Ranking The Coolest Cars At Every Price Point

In my mind there are two ways to have fun with a daily driver: You can either hammer the gas pedal and have your head thrown back at stop lights, or you can beat the hell out of something in the great outdoors.

For most people, cars (regardless of the price point) are the second biggest purchase they make. For that kind of financial commitment, your daily driver should do a lot more than get you from point A to B. Your vehicle should be a reflection of who you are — or at least, who you want to be — and it should be fun.

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Most of the cars on the market today are built for functionality and leave style by the wayside. Crossovers, along with overly engineered hybrids, are the death of cool and have no place on anyone’s must own list.

The cars discussed below may not be the most practical or the most reliable on the market. They probably aren’t even the best bang for your buck. But they are all cars you can drive every day, they all have a unique style, and they come with lesser-known trim packages. For me, these are the most inspired daily drivers you can buy at their respective price points.

$5,000-$10,000: Pontiac G8 2008-2009 (Very Used)

Five to 10K is not much of a budget to buy a car these days, but there are a surprising number of cool cars available. I ultimately landed on the Pontiac G8, a very sporty, under-produced, full-sized sedan. At this price point, you are not going to be able to afford the massive 415 horsepower, 6.2L V8, but even with the smaller V6 motor, it is well powered.

What Makes It Cool: This car is a blast to drive and it was the last thing Pontiac produced before closing its doors for good. It has super aggressive lines and nostrils cut into the hood, which basically make it look like a car from a comic book. But the coolest part about this car is it is actually a rebadged Holden Commodore out of Australia.

$10,000-$15,000: Chevrolet Tahoe 2-Door 1997-1999 (Very Used)

The two-door Tahoe is my dream car. From the Golden age of SUVs, this is a ridiculously big, boxy truck with an oversized engine and tons of space. It is by far the oldest car on the list. Most people who buy these are planning to do a good bit of work to them, but at the price point listed, much of that work has already been done. For $15K, you can find a two-door Tahoe with a new motor and a cleaned-up interior. Just don’t ask about fuel mileage. The response will be in gallons per mile.

What Makes It Cool: It’s an SUV with two doors, a 6-liter motor and a great look. Tint the windows, add some fender flares and a light bar. You will then have the meanest looking truck on the road.

$20,000-$25,000: Jeep Rubicon 2008-2015 (Used)

The Rubicon is Jeep’s off-road ready offering, and everything about a Jeep is just cool (except for the noise on the highway). The great thing about a Jeep is the look doesn’t change a lot from year to year. You can go buy a Jeep that is five to 10 years old and it still looks relevant.

What Makes Them Cool: When people talk about Jeeps being so capable off-road, they don’t mean all Jeeps, they mean the Rubicon. This is the Jeep flagship. Typically, a Rubicon will have some aftermarket upgrades added, and when done well, those can seriously up the cool factor. They’re lifted with big mud tires and a removable roof. Put as simply as possible, there is nothing more fun than a day spent cruising around in a Jeep with no top and no doors. Just ask anyone from a ‘90s teen comedy.

$30,000-$35,000: Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 2017-2018 (Slightly Used)

The ZR2 is near and dear to my heart, mainly because it is sitting in my driveway. The ZR2 is about as capable of an off-road truck as you can buy stock. I purchased mine for about $34,000 with 5,000 miles on it. I had previously owned only full-sized pickups, but two weeks after taking one of these off-road, I bought one for myself.

What Makes It Cool: Generally speaking, the truck market is full of pigs wearing lipstick. Most of the production trucks look super aggressive, but require a ton of work to get them off-road ready. The ZR2 is one of the few exceptions to this rule. With a suspension from Multimatic that was previously reserved only for race cars (specifically the Red Bull F1 team), a 2.5-inch lift, a shorter, wider frame, locking front and rear differentials, and beefy Goodyear Duratrac tires, this thing is ready for the wilderness right off the assembly line.

$35,000-$40,000: Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack 2017-2018 (Slightly Used)

By this point, everyone has heard of the Hellcat, which is an amazing vehicle. Unfortunately, you will rarely — if ever — utilize all of that horsepower, so why pay for it? The Scat Pack has all of the stylings of a Hellcat with a potent 485 horsepower V8 for half the price. The two extra doors the Charger has over its two-door sibling the Challenger make it much more practical for when you have to act like an adult.

What Makes It Cool: The Scat Pack is fast, loud, and affordable. Buy it in black, add an air intake, and people will assume you know everything there is to know about cars. But please remove the factory protective padding on the front spoiler!

$40,000-$45,000: Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro (New)

Just as the Rubicon is the Jeep gold standard for off-roading, the 4Runner TRD Pro is the pinnacle for SUVs. People are in love with 4Runners. Do a quick Google search: Every new 4Runner TRD Pro in the country is roughly the same price, and they have the off-road SUV market cornered. Toyota has not redesigned this car since 2009, and frankly it hasn’t needed to. With its aggressive styling and a reputation for reliability, the 4Runner is the real deal.

What Makes It Cool: The 4Runner is a very popular truck, but the TRD Pros are few and far between. Anyone who is driving this car either knows a few things about off-road performance or at least has a very close friend who does. (Fortunately, you have me.) If you know nothing about cars and decide to go with the TRD Pro, just make sure you tell everyone that it is not a unibody, but rather a true body on frame. This will convince all of your friends you actually know what you’re talking about. Then send them in to Advance Auto Parts to buy blinker fluid.

$50,000-$55,000: Ford Raptor SVT (New)

This truck is the baddest of the bad. In 2017, Ford moved from a massive V8 to a twin-turbo V6 but somehow they managed to get 450 horsepower out of six cylinders. Much like the ZR2, it is lifted with an off-road suspension. As far as I am concerned, this is the coolest looking truck out there today. It’s a bit wide for the woods, but it you live near an open desert, take this thing out and run it wide open. Both you and the truck will never be happier.

What Makes It Cool: It’s wide enough that it’s legally required to have orange marker lights, it makes a ton of power, it can handle anything you throw at it, and it looks mean as hell. Your friends and co-workers will accuse you of having a small penis, but you and I both know why you bought this truck: because it is a BAMF.

$55,000-$60,000: Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio 2017 (Slightly Used)

If you’re thinking about buying a sporty luxury sedan, don’t be like every other douchebag who buys a BMW M3 or Audi S4. Get the Alfa; it is insane. While most cars are pretty submissive when it comes to taking inputs from the driver, the Giulia will not follow orders — it has a mind of its own. You plan on going to the grocery store, but the Giulia may have something else on its mind. Long story short, you will find yourself on the other side of town betting on illegal mini horse races because the Giulia was bored. It’s a wild card, to say the least. Alfa is pretty much the only company in the world that can make a car’s suspect reliability a feature.

What Makes It Cool: First of all, it’s an Alfa, which means it’s an Italian with an attitude. It has hard lines, 505 horsepower, and was probably suspended from finishing school for smoking behind the gym. Beyond that, they are pretty unique. Despite a pretty intense marketing campaign in the U.S., you don’t see a ton of them on the road.

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