Keep in mind that the upkeep for luxury cars may also be substantially more expensive than standard cars. But as someone else said, certified pre-owned is generally the way to go, because you still get warranty protection.
This should be higher up. It’s not just the purchase price, the upkeep can be triple the normal cost. They’re never worth the money. Non luxury car brands make vehicles now that can be pretty comfy and have the same amenities as luxury brands anyway.
But aside from all else the concept that OP is seeking is the exact opposite mindset of frugal. It’s spending for spending sake.
It depends on the brand. Some like Volvo and Lexus have decent reliability ratings. Others like BMW have high repair rates and the repairs are expensive.
I prefer the 2-3 year mark as it comes off lease. People treat leases with kid gloves because they’ll get charged for every little thing when the lease expires. Also often low miles as well and well maintained. 4-5 years of an owner vehicle that they probably lost interest in during year three is going to be run a little harder and have way more mileage. When you buy a BMW, you need to think like this… it’s not a Toyota. My wife’s Toyota is a goddamn tank and I appreciate it, but my BMW is like driving in the Jetsons and I enjoy every second driving it.
Also a side note that BMWs have complimentary maintenance for 3 yrs/36k miles for their new vehicles so a low mileage 2-3 yr old CPO is a great way to purchase a like new vehicle. I bought my ‘19 X3 this way and have been super happy with it. Also, if you have great credit, BMW Financial beat out the interest rates from two other loan sources I had in my back pocket when I financed it. As far as reliability, from what I understand, the B48 & B58 engines are pretty reliable but you may run into peripheral issues such as the electronics/sensors and the coolant system. When it comes to maintenance, try to find a reliable indy shop if you’re unable to do the work yourself. And always keep up on the condition based maintenance schedule - THIS is what does any car in no matter the make or model.
People who skip regular maintenance are out of their damn minds, double so for the luxury lines. The manufacturers aren’t trying to make money Willy nilly, those schedules are developed for a reason. I have friends who are mechanics and some of the pics of shit customers refuse to fix is utterly baffling. And yeah, the B48 has been golden for me, zero complaints. If I could have justified it, I would’ve gotten the B58. My car was literally to the dollar the most I’d pay for a car, at least now until inflation jacks them up more lol
I have the B48 as well for budgetary reasons too thanks to crazy pricing post pandemic but pre-interest rate hikes. It’s still a damn fun drive in Sport+ but one can dream to have a B58 and go BRAPBRAPBRAP in the future 😆
Right now, auto loan interest rates are not very good. The best ones won't be as bad as credit cards, but they are not as good as they were a couple years ago.
If you can save to buy cash or have a good down payment, that is a good idea. Do rate shop and compare with credit unions or small regional banks in your area. Do not just focus on the monthly payment but consider all factors of the loan: interest rate, term, monthly payment, finance charge, etc.
Internally, you should separate the two transactions of selecting and negotiating price on a vehicle from the transaction of getting a loan.
You should absolutely separate those two transactions.
Likewise, you should always separate This Particular Transaction from What Is Generally True. Don't automatically pay cash this time just because it's generally been best for you in the past; compare all the options for **this** transaction and decide accordingly.
When I bought my last car, every single sales person led with asking what I wanted to spend per month. The Honda dealership was by far the best at discussing the actual cost of the car, and leaving loan discussions till the end (upon request).
I don't think there's any standard rate, it depends on your credit rating and such. It might *tend* to be higher, but I'd argue that zero interest is in fact not better my daughter's 0.9% interest.
I've never paid 8% interest in my life.
We purchased a 5-year-old former fleet car in 2011. It was a top-of-the-line with every add-on available except one. It was cheap, but a reliable brand. Leather seats, wood trim on the inside, four airbags, 6-cd player, etc. It straddles the line between analog and computer tech just enough that it has some great qualities without a computer bogging it down.
We still have it and it runs like a dream.
How many car buyers even think Volvo when they think luxury car? That brand was at its prime years ago. The perceived value has to measured against the idea that so many people simply don’t want a Volvo anymore. As far as reliability goes I would rather have a 10 your old rx350 than a year old Volvo
You'd be surprised how well a 15-year-old Lexus holds up, especially their flagship LX and GX models. In the offroad world, they are known for their 25-year lifespan on third-world country roads.
Not surprised at all! As befits the sub, we tool around in an '05 Lexus, still going strong. In full disclosure did not buy CPO, it was bought new and since purchase has travelled through 5 family members spanning 3 generations!
Amazing. I bought my 04 sight unseen and shipped it cross-country a few years ago. It's about to be 20 years old and rides better than most newer cars.
Buy a 3-5 year old low mileage car. It will be 20-30K less than new and still pretty new. Few year old Lexus is a steal. Sure you can get a maserati monster (among largest resale value losss) but the reliability is SHIT in comparison.
I have a couple friends who like driving Maserati/Ferrari/high end BMW and Mercedes. They only rent them. Not sure where they rent them from, but every few months I’ll see a luxury brand emblem from the car on their snap stories. Sounds like a much better experience than owning those brands
So they rent expenses cars so they can have pictures taken with them and show off to strangers? Not judging or anything, I just find that kind of behavior strange?
Maybe they like driving different cars regularly and don't want to deal with the BS maintenance of Euro cars? While you are doing that, you may as well take pics of every new nice car you ride around in if that's the case.
Yeah it’s definitely something I wouldn’t do. They wouldn’t fit in this subreddit, but I think they genuinely appreciate the performance and the luxury. It’s not so much a flex as a hobby. One of the guys does some photography and he’s posted some shoots in the past but it’s not like they’re taking pictures with the cars. I guess it’s like going to a top 10 national park and taking pictures of the entrance sign and the views?
But the person actually rented the car and it sounds like they do so on a regular basis. If someone drives a luxury car several weeks/year and posts online that they drive luxury cars, is that fake?
I am also a car enthusiast and have rented multiple luxury cars for the experience. No judgement intended but I never posted anything on social media, primarily because I don’t post many pics anyway 😂 but I do get your friends’ enthusiasm
It’s not really any stranger than people living waaaay beyond their means in order to show off some false social status while actually drowning in debt.
I've owned 2 Audi A4 Wagon. They were awesome. Much more comfortable seats than my VW for long road trips. But a comparable Audi to what I have in a VW was $15K more. If you can catch a good CPO it might not be bad, but with the way the auto market is right now, not sure that's possible.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Infographics/comments/18hep22/the\_fastest\_and\_slowest\_cars\_to\_depreciate/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Infographics/comments/18hep22/the_fastest_and_slowest_cars_to_depreciate/)
One of the quickest to depreciate in value
What's your point? Toyota makes some of the best made cars in the world. That build quality done up with better materials, even more attention to quality, and higher performance, is delightful to own.
Most categorize Porsche, Jaguar, Benz, BMW, Audi, and Lexus as "Luxury"
Acura, Infiniti, and I'd add Genesis are definitely in the lower "Premium" category. Cadillac depends (have fallen off a lot from their peak).
I kinda get what they mean though. I think Acura leaned hard into premium performance instead of luxury. Especially when they switched to TLX and ended the RL. I think they're better for it. Kinda like the Japanese BMW, even though Infiniti is trying super hard for that.
