Luxury car is a term that is widely used, but does anyone truly know what it means? When it comes to cars, luxury is in the eye of the beholder. What a car dealer's ad touts as luxury may be different from what a car rental agency categorizes as a luxury car, and both may conflict with your personal perception of what a luxury car is.
In economics, a luxury item is one that is in higher demand among people with higher incomes. A luxury car is a status symbol, and status varies depending upon the socioeconomic or demographic group to which is applies.
A luxury car may simply mean a high-priced car. A luxurious car may not necessarily be considered a luxury automobile. For example, because of its high price, a Hummer is often considered a luxury car, even though the original Hummers are heavy duty military trucks without emphasis on comfort.
A luxury car may also simply be an automobile made by a manufacture known for making luxury automobiles, even if the specific vehicle is less expensive than its usual models. For example, all models of Mercedes and Jaguars are considered to fall into this category, even the least expensive versions.
Most people would agree that an automobile costing more than $100,000 would be considered a luxury automobile. Almost all cars made by Rolls Royce and Bentley, for example, fall into that price range. Exclusivity is on of the few agreed characteristics of a luxury vehicle.
Typically, luxury automobiles enhance comfort and operation. Leather, adjustable, heated seats are an example of luxury appurtenances. High-performance vehicles such as sports cars, for example Corvettes and Vipers, are prestige autos, but not everyone would call them luxury vehicles. An automobile may be luxurious by virtue of its amenities and its comfort level without being expensive, even though to most people a luxury means something they really can't afford.
By: Glen Miller
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Those Expensive Luxury Cars
Luxury cars have become very popular over the last ten years. More and more people are looking to show others around them how much money they have. They are interested in showing people that they are high class, and that they can drive one of the best looking and most expensive cars available. Luxury car makers have been cashing in on this trend as well. They have been producing as many different models that they can in order to accommodate the needs of anybody who may want to buy a luxury car.
Entry level luxury cars are also popular nowadays. Instead of completely splurging for the top of the line car, more and more people are buying the entry level model that offers just as much comfort and convenience but for a lot less money. Almost every luxury car manufacturer offers an entry level car, and it has been helping them cash in as of late.
But there will always be the market for people who want the top of the line car. This is the car that is better than any other car on the road. These cars can cost upwards of $50,000 and are only driven by the most elite people. These cars are also the favorites of celebrities and athletes. This is one reason that so many people want luxury cars. They want to be just like the athlete or celebrity that they look up to. In a way the entry level luxury class cars give that taste of success while quietly padding the pockets of the vehicle manufacturing company.
If you are in the market for a luxury car be sure to do your homework first. There are tons of offerings and you want to make sure you get things right if you are going to be spending that much money on a new car. Research can be done via the internet in a relatively quick amount of time. Never make a decision on a new car without first researching its strengths and weaknesses, as well as the deals being offered at the time of the purchase by other companies.
By: John Rivers
Entry level luxury cars are also popular nowadays. Instead of completely splurging for the top of the line car, more and more people are buying the entry level model that offers just as much comfort and convenience but for a lot less money. Almost every luxury car manufacturer offers an entry level car, and it has been helping them cash in as of late.
But there will always be the market for people who want the top of the line car. This is the car that is better than any other car on the road. These cars can cost upwards of $50,000 and are only driven by the most elite people. These cars are also the favorites of celebrities and athletes. This is one reason that so many people want luxury cars. They want to be just like the athlete or celebrity that they look up to. In a way the entry level luxury class cars give that taste of success while quietly padding the pockets of the vehicle manufacturing company.
If you are in the market for a luxury car be sure to do your homework first. There are tons of offerings and you want to make sure you get things right if you are going to be spending that much money on a new car. Research can be done via the internet in a relatively quick amount of time. Never make a decision on a new car without first researching its strengths and weaknesses, as well as the deals being offered at the time of the purchase by other companies.
By: John Rivers
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly About Luxury Cars
If a $20,000 car is what you got, then a $30,000 car would be better and a $40,000 car ideal, right? The answer to that is the one you all know and love: it depends.
