5 'Dream Cars' That Are Surprisingly Attainable Today

Vehicles in general and cars in particular have never been known to be good investments, and the reason is clear. They fall off a depreciation cliff the second they are driven off the lot, and continue to lose value every year thereafter. However, supercars tend to take this concept to the max, losing five or even six figures in just a few years, depending on their purchase price. Now that's bad news for the initial owners, but it also creates an opportunity for enthusiasts, assuming that there are people out there brave enough to take the plunge.

Especially in recent years, a confluence of many things has created the perfect second-hand market for used cars that used to be a pipe dream for many growing up. Factors that contributed to this were extremely aggressive depreciation, the relative mass production of exotic models, and technological obsolescence. There's also the fact that buyers who can afford to buy these cars brand-new (or when they were just a couple of years old) are often looking to get the latest and greatest, so they wouldn't be interested in an older used model anyway.

Now, you should take note that "attainable to buy" usually never means "easy to maintain," at least with this kind of vehicle. However, for enthusiasts who have dreamt about owning an exotic for years, who prioritize the driving feel over anything else, here are five dream cars that aren't basket cases, are in running order, and won't break the bank in 2026.

First up, we begin with Bentley. The company is best known for making luxury land-yachts, but they've also had a decent bit of success building grand tourer cars, such as the Bentley Continental GT. First introduced in 2003, the Continental GT was a two-door grand touring coupe that shipped with a monstrous W12 engine that displaced six liters. Paired to a six-speed transmission with a center diff, the powerplant in the debut Continental GTs developed the eye-watering sum of 550 hp at 6,000 rpm, alongside 479 lb-ft of torque at 115 rpm.

Later, in 2005, a four-door version called the Continental Flying Spur was added to the lineup, and in 2013, the Flying Spur was separated from the Continental line and turned into its own model. These later standalone Flying Spur models had the option of shipping with a 2.9-liter V6 engine, which made 536 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. In addition, there have been a number of years in between where V8 engines have also been offered on the Continental GT, with varying power outputs, depending on trim. 

The first major facelift for the Continental line came about in 2011. Coming to the matter of price; When new, a 2003 Continental would have cost buyers $149,990, a 2009 would have been $181,795, and a 2013 would have been a staggering $202,425; all MSRP prices without delivery. Today, early examples (2003-2006) are being listed for as low as $15,000, with mid-age, average-mileage examples in the $35,000 range.

The BMW i8 was supposed to be the poster car of the future when it debuted in 2014. The marketing team pulled a brilliant move by including a concept version of the car in the 2011 movie, "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol", almost three years before the official consumer model would enter production. The hype around the vehicle was crazy, and only people who were around for that era would recall the "ooohs" and "aaahs" that theater audiences let out when Tom Cruise jumped into the car with Paula Patton for a high-speed chase through the streets of Mumbai. 

All that to say, the car was touted to be a cult icon, and that reflected in the sales figures, with over 20,000 units sold. Contrary to what some might think, the i8 was not an EV, but a hybrid vehicle that had a 1.5-liter inline-three gas engine complemented by an electric motor. Total power output for the car was 228 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque, which was good, but the price was $135,700 back in 2014. 

For that money, buyers could have (and should have) chosen the likes of the Audi R8, or the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1; Both with significantly more power. The BMW i8 would eventually be discontinued because it was too expensive, too exotic, and was underperformant for the price. Today, i8 units are selling for between $35,000 and $45,000 — a far cry from the original MSRP, and a reminder that the MSRP was sans options.

Another two-door superfast coupe with an "8" in the name, the now-discontinued Audi R8 first roared onto the scene in 2007. This car has a bit of a history with the big screen, with the Audi RSQ concept car being used in the 2004 film, "I, Robot," starring Will Smith. The design of the RSQ would translate into the production R8 that would hit the market three years down the line. From there, it would become an instant fan favorite. The R8 is also notable for being the car of choice of Robert Downey Jr., who played Tony Stark in Marvel's "Iron Man" and "Avengers" franchises.

The initial versions of the R8 were powered by a 4.2-liter V8 unit that was mated to a six-speed manual transmission, though a six-speed automated manual ("R-Tronic") transmission was also offered. The powertrain had an output of 420 hp at 7,800 rpm, alongside a stellar 317 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. From 2010, Audi would introduce a 5.2-liter V10 version that would make 525 hp at 8,000 rpm, and 391 lb-ft of torque at 6,500 rpm.

Major revisions were made to the R8 in 2012 and 2019, which replaced the widely disliked "R-Tronic" transmission with a 7-speed "S-Tronic" model. When new, a 2008 Audi R8 would have cost the staggering sum of $114,100, but used units from that era are selling for around $55,000 in the first quarter of 2026.

Aston Martin's history is intertwined with cinema. Made famous by the "James Bond" franchise, Astons are mostly luxury-oriented grand touring cars, like the Bentley Continental GT but with a sportier flair to them. We specifically want to bring up the Aston Martin Vantage and the Aston Martin DB9, as both of these vehicles are going for pennies on the dollar at the moment. The Vantage, which was re-introduced after a hiatus in 2005, is available across different generations with either a 4.3-liter V8 making 380 hp, or a six-liter V12 unit making 563 hp.

The torque figures for these engines are 302 lb-ft at 5,000 rpm and 457 lb-ft at 5,550 rpm, respectively, though this could vary by trim, model year, and tune. The DB9 — where DB stands for "David Brown", the man who saved Aston Martin — came with a V12 making 444 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. A new 2007 Vantage costed buyers $118,550 MSRP, but examples online are listed for as low as $33,000 in early 2026. For its part, the DB9, which debuted in 2004, had an MSRP of $155,000, and is selling for between $25,000 and $35,000 in early 2026. The DB9 surprisingly didn't debut in a Bond film, though DB9s were modified to look like the upcoming DBS and used as prop cars in the 2005 film "Casino Royale."

Next up, the McLaren MP4-12C, which shares the first half of its name with the legendary McLaren Honda MP4/4 Formula 1 car that Ayrton Senna would dominate the 1988 season with. The 12C was released in 2011 and shipped with a 3.8-liter V8 engine paired with a seven-speed manual transmission with an auto-engaging clutch. Clubbed together, the powertrain in the MP4-12C would make 600 hp, along with 442 lb-ft of torque.

This, coupled with the 3,269 pound weight of the vehicle, would end up giving the 12C a top speed of 205 mph, and a zero to 60 mph time of about three seconds. It could also run the quarter-mile from standing in 10.7 seconds, and would read 134 mph at the end of said quarter-mile. With examples of the MP4-12C being priced between $65,000 and $90,000 in the first quarter of 2026, this is actually the most expensive dream car on our list. We realize that putting a $90,000 car on an article that has the word "attainable" in the title might seem just a tad bit out of place, but consider that a new GMC Yukon Denali can run buyers up to $106,695 MSRP. And that's before tacking on a $2,795 destination freight charge — all things considered, it isn't too bad, especially not for a car that had a sticker price of $229,000 for the 2012 model year.