Used sports car articles will usually advise about the best way to spend but not this one.

Call the below sub-$10,000 fast-five worrying in reliability or resale terms, or oddball in character and image – but either way, just take a deep breath first while approaching these models that span across a five- 10- and 15-year vintage…

2003 Alfa Romeo 147 GTA

Wayward torque steer from the glorious 184kW/300Nm, front-wheel drive hot hatchback was only partially aided by a ‘Q2’ mechanical limited-slip differential found in later models. It’ll still wriggle its way from standstill to 100km/h in 6.3 seconds and dart into corners with electric-quick steering. But this is a 15-year-old Alfa – be brave, but buyer beware…

2003 BMW 330Ci Coupe/Convertible

These days it’s worth stretching to a 330Ci with – back when the badges actually meant something in relation to engine size – a 170kW/300Nm 3.0-litre atmo unit, which in pretty coupe guise claimed a 6.7-second 0-100km/h. But a coupe will also be an early-2000s, 200,000km-plus example at this price.

A convertible? Call it 2003 with 150,000km.

2008 HSV Astra VXR

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It was about as messy as this thing’s torque steer from a Mazda3 MPS-challenging 177kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder and six-speed manual. Complete with firm suspension and Brembos, though, the Astra VXR was fine rough-diamond fun that was outclassed by the Megane RS especially.

Nowadays, though, a decade-old example with 90,000km can be bought for sub-$10K – less than Renault’s desirable LSD-equipped F1 Team R26.

2008 Mazda RX-8 FE Series II

The 1.3-litre rotary engine is known to stuffer oil starvation and go bust at variable intervals, some lasting just 50,000km before going pop while others can go twice the distance without fail. So best enjoy the driving position, tight seats, lovely steering, creamy high-revving sweetness, and great chassis balance – think multi-door MX-5 only with a 6.2sec 0-100km/h claim – before your wallet is thrown into a washing machine spinning at 8000rpm.

It says it all that a 2003 MX-5 is the same coin…

2013 Honda CR-Z Sport

But be proud, because the misunderstood CR-Z looks to the future with efficiency while looking back to when hot hatches were light and nimble. And slower, with this 84kW/174Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder claiming a 9.7sec 0-100km/h.

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With an electric motor, though, torque comes instantly, while the six-speed manual is as perfect as the way the little Honda points into corners and wags its tail out of them; like a modern Peugeot 205 GTI or Renault Clio II RS172.