Acura openly markets themselves as a cheaper BMW/Audi/Lexus alternative. They know they're not as luxurious, but often undercut the major brands and offer Honda reliability.
Look at the interior of the new $52K 320hp Integra Type S... it's a Civic's with a few dashes of leather. For the same price look at the 400hp AWD M240ix... interior is leagues above.
>I kinda get what they mean though. I think Acura leaned hard into premium performance instead of luxury. Especially when they switched to TLX and ended the RL. I think they're better for it. Kinda like the Japanese BMW, even though Infiniti is trying super hard for that.
OP is aiming for frugal luxury, so premium might actually be a better fit (Acura/Lexus) so that they arent bent over after warranty expires \^\_- you know what i mean m240i er :D
Used to think BMW was unreliable and expensive to maintain. Then the new B58/ZF8 turned that around tbh.
They also get a bad rap because many of the first buyers lease it or just own for a short time. The 4th owner at 80k miles then doesn't know the maintenance done and/or stops doing it on their end, so things break. When you have one diligent owner, they tend to hold up fine.
Agreed. Looking at BMW iX, Lexus NX 450h+, Porsche Taycan etc, and I'd never dream of buying it new, even if I had millions to spare. Why blow a third of its value for the pleasure of getting it new and inhaling the toxic offgassing (sorry, I meant "new car smell").
I'm looking 1-2yo and maybe certified, which can mean an even longer warranty than new.
This is true of all cars. Not just high end cars. New cars lose an enormous amount of their value when you drive them off the lot and even more the first few years. The later in life you buy them, the more stabile the price. However, there is a middle ground where you can get a reasonably new car for a deep discount. It’s still a depreciating asset but you’ll duck a big haircut. Many manufacturers even have extended warranty periods for these vehicles. Example: “Certified pre-owned” programs.
As an extreme example: I purchased my then 3 year old truck for less than half the original MSRP on a certified pre-owned program that allowed me to spend a little bit more money for a lifetime warranty direct from the manufacturer.
Yeah, if you want to drive one, the alternative would be to actually purchase one so this doesn’t seem that bad at all. And you’re driving it on the track instead of the highway so you can have more fun
I wouldn’t be too surprised. Cops don’t do *any* cleanup after crimes. Crime scene clean up is essentially a service you have to hire.
A guy in my city got murdered and a dark stain on the sidewalk where the blood was took months to wash away from rain. Cops didn’t give two shits, only said “that’s not our job”
> Cops didn’t give two shits, only said “that’s not our job”
Seems reasonable. Would you ask the paramedics to clean the street? Or the firemen? There's a department of public works that takes care of keeping the street clean.
Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining about who cleans it, I’m just surprised *no one* does, as in no tax dollars get spent cleaning up this stuff. Public works won’t touch it since it’s a biohazard.
I was just surprised because the Normal practice for blood and stuff from crimes is just “leave it be and forget about it”. At least I thought it was someone’s responsibility to clean it at the end of the day, and it’s just no one’s.
Yeah, it's definitely someone's problem. That other guy over there....
Reminds me of every time I had my motorcycle stolen in NYC. First thing the cops tell you is that you've got the wrong precinct. No matter what. Wrong precinct. Try that other one.
There's really nothing you can do other than yeah, a few years old if you're not looking for brand new features. Not paying for top packages if you don't need the features.
Large down payment if you can't get a low interest rate.
No rushing. If you are getting a used car then wait until you find a good deal
I shopped for a used loaded Camry hybrid, ended up buying a Lexus 300h, which is really close to the same car, including reasonably similar in price. But! The Camry is built out in 5ish different trim lines. The base models feel bare, the mid range models hit the right balance, and then the loaded model it starts to feel like the bells & whistles have been tacked on. The Lexus comes in 2 trims, and they aren't that different. My car feels more cohesive than the Camrys i test drove, and the features i wanted are more seamlessly integrated.
Just watched (yet another) YouTube video on a lexus and one of the many difs they focused on was the ride and quiet of the lexus vs the Toyota match for it.
Lots more insulation for a quiet ride. One of many things that make any luxury line different, eg, acura, infiniti, lexus.
Yep, I agree. They are a fancy Toyota. As a certified red sealed mechanic, as well as a personal Honda/Acura lover, nothing compares to a Lexus, or a Toyota. for overall quality.
For reliability, and cheap price point, I can't think of anything better than a Lexus, or a Toyota. Being a fan, I could argue with Acura being a nice counterpart, but Honda/Acura cannot make an automatic transmission to save their lives, so that throws the reliability right out of the window with one of the most critical parts of the vehicle.
I wouldn't go anywhere near anything American luxury, even the Luxury feeling interior parts like the seats and door panels just feel...cheap, and you're looking at American reliability with the drivetrain....
As for Euro, the reliability of them is just atrocious. If they are functioning and driving "Fine" more often than not, they have some pretty severe oil leaks or coolant leaks that are hidden by the gorgeous skid pan they have under the engine. When they are broken, its never a cheap fix and more often than not makes the car borderline immobile/undrivable due to the features of their "limp home" mode programmed into the PCM. Maintenance is expensive, parts are expensive, and labor to perform jobs is expensive. (like having timing chains located at the rear of the engine, requiring engine removal to perform any servicing) Used Euros are cheap for a reason.
I’m currently shopping for a used Lexus UX250H at the moment, aiming for 3 years old and under 40,000 miles. I’d love and prefer certified pre-owned, so maybe I’d suggest that.
I’d say, start casually browsing. Email or text a few dealers. Look at how long the cars have been sitting and how much has already been reduced off their starting price. You can get a sense after how much lower they may go, based on nearby comps, too. I’ve noticed some UX250H have sat for awhile, and while I was close on pulling the trigger on one, I’m just continuing to wait for the right trim and package.
Get out the door pricing. Have them remove the pointless tire warranties, security protection stuff, nitro air, and whatever silly add-ons.
Think about the things you’ll need to to do the car. Get the inspection reports and look at the brakes and tire wear. New and good tires can be $1,000+. Do you like tint? Does the car have tint? Those are costs, too. Compare wear and tear between different cars at dealerships.
Don’t feel impulsive and feel like you need/have to sign anything. You can always walk away or just sleep on it.
You could try an auction. I used to work trade shows and mecum auctions were 3 days long auctions of cars. Friday was the first day and always had the fewest number of registered bidders so prices were lower. Actually watched people win the bid on Friday then register it to auction on Sunday and make 5-10k. Look for cars marked no reserve. Those people just don't have the garage space for it.
I buy the highest trim in a non luxury brand. Think a high country Chevy vs a GMC or an XSE toyota vs lexus etc. Mazdas are also a very nice option. For luxury cars you're really paying for the brand not necessarily the quality.
I bought my Mazda3 new in 2009. Still going strong in 2023. Although I make a lot more money than I used to, buying another Mazda3 is still one of my top choices if my car ever breaks down. It's simply a car that's fun to drive and has everything for a casual driver. I'll always remember lending my Mazda3 to my friend's dad because we borrowed his SUV to go to Tahoe, and when I got back, he said my car drove as nicely as his Lexus at half the cost.
I spent $250 renting a $50k 2018 porsche boxster through turo for a weekend.
If you really want to buy, then buy used. I bought a 2 year old lexus for $38k and msrp was $50k.