The Good
Let’s start with the obvious: you’re movin on up and letting the world know it, whether or not it’s true. That means more respect, better valet treatment, more dates. Luckily, in most cases there’s some truth to back up the image. Despite the increasing availability of features on lower-end cars these days, luxury cars still live up to their name by offering materials that look and feel better (i.e. real wood in the dash, real aluminum instead of painted plastic), soft leather (instead of hard leather, or leather mixed with vinyl), better sound insulation – all standard. Luxury cars are also held to a higher standard of performance with more cylinders, better brakes and suspensions, and best of all, often trade up from plain front-wheel-drive layouts to rear-wheel-drive, making driving more interesting. Who wouldn’t want their commute to be cozier and more fun at the same time? As a bonus, the owning experience will likely be richer all the way through, thanks to more courteous sales/service and a longer warranty.
The Bad
That stuff costs money. Stepping up from a compact-sized car (say, a Mazda 3) to a like-sized luxury car (say, a BMW 3-series) takes a cool dozen grand. Worse, the increase grows exponential as you ascend in the range: from a Honda Accord to an Acura RL takes $25,000, and from a Toyota Avalon to a BMW 750i takes an extra $40,000. In other words, the cost of one big Bimmer is enough for two Avalons and change. And don’t forget maintenance costs; ever seen the price of BMW parts?
The Ugly
It used to just be a matter of swallowing the price and writing the check, but many luxury makes have felt the need to prove the worth of their cars by confusing the hell out of the drivers. First it was Mercedes’ COMAND. Then it was BMW’s iDrive – by far the worst of the bunch – and finally Audi’s MultiMedia Interface. To a lesser degree, heavy-handed electronics and interfaces have crept into Japanese, American, and British luxury cars as well. What good is that 14-speaker stereo if you have to stop and look up in the manual how to change the station? Some of these electronics have also proven to be quite troublesome, causing the average reliability rankings of their parent companies to nosedive. Nothing luxurious about that.
But if you have the patience and tolerance, the world’s best cars are waiting for you. At a price.
By: Ian Velvet
The Good
Let’s start with the obvious: you’re movin on up and letting the world know it, whether or not it’s true. That means more respect, better valet treatment, more dates. Luckily, in most cases there’s some truth to back up the image. Despite the increasing availability of features on lower-end cars these days, luxury cars still live up to their name by offering materials that look and feel better (i.e. real wood in the dash, real aluminum instead of painted plastic), soft leather (instead of hard leather, or leather mixed with vinyl), better sound insulation – all standard. Luxury cars are also held to a higher standard of performance with more cylinders, better brakes and suspensions, and best of all, often trade up from plain front-wheel-drive layouts to rear-wheel-drive, making driving more interesting. Who wouldn’t want their commute to be cozier and more fun at the same time? As a bonus, the owning experience will likely be richer all the way through, thanks to more courteous sales/service and a longer warranty.
The Bad
That stuff costs money. Stepping up from a compact-sized car (say, a Mazda 3) to a like-sized luxury car (say, a BMW 3-series) takes a cool dozen grand. Worse, the increase grows exponential as you ascend in the range: from a Honda Accord to an Acura RL takes $25,000, and from a Toyota Avalon to a BMW 750i takes an extra $40,000. In other words, the cost of one big Bimmer is enough for two Avalons and change. And don’t forget maintenance costs; ever seen the price of BMW parts?
The Ugly
It used to just be a matter of swallowing the price and writing the check, but many luxury makes have felt the need to prove the worth of their cars by confusing the hell out of the drivers. First it was Mercedes’ COMAND. Then it was BMW’s iDrive – by far the worst of the bunch – and finally Audi’s MultiMedia Interface. To a lesser degree, heavy-handed electronics and interfaces have crept into Japanese, American, and British luxury cars as well. What good is that 14-speaker stereo if you have to stop and look up in the manual how to change the station? Some of these electronics have also proven to be quite troublesome, causing the average reliability rankings of their parent companies to nosedive. Nothing luxurious about that.
But if you have the patience and tolerance, the world’s best cars are waiting for you. At a price.
By: Ian Velvet
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