Dodge Neon SRT-4

First introduced as a concept car in 2000, the Dodge Neon SRT-4 tore onto the market in 2003, a sleek powerhorse racer housed within a four-door subcompact body.  SRT stands for Strip, Road, and Track, (former Street and Racing Technology) and the 4 indicates the car's four cylinders.  The biggest selling point for this street racer is not just that it's smoking off the block, but extremely affordable for the average enthusiast.

At 215-hp (later 230-hp), the Neon SRT-4 beats all of its competition and has won quite a few races on the SCCA stock car circuit.  It was named the car of the year by Sport Compact Car Magazine.   Dodge claims it is its second-fastest car, next to the Viper, and this is probably true.  Equipped with a sports-tuned suspension, dual exhaust, ABS brakes, and 17-inch tuned wheels, it is easy to handle, agile, balanced, and smooth -- all the best traits of the regular Neon.  

The sporty exterior, highlighted by an oversized spoiler, hood scoop, body-colored moldings, and low-hanging front disguise the fact that inside it is still a roomy Neon.  Seating for four, lots of legroom upfront, good headroom, and split-fold rear seats mean this speedster is also practical as a family car.

And the price is right.  There is very little not to like about this car, right down to its tuning potential.  It lacks some options (no cruise control, power rear window), but if you think you're buying this car for anything but speed, you are in denial.  The supportive race-car style front seats keep you snug when zipping around curves, but tend to be uncomfortable for long rides, and are hard to access due to high side bolsters.