It had 145 hp, and 140 lb/ft which was a improvements of 29% and 44% over stock. 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, which was about 2 seconds faster than the stock one a few years before. I used to have one, and it was a blast to drive.

You sound so pessimistic. The chances that something will go wrong is lower than the stories of unreliability suggest, and are even less if you stay on top of maintenance and know what to watch out for.

They are even fun without the supercharger.

remember when Toyota made fun stuff?

How about one of the factory supercharged AW11s? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-MR2…

Mid-engine plus linear boost wrapped in fantastic ‘80s angularity (don’t call it boxiness). Sure, it’s not a lot of power, but this one seems pretty clean and it’s currently less than half the budget.

Jaguar XJ-R Supercharged, Buy it Now for $15,950 obo.

E55 AMG . Usually listed for around $10k-$16k.