Luxury cars under £6-7K

[warcalf]

Looking for a big comfy luxurious saloon for ideally under £6K. No older then 2007, no higher mileage than 80K.

Love the quintessential British look of an XJ. But a decent one meeting the above criteria is hard to find.
Considered S-Type's, reports of transmission rebuilds after 40K mileage is shocking and off putting!

S80's seem to be plagued with cambelt & pulley reliability issues, some of which are engine ruining.

I've also been completely put off of BMW since mine has recently attained a litter of electrical issues.

Anyone any suggestions? My current most appealing option is an E280 Avantgarde.

Open to other suggestions/advice though?

[alorotom]

Yore going to need to define:

Big

Comfy

Luxurious

... a mondeo as an example is big, the leather Titanium X seats are comfy and it has a lot of electronic aids and ‘luxuries’

I wouldn’t class this as a big, comfy, luxurious car though ... in the same way I wouldn’t include an SType or an S80 either

[CubanPete]

I'd reconsider the 80k requirement. A car with a few more motorway miles under its belt will be in better nick than one that has never been warmed up on short journies to the garden centre and the bridge club.

Also remember you only tend to hear the horror stories on the Internet.

[Roger Irrelevant]

A Lexus GS450h would fit the bill nicely, you should just about be able to get one with the age/mileage you want for £7k (though I'd be totally unconcerned with a big Lexus having done over 80k miles).

Edit - here you go: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Edited by Roger Irrelevant on Wednesday 1st November 10:21

[CubanPete]

I think you're very much at the bottom end of the budget for that age too, ignoring the mileage, unless you're lucky or prepared to travel you'll be scrapping about the scuffing cars of that age.

[warcalf]

alorotom said:

Yore going to need to define:

Big

Comfy

Luxurious

... a mondeo as an example is big, the leather Titanium X seats are comfy and it has a lot of electronic aids and ‘luxuries’

I wouldn’t class this as a big, comfy, luxurious car though ... in the same way I wouldn’t include an SType or an S80 either

In terms of defining big comfy and luxurious use an XJ Executive as the benchmark. Good quality leather, lovely wood panelling. As for big, I'm mainly after interior room, not exterior size as I'm 6'5.

I suppose my desires for luxury simply come down to aesthetics, whilst an S-Type doesn't have high luxury spec, it's got the look and comfort. That's mainly all I'm after I suppose.

[warcalf]

Roger Irrelevant said:

A Lexus GS450h would fit the bill nicely, you should just about be able to get one with the age/mileage you want for £7k (though I'd be totally unconcerned with a big Lexus having done over 80k miles).

Edit - here you go: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Edited by Roger Irrelevant on Wednesday 1st November 10:21

Good shout, I had a GS300 pointed out to me earlier! They're on the list for sure😊

[warcalf]

CubanPete said:

I think you're very much at the bottom end of the budget for that age too, ignoring the mileage, unless you're lucky or prepared to travel you'll be scrapping about the scuffing cars of that age.

Disagree, there are tons of E-Classes and Lexus' in my price range. I'm just seeing if anyone has any outside suggestions that I might not have considered, like a Lexus!

[Barchettaman]

Reconsider the 80k requirement - always buy on condition/maintenance history, not mileage.

Here's something that meets your requirements (maybe not looks) at a third of your budget:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[Bonefish Blues]

warcalf said:

Looking for a big comfy luxurious saloon for ideally under £6K. No older then 2007, no higher mileage than 80K.

S80's seem to be plagued with cambelt & pulley reliability issues, some of which are engine ruining.

Open to other suggestions/advice though?

I don't think so, if OE parts are used.

[warcalf]

Barchettaman said:

Reconsider the 80k requirement - always buy on condition/maintenance history, not mileage.

Here's something that meets your requirements for a quarter of your budget:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Will do, however I'd rather spend the extra money and have an E Class than that thing...

[TurboHatchback]

The downside of most 'proper' luxury cars is that whilst £6k can buy you a lot of car they can easily throw big bills. Some I would look at:

• Audi A6 Quattro (C6). Can be had with 3.2 FSI V6, 4.2 V8 or 2.7/3.0tdi V6 engines. The 4.2 FSI is rare and over budget but magnificent. Check the gearbox works properly.
• Lexus LS430. Pure luxury and IMO very smart after the 2004 facelift. I've heard of potentially expensive issues with suspension, steering column motors and sound system.
• Mk4 Mondeo 2.5T. It doesn't have the badge and is only available in manual but matches very expensive luxury cars for refinement, comfort, pace and space. Much less likely to throw big bills than older automatic luxobarges and also better to drive.

[warcalf]

Bonefish Blues said:

I don't think so, if OE parts are used.

If you're referring to the S80 then have a look...

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/volvo/s80-20...

[Bonefish Blues]

warcalf said:

Bonefish Blues said:

I don't think so, if OE parts are used.

If you're referring to the S80 then have a look...

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/volvo/s80-20...

I don't think that's correct if OE parts are used (my post refers). Aftermarket parts are inferior. Most people change as soon as they buy, just to make sure. It's a cheap insurance policy on a D5, so I wouldn't ignore them on the basis of that Honest John comment.

HTH.

[mk4gtiturbo]

Skoda Superb?

[anonymous-user]

If ONLY there was a thread that had run for years and years, with thousands of posts across a dozen volumes about exactly this.

Oh wait

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

If you want a bargain a Volvo S80 is worth a look, as is a Jaguar X350 XJ6 or XJ8. For your requirements I'd be looking at a 2004 ish XJ6 or XJ8 personally. You have almost zero change of something newer than '07 that meets your requirements and budget though. The S-Type is actually very robust post 2004 if you avoid the diesel models. A late 3.0 or 4.2 is a very nice and robust car.

From your concerns about the S80 I think you've been scared by internet doom mongers, a tiny number have had problems with the pulleys but the number you see with massive mileages suggest it's not common. There isn't a car on the roads that you can't put yourself off by reading Honest John and the like, and quite frankly I think HJ is a hysterical old woman 90% of the time, proper "one owner has reported XYZ" so they st the bed over it.

Edited by dme123 on Wednesday 1st November 10:56

[boobles]

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[culpz]

It HAS to be a Lexus, surely? A MK3 GS300 or even a GS430 would be my pick. The tax will be dear, post 2006 and obviously fuel economy won't be great either but it will more than make up for it with it's reliability, comfort and having all the toys. Furthermore, it'll be an added bonus that most, if not all, of the equipment will continue to work. They can also be had comfortably within your budget.

[warcalf]

mk4gtiturbo said:

Skoda Superb?

Had a quick butchers, very good shout! Very much like that

[Bonefish Blues]

warcalf said:

mk4gtiturbo said:

Skoda Superb?

Had a quick butchers, very good shout! Very much like that

4-pot diesel mainly at that price/year/mileage, I'd have thought?