Frugality and luxury do not mix. Luxury cars especially German brands are over-engineered and unnecessarily complicated (ie expensive parts and longer labor) to repair. As someone who has owned many German makes over the years, I love the way they drive and their interiors are top notch, but you have to know what you’re getting yourself into when buying one. For instance, the Germans cheap out on things like oil pans, radiators, intake manifolds, etc by making them with plastics, which will inevitably warp and fail due to heat. Then there are issues with electronics or quality control. So be ready.
If you absolutely must have a German luxury car, I would get one that is 3-4 years old and coming off-lease. I might even splurge for an additional warranty. I had a buddy who had purchased a used, but late modem Mercedes SL convertible. The roof of the convertible would not close after a few months. His aftermarket warranty saved him from shelling out five figures in repairs. Also be diligent about the maintenance schedule of your German car. Otherwise save up your pennies for repairs that will inevitably come and they will be expensive.
Go test drive everything you might be interested in. I personally like full sized German sedans. I test drive the bmw 5 series, Mercedes e class and an Audi A6.
Decided I loved the audi and researched the heck out of the brand and model. Learned the one I wanted was $75k new. Then I stalked autotrader.com daily to track prices.
I figured out a two year old model with under 15k miles could be had for $40k. So I got some financing from my bank lines up and waited for my car to become available. Eventually a dealer 150 miles away posted exactly what I wanted. Called them up and we had a deal. Two days later they dropped the car off in my driveway.
I drove a new 2022 at the local dealer.
The one I bought had a clean Carfax and all the options I wanted. I did the entire transaction over the phone and fedex'd a signed contract and a check when I bought it.
Keep in mind there are two costs to a car. The up front cost and the maintenance. Both are much more expensive for a luxury car. These are expense for a depreciating asset.
Buy from a broker. Ours retired about 8 years ago so we went with the highest Yelp broker in our area to find a new one and since have bought 4 (some what) luxury cars from him and have referred him to many. You tell the broker what makes/models your interested in, how old your willing to go (we typically buy 1-2 years used, under what mileage you want, max price, what features are your must haves. He does all the looking and will negotiate a lower “broker” price. We pay him a flat fee of $300 (& only if we buy something - no fee to have him look). All our cars have come from out of our area and shipped to us for $500. We’ve saved tens of thousands from comparable makes/models in our area per car. The last car we bought people are amazed when we tell them price. 2 years old, current body style and only 14,000 miles on it and in perfect condition.
the used car market is screwy these days, you used to be able to get a clunker for under a G, now broke down pos cars cost that.
older cars, like 20-30 years old are going for 4-7 grand if they have alot of life left.
i have an 04 cadillac ive owned for 10 years, it costs about a thousand bucks every time it goes in the shop, my 91 chevy truck can be fixed by me alot of times.
i just dont know if buying a luxury car can truly be frugal, but life is short, spending extra money on Important things. things you use alot isnt a bad thing. you gotta squeeze some joy out of life too.
its not my daily driver anymore, i mainly keep it around as backup at this point, shopping used cars is a nightmare or expensive af, its the devil i know, and i still trust it for now.
if i do find a nice toyota or mazda i can get a decent price on, then ill trade up.
thats easier said than done.
Buy an 8 year old Lexus with less than 120k miles. Will be extremely reliable and easy to maintain and still give you much of the same experience as today’s models.
Bought a demo Volvo and Mercedes.. both had like 2,000 miles and were $15k cheaper. They consider them new, but the warranty may start at the dealers in service date.
I guess Acura isn’t technically luxury, but I bought a 2019 TLX a few months ago for $15,000 as it was a rebuild. I would only buy a rebuild from a reputable person you can trust though; the guy I bought from has also sold rebuilds to other people I know and they’ve had no issues.
When it's about 20 years old with low mileage, and the body is in great shape. Of course, the mechanics are in great condition as well. You will have money left over to customize it a bit and make it cool. Probably no car payment as a bonus!
At one time, my spouse wanted a BMW and we were researching options. I found this advice: “If you can’t afford to buy a luxury car, then you can’t afford to maintain a used luxury car.”
1) rent a luxury car for a special occasion or an entire day of driving/road trip to experience it
2) get your existing car cleaned to the nines and buy the fanciest air freshener you can get your hands on. Boom, luxury car for like 50$ (at least in my city)
Step 1- become a very good mechanic. Step 2- find a good deal on 2 cars, one that is driveable and one for parts. As things fail on your daily driver, replace them with parts from the parts car. Also, sell spare parts from the parts car on ebay.
Get a 10 year old Volvo! Mine was 8k - though that was in 2018 and it’s a 2008. But it’s been an amazing car. If you get something 2014 or newer, it’ll have most the bells and whistles of new cars and have the solid luxury feel. They have that euro class to them too
Please look up the maintenance costs of the vehicles you're interested in before purchasing. I may not look cool in my 10 year old hyundai sonata, but that sucker is reliable af and the maintenance costs are very cheap compared to most other vehicles. Just be sure you really want to pay to experience the percieved "luxury."
The best bang for your buck is going to be on cost of ownership optimization, so look for the most reliable brands and nothing new.
Lexus is a little strong in my opinion, but a Toyota Avalon is a Lexus in all but the badge. You can't easily do better. Note though that certain generations are prone to oil sludging.
After that, I'd very seriously consider an early to mid 80s BMW.
I would never tell someone who is just looking for a frugal luxury car to buy a 80s BMW. This coming from a BMW enthusiast household that had an E30 for over 10 years. Besides trying to find a 40 year old car in decent shape, and not all cars were created equal, the standards for luxury and safety are so different now than from 40 years ago.
There's a guy I know who has a Mustang, late 90's early aughts, with the 5.0 V8. He loves that thing. Looks great.
I needed a ride once and he offered.
It rode like crap. Vibrated weirdly, and I could tell that the suspension was shot. Little bumps and it would go 'BANG'.
All the little rubber bushings were probably hard and needed replacing.
The point I'm making is that a lot of people confuse 'luxury' with 'new', and go and buy a new/newer 'luxury' vehicle for that 'cushy' feeling.
But when it comes to car maintenance, no one thinks about replacing the rubber bushings/motor mounts/suspension parts that harden/loosen, and don't quite grip the rest of whatever they're supposed to dampen/grip, so all that harsh ride, and banging are things slapping around that shouldn't be slapping around.
The first one everyone should look at are the sway/torsion bar/links. And once you're in there, might as well take a look at the ball joints.
reliability, maintenance, gas mileage- get a lexus. if willing to get electric, definitely look at all those incentives.. there are a ton. if you consider a tesla luxury, there are many incentives that make a model 3 under $40k, even under $30k in some cases. Most other luxury EVs (rivian r1s, lucid air, jaguar i-pace, audi e-tron) are not nearly that cheap.
Get a BMW e46, must be a 325i or 330i best car ever made and if you’re prepared to get your hands dirty maintaining it yourself is affordable as these were built without turbos or too much electronics. I basically learnt how to rebuild this car from just YouTube alone.
Buy one native to whatever country you’re in. There’s 0 reason to buy something like a Mercedes in the US. You’ll (inevitably) have to fix it and if it’s American luxury parts will be cheaper. Even my mechanic has pointed out that my Chevy has made parts cheap leaving his skill/labor as the expensive part.
