BEST SPORTS CAR YOU CAN ACTUALLY AFFORD: Mazda MX-5

Pining for a sports car you’ll never be able to afford is now a pointless pursuit because there is, at last, a vehicle out there that will deliver all the fun for far less than stupid money. Mazda’s MX-5 is a perfectly formed, rear-wheel-drive roadster that turns not much money (prices start at just $31,990) into a million-dollar experience. Yes, it’s about as roomy as a wetsuit but it’s so much fun to drive, even at legal speeds, that you’ll be wearing that self-satisfied smile you always see on Ferrari owners. The secret is a clever combination of light weight, purity of design and Japanese engineering. The fact that it’s a convertible only adds to the joy quotient, particularly on sunny days and balmy evenings. Best of all, there’s even a folding hard-topped version, the RF, which costs just $4000 more and looks even better. 

Money no object: Porsche 911

“Perfection” is perhaps the only word to describe the legendary Porsche 911, from the way the steering talks to your hands, to the way the acceleration torques to your whole body by shoving you back in your seat. It’s as good as driving gets – and it would want to be, with prices starting at $217,500.