There’s a difference between living a good life and living the good life - namely that you probably drive something spectacular, luxurious, and exotic. That’s why for under a $50,000 budget, and as promised, here are the ten best. Break out the bubbly, it’s time to shop.

was designed with thinking so out of the box that it can’t help but be exotic. It has a turbocharged Ford Duratec V6 that can probably be fixed by any shadetree mechanic in the country. Sure, it’s made by a group of guys with greasy wrenches in the UK and it probably isn’t the best designed car in history, but for the exclusivity you get at this price, there’s nothing that can even come close.

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9. 1973 DeTomaso Pantera

is the second car down on the list, and it’s yet another sexy European body with an American powerplant. This example is one of the most affordable (I don’t want to say cheapest) models out there, and with the market becoming stronger over time, I’m not sure you’ll see any sub-50k running Panteras for much longer.

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8. 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG

is too an exotic, and I’ll prove it. Housed in its top-of-the-line hardtop convertible body lies a hand built twin-turbocharged V12 engine that produces more than 600 horsepower and way more than 700 ft-lbs of torque. That’s more torque than the new Ferrari 488. Hell, that’s more torque than the Mclaren P1. On top of that, it has massaging seats, radar guided cruise control, and it costs the same as a used BMW 5-series. What a time to be alive.

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7. 2002 Dodge Viper GTS

by itself is a quick car, with its 10-cylinder engine pumping out more torque than any other comparable coupe by a far stretch, but what happens when you add forced induction and nitrous to end up with a horsepower figure with four digits? You get a car that I’d be both intensely scared of piloting and foolishly excited to drive. It’s the automotive equivalent of a skydive with no reserve chute.

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6. 2004 Bentley Continental GT

is famous for being the car that could blend in with any econonoboxes in the parking lot, equipped with an engine that came from a Volkswagen. Sure, it’s the Phaeton, but that’s besides the point. This twin-turbocharged W12 elephant is faster than it should be. It has the same kind of physics-defying attributed that made the Nissan GT-R so surprisingly quick, except the initial sticker shock on a new Bentley will lessen the surprise because expectations are so relatively high. Oddly enough, people can now appreciate it because it’s fully depreciated.

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5. 1987 Porsche 911 Turbo

I’m on the fence about . It’s the cheapest example of the car that I’ve seen in a long time, but the seller has zero feedback and has horrible grammar, but that could be because they’re new to eBay and English may be a second (or third) language. In any case, it’s worth a phone call at the very least, because these cars are getting rarer by the minute and $50k today could mean a really good weekend a few years from now.

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4. 2004 Maserati Coupe GT

Maseratis like aren’t known for their finesse, especially with their troublesome and boneheaded DuoSelect transmission. Wait, what’s that you say? This car doesn’t have the awful gearbox and instead comes with a 6-speed manual? Well, in that case, here’s a car with a 4.2 liter V8 engine made by Ferrari that revs to something that would likely shatter the oil pump of anything made in America, mated to a gearbox that shifts with the help of something with an actual brain (hopefully). It’s actually quite rare to find one of these in such great shape and with the right transmission, especially for a price so far below budget. The looks may be polarizing, but seriously, manual Ferrari drivetrain for the price of a Honda Civic - that’s as good as it gets, people.

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3. 1998 Acura NSX-T

may not be an exotic in the I’m-going-to-rip-your-face-off-and-spit-down-your-throat-with-sheer-speed sort of way, but it is an exotic in that it’s a mid-engined car that was the awesome first draft of a Japanese car manufacturer that didn’t know how to make a car suck. It’s also quite rare, especially when you take into account this 1998 example that has just over 50,000 original miles. Relax, NSX owners. It’s a Honda engine - it’s OK if you stretch its legs once in a while.

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2. 2010 Lotus Evora

does have a lot in common with the NSX, namely that they both have a 276 horsepower V6 ripped directly from the likes of an economy sedan, but this Evora does look the part of an exotic that was made at some point in the last decade. It didn’t sell well initially, but with its lightweight, no-frills body and naturally aspirated engine, there isn’t much to go wrong on this car. It’s a modern Lotus that can seat four, has a great exhaust note, and has an interior that looks like a Mclaren’s if you squint really, really hard. What more can you ask for?

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1. 2008 Aston Martin V8 Vantage

isn’t only the best value here, it may be the best exotic car value ever, and here’s why. First, look at it. It’s the embodiment of good automotive design. Every panel gap, body line and contour is damn near perfect, so much in fact that I think the latter versions went a step backwards, as Aston tried to fix what wasn’t broken. Second, it has a dry sump V8 that revs sky-high, with a body that has a 50/50 front to back weight distribution, not to mention it’s hand built with some dude’s name stamped on the engine, so you know who to blame when cylinder number five makes a break for freedom. It’s a six figure car for a barely five figure price and it’s one of the best looking and sounding cars ever made, for any price. That’s why I’m currently in the market for one of my very own, and you can’t have it. Nyah nyah.

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