5 Older Luxury Cars That Are Still Stylish Today
Who doesn't love a little taste of luxury? Unfortunately, when it comes to luxury vehicles, they're typically quite expensive. Folks shopping for a luxury car often turn to the used luxury car market. That being said, even used luxury vehicles from the modern era can still fetch price tags north of the average median income, making that sweet ride unattainable for many buyers. There is a solution, though: Shop for old cars.
If you think about it, luxury cars are luxury cars regardless of the year they are built. Sure, there are a lot more modern amenities (especially in the world of tech) that you won't find on older vehicles. However, a comfortable ride, upscale interiors, smooth engines with big power, and classy, stylish looks are more than attainable across all kinds of price points when you look a few decades back. Let's check out five awesome luxury cars built before the year 2000 that still look phenomenal rolling down the road.
Lexus LS400
The Lexus LS400 is not just a Lexus. It's the Lexus. Toyota spent over $1 billion developing the LS400 and racked up millions of miles worth of prototype test drives to ensure that it was the absolute pinnacle of luxury in the early 1990s. Lexus engineers panned their scopes right past BMW and Mercedes and took aim at the top of the luxury food chain with comfort, quality, and features that rivaled that of Rolls Royce and Bentley. Its smooth, bulletproof, and iconic 1UZ V8 engine combined with meticulous engineering of suspension and chassis deadening make the LS400 a truly heavenly driving experience.
Above all of that, in terms of this list, at least, the LS400 looks beautiful. Sure, it's not what one would call "timeless." However, its design is so prim and proper, bold, yet understated, and smooth that it remains gorgeous to this day in an iconic classic sort of way. It's a little boxy, a little modern, and a lot attractive.
R107 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
An automaker rarely lands on a design that's so phenomenal its production continues for nearly two decades. One exception, though, is the R107 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class. Spanning an 18-year production run from 1971 all the way to 1989, the R107 is a bonafide classic that still looks absolutely stunning rolling down the road today.
Mercedes offered the R107 SL-Class with multiple high-end engine options from inline six-cylinders to roaring V8s. Roaring is relative, of course, because as a "personal luxury car," Mercedes still set out to give the SL a quiet and comfortable ride. In top trim, the 560SL, a 5.5-liter V8 engine offered 272 horsepower and a 0-60 time around seven seconds. Best of all, the ever-stylish convertible option was available. Whether you're into coupes or convertibles, the R107 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class offers nearly two decades of what could only be described as artwork for the road. The luxurious ride quality and power are really just the cherry on top.
E31 BMW 8 Series
Perhaps a V8 coupe just isn't quite enough for your tastes in the luxury world. If that's the case, an E31 BMW 8 Series might be the solution. Spanning model years from 1990 to 1999, this phenomenal luxury coupe stands out both today and within its respective time period. It's low, both in ride height and overall body height, giving it more of a supercar appearance than what one might picture when thinking of a "cookie cutter" BMW model. Instead, its styling is more reminiscent of the iconic BMW M1 supercar. It doesn't just have high-performance looks, either. It packs serious punch.
While V8 options were available, the flagship 850i came sporting the M70 dual-overhead-cam V12 with a plenty potent power output of 296 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. It could sprint from zero to 60 mph in around six seconds and had a top speed of 155 miles per hour. The crown jewel of the E31 lineup, though, is the 850CSi. Equipped with a manual transmission and the S70 V12 (the same platform that powered the almighty McLaren F1), it put out an almost unbelievable 375 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. Without the 155 mph factory-installed limiter, it could run freely up to 180 mph and hit 60 seconds in the low five-second range. They're not easy to find, though, and when they do come up for sale, they aren't cheap. Hagerty values a good condition example at $121,000.
E38 BMW 7 Series
While the 8 Series definitely falls on the side of performance when it comes to the luxury world, the E38 BMW 7 takes a different approach. The E38 was the product of BMW's laser focus on complete luxury. The Bavarian behemoth came with an electronically controlled suspension system, satellite navigation (in 1994!), "active comfort" seats that give pseudo-massages, and even footrests and fold-down meal trays in the top-trim 750iL. The E38 was also the first car to offer curtain airbags, a safety technology we all take for granted these days.
Beyond the creature comforts, the E38 BMW 7 Series offers iconic mid-1990s BMW styling that one can recognize from miles away. The E38 look isn't modern, it's iconic; a classic of its time that has aged with maximum grace. Moreover, the model offers a step into a V12 BMW for much less money than an 8 Series. Just be prepared for the cost of parts.
1999 Audi A8
Known as the "D2" Audi A8, this model's production spanned the years 1995 to 2003. The A8 is likely the most modern-looking model on this list, with classic design cues for Audis of this era. That sleek rounded styling offers a blend of the past and the present frozen in time.
Its luxury features also fall perfectly in the middle of old and new. Classic luxuries like fine Nappa leather, heated seats, and dual-zone climate control all make it to the table. Slightly more modern features include an optional cold weather package with a heated steering wheel and a ski sack that runs through the trunk into the cabin, auto-dimming mirrors, power head restraint and lumbar adjustment, and Alcantara interiors. The most late '90s/early 2000s feature, though, has to be the optional xenon headlights. A warm weather package was also available with a solar sunroof that turned on fresh air fans when the vehicle was parked in the sun.
[Featured image by My Hobo Soul via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0]