The Least Expensive, “Expensive” Cars You Can Buy
For most of us, cars aren’t considered to be an investment. Unlike homes and property, they lose value. They can also be costly to maintain and repair. Used cars offer better value than new ones. I’m here to to tell you that there are many very nice used cars that look and feel expensive even though they actually aren’t. Even people who don’t really care about ever owning a super fancy or super sporty car probably wouldn’t object to driving a nicer one around every once in a while. For those of you who are looking for a used car that’s a bit nicer than your standard throw-away Honda Civic, Toyota Rav4, or Ford F-150, you’re in the right place.
Here’s a list of five luxury cars and five sports cars that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, but will get you the looks you want and the thrills you need every time you leave the house.
Luxury Cars:
BMW 3 Series
BMW is the epitome of luxury as most people know it. Even the most common models come with the perception of untouchability. The 3 Series BMWs aren’t quite as untouchable as others in the lineup, but they will give you exactly what you’re looking for in terms of luxury while also throwing in just the right amount of sportiness to go with it. They’re pretty common, which is just one reason a used one is so affordable. Additionally, they depreciate faster than it takes for a Dodge Demon to go a quarter of a mile, they are complicated to fix, and consequently can also be expensive to fix. On the plus side, they are a little more reliable than the average BMW.
Hyundai Equus
The Equus is the luxury car that’s not a luxury car. It’s the predecessor to the current Genesis brand created by Hyundai. Not only was its starting price lower than the BMWs, Mercedes, and Audis that it tried to emulate, but it wasn’t that far from reaching their level. It was Hyundai’s first attempt to reach a new market. What does that mean for you? It means that you can pick up a full fledged luxury car for dirt cheap!
Lexus LS
With Lexus, comes reliability. They are also an established name in the luxury car sector of the industry. Though a little bit of a yawn to drive, the Lexus LS has exactly what you need to look like a high roller today and for years to come. They won’t break, and if they do, it will be a breeze to fix. The LS is the largest of Lexus lineup, and really being no more than a Toyota, you can find one for pretty cheap. You will also see ones still running from the 1980’s. Not bad for a luxury car? Not bad for any car!
Volvo S80
Not the most luxurious nor the most reliable car on this list, the S80 does one thing better even than most cars today: Safety. Volvo is known for being the leaders of vehicle safety in the automotive industry, and they have been for some time. The S80 hasn’t held its value, but it will do everything else for you. A used one will get you where you need to go for not that much, but more importantly, in one piece.
Lincoln Towncar/Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis/Cadillac DeVille/Buick LeSabre/Buick Park Avenue
I cheated a little… there are like 10 cars here on a list of five, but when you look at all of them, they were all built for the same purpose, and they all achieved the same thing. They were all designed to be super comfortable, reliable, and at least for the time, luxurious. In a small way, they’re all the same car. If you get rid of the perception as an older persons’ car, any one of these will probably set you back for even less than any other vehicle on this list. It’s almost as easy to walk forward as it is to find one of these with ultra-low mileage as they were all bought and lightly used, probably by your grandmother. They may lack the refinement of the BMW and the features of the Lexus, but you’ll feel like you’re driving on a cloud as you just float to wherever it is you need to be.
Sports Cars:
Ford Mustang GT
Large production numbers, availability, and ease of maintenance means that a mid-2000s model is easy to find for under $10,00. You can find them for much less if you dig around a little. What do you get for not that much money? You get a reliable, American icon with a V-8 engine that just happens to have a cult following and access to thousands of aftermarket parts to do with it as you like.
Nissan 350Z
A very popular “tuner” car within enthusiast circles, the 350Z is one of the last honest-to-goodness pure sports cars of the last decade. It handles well, it’s reliable, and you can find one for cheap. Not only that, but they make fantastic drift and autocross cars if you don’t have the cash for a new Corvette or Civic Type-R. One more thing… the V-6 sounds like a choir of angels spurring you on to drive just a little faster.
Mazda Miata
The Miata is by far the least powerful car on this list. They aren’t supposed to be powerful, but if you get one, you won’t spend your entire savings account. You can put whatever money you have left after your purchase to make as much horsepower as you want. A strong cult following, that Japanese reliability, and the fact that you can literally pick one of these up – or maybe pay only about $3000-$5000 for a really nice one before you do – and rediscover what a true sports car really is.
BMW Z3
If you look through Cars.com, AutoTrader, or some other car buying website, and you filter the cars with those offered for about $5000 or less, you will find some common models to choose from. There are always the Hyundai Accents, Honda Accords, and Toyota Corollas for sale. Not all that uncommon though, are the BMW Z3s. Similar to the Miata, but with a little more horsepower, the Z3 is a 2-seat convertible that will give you just about as many smiles per gallon as a Miata, but without the superior reliability. If you like a German engineered car, this one’s for you.
E36 BMW M3
Even I had a hard time putting this one on the list, but there are two main reasons a BMW M3 is here. First, the E36 is cheap enough that if you find the right one, you can get away with getting one of the most iconic cars in history for not that much. Secondly, they are only going to go up in value from the second you read this. Although I think the E36 is the most overlooked of the M3 models, it doesn’t really make it any less special. BMW makes the “Ultimate Driving Machine”, and the M3 is the ultimate, “Ultimate Driving Machine”. The E30 models are starting to skyrocket in value, and even a mint-condition E36 M3 will set you back tens of thousands of dollars. Look carefully and you’ll be rewarded though. A higher mileage E36 M3 can be found for around $10,000. More expensive than any other car on the list? Perhaps, but if you take care of it and keep it nice, it may just double or even triple in value over the next 5 years.
And there you have it! There are cars all over the place that look like they cost more than they actually do. Of course it’s generally rude to ask others how much they paid for their car, but if you, you may be surprised at how little they actually paid for it. Just look around yourself… there are always some hidden gems that are out there for the taking.
–SWF
