10 Cars That Will Make You Look Baller on a Budget

Drive through any higher end district of any major city across the continent, and you’ll quickly lose count of how many Range Rovers are on the road. While they’re loved by enthusiasts for their legitimate off-road prowess, they’ve long been co-opted by the luxury lifestyle sect. Right now the prime generation to shop is the L322—the bodystyle seen above that ran in production from 2002 to 2012. Well kept examples still look relatively current to this day, and if you shop smart you can get into one between $7,000 and $10,000. Not bad for an SUV whose sticker price could occasionally pass the six figure mark!

Of the many pre-owned Jaguars on the market, few have been aging as well as the XF has. Penned by the legendary Ian Callum—also known for his work on the Aston DB9, the Vantage, and the Jaguar F-Type—the XF entered the ring as a BMW 5-series challenger that held its own quite well in the category. Struggling with the same sort of reliability reputation as any other British car, values of 2007-2015 XF models are in the basement right now, landing under $10k in some cases.

The Porsche 911 is a legend, and with good reason: It offers a unique blend of luxury and excitement, the latter courtesy of its powerful engines and tail-happy handling. The 1999-2004 series cars, known collectively as the 996, represent the first real modernization of the 911, with a new, more stable chassis and water-cooled engines. Like most Porsches it has already hit the bottom of its depreciation curve thanks to some early reliability issues that have (mostly) been sorted through repairs/updates to the intermediate shaft bearing (IMS). At time of writing the price of reasonably well kept examples floats around the $20-$30k mark depending on options and mileage.

Obscure, ahead of its time, and severely over-engineered (not to mention LOADED with tech), the BMW e65 7-series is a beast that wasn’t/isn’t without its quirks, however if you can track one down that’s been well looked after it can still be a smart buy. On the list of things to avoid, the massaging seats are near the top of the list, as a ruptured silicone bag in the seat base will quickly take out the 5 drive motors that are used to position each front seat. Considering the price difference between models, we’d suggest finding the long wheelbase Li model, giving your rear seat passengers all the extra space to stretch out. Setting a little cash aside for repairs will be easy with this one, as your price of entry gets as low as $4,000.

Thinking SUV, but want something larger (and more reliable) than the Range Rover? Infiniti’s QX56 SUV—especially the 2011-2013 model—is just the ticket. It’s big, it’s bold, it’s handsome, and it’s nowhere near as commonplace as the platoon of Navigators and Escalades that are out on the road. Floating around the $15k mark, these mega SUVS are packed with prime features, and have been holding up well overall. Based on initial research, lighter colored interiors are starting to look a little rough around the edges these days, so black is likely the way to go.

The S-Class is Mercedes’ biggest and best, and they don’t change it very often—in fact, the previous-generation W221 cars were in production for about eight years (seven years in North America). Running from 2007 to 2013 in the US, good clean examples are coming in around the $11-$12k mark, however the starting point to get behind the wheel gets as low as $7,000. This is another one that’s aging quite well overall, and certainly looks the part of a much more expensive ride.

A new Rolls-Royce will easily set you back north of $300k (and that’s before options), but if you are interested in digging into their vintage archives, some of these old land yachts can be had for a steal. The Silver Shadow ran from 1965 to 1980, becoming the Silver Shadow II as of 1977, as it added rack-and-pinion steering as well as the longer US-spec diving board bumpers which were mandated as of ’74. Prices swing dramatically from around $6,000 to upwards of $50,000 depending on how well kept/restored the car is, but even in average condition driving a car like this makes one hell of a statement. If an oddball custom car is the end goal, have a look at this twisted Silver Shadow drift car from a few years back.

For some reason, Audi’s flagship sedan has always lived in the shadow of the Mercedes S-Class and the BMW 7-series—but any car critic worth his or her salt will tell you the A8 is every bit as good, if not better. With its all-aluminum body and all-wheel-drive, the A8s are brilliant to drive and sure-footed in snow and rain. V8 versions are plenty quick, but if you really want to do it right—and if you have a decent budget for repairs—look for the 12-cylinder cars with Audi’s wild 48-valve W12 engine, which packs four banks of cylinders into a compact and powerful package.

Prior to 1977, the year they downsized their big cars, a Cadillac was an integral part of the American success story. Nothing said “I’ve arrived” like a DeVille in the driveway. Though they were disdained in their day as oversize gas guzzlers, today they represent the last great era for Cadillac. The good news is that there are plenty of these classic American land yachts to be had—and relatively cheap. Our favorite DeVilles are the 1971-1976 models, and unlike many other classics out there these haven’t really started climbing in value just yet. Generally we would side with a coupe, but as you can see above the sedans can be pretty damned slick too.

Cruising in a piece of rolling classic Americana is just as much a show of wealth these days as modern luxury cars are, as getting into the collector car market can still cost you an arm and a leg—especially if you’re looking at the usual icons. Meanwhile, things like the Plymouth Belvedere are still quite affordable, no matter if you’re looking at the epic retro-futuristic ’57 as seen in the “Suddenly it’s 1960!” Plymouth ads, or the more edgy and angular creations they morphed into in the ’60s.

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