You only get one chance at a first impression, so don’t let your Instagram followers know that you work a 9-5 job like the rest of us. Cars are a big status symbol, but putting a Rolls-Royce on your driveway is a costly venture. Or is it?
Here are 10 cars that don’t cost the Earth, but will make you look successful. Fake it until you make it!
Rolls-Royce Phantom VII
Ok, so this isn’t cheap in the broadest sense, but you can get a previous generation Phantom for a total bargain today. You should probably note that these are high-mileage and well used cars in need of costly maintenance, but you would at least own a top-flight Rolls-Royce. Not bad considering that these carried a price tag in excess of £250,000 when new.
£50,000 gets you into the Phantom VII club, or for around £10k you could bad a Silver Spirit – but then everyone would know you bought a Roller on a budget!
Range Rover Sport
The Range Rover Sport launched back in 2004 and presented a new entry point to the British luxury marque, preceding the little Evoque. Its large stature and bold styling made a real statement, and its more sporting nature appealed to a younger buyer than the traditional Range Rover owner. The car was a runaway success and has since gone through a couple of generations.
Its more athletic looks are backed up by a chassis that handles remarkably well of this size for vehicle. That said, it remains true to its Land Rover roots and is more than capable when it comes to hitting the rough stuff. Given the correct tyres, the Range Rover Sport will go almost anywhere its bigger brother can.
The passage of time and questionable reliability means that you can get a Range Rover Sport for under £5,000 if you’re brave. Spending more will get you a newer model with lower mileage, but if you want a luxury image on a budget, this 4×4 represents great value for money.
Bentley Continental
Joining the ranks of 'cars that might financially ruin you if you would scary afford them in the first place’ is the Bentley Continental. An excellent car with a glorious 6.0-litre W12 engine, these affluent machines can now be had for as little as £15,000 with 80,000-miles on the clock. Obviously, at this price we’d expect them to be needing some serious TLC.
They still look pretty good today, but be mindful that replacement parts will be princely sums.
BMW 7 Series E65
Easily the most controversial BMW until the recent 4 Series, this rather ugly 7 Series was never fully accepted amongst BMW fans. However, their loss might be your gain as this luxury limo can now be had for £3,000 – a lot of car for the money!
While many of the cheapest examples are diesel cars, keep hunting and you’ll find a few V12-engined models for around £9,000. That’s just £750 per cylinder.
Jaguar XJ
The Jaguar XJ has a production life spanning over five decades, so there’s plenty of the British luxury car out there. £1,500 will buy you a car that’s under 25 years-old with some of the older variants being pricier due to collectability.
We even managed to find a sporty JXR for £2,500.
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Just £1,300 can buy you a 20 year-old S-Class, a machine that was celebrated as the flagship of the German marque. Enjoy all of the luxury and kudos that comes with owning such an opulent car, however, they don’t have the best reliability record.
You might be sat at the side of the road facing big repair bills, but nothing says success like an S-Class.
Lexus LS 400
Many of these cars on this list a cheap for a very good reason, however, the LS is probably the machine of the lot you can really place your faith in. Its build quality is excellent, and Toyota/Lexus’ desire to challenge Mercedes-Benz resulted in an excellent luxury car.
An LS can be had for as little as £3,000 and we wouldn’t shy away from high-milage cars either. If looked after these luxury machines can be as reliable as any Toyota.
Ferrari Mondial
To be totally honest, it is one of the worst Ferraris ever made. However, this mid-engined 2+2 does at least get you into the Prancing Horse club. This car represents the cheapest way into Ferrari ownership at the moment, that said values have been climbing of late.
You can currently buy a Mondial for less than £30,000 with some worryingly cheap convertible examples closer to £20k.
Audi Q7
Nothing says image-conscious like a big Audi SUV. The first-generation Q7s are big bold automobiles that can now be had for £5-6k. As well as being visually impressive, the Q7 also seats seven and can even be found with a V12 diesel engine. V12 cars are much pricier due to how rare they are, but bring some serious kudos with them.
Instagram would love selfies with this large SUV.
Porsche Cayenne
The first-generation Cayenne might have been the car that helped save Porsche, but it’s certainly not got any better looking with age. Undoubtably an impressive performance SUV, this big Porsche delivered your need for speed while accommodating the whole family. Naturally this appealed to those being forced to surrender their 911 in the wake of growing children.
The Boxster was once the cheapest Porsche on the used market, but early cars are quickly becoming collectable, meaning that the Cayenne now takes its place as the bargain Porsche. We’ve seen some examples for as little as £3,000 but we’d strongly advise spending a more. Parts for this car can be costly, so try to avoid buying a money pit. However, there is something worryingly tempting about a £3k Porsche.
Keyword: Top 10 cheap cars that make you look rich