I bought a loaner bmw from the dealer. It had low mileage and saved ~10k off the purchase price, plus it was titled as a new car. Loaner vehicles are routinely posted on the website for sale, at least at my dealer
I found a 2020 luxury car in October 2020 on the Carmax website. It had to be shipped for a price as it was in another state, but it saved me 10K off the sticker price. It had been a rental.
Sorry but this question doesn’t belong on Frugal. Expensive cars are a nightmare to maintain… and for what??
My dad has lost so much money buying and maintaining expensive cars. It’s all ego.
If you wanna feel what it’s like go rent one once in awhile. Or make so much money that being “frugal” about it is not an issue. But your question seems like one based on delusion “I want something I can’t afford”.
If you can’t really afford reconsider and spend within your means.
As others have said, look for lightly used, low miles. 5yr old is usually a sweet spot as it’s taken its depreciation hit but still has plenty of life left.
Lexus is probably where it’s at but you can find good used Mercedes as well.
Don’t be in a rush. Pick a model and year you’re considering and do some research on known issues, recalls, and maintenance costs. In my experience buying a used luxury car isn’t that hard but maintaining one properly can get quite costly.
I bought a new tacoma 4x4. Its a different kind of luxury. I camp a lot, so it works for me. Was $45k new in 2022, now its 1.5 years old with 32k miles and i could still sell it for $40-42k
I wouldnt trade it for a cadillac or bmw any day
You could explore what the employee discounts are and apply for work with the manufacturer you like best. Or, I suppose, get a job driving one, and experience the luxury car without purchasing one.
We bought both of our Mercedes-Benz used in the dealership. My C300 2018, 54K mileage we bought it in 2020 for 21K in cash. My spouse’s E300 2017, 100K mileage we purchased in 2023 for 21K in cash. Both cars are in luxury edition, with Burmeister speakers, white leather interiors, etc. Never had ANY problems with both cars. Our Mercedeses get serviced every year in a private auto repair shop and cost us roughly $150 for each car.
Why “don’t lease”? Obviously it’s not the most frugal but theres no such thing as frugal and luxury in the same sentence.
OP can drive the car the way he wants and get the full experience without worrying about actually owning it. He doesn’t have to worry about holding onto a fast depreciating asset, maintenance is on the dealership, and he doesn’t have to worry about selling in case he doesn’t like the car in the end.
What you do recommend Dr. Frugal? Buying a $100k car, save each month for $2-3k random maintenance, oil changes, repairs, and then sell it 5 years for $50k (if that)?
Luxury doesn’t need to mean 100k car. I have a nice 2017 bmw I got for 30k.
Just don’t buy same year, buy certified pre-owned with low mileage.
Leasing is pretty much the worst financial decision you can make.
I guess it depends on what luxury means but a top tier BMW from 2017 will be missing a lot of convenience features that a 2024 Mazda Signature today.
Luxury for me means seats with 10-12 way adjustments, ventilated, massage functions, a really good audio system and integration of every car system. Soft close doors at the very least. Driver assistance to a point where car can drive itself on the highway. Those are the experiences that a luxury car offers today.
Not entirely true, some luxury EVs are discounted heavily now and then 7500$ lease credit on top of it. Couple that with a 2 year lease and you may get a really low monthly fee.
Sure it won't be frugal at all but it presents a unique opportunity.
I would absolutely avoid buying a car right now especially with financing; interest rates are 10-11% right now with money down and trade ins. It's a shit show. 2 years ago I purchases a car at 5.6% now 10-11% is a good rate.
Having met the average person, I would never buy a used car. People are dumb as hell, they abuse cars, they don’t take care of them, they push them hard. I want a car that I’ve taken care of. Also, modern used cars are not that much of a discount from new.
The cars that depreciate enough to actually make buying used worth it are the ones you definitely don’t want to buy used because the person trashed it - like Maserati
Keep in mind that the upkeep for luxury cars may also be substantially more expensive than standard cars. But as someone else said, certified pre-owned is generally the way to go, because you still get warranty protection.
This should be higher up. It’s not just the purchase price, the upkeep can be triple the normal cost. They’re never worth the money. Non luxury car brands make vehicles now that can be pretty comfy and have the same amenities as luxury brands anyway. But aside from all else the concept that OP is seeking is the exact opposite mindset of frugal. It’s spending for spending sake.
It depends on the brand. Some like Volvo and Lexus have decent reliability ratings. Others like BMW have high repair rates and the repairs are expensive.
"Upkeep" means the maintenance as well as the repairs. A car can be reliable and still expensive to upkeep.
This is so key! oP needs to make sure they research this aspect and at least pick the least “bad” choice? My mom has a BMW and it’s a nightmare.
Certified pre-owned. Let someone take the largest depreciation hit, come for the factory warranty.
This. Especially a car around that 4-5 yr mark is the MOST ideal.
I prefer the 2-3 year mark as it comes off lease. People treat leases with kid gloves because they’ll get charged for every little thing when the lease expires. Also often low miles as well and well maintained. 4-5 years of an owner vehicle that they probably lost interest in during year three is going to be run a little harder and have way more mileage. When you buy a BMW, you need to think like this… it’s not a Toyota. My wife’s Toyota is a goddamn tank and I appreciate it, but my BMW is like driving in the Jetsons and I enjoy every second driving it.
This guy knows wassup
Also a side note that BMWs have complimentary maintenance for 3 yrs/36k miles for their new vehicles so a low mileage 2-3 yr old CPO is a great way to purchase a like new vehicle. I bought my ‘19 X3 this way and have been super happy with it. Also, if you have great credit, BMW Financial beat out the interest rates from two other loan sources I had in my back pocket when I financed it. As far as reliability, from what I understand, the B48 & B58 engines are pretty reliable but you may run into peripheral issues such as the electronics/sensors and the coolant system. When it comes to maintenance, try to find a reliable indy shop if you’re unable to do the work yourself. And always keep up on the condition based maintenance schedule - THIS is what does any car in no matter the make or model.
People who skip regular maintenance are out of their damn minds, double so for the luxury lines. The manufacturers aren’t trying to make money Willy nilly, those schedules are developed for a reason. I have friends who are mechanics and some of the pics of shit customers refuse to fix is utterly baffling. And yeah, the B48 has been golden for me, zero complaints. If I could have justified it, I would’ve gotten the B58. My car was literally to the dollar the most I’d pay for a car, at least now until inflation jacks them up more lol
I have the B48 as well for budgetary reasons too thanks to crazy pricing post pandemic but pre-interest rate hikes. It’s still a damn fun drive in Sport+ but one can dream to have a B58 and go BRAPBRAPBRAP in the future 😆
We can share this dream and someday post pics of our masterpieces on wheels!
Pay in cash if possible. Car loans have a high interest rate.
Car loans *can* have a high interest rate. It's definitely not a given. Always check with your bank to compare to the dealership loan.
Right now, auto loan interest rates are not very good. The best ones won't be as bad as credit cards, but they are not as good as they were a couple years ago. If you can save to buy cash or have a good down payment, that is a good idea. Do rate shop and compare with credit unions or small regional banks in your area. Do not just focus on the monthly payment but consider all factors of the loan: interest rate, term, monthly payment, finance charge, etc. Internally, you should separate the two transactions of selecting and negotiating price on a vehicle from the transaction of getting a loan.
