Would you believe it, a car costing £90,000 can be such good value for money?

OK, so the Porsche 911 Carrera Convertible tested here costs more than a three-bed house in parts of Yorkshire, but in can still be seen as a sensible buy.

To get similar performance and equipment from an Aston Martin would cost nearer £100,000.

Fancy a Mercedes-Benz SLS? That’s £168,000 please. Or a Bentley Continental? £136.000. Or a Ferrari 458? That’s going on for £200,000.

So, you see. A 911 Carrera Convertible is suddenly sober and sensible. That’s not to say it won’t turn heads. After a week at the wheel of this car, I can safely say it’s not for the shy and retiring.

What do you get for your money? Well, the basic model costs £79,947. For that you get a 3.4 litre six-cylinder beast capable of 178mph (very useful!) and 0 to 60mph in five seconds. It has a seven-speed automatic gearbox with the option of a Formula One-style sequential system.

The engine is superb and burbles brilliantly. But if that’s not enough press the exhaust button on the central console and it will burble even louder. See, they’ve thought of everything.

It’s very much a man’s car (how many women do you know who would demand an exhaust volume control?) and it rides and handles like a real supercar. The steering was firm and sharp enough for me, but I do know that some Porsche aficianados prefer the previous model’s steering.

As if £79,000 of car wasn’t enough, the test model came with more than £10,000 of extras (I know, it’s a different world) including the sports exhaust system (£1,772), special 20in alloy wheels (£1,700), a brushed aluminium trim (£526) and Porsche crest embossed on the headrests (£138).

It also comes with two sport settings which firm the suspension and lengthen the gear changes to make it even more potent.

Oddly enough for a proper sports car, it has an economy system in which the engine cuts out at junctions. In know, saving the planet is important but it makes it look like you’ve stalled the engine. The system does make for decent economy (40mpg on a run and 30mpg on a combined route).

Enough of the power and performance. What does the car look like?

Well, it’s very much a 911 and you can see the similarities with the original from the early 1960s. It has huge muscular sides and a a shape which is both classic and cutting edge.

It is a convertible but it looks very much like the hard-top, except it has a smaller rear window. It feels light and airy and there is plenty of space.

The driving position is superb and the cabin is so well appointed. The rear seats are largely for show but you can just about contain understanding adults in the back.

The roof is a work of art. It rises and falls in 13 seconds at the touch of a button and it always draws a crowd.

And yet this is a 911 suited to the everyday. That seventh speed is perfect for cruising, leaving six speeds for when you’re not. The brilliant roof keeps the looks and the refinement means you can have it folded more of the time.

Yes it costs a little more than the coupe, but for the noise, the wind and those times when the sun shines, you’ll not regret choosing the soft option.

The 3.4-litre unit has as much power as you can sensibly use on a regular basis. It pulls hard from low revs whatever gear you happen to choose, and the wider the throttle is open the louder the rumble from the exhaust is.

Fully extended to the red line it accelerates with venom with that fantastic soundtrack to go with it. You can specify the sports exhaust with a button for extra loudness – but why you would have it on anything other than loud is beyond me. Pile into a bend and despite what you might have read the steering keeps you totally informed about what the car is doing.

It may be an inexpensive proposition but you can drive it with confidence from the start.

And yet this is a 911 suited to the everyday. That seventh speed is perfect for cruising, leaving six for when you’re not. Boot space is limited. Being a proper Porsche, it has a mid-mounted engine so the boot is in the front. You could load a weekend bag but proper suitcases would be a squeeze. It is a car built for proper roads, like autobahns. It can be skittish on Yorkshire’s neglected highways but on motorways, it’s so smooth you quickly forget you’re in a supercar. It does bring out aggression in other road-users, though. Van drivers in particular get a real kick out of overtaking a 911, it seems.

The 911 Carrera Cabriolet is a stunning car. If you win the lottery or become a footballer, this is just about the best real-world sports car you could wish for. But if £79,000 (or £90,000) is out of your league, you could save for a Boxster (from £37,589) or my favourite, the Cayman (from £39,162).