10 classic Bond cars — on a budget

Price when new: $2,595 ($20,084 in 2012 dollars)*
Price now: $18,100*

The first Bond film sent a young, trim and handsome Sean Connery to Jamaica, where he drove a Sunbeam Alpine roadster in search of a fellow agent's killer. Back then, 2-seat British sports cars were at their glory, even though Sunbeam was less well-known than Triumph or Austin-Healey. But according to Hemmings, a collector-car marketplace, the Sunbeam's avant-garde styling and comfort put it above the class — even if it's not very fast.

*Current price data from Hagerty; original price data from NADA Guides; inflation-adjusted prices from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

View Slideshow:  50 Years of Bond Films: The Cars

Price when new: $3,315 ($20,902 in 2012 dollars)
Price now: $23,500

While George Lazenby played in only one Bond movie, the original Mercury Cougar — not the wimpy, front-wheel-drive imitator it later became — is unforgettable. With its metal grille and hideaway headlights, the Cougar was indeed a Mustang, but prettier and more upscale. Lazenby didn't drive the Cougar in the film, although it received more screen time than his Aston Martin DBS. We can't argue with that.

View Pictures:  James Bond's DB5

Price when new: $3,268 ($18,672 in 2012 dollars)
Price now: $26,000

Although teenagers may recognize this Bond title only from Kanye West's prodigious sampling, the rest of us remember Sean Connery's final 007 performance. Connery was as suave as ever, but the Mustang Mach 1 was a bit overwrought, with its cheesy decals and a slatted rear window that's a little too shag-rug for our tastes. However, considering that you can get a genuine muscle car for the price of a Scion FR-S, it's not bad.

Find: Ford Mustangs For Sale Near You

Price when new: $2,849 ($13,373 in 2012 dollars)
Price now: $1,900

In addition to its Jeeps, American Motors Corp. made some memorable cars in the 1960s and 1970s. If it was a bit obscure during its 1973 introduction, a year later this Hornet hatchback was performing a barrel roll on the big screen — just minutes after Roger Moore stole the car from an AMC showroom in Hong Kong — that gave it the exposure it had been lacking. For Bond nostalgia at the lowest possible price, the Hornet wins.

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Price when new: $15,990 ($61,059 in 2012 dollars)
Price now: $11,800

The wedged, midengine Lotus Esprit was Britain's pinnacle exotic in 1977. While later models sported turbochargers and V8 engines, the original S1 weighed less than 3,000 pounds and did just fine on a 4-cylinder powerplant. As befits a Lotus, fantastic steering and handling went along with it. Roger Moore's Esprit, in possibly the finest Bond chase ever, converted into an even sleeker submarine sprouting underwater missile launchers.

Find: Lotus Esprits For Sale Near You

Price when new: $49,000 (first U.S. model in 1983, $113,845 in 2012 dollars)
Price now: $14,750

The Lotus Esprit returned for another round of Bond mayhem in "For Your Eyes Only," but this car was better prepared for the road instead of the water. Packing a turbocharger, this Esprit received the speed to match its supercar looks. In the movie, it met a fateful end — as did one of Bond's villains — when its anti-theft system self-detonated.

View Slideshow:  Exotic Cars & Their Everyday Equals

Price when new: $16,983 ($43,234 in 2012 dollars)
Price now: $7,300

Hagerty calls the Alfa Romeo GTV6 hatch a "starter Ferrari" for good reason. Like most Italian cars, its clean-cut shape has aged remarkably well — contrary to many of that era's now-faded designs — and its punchy V6 engine made this Alfa a perfect escape vehicle for Roger Moore to thwart a nuclear bomb. It's also "more reliable than you might think," Hemmings says. As for meeting a modern-day Ms. Octopussy, well, good luck with that.

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Price when new: $28,750 ($42,402 in 2012 dollars)
Price now: $5,400

Pierce Brosnan's best driving scene in "Goldeneye" involved Bond power-sliding a Russian tank through St. Petersburg. In the BMW Z3, all he did was drive down a dirt road, but that was enough for BMW to sell out the roadster's entire first year. Like the Mazda Miata, early Z3s reignited the British roadster formula of small size and tiny 4-cylinder engines, but with far more sex appeal. You can buy a 007 Edition Z3, with the movie car's blue and tan color scheme, for a bit more money.

Find: BMW Z3s For Sale Near You

Price when new: $91,100 ($131,347 in 2012 dollars)
Price now: $4,750

Talk about a backseat driver. Pierce Brosnan controlled this big BMW from the rear seat, all while steering it through a parking garage and firing rockets from his cellphone. Most flagship German sedans, especially those with pricey-to-repair 12-cylinder engines such as the one in the 750iL, see their resale values tank within the first five years, so this one's an absolute steal.

Find: BMW 7-Series Near You

Price when new: $228,000 ($293,278 in 2012 dollars)
Price now: $85,000

What were you expecting, an Aston Martin for the price of a Camry? While cheaper options abound — Bond's original DB5 not included — the Vanquish brought Aston into supercar territory, and not due to the film car's invisibility cloak. Its 460-horsepower V12 engine pushed this loaded luxury car close to 200 mph. But before paying top dollar, make sure you like the semiautomatic gearbox. Some Vanquish owners hated it so much that Aston retrofitted their cars with smoother manual transmissions.

Bing Images: Aston Martin Vanquish

*Current price data from Hagerty; original price data from NADA Guides; inflation-adjusted prices from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Clifford Atiyeh has spent his entire life driving cars he doesn't own. Based in Boston, he is the senior news editor for MSN Autos, and contributes to Car and Driver, The Boston Globe and other publications.