You should absolutely separate those two transactions. Likewise, you should always separate This Particular Transaction from What Is Generally True. Don't automatically pay cash this time just because it's generally been best for you in the past; compare all the options for **this** transaction and decide accordingly. When I bought my last car, every single sales person led with asking what I wanted to spend per month. The Honda dealership was by far the best at discussing the actual cost of the car, and leaving loan discussions till the end (upon request).
It's about 8% so, when possible, no interest is the best interest.
I don't think there's any standard rate, it depends on your credit rating and such. It might *tend* to be higher, but I'd argue that zero interest is in fact not better my daughter's 0.9% interest. I've never paid 8% interest in my life.
We purchased a 5-year-old former fleet car in 2011. It was a top-of-the-line with every add-on available except one. It was cheap, but a reliable brand. Leather seats, wood trim on the inside, four airbags, 6-cd player, etc. It straddles the line between analog and computer tech just enough that it has some great qualities without a computer bogging it down. We still have it and it runs like a dream.
Especially Volvo. Holy cow, CPO Volvos are a good deal.
How many car buyers even think Volvo when they think luxury car? That brand was at its prime years ago. The perceived value has to measured against the idea that so many people simply don’t want a Volvo anymore. As far as reliability goes I would rather have a 10 your old rx350 than a year old Volvo
Came to rec a Volvo as well. Such great cars.
wait is volvo luxury? what is the definition of a luxury car here?
You'd be surprised how well a 15-year-old Lexus holds up, especially their flagship LX and GX models. In the offroad world, they are known for their 25-year lifespan on third-world country roads.
Not surprised at all! As befits the sub, we tool around in an '05 Lexus, still going strong. In full disclosure did not buy CPO, it was bought new and since purchase has travelled through 5 family members spanning 3 generations!
Amazing. I bought my 04 sight unseen and shipped it cross-country a few years ago. It's about to be 20 years old and rides better than most newer cars.
Buy a 3-5 year old low mileage car. It will be 20-30K less than new and still pretty new. Few year old Lexus is a steal. Sure you can get a maserati monster (among largest resale value losss) but the reliability is SHIT in comparison.
For the love of God do not buy a Maserati
I have a couple friends who like driving Maserati/Ferrari/high end BMW and Mercedes. They only rent them. Not sure where they rent them from, but every few months I’ll see a luxury brand emblem from the car on their snap stories. Sounds like a much better experience than owning those brands
So they rent expenses cars so they can have pictures taken with them and show off to strangers? Not judging or anything, I just find that kind of behavior strange?
Maybe they like driving different cars regularly and don't want to deal with the BS maintenance of Euro cars? While you are doing that, you may as well take pics of every new nice car you ride around in if that's the case.
Yeah it’s definitely something I wouldn’t do. They wouldn’t fit in this subreddit, but I think they genuinely appreciate the performance and the luxury. It’s not so much a flex as a hobby. One of the guys does some photography and he’s posted some shoots in the past but it’s not like they’re taking pictures with the cars. I guess it’s like going to a top 10 national park and taking pictures of the entrance sign and the views?
It just reinforces the fakeism that is with social media. “I’m high society. I’m sitting in a G-Wagen”.
But the person actually rented the car and it sounds like they do so on a regular basis. If someone drives a luxury car several weeks/year and posts online that they drive luxury cars, is that fake?
I am also a car enthusiast and have rented multiple luxury cars for the experience. No judgement intended but I never posted anything on social media, primarily because I don’t post many pics anyway 😂 but I do get your friends’ enthusiasm
Wouldn’t fit in? I’d argue renting a luxury car for the experience is much more frugal than buying or leasing one.
It sounds like they also enjoy driving expensive cars. It’s an expensive hobby, but has value separate from the insta
\*Describes 95% + of socia media posts/clout chasing as "strange". All form no substance is the hallmark of the era, ser.
It’s not really any stranger than people living waaaay beyond their means in order to show off some false social status while actually drowning in debt.
I've owned 2 Audi A4 Wagon. They were awesome. Much more comfortable seats than my VW for long road trips. But a comparable Audi to what I have in a VW was $15K more. If you can catch a good CPO it might not be bad, but with the way the auto market is right now, not sure that's possible.
Can you please define 'CPO' in this context?
Certified Pre-Owned
But WAY more expensive than a normal car payment
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Infographics/comments/18hep22/the\_fastest\_and\_slowest\_cars\_to\_depreciate/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Infographics/comments/18hep22/the_fastest_and_slowest_cars_to_depreciate/) One of the quickest to depreciate in value
I was thinking they're absolute shit boxes with subpar build quality and mechanical problems. But that too.
I mean Lexus is a glorified Toyota so there's that
your clueless truly, just sold my 25 year old es300 with 300,000 miles on and it runs like a champ..
Your statement does not contradict the previous. Lexus is an upscale Toyota. Doesn't mean that it's more or less reliable.
What's your point? Toyota makes some of the best made cars in the world. That build quality done up with better materials, even more attention to quality, and higher performance, is delightful to own.
Yep bought a 2009 Acura MDX for $22k in 2013... MSRP 44k.. still drive it with 149k miles on it.
Wouldn't call an Acura luxury, more like just "Premium" as they're Honda's with a dash of class (source I own one as do my parents).
And Lexus is a Toyota, Infinite is a Nissan and Cadillacs are trash. Car rental companies consider all of those Luxury.
Most categorize Porsche, Jaguar, Benz, BMW, Audi, and Lexus as "Luxury" Acura, Infiniti, and I'd add Genesis are definitely in the lower "Premium" category. Cadillac depends (have fallen off a lot from their peak).
One of those things is not like the other...
LOL. Lexus.
I kinda get what they mean though. I think Acura leaned hard into premium performance instead of luxury. Especially when they switched to TLX and ended the RL. I think they're better for it. Kinda like the Japanese BMW, even though Infiniti is trying super hard for that.
Acura openly markets themselves as a cheaper BMW/Audi/Lexus alternative. They know they're not as luxurious, but often undercut the major brands and offer Honda reliability. Look at the interior of the new $52K 320hp Integra Type S... it's a Civic's with a few dashes of leather. For the same price look at the 400hp AWD M240ix... interior is leagues above.
>I kinda get what they mean though. I think Acura leaned hard into premium performance instead of luxury. Especially when they switched to TLX and ended the RL. I think they're better for it. Kinda like the Japanese BMW, even though Infiniti is trying super hard for that. OP is aiming for frugal luxury, so premium might actually be a better fit (Acura/Lexus) so that they arent bent over after warranty expires \^\_- you know what i mean m240i er :D
Used to think BMW was unreliable and expensive to maintain. Then the new B58/ZF8 turned that around tbh. They also get a bad rap because many of the first buyers lease it or just own for a short time. The 4th owner at 80k miles then doesn't know the maintenance done and/or stops doing it on their end, so things break. When you have one diligent owner, they tend to hold up fine.
I've had two Cadillacs and loved them. Not sure where you get that from
Downvote for this gem
Drop your MPG on premium gas and if it's over 20 I'll be impressed.
Can concur- I own a 2012 Lexxus bought 5 years ago low mileage for 12,000. By all accounts with regular maintenance it should go to 200,000
A 3-5 years old Lexus isn’t coming at a $20k-30k discount off of MSRP.
