You've made it! You've just been promoted to the highest rank in your office, and you need a new set of wheels that shows it. Lists include anything from $40,000-$60,000, and they are sorted by how many people need to fit inside. This is a purely objective article.
For Two People:
Porsche Boxster S-
Pros: Great drive, luxury appointments, impresses clients.
Cons: Greatness comes at a price, especially with the mountainous Porsche options sheet.
Audi S4-
Pros: Hot-rod performance in an unassuming package, gorgeous interior, good bang-for-the-buck quotient at $46,400.
Cons: Gas mileage in the Cabriolet version, not quite as fast as an M3, small back seat for a sedan (hence it's on the two-seater list).
Mercedes-Benz CLK350-
Pros: Stunning visually, country-club appeal, better than an E39 3 Series coupe/convertible.
Cons: Check out the surprised looks when people find out it's not your wife's.
Porsche Cayman S-
Pros: Everything a Boxster has except better. Massive curb-appeal.
Cons: Try finding one for under $60,000.
Chevrolet Corvette-
Pros: Awesomely fast, great for dates, surprisingly practical.
Cons: Unrefined, hurts you at the pump, tiring exhaust note akin to Infiniti FX.
BMW M3-
Pros: Performance coupe icon still reigns over most.
Cons: Not as good as the RS4, soon to be replaced so yours will go out of style.
BMW Z4-
Pros: Great drive, gets you noticed, not-so-steep price.
Cons: Gets you noticed, not as fast as you think.
Porsche 911 (used 996 model)
Pros: Natural Porsche driving experience, great value when used.
Cons: Where did they all go? Ergonomically un-sound interiors.
For Families of 3 and Up:
BMW 530i/535i-
Pros: Unequivocally the sportiest midsize sedan, faster than you think, not an E-Class.
Cons: Questionable interior quality and interface.
Audi S4 Avant-
Pros: Hot-rod performance in an unassuming package, gorgeous interior, good bang-for-the-buck quotient at $47,400.
Cons: Small backseat, but makes up for it with a large trunk for long vacations. Style over substance is the S4's philosophy.
Porsche Cayenne / Cayenne S-
Pros: Cayenne S is very fast, kind of luxurious interior, it's a Porsche.
Cons: Cayenne V6 is very slow, base prices on each don't give you much, interior looks cheap without NAV, huge options sheet, it's a boat.
Lexus GS450h-
Pros: Ultra-luxurious, fast for a hybrid, you'd be saving the earth in your mind.
Cons: The designers were staring at pictures of a distorted 5 Series, tiny trunk, not that sporty.
Infiniti M45 Sport-
Pros: Expensive-looking interior, great engine, sportiest of Japanese midsize sedans.
Cons: Agressive bodykit not for everyone, Infiniti name doesn't have much cachet for $50,000.
Jaguar XJ8-
Pros: British charm, very lightweight alluminum space frame, only just breaks the $60,000 price barrier at $62,000.
Cons: A bit behind the times, floaty over bumps, can get very expensive as it's a large sedan.
Cadillac STS V8-
Pros: All-American performance and luxury, distinctive, it's not a BMW.
Cons: Some cheap interior plastics, very pricey with options, it's not a BMW.
Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE-
Pros: Striking to behold, loaded with standard features, not as common as a Lexus RX or BMW X5.
Cons: It's not a real Range Rover, very heavy, very bad at the pump.