Who is buying these used luxury sedans?

[GenXer]

Take for an instance a 7 series BMW or an S class Mercedes-Benz, perhaps a Jaquar XJ or Porsche Panamera with 90K miles and 7 years old.

Who is buying them? $100K+ when new and now only about the same price of a Honda Civic.

They look great and have oodles of charm and the latest and greatest technology of 7 years ago. But, they are plagued with myriad of electronic gremlins, enormous repair bills, expensive maintenance schedule and could easily be beaten by a modern Hyundai. They're not collector vehicles, they will not go up in value and will end up being crushed at a junk yard.

But here they are sitting in used car lots waiting to lure unsuspecting customers with easy financing terms and dreams of luxury car ownership.

Surely they don't make good first car for Jr. for going back and forth to school. They're not reliable enough for grandma going to church on Sundays.
A wealthy person already has one in his 6 car garage. But he's now bragging about his new Tesla of how fast and efficient it is to his friends.

Who is buying them? Where do old luxury sedans go?

[yco]

Those who can’t afford them when they’re new.

[GenXer]

Originally Posted by yco

Those who can’t afford them when they’re new.

For enthusiasts with some knowledge and familiarity with the brand you are right but these sedans aren't enthusiast's cars

[BzsBimmer]

There’s probably some wannabe influencers that’ll pick one up. Maybe some boy’z in da hood pimps.

BMW/Merc still has status over Hyundai and the likes, even if parked in front of the house because it’s broken.

[Twt]

Same guy who bought the “Bolex” watch for $25 in NYC...my sons still keeps better time than the real one

[GenXer]

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

There’s probably some wannabe influencers that’ll pick one up. Maybe some boy’z in da hood pimps.

BMW/Merc still has status over Hyundai and the likes, even if parked in front of the house because it’s broken.

I drive past this guy's house on a country road and he has a black E46 in his yard with grass growing around it at least 2 feet tall. It's been there 3 years!

[DocL]

It all depends on the numbers game. If the car has a good service history and most of the bigger problems have already been addressed, they are a good deal. I know a few people who have BMW's and MB's with over 200k miles on them and they are still going strong. You can even find a 2015 S550 with low miles for around $40k. Great cars for the money.

[..Rush..]

I see your point. However, if the car was properly serviced and maintained, then there shouldn't be too many issues.

[R N M]

Lots of these cars are shipped to Eastern Europe or Central Asia countries. Huge business.

Dealt with a shipping company in NY - and that’s pretty much all they did.

[fastboatster]

If you get a 6 cylinder 7 series with zf 6 or 8 speed, is it going to be a lot worse than 5 series? Probably not. Curious to hear from the actual owners, though.

[Unknown_Car]

Say whatever you want but the E38 7 series, especially the 2001 is still is my favorite 7 series ever made.

[jkoral]

I can't think of any sane person except Tyler Hoover of YouTube's Hoovies Garage (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdE...kx_4PnMZ10MVFA):

2005 745i for $3500 (see https://www.autotrader.com/car-video...-states-267950)

2008 760Li for $4500 (see https://www.autotrader.com/car-video...81474979973029

I just started watching his channel and really enjoy seeing the eclectic cars he buys and how much it costs to fix them.

He buys all brands, including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Bentley, Maserati, Aston martin, Mercedes, etc -- typically the cheapest one for sale in America (in the enthusiast configuration he wants).

[fastboatster]

Well duh, he's not paying out of his own pocket. Rather, its the ad revenue, and he's not trying to fix these cars cost effectively or make money on resale. Will not work for most of the people.
I actually really want the f chassis 7 series. I'm thoroughly impressed how it was able to ram and move some f150 truck. Should such need arise, I need to be able to do it, lol) Well, maybe x5m will be even better.