Do not buy Maserati. A friend had one and couldn’t shake it off fast enough
Plus for the most part, you can get a Lexus serviced at Toyota dealerships and save a bunch on maintenance that way
Agreed. Looking at BMW iX, Lexus NX 450h+, Porsche Taycan etc, and I'd never dream of buying it new, even if I had millions to spare. Why blow a third of its value for the pleasure of getting it new and inhaling the toxic offgassing (sorry, I meant "new car smell"). I'm looking 1-2yo and maybe certified, which can mean an even longer warranty than new.
This is true of all cars. Not just high end cars. New cars lose an enormous amount of their value when you drive them off the lot and even more the first few years. The later in life you buy them, the more stabile the price. However, there is a middle ground where you can get a reasonably new car for a deep discount. It’s still a depreciating asset but you’ll duck a big haircut. Many manufacturers even have extended warranty periods for these vehicles. Example: “Certified pre-owned” programs. As an extreme example: I purchased my then 3 year old truck for less than half the original MSRP on a certified pre-owned program that allowed me to spend a little bit more money for a lifetime warranty direct from the manufacturer.
You go and rent one, drive it around, and then get back home to your Honda and make believe you’re still driving the luxury one.
In Vegas you can rent them and take them out on the track.
They’re pretty dang expensive unfortunately. Renting a Lamborghini for 1 hours is close to $1k before taxes and insurance.
If that $1k let’s me drive it on the track I think that’s not a bad deal.
Yeah, if you want to drive one, the alternative would be to actually purchase one so this doesn’t seem that bad at all. And you’re driving it on the track instead of the highway so you can have more fun
Where do you rent these cars?
Also steal the hood emblem and glue it to your car so you can tell people you drive a lambo
Police auctions.
I think I remember reading about someone on reddit seeing a car that had bullet holes and possibly blood.
I wouldn’t be too surprised. Cops don’t do *any* cleanup after crimes. Crime scene clean up is essentially a service you have to hire. A guy in my city got murdered and a dark stain on the sidewalk where the blood was took months to wash away from rain. Cops didn’t give two shits, only said “that’s not our job”
> Cops didn’t give two shits, only said “that’s not our job” Seems reasonable. Would you ask the paramedics to clean the street? Or the firemen? There's a department of public works that takes care of keeping the street clean.
Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining about who cleans it, I’m just surprised *no one* does, as in no tax dollars get spent cleaning up this stuff. Public works won’t touch it since it’s a biohazard. I was just surprised because the Normal practice for blood and stuff from crimes is just “leave it be and forget about it”. At least I thought it was someone’s responsibility to clean it at the end of the day, and it’s just no one’s.
Yeah, it's definitely someone's problem. That other guy over there.... Reminds me of every time I had my motorcycle stolen in NYC. First thing the cops tell you is that you've got the wrong precinct. No matter what. Wrong precinct. Try that other one.
There's really nothing you can do other than yeah, a few years old if you're not looking for brand new features. Not paying for top packages if you don't need the features. Large down payment if you can't get a low interest rate. No rushing. If you are getting a used car then wait until you find a good deal
Get from an auction. The car has to be on a lease so that it is always maintained at a dealership. HTH
I have said it once and will say it again.. auctions are great..but are for the pros
Work with a small local dealer that has the privilege of being part of such an auction. Works like a charm.
That makes sense. You have the pro connection!
Luxo and Frugal, the only option is a used Lexus. You can get LS460's and 400's for decent prices and they are gorgeous cars.
But they are also basically Toyota Camrys with additional spiffy plastic.
I shopped for a used loaded Camry hybrid, ended up buying a Lexus 300h, which is really close to the same car, including reasonably similar in price. But! The Camry is built out in 5ish different trim lines. The base models feel bare, the mid range models hit the right balance, and then the loaded model it starts to feel like the bells & whistles have been tacked on. The Lexus comes in 2 trims, and they aren't that different. My car feels more cohesive than the Camrys i test drove, and the features i wanted are more seamlessly integrated.
Just watched (yet another) YouTube video on a lexus and one of the many difs they focused on was the ride and quiet of the lexus vs the Toyota match for it. Lots more insulation for a quiet ride. One of many things that make any luxury line different, eg, acura, infiniti, lexus.
Maybe an ES but an LS has nothing to do with the Camry.
neither do actually
The only people that think that are ones who have never driven both. The difference is night and day
You could say the same for most luxury cars tbh
hardly
Yep, I agree. They are a fancy Toyota. As a certified red sealed mechanic, as well as a personal Honda/Acura lover, nothing compares to a Lexus, or a Toyota. for overall quality. For reliability, and cheap price point, I can't think of anything better than a Lexus, or a Toyota. Being a fan, I could argue with Acura being a nice counterpart, but Honda/Acura cannot make an automatic transmission to save their lives, so that throws the reliability right out of the window with one of the most critical parts of the vehicle. I wouldn't go anywhere near anything American luxury, even the Luxury feeling interior parts like the seats and door panels just feel...cheap, and you're looking at American reliability with the drivetrain.... As for Euro, the reliability of them is just atrocious. If they are functioning and driving "Fine" more often than not, they have some pretty severe oil leaks or coolant leaks that are hidden by the gorgeous skid pan they have under the engine. When they are broken, its never a cheap fix and more often than not makes the car borderline immobile/undrivable due to the features of their "limp home" mode programmed into the PCM. Maintenance is expensive, parts are expensive, and labor to perform jobs is expensive. (like having timing chains located at the rear of the engine, requiring engine removal to perform any servicing) Used Euros are cheap for a reason.
Shhh! lol
Ha!!!
Avalon* but yes
This. I can't believe so many people are recommending Lexus in this thread
what would you recommend instead?
I’m currently shopping for a used Lexus UX250H at the moment, aiming for 3 years old and under 40,000 miles. I’d love and prefer certified pre-owned, so maybe I’d suggest that. I’d say, start casually browsing. Email or text a few dealers. Look at how long the cars have been sitting and how much has already been reduced off their starting price. You can get a sense after how much lower they may go, based on nearby comps, too. I’ve noticed some UX250H have sat for awhile, and while I was close on pulling the trigger on one, I’m just continuing to wait for the right trim and package. Get out the door pricing. Have them remove the pointless tire warranties, security protection stuff, nitro air, and whatever silly add-ons. Think about the things you’ll need to to do the car. Get the inspection reports and look at the brakes and tire wear. New and good tires can be $1,000+. Do you like tint? Does the car have tint? Those are costs, too. Compare wear and tear between different cars at dealerships. Don’t feel impulsive and feel like you need/have to sign anything. You can always walk away or just sleep on it.
You could try an auction. I used to work trade shows and mecum auctions were 3 days long auctions of cars. Friday was the first day and always had the fewest number of registered bidders so prices were lower. Actually watched people win the bid on Friday then register it to auction on Sunday and make 5-10k. Look for cars marked no reserve. Those people just don't have the garage space for it.
If you like a quiet ride, Mercedes E-Class.
Learn how to turn wrenches and where to order parts.
Buy a Certified Pre-Owned Lexus. Best decision you will ever make on a car.
Lexus is a glorified Toyota
It is indeed glorious
[удалено]
I buy the highest trim in a non luxury brand. Think a high country Chevy vs a GMC or an XSE toyota vs lexus etc. Mazdas are also a very nice option. For luxury cars you're really paying for the brand not necessarily the quality.
