What Is The Cheapest Car That Has Butterfly Doors?

One rule of thumb for cars, specifically about their doors, goes like this — the more high-end, sporty, and extreme the car is, the more likely it is to have some type of crazy door arrangement. Lamborghini started the trend with the iconic scissor doors; the V12-powered Pagani Huayra and Utopia both have gullwing doors, and Koenigsegg quite literally invented a new type of crazy supercar door — the dihedral syncro-helix. Butterfly doors are one of the more common kinds, as seen on McLarens, but you might be wondering, do you have to own a high-end supercar to have butterfly doors? Is there a cheaper way?

The answer is yes! The Toyota Sera, a small two-door coupe that was only sold in Japan, is currently still the cheapest way to have a car with butterfly doors. Aside from the butterfly doors themselves, it's a pretty standard 90s Toyota, just one that happens to look fun and interesting. Think of it as a Toyota Paseo, but with McLaren F1 doors, literally — the Sera's doors inspired the doors on the McLaren F1.

The Sera is cheap, but it is a JDM-only model, so you might have to import one, and you will have to deal with right-hand drive. Of course, being that the Sera turned 25 quite a while ago, there are a few available on U.S. classifieds. Classic.com puts the Toyota Sera's average value at right around $11,500, and that's for titled and already imported cars.

The Toyota Sera isn't just, by far, the cheapest way to have butterfly doors; it is also pretty much a guaranteed conversation starter. It'll draw attention at just about any car meet, especially from people who were introduced to the Sera thanks to "Gran Turismo." But what if you want something that's a little faster, a little flashier, and your budget stretches a bit further? Your next option is the BMW i8.

BMW's discontinued plug-in hybrid sports car, with a Mini engine, was a very expensive one some 10 years ago, but due to a combination of its previously mentioned characteristics, it has been hit hard by depreciation. While a new i8 came in at over $136,000 when it first went on sale for the 2014 model year, Classic.com puts i8 values at around $58,000 today, and there are plenty of examples going for less than $45,000, though those probably come with some asterisks. The i8 costs a lot more than the Sera, yes, but the i8 was officially sold in the U.S. with left-hand drive, and it's a much newer car with quite a bit more creature comforts. If you have the budget stretch, it might also be a good idea.