By Will Estell

If you consider yourself an automobile connoisseur of any depth, it’s almost certain you could probably guess the cars that would make up a list of this title, simply based on common knowledge of what is and isn’t a real sports car and what does and doesn’t make economic sense for the average person to daily drive.

At the other end of the spectrum, as much as I can appreciate the more exotic makes, you can’t include anything made by Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Lotus or a host of other makes on this list. Mostly because even as true sports cars they can’t be had for the $50,000 ceiling here, and even if they could I couldn’t—with good conscious— suggest anyone try to daily drive anything that has $25,000, 15,000- mile service requirements or (insert used $30,000 Maserati’s here) has a high probability of developing a new problem on the roundtrip to Fresh Market or Starbucks.

Mazda MX-5

When it comes to true-to-the-definition sports cars there’s not much debate among auto aficionados about which one brings the most smiles per miles and dollars: It’s almost always hands down Mazda’s classic Elan inspired MX-5 roadster. There is a reason more MX-5’s are raced on tracks every weekend than any other car in this country. And it’s the same reason that the MX-5 is about the only sub-$40,000 car (new) that the same guy who owns a Porsche 911 GT3, classic Ferrari 328 or Lotus Esprit would still choose to buy for his fun-to-drive, dependable ride, while he keeps the miles off the more expensive car candy.

Besides being one of the only new(er) cars that still maintains that basic analog, driver-at-one-with-the-road sensation, the two most recent iterations of the MX-5 (internally the NC and the ND cars) provide enough room and comfort (this isn’t a Mercedes, however; you’re supposed to feel the road under those 45 series tires) to make them great daily drivers – top up or down.

For years, test drivers and auto editors at the likes of Automobile, Road & Track and Car & Driver have called the MX-5 one of the greatest sports cars money can buy. And a lot of that is because you can drive these cars way closer to their limits, revving to 7,000 RPMs, taking sharp S turns at 80 mph and genuinely “driving,” whereas you can’t really do that, on a daily basis, in most of the much more expensive, and powerful, sports cars available.

I’d suggest an NC, from 2012 to 2015, in the highly desirable PRHT (power retractable hardtop) with a 6-speed manual. And if you can find one, a Club edition, with all of the above mentioned, plus the larger wheels, unique front fascia, rear splitter, along with Bilstein shocks and strut tower brace. If you prefer the look of the newer, 2016-present, ND cars, then you can still get in a nicely equipped 1- to 3-year-old version for well under our price point for this article. Either way you go, the cars are ultra-dependable, low cost to maintain, get decent mpg, and will almost certainly be one of the most thrilling and rewarding cars to drive… no matter what other cars you may have owned.

Will Estell is a writer, media entrepreneur, occasional actor and coastal real estate professional with over 600 published magazine features in an array of genres.

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