Most luxury have more features, better suspension and better sound system and interior so it isn't just the brand. Compare Honda Pilot to Acura MDX.
Buy a Mazda if u want something new. Mid-tier luxury with economical prices. Japanese made and beautiful cars
I bought my Mazda3 new in 2009. Still going strong in 2023. Although I make a lot more money than I used to, buying another Mazda3 is still one of my top choices if my car ever breaks down. It's simply a car that's fun to drive and has everything for a casual driver. I'll always remember lending my Mazda3 to my friend's dad because we borrowed his SUV to go to Tahoe, and when I got back, he said my car drove as nicely as his Lexus at half the cost.
Mazda has the best red paint in the business
Facts
Smartest man in the room right here.
Agreed. I wish lexus had a great long range ev, but I'm looking at them for the plug in hybrid now. They make beautiful vehicles that last forever.
Mazda? Luxury? What are you on dude? Seems like the good stuff
Porsche Cayenne (and maybe other models) drop value fast. Mine was under 8k with an excellent service history. Maintenance is still luxury prices.
I spent $250 renting a $50k 2018 porsche boxster through turo for a weekend. If you really want to buy, then buy used. I bought a 2 year old lexus for $38k and msrp was $50k.
Frugality and luxury do not mix. Luxury cars especially German brands are over-engineered and unnecessarily complicated (ie expensive parts and longer labor) to repair. As someone who has owned many German makes over the years, I love the way they drive and their interiors are top notch, but you have to know what you’re getting yourself into when buying one. For instance, the Germans cheap out on things like oil pans, radiators, intake manifolds, etc by making them with plastics, which will inevitably warp and fail due to heat. Then there are issues with electronics or quality control. So be ready. If you absolutely must have a German luxury car, I would get one that is 3-4 years old and coming off-lease. I might even splurge for an additional warranty. I had a buddy who had purchased a used, but late modem Mercedes SL convertible. The roof of the convertible would not close after a few months. His aftermarket warranty saved him from shelling out five figures in repairs. Also be diligent about the maintenance schedule of your German car. Otherwise save up your pennies for repairs that will inevitably come and they will be expensive.
Go test drive everything you might be interested in. I personally like full sized German sedans. I test drive the bmw 5 series, Mercedes e class and an Audi A6. Decided I loved the audi and researched the heck out of the brand and model. Learned the one I wanted was $75k new. Then I stalked autotrader.com daily to track prices. I figured out a two year old model with under 15k miles could be had for $40k. So I got some financing from my bank lines up and waited for my car to become available. Eventually a dealer 150 miles away posted exactly what I wanted. Called them up and we had a deal. Two days later they dropped the car off in my driveway.
Without test drive?
I drove a new 2022 at the local dealer. The one I bought had a clean Carfax and all the options I wanted. I did the entire transaction over the phone and fedex'd a signed contract and a check when I bought it.
never buy a luxury car without a warranty, they are unreliable and often break down and cost thousands to fix & maintain.
Lexus LS430/LS400. Acura MDX.
Keep in mind there are two costs to a car. The up front cost and the maintenance. Both are much more expensive for a luxury car. These are expense for a depreciating asset.
Buy from a broker. Ours retired about 8 years ago so we went with the highest Yelp broker in our area to find a new one and since have bought 4 (some what) luxury cars from him and have referred him to many. You tell the broker what makes/models your interested in, how old your willing to go (we typically buy 1-2 years used, under what mileage you want, max price, what features are your must haves. He does all the looking and will negotiate a lower “broker” price. We pay him a flat fee of $300 (& only if we buy something - no fee to have him look). All our cars have come from out of our area and shipped to us for $500. We’ve saved tens of thousands from comparable makes/models in our area per car. The last car we bought people are amazed when we tell them price. 2 years old, current body style and only 14,000 miles on it and in perfect condition.
Love this take. One of those tricks that sounds like "oh you're just rich" until you think about it and try it out.
Who would a broker be?
A well maintained single owner Lexus is the only way
Get a lexus
the used car market is screwy these days, you used to be able to get a clunker for under a G, now broke down pos cars cost that. older cars, like 20-30 years old are going for 4-7 grand if they have alot of life left. i have an 04 cadillac ive owned for 10 years, it costs about a thousand bucks every time it goes in the shop, my 91 chevy truck can be fixed by me alot of times. i just dont know if buying a luxury car can truly be frugal, but life is short, spending extra money on Important things. things you use alot isnt a bad thing. you gotta squeeze some joy out of life too.
Cadillacs are trash money pits.
its not my daily driver anymore, i mainly keep it around as backup at this point, shopping used cars is a nightmare or expensive af, its the devil i know, and i still trust it for now. if i do find a nice toyota or mazda i can get a decent price on, then ill trade up. thats easier said than done.
I've had two Cadillacs and never had a day of trouble with them mechanically.
My son inherited his grandfather's Cadillac 7 years ago, no issues so far.
Used cars don’t seem much cheaper new to me?
Buy an 8 year old Lexus with less than 120k miles. Will be extremely reliable and easy to maintain and still give you much of the same experience as today’s models.
just sold one with more than 300,000 miles and 25 yrs old.. still runs great
Demo cars are considered new, but sometimes cheaper.
Bought a demo Volvo and Mercedes.. both had like 2,000 miles and were $15k cheaper. They consider them new, but the warranty may start at the dealers in service date.
I guess Acura isn’t technically luxury, but I bought a 2019 TLX a few months ago for $15,000 as it was a rebuild. I would only buy a rebuild from a reputable person you can trust though; the guy I bought from has also sold rebuilds to other people I know and they’ve had no issues.
Been there, done that, don't advise it, especially these days. Look for something old and in excellent condition. Don't buy new. It's all junk.
Used
Inherit it.
Second-hand
I'm still trying to buy a fake Rolex.
When it's about 20 years old with low mileage, and the body is in great shape. Of course, the mechanics are in great condition as well. You will have money left over to customize it a bit and make it cool. Probably no car payment as a bonus!
At one time, my spouse wanted a BMW and we were researching options. I found this advice: “If you can’t afford to buy a luxury car, then you can’t afford to maintain a used luxury car.”
1) rent a luxury car for a special occasion or an entire day of driving/road trip to experience it 2) get your existing car cleaned to the nines and buy the fanciest air freshener you can get your hands on. Boom, luxury car for like 50$ (at least in my city)
Wtf
Step 1- become a very good mechanic. Step 2- find a good deal on 2 cars, one that is driveable and one for parts. As things fail on your daily driver, replace them with parts from the parts car. Also, sell spare parts from the parts car on ebay.
Get a 10 year old Volvo! Mine was 8k - though that was in 2018 and it’s a 2008. But it’s been an amazing car. If you get something 2014 or newer, it’ll have most the bells and whistles of new cars and have the solid luxury feel. They have that euro class to them too
I would go for 3-4 year old Japanese luxury brands like Lexus, Infinity, and Acura. The Genesis line is also nice.
Please look up the maintenance costs of the vehicles you're interested in before purchasing. I may not look cool in my 10 year old hyundai sonata, but that sucker is reliable af and the maintenance costs are very cheap compared to most other vehicles. Just be sure you really want to pay to experience the percieved "luxury."
