World Luxury Car

Are luxury cars more affordable in todays market?

Do you think you can afford a luxury car? The luxury car market is going from strength to strength even through the recessions we have seen of late. More people are looking to invest in luxury cars, but don’t quite have the budget.

If you’ve been casting envious eyes on those Mercedes and BMWs in the office parking lot, you may be wondering if you could fit a luxury car into your budget. Luxury brands have been reading your mind and indeed have brought out more affordable models. But make sure you calculate all the costs that come with owning a luxury car — not just the purchase price.

You wouldn’t be the only one considering so-called entry-level luxury cars — those with purchase prices often starting under $35,000. Growth in this segment has been a major reason that luxury vehicles have increased their market share in recent years, according to an April report from analysts at the National Auto Dealers Association Used Car Guide. “The data suggests that the growth was due almost exclusively to new buyers entering the market,” not habitual luxury buyers trading down to less expensive models.

One of the entry-level luxury models’ best financial qualities is high resale value. And that leads to a more affordable way to drive a prestige model — by leasing it. The NADA Guide report notes that entry-level luxury cars on average retain 48.8% of their original value after three years, more than other luxury segments.
“The lower the rate of depreciation, the lower the lease payment,” notes NADA analyst Laurence Dixon III. For instance, the Lexus ES currently has a lease deal for $349 a month for two years with $2,999 due at signing.

Whether you get a good lease deal or buy the luxury car, that’s only the beginning of your expenses. As with any car, insurance, fuel maintenance and repair costs still have to be paid. To see the differential in costs, let’s compare an entry-level Mercedes-Benz C250 (selling at an average of about $35,900, according to TrueCar.com) with one of the best-selling midsize sedans, the Toyota Camry XLE, the best-equipped Camry with an average selling price of $23,061.

Here’s a look at comparative costs to own these cars:

Fuel Cost — The Mercedes, like most luxury cars, requires premium gasoline, while the Toyota, like most mainstream brands, uses regular. The current national average for regular is $3.64 a gallon vs. $4 for premium, according to AAA. The Mercedes C250, with a rating of 25 MPG in combined city and highway driving would rack up fuel costs of $2,400 per year, according to fueleconomy.gov. The Toyota, with a 28 MPG combined rating would come in at $1,950. That’s an extra $450 in your gas budget each year.

Insurance — First-time luxury car buyers are sometimes startled at their bill to insure that car. Following our example, InsuranceQuotes.com gives the following comparison for the two cars being insured in Northern California. For an age 40 married man or woman, the monthly insurance bill would be $173 for the Mercedes and $130 a month for the Toyota Camry. That’s more than $500 a year in extra insurance costs. To compare the insurance costs of your current vehicle to cars you might buy, go to Insurancequotes.com and scroll down the right side to the section called Car vs. Car. You can get an estimate using your age and zip code.

Maintenance — Oil changes and other routine maintenance typically cost more at luxury brand dealerships. As a selling point, some luxury brands like BMW offer free maintenance for the first 50,000 miles on a new car. But in our comparison, Mercedes-Benz does not offer a free maintenance program for this model. Toyota, unusually for mainstream brands, does have free maintenance for two years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Repairs — For repairs that go beyond standard maintenance, luxury dealers are also more expensive. You may be able to cut repair costs by avoiding dealers and going to independent repair shops that specialize, say, in German cars. But double check to see if that still meets the conditions of your warranty.

The comfort, style and prestige of owning a luxury car may in fact outweigh the extra costs for you. Just be sure you have an idea of those costs before you decide to buy or lease.

If you would like to experience a luxury car before going out and buying one, take a look at our website and see what we have to offer

Source http://www.cbsnews.com/news/thinking-of-buying-your-first-luxury-car/

Worlds top 10 fastest road cars

 

Whether you prefer Ferrari over Lamborghini or Porsche over Jaguar, there is one thing that we all have in common. Its the need for speed! Take a look at the top 10 fastest road cars in the world.

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport - Top 10 world's fastest road cars
 1. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport (268mph). This version of the original Veyron still has the same 8.0 litre, 16 cylinder   engine but upgrades have pushed it into the record books

SSC Ultimate Aero - Top 10 world's fastest road cars
 2. SSC Ultimate Aero (257mph). Built by USA firm Shelby SuperCars, it held the ‘world’s fastest car’ title   for more than three years. It has a twin turbo V8 engine with 1183hp and   costs from £435,000.

Saleen S7 Twin Turbo - Top 10 world's fastest road cars
 3. Saleen S7 Twin Turbo (248mph). An updated version of the California-built S7, this version was produced in   2005 and 2006 and cost £295,559. With the engine located in the middle of   the car, it had both a front and rear boot

Koenigsegg CCX - Top 10 world's fastest road cars
4. Koenigsegg CCX (245mph). The 4.7 litre twin-supercharged V8-engined car was first built in 2006 as a   version of the original CC. Created by the Swedish motor firm founded by   Christian von Koenigsegg, its name is an abbreviation of Competition Coupé   X, marking the 10th anniversary of the test drive of the first CC vehicle in   1996.

