With the best used luxury car to buy, you can enjoy an extremely comfortable ride and a premium driving experience.
With high purchase prices and equally high running costs, brand new luxury cars are little more than a fantasy for most drivers. However, if you choose one of the best used luxury cars, you can enjoy the same high levels of opulence, comfort and technology, but at a much cheaper price.
Luxury cars are usually built to the highest standards and from high quality materials and should therefore last longer than most vehicles. This means that in a few years, when the depreciation takes its time, they are almost as good as new.
With that in mind, used luxury cars can be the biggest bargains, with some models losing tens of thousands of dollars in value in just a few years. This is a heavy burden for an owner, but for a buyer it can result in huge and tempting opportunities.
Our team of experts have thoroughly tested every luxury car on the market. To help you get started, we’ve compiled the following list of the best used luxury cars you can buy today.
The best used luxury cars to buy
BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe
Range Rover
Porsche Panamera
Mercedes S-Class
Aston Martin Rapide
BMW 7 Series
Audi A8
Bentley Flying Spur
1- BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe
Here’s proof that you can actually enjoy a champagne lifestyle for beer money. Combining the looks of a million dollar coupe with a beautifully designed interior at incredibly attractive prices, the 8 Series Gran Coupe lets you experience how the other half lives, at half the price.
Like many more expensive sedans, the BMW suffers from crippling depreciation when new, which is bad news for the original owner but good news for used car buyers.
For example,
you can pick up a main dealer approved used 2020 840i with just 30,000 miles on the clock and a full history for just over £35,000, which is well over half what it cost new three years ago.
As with all BMW models, the 8 Series is a joy to drive thanks to its excellent steering, precise handling and choice of turbocharged inline-six and V8 petrol engines. If you want the appearance to be even cheaper, go for the smooth-running and economical 840d with a diesel engine. All versions come with the company’s excellent eight-speed automatic transmission, which shifts smoothly while driving but offers quick shifts in manual mode.
This sportiness does not come at the expense of comfort, as the adaptive dampers as standard ensure a smooth ride over the worst bumps and potholes. And with the brand’s xDrive all-wheel drive standard on most versions, you can be sure you’ll get to your destination whatever the weather.
The curved lines of the BMW make it feel as at home in luxury as it does on the high street, while the luxuriously appointed interior exudes real club class.
When it comes to securing the keys to a truly desirable hero at half the price, few can match this impressive BMW and the luxury it offers.
2- Range Rover (Mk4)
If you want a luxury car that can handle everything, the Range Rover is a challenge. Impressive looks combined with off-road abilities that you can take anywhere make the big British machine the ultimate all-round machine. It also runs great on tarmac, with first-class smoothness.
For a fairly modest sum, you get one of the most comfortable and powerful luxury cars ever built. Its imposing appearance means it still feels at home among the jet set, while the spacious interior combines traditional wood and leather with cutting-edge technology. It’s also practical, with a large boot and the signature split tailgate.
On the road, the Range Rover’s composure is enhanced by engines and automatic transmissions that deliver both performance and refinement. From turbocharged V8 petrol engines to plug-in hybrids, there’s something for everyone. But for us, the proven 3.0-liter V6 with 255 horsepower offers a compelling mix of speed, efficiency and durability.
3- Porsche Panamera (Mk1)
The Panamera embodies the spirit of the legendary 911 in a magnificent five-door coupe and is a luxury car for enthusiastic drivers. It’s smooth and engaging to drive, but it’s also spacious and luxurious inside, with supreme refinement.
When launched, the only engine available was the 292bhp 3.6-liter V6 petrol, but this was soon extended to include a hybrid model and a Turbo S with a 535bhp 4.8-liter V8.
4- Mercedes S-Class (Mk6)
Mercedes’ flagship is as beautifully built, comfortable and as fun to drive as ever, and even newer rivals are still struggling to keep up with the advanced features. The luxurious long-wheelbase model offers unrivaled space, while the S 350 d combines strong performance with a fuel consumption of 40 MPG.
5- Aston Martin Rapide (Mk1)
The Aston Martin Rapide costs a lot of money to drive, but with prices now starting at less than £35,000, it costs less than half what it did when new. Under the long hood, the roaring 6.0-liter V12 delivers supercar-style acceleration, while handling is smooth and engaging. The ride is firm, and the luxuriously appointed interior is tight, but few four-doors offer such a sense of occasion.
6- BMW 7 Series (Mk6)
The BMW 7 Series has long been an outsider in the luxury car segment. It doesn’t quite have the esteemed reputation that some of its rivals have, but it really should: it’s built to an amazingly high standard, the engines are . I will never find it.
The sixth generation model was launched in late 2015 and had two diesel engines with 261 and 315 hp respectively and a 3.0-liter six-cylinder petrol engine with 321 hp. A little later, the range was expanded to include a 4.4-liter V8 and a plug-in hybrid variant will come onto the market in 2016.
From an economic perspective, diesel engines make the most sense, as petrol engines are thirstier on long road trips. The equipment is consistently good; four-zone automatic climate control, heated front and rear seats and an eight-speed automatic transmission are standard equipment. Run-flat tires were also the norm, potentially saving you a lot of trouble on the side of the road. However, regular rubber improves the driving experience.
Thanks to a rotary knob that is significantly less cumbersome than the touch screen, the infotainment is very easy to use even on the go.
7- Audi A8 (Mk3)
The third-generation Audi A8 is a bargain, with earlier low-mileage examples now found for under £15,000.
When the car hit showrooms, buyers had a choice of a 4.2-liter petrol engine or 3.0 and 4.2-liter diesel engines. In February 2011, a long-wheelbase A8 L model became available, offering 130 mm more interior space. If legroom is particularly important to you, keep your eyes open.
8- Bentley Flying Spur (Mk2)
When it comes to luxury, Bentley is perhaps the only brand that comes close to Rolls-Royce in terms of appeal. However, the second-generation Flying Spur added another dimension, with sound levels that are almost surprising for a luxury sedan. The available engines were a 4.0-liter V8 with 500 hp or a W12 with 616 hp, which could reach a top speed of 320 km/h. For a car that weighs 2.5 tonnes, not too bad. Between the two variants there was also a V8 S that could sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in less than five seconds.
When not fully utilized, all engines are extremely quiet at highway speeds, making them quiet and peaceful off-road machines. Driving behavior is also very good, although the adjustable air suspension is not as advanced as in the S-Class. read more