New Car

[Lemur]

Sarmatian and Lemur have an excellent point about used BMWs. Look for one fresh off a 3 year lease, you can probably find a really high-end one for your price range.

This is what ~$20k gets you if you play it smart:



(Yes, that's the actual Lemurmobile around the time I bought it. AWD, winter package, convenience package, all of the trimmings. Like I said earlier, it would have been $40k minimum had I bought new.)

And the 7 series depreciate even faster. Por ejemplo, a 2006 BMW 7-series sedan can be had for as low as $21,575. If that ain't a bargain I don't know what is. Of course, the 7 series gets terrible mileage and costs a pretty penny to maintain, so I would steer clear of it. But please be conscious of the luxo-end deals that are available.

-edit-

And if I may chime in: Agreed, avoid Saab like the plague.

High-end brands that actually mean something: Acura, Lexus, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Cadillac, Infiniti

High-end brands that are questionable: Saab, Hummer, Lincoln, Jaguar, Land Rover, all "Sport Activity Vehicles"

Bespoke cars that are silly expensive and make no sense unless you have money to burn: Porsche, Lambo, Aston Martin, etc.