If you’re thinking of getting yourself a luxury car, you generally need quite a sizable budget to buy brand-new from the dealership. Even $100,000 doesn’t guarantee you’ll be getting a decent luxury car in 2023, which is a sad state of affairs both for the consumer and the manufacturer looking to sell as many of any given model as they can.
Luckily, the used market has always been a great place to pick up a fairly recent luxury car for a fraction of the price of a new one, sometimes being so affordable it is alarming thanks to rapid depreciation. Of course, there are occasions these deals are too good to be true, but most luxury cars of the past 10–15 years will be solid investments for very little money.
We’ve compiled this list of 10 amazing used luxury cars under $20,000. Don’t expect to sell these on for very much, but rather enjoy their remaining years of opulent service.
RELATED: 10 Underrated Luxury Cars That Offer Great Value
10 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class - $20,000
The S-Class has always been a car at the forefront of the industry, although this hasn’t necessarily been the case recently. There was a time when you’d look at a new S-Class and know that the most advanced technology would be on most cars as standard a decade later, but perhaps not so much anymore as we move into an era of EVs and hybrids.
This isn’t to say that the S-Class is past it: far from it, in fact. It’s still a wonderful luxury car, it is generally a reliable used car and deserves to be Mercedes’ flagship sedan. There’ll be decent S-Class no matter which generation you choose, but we’ve picked the 2014 model year car as it is the most recent you can get for our $20,000 budget.
9 2016 Audi A8 - $20,000
Similarly to the S-Class, the A8 is a great choice for an understated luxury sedan. Most famous obviously is the S8, which is the quintessential European sleeper and a car we love, but you’re not really going to find too many recent S8s for under $20,000.
If you’re happy to settle for a smaller engine and a smoother ride, the standard A8 is still a perfectly lovely luxury car. For whatever reason, they hold value a little less than the S-Class we just looked at despite being a similar age. You’ll be able to pick up a 2016 A8 for under $20,000, which is one of the most recent cars on this list.
8 2015 BMW 7 Series - $20,000
Continuing this opening theme of German luxury sedans from the big three, let’s take a look at what sort of 7 Series you can get yourself for under $20,000. The answer is quite a few, but we’ve plumped for a 2015 model-year car which is admittedly a couple of hundred bucks more.
In truth, absolutely any generation of 7 Series will serve you with class and distinction, from the '90s James Bond E38 to the most recent open-mouthed G70. The 7 Series has always been a sensible pick for second-hand luxury, and we’re not going to try and prove otherwise.
RELATED: 10 Used German Luxury Cars That Are Cheap To Own And Maintain
7 2012 Porsche Panamera - $20,000
When Porsche first launched the Panamera in 2009, people were understandably quite disparaging about the looks of the thing, and whilst it has been refined and retouched over the intervening 14 years, it would not be unfair to say that the Taycan is by far the most attractive four-door car produced by the Stuttgart brand. The Taycan now outsells both the Panamera and the 911.
However, the fact of the matter is that most of the time you’ll be sitting behind the wheel, and it’s a very nice place to sit. The Panamera is a great car to drive too, and for that reason alone we have no qualms about placing it on this list. An early 2012 Panamera with high mileage is likely to be at the top end of our $20,000 budget.
6 2005 Bentley Flying Spur - $20,000
An interesting car, the Flying Spur was essentially a faster and more upmarket version of the already fast and upmarket VW Phaeton, which remains a hugely underrated luxury vehicle. However, the car with the Bentley badge is the one we’ve picked here.
Badge-snobbery aside, the Flying Spur is actually incredibly similar to the Phaeton, right down to the fact they depreciated unbelievably quickly. The W12 engine didn’t help with that, although it is still a great motor and delivered power incredibly smoothly, which in addition to the creamy ride gives quite a relaxed experience. The good news is that the Flying Spur can be found for around our $20,000 budget.
5 2016 Jaguar XJ - $20,000
Jaguar’s last XJ, and sadly final at the time of writing, was a truly magnificent luxury sedan. Much as Jaguar has had a reputation of unreliability in the past, this generation of XJ was actually one of the most dependable cars in its class.
That’s a great reason to get one even before we move onto the surprisingly sporty feel of such a big luxury car, and the interior is still a lovely and modern-feeling place to sit even if it was designed over a decade ago. Our $20,000 budget should just about get you a 2016 XJ, but you might have to go about $1000 over. It would be worth it though, as it would be a particularly solid choice.
4 2012 Range Rover - $19,500
Purchase any Range Rover and people will assume you’re doing alright for yourself, no matter how old or what spec it still says “Range Rover” across the bonnet, and for whatever reason that screams wealth and luxury. We’re using that rather quaint misconception to our advantage here, as there are several Range Rovers available for under $20,000. There are quite a few things that you should know before buying a Range Rover, but many of the reliability complaints tend to be lesser with newer model years.
We’ve picked the most recent in this price range, the 2012 model year, and the last of the Series 3. Go back a few years further than that, and you can even get a supercharged Range Rover for the budget. We’ll let you decide whether to pick power or modernity.
RELATED: 10 Best Luxury Cars For Under $50,000
3 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS - $
The CLS was instrumental in turning around Mercedes’ failing reliability reputation in the mid-2000s, as it managed to provide build quality, driving excitement, and the requisite amount of luxury all rolled into one package.
Every CLS since the first generation has carried on this fine standard, and for that reason, it making this list is a no-brainer. A variety of CLSs can be found for this money, but we’ve plumped for the original model as it even helped coin the term "four-door coupe." You can pick up a decent one for just about $20,000.
2 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport - $17,000
The Discovery Sport was Land Rover’s way of replacing the pretty terrible LR2 Freelander with a slightly more modern looking, and crucially more upmarket and therefore expensive luxury off-roader. What the Discovery Sport did was help refine Land Rover’s product line into the three distinct divisions we see now in 2023.
Of course, it’s very tempting to pick a Range Rover of the same era over the Discovery Sport, especially given the difference in nameplate appeal. However, don’t be fooled, because you can get a really loaded first-year Discovery Sport for the same money as a pretty worn Range Rover, and for $17,000 it makes a great deal of sense.
1 2014 Audi TT - $17,000
.jpg "10 Amazing Used Luxury Cars Under $20,000 (10)")
Audi’s TT has arguably been one of the benchmark premium sports cars ever since the first generation car was launched 25 years back. Despite its modern classic status, the TT has now been killed off by Audi as they look to refocus their efforts in electric cars.
In which case, it’s best to get a TT whilst you still have the chance, and they don’t become ridiculously expensive. You’re not getting an S or RS model for this money, but you will get a standard TT, which is nonetheless a brilliant car with responsive handling and a well-made feel to the cabin materials. $17,000 should comfortably get you an early example third-gen Audi TT with less than 100,000 miles on the odometer.
