Donald Trump’s $5,000 Dividend Could Put These 5 Sports Cars In Your Driveway
During the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Donald Trump promised to give every adult American citizen a $5,000 “Trump Dividend” if Republicans retain control of both the House and Senate in November. Congress would need to approve the payments, no distribution date has been announced, and Trump has not explained exactly how the program would be funded. The proposed payout could reportedly cost the federal government more than $1 trillion.
But let’s imagine the checks eventually arrive. Five grand will not get you anywhere near a new sports car in 2026, but the absolute basement of the used market still contains some interesting machines. These cars will probably have big mileage, faded paint, or a list of neglected maintenance jobs. Still, every one of them offers more personality than dumping the entire check into a forgettable commuter.
Toyota Celica GT-S
The seventh-generation Toyota Celica GT-S was an angry little Japanese coupe built for drivers who enjoyed using every last inch of the tachometer. Its Yamaha-developed 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine produced 180 horsepower and could be paired with a six-speed manual transmission. The numbers are tame today, but the Celica weighed much less than most modern performance cars and loved being thrown around.
Edmunds recently displayed a 2000 Celica GT-S for $3,119, while Cars.com listed a 2000 Celica GT for $3,950. These are high-mileage cars, but either one leaves part of the dividend available for tires, maintenance, and the inevitable broken interior trim.
Mitsubishi Eclipse
The Mitsubishi Eclipse is another affordable survivor from the era when Japanese brands sold sporty coupes to normal people. The fourth-generation Eclipse is not as adored as the turbocharged DSM cars from the 1990s, but that is precisely why it remains cheap.
A 2006 Eclipse GS uses a 162-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder, while the harder-hitting GT gets a 263-horsepower 3.8-liter V6. Finding a clean GT for $5,000 will take patience, but Autotrader shows used Eclipse GTs starting at $3,326. Edmunds also listed a 2006 Eclipse GS with 136,068 miles for $4,597.
Pontiac Solstice
A Pontiac Solstice for five grand sounds like internet nonsense, but at least one exists. Edmunds recently listed a 2007 base convertible for $3,995. It had a brutal 210,698 miles and an automatic transmission, so nobody should expect perfection. Nevertheless, this is a rear-wheel-drive, two-seat American roadster with a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter engine. It looks exotic enough to fool people who have forgotten Pontiac built it.
BMW Z3
Then there is the BMW Z3. This is the classiest way to vaporize the entire check and potentially another check to fix everything afterward. Edmunds displayed a 2000 Z3 2.3 for $4,800 with 117,487 miles, a manual transmission, and BMW’s silky inline-six engine. It is rear-wheel drive, compact, and still carries the old-school BMW character that newer models have slowly polished away.
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Our final choice is the Mazda MX-5 Miata, because no cheap sports car list feels legitimate without one. Cars.com recently showed seven Miatas nationwide below $5,000, while iSeeCars highlighted a 2008 Touring model with 218,877 miles and a market price of $4,275.
That mileage is scary, but the basic recipe remains unbeatable: two seats, rear-wheel drive, a folding roof, and a chassis designed around having fun without doing triple-digit speeds. Just remember that the purchase price is only the beginning. At this end of the market, a pre-purchase inspection is mandatory, and saving at least $1,000 for repairs would be smarter than spending every cent simply because the theoretical check says $5,000.
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