Top 10: Cars you thought you couldn't afford
Are you having fun yet? Thought not. The recession is ghastly, but there are some silver linings out there if you are in the market for a new used car.
Retained values are falling sharply as demand vanishes, and the luxury sector has been hurt worst of all; a one-year-old luxury car is worth 20% less today than a one-year-old luxury car this time last year.
Such falls have revealed some very juicy bargains indeed out there. We take a look at some of the best. Got no money? No problem, dreams are free.
While I appreciate £38k may not be exactly accessible, it's still peanuts compared to the £80k+ one of these will cost you new; bearing in mind it is many people's dream car perhaps it is a small price to pay, in this case for a 2006 model. My favourite Aston, I love its compactness, its agility, its equal happiness to be on B-road, track or autobahn.
Unlike many other flash cars, you will get a degree of respect from most other road-users, who know a great looking British-made car when they see one. And you will impress ladies in a more or less limitless way; no wonder the City bankers snapped this up en masse before their particular gravy-train came to a lurching halt. TE
Performance Audis have always had the go, but never the handling to back it up, suffering from a nose heaviness a BMW engineer would commit hara-kiri to cure. And then came the latest RS4, with its new quattro system that can send up to 60% of the torque (rising to 85% in poor grip) to the rear wheels.
This makes it much more agile - and more of an M3 rival - than ever before. For a £50k performance car, the RS4 sold in relatively large numbers, which means there are plenty around now with prices starting at a cool £29k. That's still a lot, but give it six months and that figure will be lower still. ID
Can we afford a BMW 6 Series? Yes we can! You may have assumed this highly desirable executive coupe was still in silly-land price-wise, but not at all. These cars may have started life at well over £50,000, but you can now step into a leggy 6 from 2003 for £14k.
These will invariably be the 645i, though now unleaded is firmly below a pound-a-litre again (hurray!) maybe you could throw hostage to fortune? Unfortunately the much more sensible 630i six-cylinder cars can't be had for much less than £18k though, and the brilliant 635d is still well out in dreamland at £35k. TE
I had to double-check just to make sure this was right, but it is - you can have the previous BMW M3 on your drive from only £10k. That must make this the performance bargain of the century. And while the new M3 has a V8, the six-cylinder screamer fitted to this E46 model makes it more usable day-to-day and more fun more of the time.
If you can afford it go for the CS or CSL models, because they are just divine, but if money is tight you will be more than happy with just a 'normal' M3, with its 338bhp, 155mph top speed and genuine supercar baiting potential. ID
The ultimate grand tourer? For the price - in this case £46k - you'd be doing well to find another car that will speed you across countries as effortlessly and graciously as this, and still look a million dollars sitting outside the Fairmont in Monaco.
Now replaced by the 599 GTB, prices for Ferrari's 5.75-litre V12 575 (hence the name) have been spiralling ever since from their peak of £163,200. Other Ferraris can be had for the same price: the sublime 360 for instance - but it screams newly unemployed hedge fund manager. The 575 on the other hand suggests an old-money charm. ID
Defy all the doomsayers who would like to see this much loved company ground into the dirt so we can only buy German luxury cars in future, and get yourself an XJ. I'm very fond of this car and as long as you get the lovely mesh grille and big 20" alloys (Sepangs look the best - see right), you will get yourself a great-looking car with none of the propping-up-the-19th hole image problems.
Best of all though you will get a sweet twin-turbo V6 diesel which will give you 35mpg if you're careful. This aluminium-built car is light enough to be nimble, and has a quality leather-and-wood interior which you will grow to love, and a superbly comfortable ride.
The only let-down is the Fisher-Price naff graphics on the control system; quibbles aside, you're getting a whole lot of car from 2005, from just £13k. TE
Ah, "that's far too new to be even vaguely affordable" I hear you say? Wrong; it's been out there for two years or so, and prices have come down to just £20k for an early model. Don't know why - it's an absolutely cracking motor, a mid-engined coupe just perfectly balanced for driving pleasure.
I asked Kyle Fortune (late of this parish) what he thought of it after he first drove it. "Absolutely unbelievably good," was his reply in censored form. Try one out; you will wonder why anyone bothers with the cost of a 911. TE
In boom times the Range Rover Sport was the car to be seen in. Like the wearing of a Rolex watch, the moderately wealthy took to the RR Sport in their droves - but now that the good times are over, those with big hire purchase repayments and no jobs have had to sell their trophy cars for peanuts.
Range Rover Sport prices are dropping incredibly quickly; £18k will get you a diesel and only £15k will get you into a new-shape Range Rover. The room for negotiation is huge; dealers don't want to take them in part exchange because they can't shift them so you can probably better even these prices. Happy haggling! ID
Meet the thinking man's hot hatch. While most cars of this ilk look like they've been wheeled through a branch of Halfords first, the R32 manages to be both aggressive and at the same time tasteful - especially if you get it in a discreet colour like black.
Of course, with a 3.2 V6 and a four-wheel drive system, this particular Golf can be cajoled along at an immense pace. Sold in relatively low numbers, the R32 cost £25k new but can now be bought used from £13,500. And if you're not bothered about having the latest model, the MK4 R32 can be picked up for £7,000. ID
I've always liked the Touareg, and not just because an old mate has one. I think it's because it's a sensible badge (none of the show-offiness of Audi/BMW/Range Rover), with sensible looks that do not scream "get out of my way" like the Q7 or Range Rover Sport. They also seem to attract more sensible owners, in marked contrast to some of the luxury 4x4s out there.
Well, this level-headed, almost-PC 4x4 can be had for just £9,000, which gets you a 2003 2.5 diesel ; it won't be the fastest car in the world but it will give you 30mpg, big comfortable seats and a swish interior. What's not to like? TE
- Display used VW Touaregs from £9k
- Driven: VW Touareg
- Twin test: Audi RS4 v Mercedes C63 AMG
- Twin test: Jaguar XJ v Audi A8
- Twin test: BMW M6 v Jaguar XKR Cabriolet
- Twin test: VW Golf R32 v Subaru Impreza WRX
- Twin test: Porsche Cayman S v Lotus Europa S
- Twin test: Aston Martin V8 Vantage v Porsche 911 Carrera S
posted by jae @ 4:12 am
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