It is truly said that “A Luxury becomes a Necessity when your Neighbor owns it”. Think of the term Luxury Vehicle and image which flashes in the mind is Convertible, Sports Utility Vehicle, Crossover …which has an appeal to aging Baby Boomers and Nouveau riche alike.
Tracking the history of luxury cars of 1920 and 1930 Duesenberg, and Mercedes-Benz were the forerunners in the race. They projected a dashing image to their respective owners ( film and music stars , kings and gangsters) due to their distinctive style, impeccable craftsmanship, and strong performance. But they were too heavy to be a truly sports car. The Great Depression of 1930’s and Second World War cast almost a death spell on these luxury car segment. The post war period saw Ferrari quietly making the mark in this luxury car segment. Ford ‘Thuderbird’ , a two seater convertible was compact in size yet truly a sports car.
Towards the end of the 20th century, young buyers shifted their preferences towards imported European and Japanese cars or sports utility vehicles. European marques like BMW and Mercedes, Japanese manufacturers like Lexus SC and Infiniti have made a niche in the market. Simultaneously, the very term ‘Luxury’ has undergone drastic metamorphosis. Features like air conditioning, cruise control, electric windows, remote keyless entry and even a power-sliding sunroof are considered as basic amenities necessary for basic models.
Fortunately, for the luxury car manufacturers, most of the American’s believe that small, compact yet nicely loaded cars do not make the style statement they are looking forward to. A Limousine, would be perfect for any special need that one may have taking into consideration the number of people who are going to ride in it. Mercedes, Lincoln, Cadillac are a few traditional luxury sedans. But, for the truly fabulous look Rolls Royce is the final word.
Buying a Used luxury car has never been so easy with ‘Certified’ market expanding at unimaginable pace. Of course, there are many advantages of Used over New ones. It is prudent to consider the following aspects for taking the final plunge.
-Extended Warranties:
Today, luxury cars are engineered so well, that buying a used luxury car is becoming an popular option amongst car buyers. If enough homework is done from the buyer’s side, used car warranties can rival out new car warranty. As a general rule, first choose the dealership then shop for the car. Dealer’s warranty speaks volumes for the quality of vehicle they offer. There are plenty fly by night car warranty companies to accept money but would not be there to back up the claim. A used luxury car dealership with a long history of satisfied customers is always preferable to yet established ones.
-Certified Used Cars:
A Used car, which has been meticulously examined and found to be of outstandingly high standards by the manufacturer of the automobile, can only be certified. As an end user, the buyer has 3 days or 3000 miles to verify if the right is right for him or else pick a better one.
-Auto recall Information:
It is a good practice to check comprehensive auto recall information to know if there have any problems that have been reported by NHTSA. If so , one can get detailed information on how and where to fix the car defect.
To sum it up, a used, well maintained , luxury vehicle would cost much less than buying a brand new one off the showroom floor. Besides lower cost of acquisition, these cars are extremely durable. Given a good treatment and maintained regularly, a late –model luxury car should run well beyond 1,00,000 miles trouble free. Besides, premium models have classic lines that do not change over years. And hence five to ten year old luxury model still looks very much like a brand new one at a much lesser price than the original.
