Though fall and colder weather may not bring to mind visions of sports cars flying down warm, sunny highways, it seems some shoppers are sick of snow already, as sportier cars are growing in popularity in the used market.

In fact, according to the latest installment of vehicle scarcity data from AutoTrader.com, the Porsche Cayman is the No. 1 most-scarce vehicle nationally for both late-model used and certified pre-owned.

And a variety factors are contributing to the rise in demand for sportier models, and making them a bit harder to find.

“With an improving economy and lower gas prices, it’s ok to buy sporty cars again — as consumers apparently are doing in the used-car market,” said Michelle Krebs, senior analyst at AutoTrader. “The renewed popularity of sporty cars, combined with the fact that not all that many were sold during the drought of the recession years, means used ones are now in short supply.”

Krebs pointed out that the sport-car segment took a “hard hit” after the recession, and was one of the first segments to do so.

“Even if a consumer had the money for a sporty car, conspicuous consumption was not cool in light of so many people struggling economically,” Krebs pointed out.

It has also been one of the slowest segments to rebound, but AutoTrader.com analysts pointed out it is on the upturn in both the new and used markets.

For example, the recent Los Angeles auto show touted a variety of new, sporty, high performance vehicles on display.

And in the used market, a number of sport cars showed up on the scarcity lists for both late-model used and CPO scarcity lists.

Breaking the results down by unit, on top of taking the No. 1 spot on the national lists, the CPO Porsche Cayman is also the most-scarce vehicle in Los Angeles and New York, which Krebs pointed out are the top luxury markets in the nation.

“Other Porsche models, including the Cayenne utility and Boxster, are also scarce,” she added.

Moving on to a domestic car in high demand, the Chevrolet Corvette, which was redesigned last year, came in at the No. 4 scarcest CPO vehicle in the country last month.

The CPO Chevrolet Corvette is in short supply in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, as well.

Another brand that showed up on the list a considerable amount was Audi, which was no surprise to AutoTrader.

“Audi models of all sort are always in short supply, new and used. The brand is hugely popular among luxury buyers; it is the aspirational luxury brand of Millennials, according to AutoTrader.com’s 2013 millennial study,” Krebs explained.

The flagship A8 came in as the No. 7 most hard-to-find CPO vehicle nationally.

Other models, including the performance-oriented S4 and S5, as well as the less sporty A3 and A5, are in short supply in specific markets, as well, Krebs pointed out.

And though many may not think sport when hearing the name Volkswagen, its sportier Golf R is proving hard to find in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, New York and Philadelphia.

Other Volkswagen models, including the also sporty GTI, are also in short supply.

“Volkswagen just introduced a new Golf and is rolling out variants thereof, resulting in a scarcity of the sporty Golf R,” Krebs said.

Subaru has also been showing up on the scarcity lists for its sportier models.

“Subaru is another brand that has been enjoying tremendous success in new and used-car sales. The recent redesign of the sporty version of the compact Impreza— the Impreza WRX — has meant tight supplies of used versions, nationally and in specific markets like Boston and New York where all-wheel drive is popular (as is Subaru in general),” Krebs said.

And the sporty Mazda Miata continues to draw loyal followers, as well, especially since a new version is going on sale, which Krebs said is “likely having a halo effect on the used market.”

Stay tuned to Wednesday's Auto Remarketing Today for the full CPO and late-model used scarcity charts for October from AutoTrader.com.