than simply get you from A to B.