[chassis]

The W222 S-Class gets high(er) reliability ratings vs the prior platform. First model year was 2013. So take for example a 2015-2017 with 90k miles, this can be a very good vehicle if it has a full M-B dealer service history. For long life/high mileage and reasonable running costs, avoid the AMG model and the optional suspension. Nothing comes close to an S-Class in terms of presence and comfort at the price.

It's an interesting time we live in. There are a wide variety of very good used vehicles to choose from. This is one reason why exclusive luxury vehicles drop in price. Once they are not new, they are just another set of wheels, which is a crowded market at the moment.

[jlstyle]

Well I got 2014 Audi S7 with 60k on odo for $35k including bumper to bumper Audi warranty until 100k or 2021. I got it about on 2018 and never looked back. I simply cannot afford a new one comfortably, and a used car never bothered me anyways, so I got it. I got it appraised for it few months ago for fun and they offered me $32k cash for it. Aint too bad for 6years old car.

[Germanauto]

A lot of W220s and E65s are in working class areas and/or the hood. People pick them up for under $10k, make them look like shit, and don't maintain them.

For whatever reason I've noticed the likes of the 6-series gran coupe, A7, CLS don't suffer as bad a fate.

[thebmw]

I used to buy all my cars new. I would never be caught in a used car. Over the last 30 years, we have had over 50 new cars. As I have become older and can now actually afford new cars, I won't buy one.

The metrics have changed. New cars have awful depreciation now (not to mention new models now suck, but separate story). They used to make sense when leases were more favorable. So there are people like me who don't buy 100K cars new because we are smart, not because we can't afford them.

BTW, I am an enthusiast and prefer manual transmission. I'm not in the market for the 7 series, but if I was, it would be foolish to buy new. A lot of 7 series are not driven hard (unlike an "enthusiast" car). So basically, you could find one in pristine condition 3-4 years later at a discount of 60%!

[Emilime75]

I am and will keep doing so. I was shopping for an E38 750il, but couldn't find one clean enough within an acceptable distance. A nice deal on an E92 came up during my E38 search, so I bought that. I'm also fairly certain that an AMG 55 or 65 will very likely one day end up in my ownership. A W221 S65 is high on the list. With that said, I am an enthusiast and like working on cars. I don't pay mechanics for labor, and these "expensive" and high maintenance vehicles would never be my only mode of transportation. Always have 2-3 cars around, so if one breaks, I can take my time diagnosing and price shopping for parts. Not sure why people automatically assume that only the unsuspecting get lured in by the easy financing and "status"...or that it's someone from the "hood" - whatever that entitled comment is supposed to mean. IMO, paying $100k+ for a car is just straight up stupid, again, IMO, but you do you and I'll wait for that depreciation to hit your wallet and then pick it up for pennies on the dollar.

[stein_325i]

Simple answer. Those who simply don't care and just want the look. They may be broke as f*** and would be better off with a Camry, but no one will know that when they're rolling down the street with their 24' chrome spinners on their 7er or S Class that's leaking oil and spitting out smoke from the rear.

No offense, but drive into the hood, and you will see something like this.

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by Roma_335i

Say whatever you want but the E38 7 series, especially the 2001 is still is my favorite 7 series ever made.

The E38 Shorty Sporty (Short Wheel Base + Manual) was and will always be such a cool car.

[fastboatster]

Originally Posted by joshuastein55

The E38 Shorty Sporty (Short Wheel Base + Manual) was and will always be such a cool car.

Yeah, a v12 750li like this one would be nice:


P.S. why are we only talking about sedans, lets include SUVs. How about this V8 4.4 e53 x5:

[jkoral]

Originally Posted by fastboatster

Well duh, he's not paying out of his own pocket. Rather, its the ad revenue, and he's not trying to fix these cars cost effectively or make money on resale. Will not work for most of the people.

Exactly, but it really drives home the OP's point of "...they are plagued with myriad of electronic gremlins, enormous repair bills, expensive maintenance schedule..."

These are not good cars for most (any?) people.