You probably haven’t thought about buying a luxury limo lately. Why would you? After all, money’s tight for everyone at the moment, and with lots of uncertainty around, nobody’s feeling particularly safe about splashing the cash.
But that’s what’s great about buying a second-hand luxury saloon. You don’t actually have to spend anywhere near as much as you might think to get yourself into a slice of relatively modern luxury.
In fact, for the price of a nearly-new family SUV, you can have yourself a relatively modern luxury car. And let’s face it: wouldn’t you rather waft around ensconced in leather-lined splendour than get yourself the same jumped-up family hauler you’ll find on every other school run?
Take the Audi A8, for example. It’s long been one of the most heavily depreciating luxury cars on the market; buying one at a few years old means someone else has already taken most of the hit, though, and you can pick one up for less than the cost of most brand-new family wagons.
A root through the CarGurus classifieds turned up a 2021 A8 3.0 TFSI Black Edition – quite a looker – and with a reasonable, if slightly above average, 53,000 miles. A full year’s MOT will add peace of mind, though, and this example is fitted with a slew of optional extras.
Despite that, it’s going for just £31,490 – according to our Instant Market Value (IMV) calculator, that’s a whopping £7,265 less than it’s worth. Deals don’t get much better!
Or how about something more svelte? BMW’s 8 Series Gran Coupe is a bit of an oddity in that it’s a four-door coupe, rather than a full-blown saloon. That means it gets a lower roofline and slightly less space in the back, but the payoff for that is sleeker styling and sharper handling.
What’s more, because cars like this are less sought after than their full-blown limo equivalents, they’re better value, too. Take the 2021 840i M Sport Gran Coupe I found with just 22,000 miles on the clock – barely used, in other words. With one owner from new and a stamped-up history book, this feels like a steal at £34,898.
Still too pricey for you? How about something for a more modest budget, then? I reckon the last-generation Jaguar XJ is looking like a great buy at the moment – with Jaguar’s recent relaunch, older models’ values have taken a hammering.
That’s great news for used buyers, because the XJ is still a terrific car – one of the most comfortable cruisers around, with real road presence and a truly beautiful interior.
£13,450 is enough to buy you the example I found, a 3.0d R-Sport with a very respectable 69,000 miles on the clock. Our IMV calculation puts this example at almost £3,000 less than its market value, making it a terrific deal, and a car that should make every journey a bit of an event.
Not sporty enough for you? Then how about a Porsche Panamera? Porsches tend to hold their value really well, but the Panamera bucks this trend, with second-hand examples coming in at very reasonable prices. £15,354 is what you’ll pay for the 2012 3.0 diesel I came across.
Granted, the mileage on this one is on the high side – though still below average for the year – at 101,000. But it’s absolutely dripping with options, including the sought-after Sport Chrono package, as well as the Premium and Memory packs. As a result, the IMV calculator reckons this particular panamera is going for a huge £5,101 less than its market value, at £15,354.
But if all these options are just a bit too obvious – and you’re looking for a real unicorn, a car that barely anyone else at the golf club will have – perhaps a Lexus LS500h is worth a look.
Lexus sold barely more than a handful of these huge Audi A8 rivals before they were discontinued last year, so they’re quite hard to find. But given so few people are looking for them, prices are invariably very low – and there’s often plenty of room to haggle.
I found a 2024 Premium Pack AWD with just 5,000 miles on the clock – basically still a new car, in other words – going for £39,990. And it’s just had its price slashed, with CarGurus noting a recent £5,000 reduction.
Brand-new, just a year ago, this car would have cost its owner a cool £104,935. No, really – I checked the price list. Now if that isn’t a saving worth having, I don’t know what is.