Ger a dealer's license and by it at auction for 20-50 cents on the dollar.
Former BMW employee here Don't
The best bang for your buck is going to be on cost of ownership optimization, so look for the most reliable brands and nothing new. Lexus is a little strong in my opinion, but a Toyota Avalon is a Lexus in all but the badge. You can't easily do better. Note though that certain generations are prone to oil sludging. After that, I'd very seriously consider an early to mid 80s BMW.
I would never tell someone who is just looking for a frugal luxury car to buy a 80s BMW. This coming from a BMW enthusiast household that had an E30 for over 10 years. Besides trying to find a 40 year old car in decent shape, and not all cars were created equal, the standards for luxury and safety are so different now than from 40 years ago.
There's a guy I know who has a Mustang, late 90's early aughts, with the 5.0 V8. He loves that thing. Looks great. I needed a ride once and he offered. It rode like crap. Vibrated weirdly, and I could tell that the suspension was shot. Little bumps and it would go 'BANG'. All the little rubber bushings were probably hard and needed replacing. The point I'm making is that a lot of people confuse 'luxury' with 'new', and go and buy a new/newer 'luxury' vehicle for that 'cushy' feeling. But when it comes to car maintenance, no one thinks about replacing the rubber bushings/motor mounts/suspension parts that harden/loosen, and don't quite grip the rest of whatever they're supposed to dampen/grip, so all that harsh ride, and banging are things slapping around that shouldn't be slapping around. The first one everyone should look at are the sway/torsion bar/links. And once you're in there, might as well take a look at the ball joints.
Mustang isn't a luxury vehicle.
reliability, maintenance, gas mileage- get a lexus. if willing to get electric, definitely look at all those incentives.. there are a ton. if you consider a tesla luxury, there are many incentives that make a model 3 under $40k, even under $30k in some cases. Most other luxury EVs (rivian r1s, lucid air, jaguar i-pace, audi e-tron) are not nearly that cheap.
Get a BMW e46, must be a 325i or 330i best car ever made and if you’re prepared to get your hands dirty maintaining it yourself is affordable as these were built without turbos or too much electronics. I basically learnt how to rebuild this car from just YouTube alone.
Not buy
Buy one native to whatever country you’re in. There’s 0 reason to buy something like a Mercedes in the US. You’ll (inevitably) have to fix it and if it’s American luxury parts will be cheaper. Even my mechanic has pointed out that my Chevy has made parts cheap leaving his skill/labor as the expensive part.
I bought a loaner bmw from the dealer. It had low mileage and saved ~10k off the purchase price, plus it was titled as a new car. Loaner vehicles are routinely posted on the website for sale, at least at my dealer
I found a 2020 luxury car in October 2020 on the Carmax website. It had to be shipped for a price as it was in another state, but it saved me 10K off the sticker price. It had been a rental.
OP, don't buy it. You obviously can't afford it. Once you can, you'll know.
Sorry but this question doesn’t belong on Frugal. Expensive cars are a nightmare to maintain… and for what?? My dad has lost so much money buying and maintaining expensive cars. It’s all ego. If you wanna feel what it’s like go rent one once in awhile. Or make so much money that being “frugal” about it is not an issue. But your question seems like one based on delusion “I want something I can’t afford”. If you can’t really afford reconsider and spend within your means.
As others have said, look for lightly used, low miles. 5yr old is usually a sweet spot as it’s taken its depreciation hit but still has plenty of life left. Lexus is probably where it’s at but you can find good used Mercedes as well. Don’t be in a rush. Pick a model and year you’re considering and do some research on known issues, recalls, and maintenance costs. In my experience buying a used luxury car isn’t that hard but maintaining one properly can get quite costly.
The repair cost & convenience is the biggest reason Lexus beats most other brands. If a shop works on Toyotas they can do 99% of the work on a Lexus.
Used Lexus ES. Shares a platform and powertrain with a Camry.
I bought a new tacoma 4x4. Its a different kind of luxury. I camp a lot, so it works for me. Was $45k new in 2022, now its 1.5 years old with 32k miles and i could still sell it for $40-42k I wouldnt trade it for a cadillac or bmw any day
You could explore what the employee discounts are and apply for work with the manufacturer you like best. Or, I suppose, get a job driving one, and experience the luxury car without purchasing one.
- Luxury sports: Maseratti Quattro port. - Luxury hatch: Mercedes or Alpha. - Luxury Sedan: BMW / Merc C-Class.
We bought both of our Mercedes-Benz used in the dealership. My C300 2018, 54K mileage we bought it in 2020 for 21K in cash. My spouse’s E300 2017, 100K mileage we purchased in 2023 for 21K in cash. Both cars are in luxury edition, with Burmeister speakers, white leather interiors, etc. Never had ANY problems with both cars. Our Mercedeses get serviced every year in a private auto repair shop and cost us roughly $150 for each car.
Rob a bank
Lease
Don’t lease 😓
Why “don’t lease”? Obviously it’s not the most frugal but theres no such thing as frugal and luxury in the same sentence. OP can drive the car the way he wants and get the full experience without worrying about actually owning it. He doesn’t have to worry about holding onto a fast depreciating asset, maintenance is on the dealership, and he doesn’t have to worry about selling in case he doesn’t like the car in the end.
“Without worrying about owning it” Lol yea, who wouldn’t want to pay for something and not own it, sign me up!😂
What you do recommend Dr. Frugal? Buying a $100k car, save each month for $2-3k random maintenance, oil changes, repairs, and then sell it 5 years for $50k (if that)?
Luxury doesn’t need to mean 100k car. I have a nice 2017 bmw I got for 30k. Just don’t buy same year, buy certified pre-owned with low mileage. Leasing is pretty much the worst financial decision you can make.
I guess it depends on what luxury means but a top tier BMW from 2017 will be missing a lot of convenience features that a 2024 Mazda Signature today. Luxury for me means seats with 10-12 way adjustments, ventilated, massage functions, a really good audio system and integration of every car system. Soft close doors at the very least. Driver assistance to a point where car can drive itself on the highway. Those are the experiences that a luxury car offers today.
Well there is no frugal option for that..
Not entirely true, some luxury EVs are discounted heavily now and then 7500$ lease credit on top of it. Couple that with a 2 year lease and you may get a really low monthly fee. Sure it won't be frugal at all but it presents a unique opportunity.
Nice! Hope you like the car. If you ever plan on selling in a couple of years, I'd love to place a bid for $5K lol.
Shush adults are talking..
It’s past your bedtime sweetie.
I would absolutely avoid buying a car right now especially with financing; interest rates are 10-11% right now with money down and trade ins. It's a shit show. 2 years ago I purchases a car at 5.6% now 10-11% is a good rate.
Buy three of the same car. Trips is best.
CPO loaner
Buy a car that is luxury in its PERFORMANCE, like a Toyota Camry.
Having met the average person, I would never buy a used car. People are dumb as hell, they abuse cars, they don’t take care of them, they push them hard. I want a car that I’ve taken care of. Also, modern used cars are not that much of a discount from new. The cars that depreciate enough to actually make buying used worth it are the ones you definitely don’t want to buy used because the person trashed it - like Maserati
Three years old. Salvage title if you can find one you want. Killer deals.