I had this similar “dilemma” this year, and on my list were:
Porsche Boxster or Cayman
Elise/Exige
Caterham
VX220
I drove all of them, most on a track as well as on the road, and ended up plumping for a Cayman, as the best blend of out and out handling/performance, pose factor, and everyday usability. Had it a couple of months and still get that flutter of excitement when I walk up to it.
Things to watch out for are clutch: (320bhp can eat these quickly, if mis-treated) and those engines don’t like being over-revved so if you can get one with a recent ecu download to show that it hasn’t been over-revved, that’s better. Not a problem with the pdk gearbox, but a manual can be over-revved on the downshift.
With your budget, its do-able, but be VERY selective, so as not to just buy a load of trouble.