- Find out what makes a car a luxury car
- Our suggestions for affordable luxury cars
- What to look out for when buying
Who hasn’t dreamt of settling back in the sumptuous seats of some exotic luxury car and watching the neighbours’ curtains twitch with envy as you waft off down the street? It’s a lovely fantasy but it actually doesn’t have to be a dream.
You could afford to own a luxury car, you just have to shop smart and be prepared to buy something a little older. Do it right and you might end up sitting behind a badge that most people associate with the rich and famous.
What is a luxury car?
Beauty – or in this case luxury – is in the eye of the beholder. A luxury car should have a supremely forgiving ride to cushion you from any irritating imperfections in the road’s surface. The interior should be appointed like a gentleman’s club with plenty of cushioning and hand-stitched leather.
Its engine should be powerful yet quiet, while capable of extreme speed when required. And it should be fitted with the latest technology to take the pain out of motoring and make life supremely stress free.
Comfortable luxury cars you can afford
One of the great things about luxury cars is that they’re not hugely in demand. That means they can be remarkably affordable because they lose value quickly. And what might be a nightmare for the new-car buyer can be a dream for anyone in the market for a luxury used car.
Here are five affordable used luxury cars.
Volkswagen Phaeton
The big VW was a weird one. Sold until 2015, it was firmly treading on Audi’s toes with its luxury limo packaging. But it was wearing the much less desirable VW badge. As a result, it was unpopular and has become a great buy for anyone looking for second-hand luxury.
It’s got a whisper-quiet 3.0-litre diesel, effortless performance and a comfy ride in its sumptuous cabin. But it’s still badged a Volkswagen, a people’s car. Nonetheless, you can pick up late 2014 models for around £13,000 - if you can find one. As with any used luxury motor, make sure you get one with a full service history and evidence that it’s been well looked after.
Infiniti Q70
Infiniti is Nissan’s posh brand - a bit like Lexus is to Toyota. But unlike Lexus, Infiniti didn’t manage to capture car buyers’ imagination in the UK. Or many sales for that matter. It’s now stopped selling new cars but there are plenty of used models around and they make a terrific buy. The biggest and poshest is the Q70.
No one could claim it’s the most brilliant car they’ll ever drive. But as far as luxury family cars go, this one is stylish on the outside and comfortable inside with a lovely leather-clad interior. It’s also packed with gadgetry. But best of all, it’s cheap. In 2019, you could get a two-year-old model for £14,500 – a car that’s still got a year’s manufacturer warranty left to run.
Jaguar XJ
For many people, the big Jaguar is the luxury car of their dreams. However, this model hasn’t been overly popular and as a result prices have plunged. In 2019, you can pick up a four-year-old model for less than £20,000. That’s right, one of the ultimate fast luxury cars in the world, wearing one of the most famous and desirable badges, could be on your drive for the price of a standard 1.0-litre Ford Focus.
The interior is lovely with all the gentleman’s club opulence you could ever want. The ride is cosseting, it’s fun to drive and it comes with plenty of tech. Could this be the ultimate luxury ride?
BMW 7 Series
Rivalling the Jaguar as a driver’s car and with similar prestige is the big BMW. You can buy two-year-old 2017 versions of the 730d for around £25,000. And it’s an awful lot of car for the money. There’s a flexible 3.0-litre diesel engine and as much in the way of electronic goodies as your average PC World.
The cabin’s gloriously finished off, there’s acres of space in the back including niceties such as heated rear seats and even air suspension to cushion the worst of the potholes you might rumble over.
Mercedes S-Class
The big Merc sets the bar for luxury cars with a range of talents that puts it ahead of the Jaguar and BMW. The downside is it’s the most expensive of the cars here. A four-year-old 2015 model will set you back a touch less than £25,000 while a three-year-old car is less than £30,000.
That might sound like a great deal of money but this is an awful lot of car. And you’ll cheer yourself up when you remember it would have cost upwards of £60,000 when it was new. The diesel S350 isn’t ruinously expensive to run. Do make sure you buy one that hasn’t been flogged to death by a limo company as they can suffer reliability problems if not properly looked after.
What to look out for
The big downside of buying luxury motors like these is they’re expensive to maintain and run. On some of the cars here, a tank of fuel could cost you north of £100. And these cars can be thirstier than a marathon runner in the desert.
If things do go wrong, repairs may be expensive so make sure you buy one with a full service history and ideally a warranty of some sort for added peace of mind. Then there’s the annual service. You might have to spend upwards of £1,000 just to keep it on the road. And a set of new tyres all round will cost you the best part of a grand. But just think of wafting around in all that comfort and the envious approval of the neighbours…
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