McLaren F1 - Top 10 world's fastest road cars
 5. McLaren F1 (240 mph). Fitted with a BMW S70/2 60 V12 Engine, it remains the world’s fastest   naturally-aspirated production car. Naturally-aspirated engines use   atmospheric pressure to increase the intake of air for combustion. 106 were   produced between 1992 and 1998.

Jaguar XJ220 - Top 10 world's fastest road cars
 6. Jaguar XJ220 (217mph). First conceived in the late 1980s as an after-hours project among Jaguar   workers, this car became an official Jaguar production with 281 manufactured.

Ferrari Enzo - Top 10 world's fastest road cars
7. Ferrari Enzo (217mph). Only 400 of these were ever produced, leading to price increases with every  sale. Named after the Italian company’s founder, Enzo Ferrari.

Pagani Zonda C12 F - Top 10 world's fastest road cars
8. Pagani Zonda C12 F (215mph). This Italian-designed car made its debut at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show

Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce - Top 10 world's fastest road cars
9. Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce (213mph). The 2009 incarncation of the Lamborghini Murcielago supercar has a top speed   of 213mph thanks to fine tuning of the original design

Porsche Carrera GT - Top 10 world's fastest road cars
 10. Porsche Carrera GT (205mph). The most powerful and most expensive Porsche, at over £300,000

Mercedes S350 Bluetec: Is this the best luxury car in the world?

The Mercedes S350 Bluetec is in the running for the title of  World Luxury Car in the World Car of the Year awards. Not only is it a beautiful car to look at, with many talents, it is also a turbo diesel which makes the above statement even more surprising.

Now almost 90 per cent of all S-Classes leaving British showrooms are the S350 Bluetec, otherwise known as a turbo-diesel. Today sales of diesel cars outpace their petrol counterparts accounting for more than half of all new car sales.

Not so long ago, the idea of a car with all the luxury of a new Mercedes S-Class but with something as agricultural as a diesel engine under the bonnet would have been laughable. It’s a measure of how things have changed that not only is this far from being the case but that petrol-powered S-Class sales are now the minority option.

It is not difficult to see why either. Under the long bonnet of the S350 Bluetec is a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine with 258bhp, capable of 0 to 60mph in just 6.8 seconds and top speed of 155mph. Neither of these are exactly embarrassing considering the Mercedes is close to nudging two tonnes on the scales.

What is really impressive, however, is the 50.4mpg average fuel economy and the 148g/km emissions. There are 1.6-litre Ford Focuses that are thirstier and dirtier than that and this is a full-blown luxury limousine. Those on-paper figures are only underlined by your experience out on the road too.

While there is a little bit of diesel rattle detectable from the roadside when you start up, the cabin is so well-insulated that it is hard to tell from inside. The same is true on the move as well. The seven-speed automatic gearbox is very well-matched to the grunt of the turbo-diesel engine and it makes for smooth progress.

The arrival of a new nine-speed gearbox being fitted to the S-Class later this year almost suggests that the current seven-speed is somehow a short straw but the reality could not be more different. In fact, the S-Class’s biggest compliment is that you often barely notice its driving experience at all.

Every element of the big Mercedes is so unobtrusive that it’s only on longer journeys that you realise the depth of the car’s talents. Every element from its cosseting ride to its sheer lack of engine, wind or road noise on the move makes it a supremely comfortable long-distance companion. We cannot imagine any car this side of a Rolls-Royce Phantom that would be better motorway transport than this and that will cost you four times more.

Add in the extra length of the long wheelbase version and there is no shortage of space for rear passengers, either. Make no mistake, the S-Class is easily one of the most comfortable real-world cars on sale and arguably represents the best package. The only downside is that, competent though the S-Class is, it’s not the kind of car you will want to throw around a country lane with any kind of enthusiasm.

A Jaguar XJ might reward that kind of behaviour but while the big Mercedes does shrink around you to a certain extent, there is no fully escaping its dimensions. The good news continues with the interior, however. While having been widely copied for the smaller C-Class, it is little short of immaculate. Some of the myriad controls may need a bit of familiarity but the dashboard screens are clear and easy to read and the build quality cannot be faulted on any level.

Nobody would pretend that the S-Class is an affordable car by any means (except compared to a £300,000-plus Rolls-Royce) but it is easy to see where all the money has been spent.

It is no surprise that this latest Mercedes S-Class is so good, though: the German firm has been leading the luxury car sector with its various generations of S-Class for generations. That it can also do that with a turbo-diesel engine is testament to just how good it is. The bar for the best luxury saloons on the market just got a lot higher.

Source http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/471377/Mercedes-S350-Bluetec-A-three-litre-miracle-luxury-car