5 Luxury Barges That Have Lost 90% Of Their Value

1. Mercedes S-Class

Mercedes’ iconic luxury yacht/saloon has long been the ultimate cruiser for people with ludicrous mountains of cash to throw at cars. Depending on the spec, you can expect to pay in the region of £100,000, so the fact that Y2K cars are now hovering around £1000 is quite remarkable.

Sure, the upkeep would be ludicrously expensive, but who cares when you’ve got a 5.0-litre engined, limousine-spec S-class with its own phone? Ballin’ on a budget.

2. Jaguar XJ

If you like to cruise in regal style, feeling like a Lord as you boot it about town, then look no further than the Jaguar XJ. With styling so British it’s a surprise Her Maj’s face isn’t plastered across the bonnet, the XJ has a unique, head turning presence on the road, even today.

You can grab an early 2000s example of the ‘X308’ generation XJ for less than £3000, but if you don’t care about running costs blasting a hole in your bank balance then look no further than the supercharged XJR. The 370bhp 4.0-litre V8 is silky smooth, and if you run it properly you’ll be looking at single-digit MPGs. Worth it.

3. Lexus GS300

If you’re a hardcore JDM guy and you can’t even stomach driving a European motor for your comfy daily, give the Lexus GS300 a try. It doesn’t quite have the heritage or inherent classiness of Mercedes’ or BMW’s efforts, but that somehow makes it cooler. Fancy taking the plunge? You can pick up a decent example for £2k, tops.

4. Maserati Quattroporte

Okay, so these haven’t lopped 90 per cent off their value quite yet, but they’re getting there, and it’d be rude not to include the Maserati Quattroporte in any list of luxo-barges. Just look at it. It’s got incredibly quirky styling, but the Italians just seem to make that work. If the XJ makes you feel like a queen, the Maserati makes you feel like a Mafioso.

These cars are beginning to dip below £15,000, meaning that you could look like a made man for the price of a well-optioned Dacia Sandero. I know, the Dacia is a worthy rival, but I think I’ll stick to the one with a 395bhp, 4.2-litre V8 this time…

5. Volkswagen Phaeton

The Volkswagen Phaeton is a bit of a left-field choice, but it’s a quirky automotive icon. Built on the Bentley Flying Spur’s platform and featuring engines from the Audi A8, it was built to be VW’s luxury competitor for the likes of Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Unfortunately it never quite caught the imagination of buyers, largely thanks to the fact that the VW badge just didn’t have quite the same appeal as its competitors.

Still, the fact that they’re so rare makes them extra cool, and now that they’re available for less than £5000 it’s really rather exciting. The most fruity model is the bananas 5.0-litre V10 TDI - I can currently only find one available for sale in the UK, yours for a surprisingly reasonable £7000