I Need A Cheap Luxury Car For $15,000! What Should I Buy?

Justin took a solid offer to sell his 2018 Passat; he wants to bank some extra cash in order to save for his dream car, an A90 Supra. In the meantime, he needs a comfortable daily driver at a reasonable price and is targeting some older luxury models. What car should he buy?

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Here is the scenario.

I just recently sold my 2018 Volkswagen Passat GT. While I liked the car, it was my first brand new car purchase and it’s gotten beat up and I was ready to let it go and got a good offer to sell it. My plan is to pay cash for something with the profits I made, and start saving up for a preowned A90 Supra in the next year or two; with hopes that prices drop. I like bigger cars that can be luxurious or sporty. Preferably 120k less in miles. Stick or auto. Something reliable as it will still be my daily driver when I get the a90. I’m trying to keep it under $15,000

Quick Facts:

Budget: up to $15,000

Location: Charlotte, NC

Daily Driver: Yes

Wants: something on the larger side, luxury, reliability

Doesn’t want: too many miles

Expert 1: Tom McParland – Pair Your Supra With a Skyline

Justin, I hope you do end up with that Supra someday, and putting some cash away over time is a smart way of buying your dream car without getting over your head on loan payments. Since this is a bit of a long game, you do need something to get to work in the meantime. Given that you have a fondness for legendary Japanese sports car nameplates, you should drive a Skyline while you wait for your Supra.

It’s not quite the Skyline you are probably thinking of from playing GranTurismo, but in our market, the Infiniti G35/G37 series sedans were labeled at Nissan Skylines in Japan. And while they were not equipped with an awesome twin-turbo I6, they did have a solid naturally aspirated V6 that pumped out around 300 horsepower. The mid-2000s Infiniti G-series sedans and coupes really gave the Germans a run for their money and now you can find them at reasonable prices with still plenty of life left.

Here is a 2008 G35 with under 90,000 miles for less than $11,000. That’s a nice combination of performance, durability, and luxury with plenty of cash left over.

Expert 2: Collin Woodard – Lexus Miles Just Hit Different

Y’know, Justin, if you put this $15,000 toward a used Supra now, I bet you’d only be paying $900 a month. That’s not so bad, is it? Oh yeah, it’s completely insane. Maybe not if your annual income is pushing $200,000, but I get the feeling that’s not the case here since with that kind of money, you’d probably already have enough saved up to buy the Supra outright.

So we’re looking for big and luxurious or big and sporty. I’m going to lean more toward big and luxurious because the bigger you get, the harder and more expensive it is to keep “sporty” in the equation. And since you care about reliability, I’m going to guess that a $15,000 Mercedes-Benz S-Class probably isn’t in the cards for you. So what about a Lexus LS?

Here’s a 2008 Lexus LS 460 not far from you that fits both your budget and your mileage requirement. Its 380-hp V8 should offer plenty of power to make up for not being particularly agile in the corners, and even though it’s 15 years old, it will still be ridiculously comfortable. Plus, since it’s a Lexus, even if you put another 100,000 miles on it, it’ll really only just be starting to get broken in. I’m sure the G35 that Tom suggested will be fine, but wouldn’t you rather have a Lexus?

Expert 3: Owen Bellwood – Real Luxury

Justin, you’ve had some good suggestions so far and while I’m inclined to think the Lexus might be the sensible way to go I’m here to offer an alternative. Because really, neither of these cars is really luxurious, and that was the first thing you asked for today.

So Justin, if you’re serious about getting an older, more luxurious motor then there’s really only one option: the VW Phaeton. While it comes with understated stylings and a waft of sensibility that comes with the VW badge, under all that it’s basically a Bentley.

Options under your price point seem to come into two categories, ones with hundreds of thousands of miles or others that have been involved in some serious accidents (like this W12-powered model). But I have managed to find you a couple of good options. This 2004 model is in lovely condition and comes with way less than 100,000 miles on the clock and a lush black leather interior. Or this dark blue V8 Phaeton is a little closer to home and looks like the perfect addition to your fleet. Embrace the chaos, buy a Phaeton.

Expert 4: José Rodríguez Jr. – One BMW Deserves Another

Justin, I’m a sucker for consistency, and seeing as how there’s a BMW (half-Toyota) in your future, I’m going to suggest another. It seems you want a big sporty car that was used minimally, according to its odometer. You also want a reliable car, and while BMWs are not exactly known for reliability, I’m going to say the right German car is no worse off than the wrong Japanese one. So, I’m going to recommend this 2003 BMW X5, which has under 55,000 miles on the clock. And, more importantly, it comes with a manual transmission. Glorious.

I know it sounds crazy right off the bat. But just imagine having two inline-sixes from Bavaria in your driveway. The latest Supra is a triumph for Toyota because the company had the good sense to tap BMW on the shoulder for its expertise in making the best straight six engines. And early BMW X5s were allegedly great distillations of the BMW spirit in SUV form. The first-generation X5s were also made before SUVs started to get too big and bloated.

I’ve always thought the design of the first X5s stuck closest to the sporty vibe of the E36 3-series, making the early SUVs extremely handsome. You add its good looks to the sporty drive — courtesy of a five-speed manual transmission — and then throw in that naturally aspirated straight six and you have a winner! The X5 I’m recommending is quite enigmatic; the dealer hasn’t yet uploaded photos. I’m using a stock picture to illustrate what could be. But with the little miles on the odometer, that X5 just might be somewhat of a Bavarian time capsule.