Think Twice Before Buying New - Ways to Acquire a More Affordable Luxury Car

Does the thought of cruising the streets in a Jaguar XJ6 SE set your pulse racing? Do you yearn to luxuriate in the effortless power and quiet spaciousness of a really well-engineered motorcar?

You want a luxury car but your spouse has different ideas on the best way to dispose of the money - a bigger home for instance.

One way of looking at this is - all else being equal - would it make more sense to put an extra $500 a month towards a mortgage or a car payment?

Favor will always gravitate towards the house for the following reasons:

Appreciation - In the majority of cases, real estate appreciates steadily - that is it continues to increase in value over a period of time. The rate at which it does so depends on a variety of factors like location, size of the house, school district and the like.

A luxury car, on the other hand, loses value as soon as you drive it out of the dealership lot. Again, the rate at which it depreciates depends on the mileage, make and condition of the vehicle - but you can hardly ever make money on a luxury car.

Maintenance - Even if you struck a great deal on buying or leasing your luxury car, you will be making up for that when you go in for scheduled and unscheduled visits to the repair shop. Not only are regular tune-ups more expensive than for more affordable mid-size cars, just replacing the wiper blades for a luxury car like a Mercedes S 430 costs more than $80!

Fuel - A luxury car may offer you style and comfort, but in most cases scores lower on fuel efficiency. Economy cars like a Camry or a Civic can boast better mileage per gallon on the highway and in the city as compared to a luxury car like a BMW or a luxury sports utility vehicle like the Hummer.

Additionally, many luxury car manufacturers recommend that you only use the highest grade of fuel for fill-ups and that in itself can make a dent in your pocketbook especially with gas prices skyrocketing in the United States, and world, recently.

New models - Sure, you may be the envy of your workplace for a few months, but come next September dealerships start displaying the following year's models and drastically mark down cars like yours. Suddenly the headlights and navigation system in the new model start to look so much more attractive!

Time - Even if you have a long commute or drive out of town frequently, the amount of time you spend in your house will still overshadow the time you spend in your luxury car and therefore it is wisest to put your hard earned money in to something that will repay you over the years.

So - what is the answer? There are ways to acquire an affordable luxury car. Leasing, or buying a used car are two options. Read the articles here to get some ideas. Enjoy!