Living In The Lap Of Luxury
Owning a luxury car is something that’s on many people’s bucket lists. After all, who wouldn’t want to drive around in a flashy ride? But as the saying goes, “mo’ money, mo’ problems,” and owning a luxury car isn’t always all that it’s cracked up to be. While there are a lot of upsides, luxury car ownership is also rife with downsides — and it's important to get some perspective and really break down everything it entails.
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1. High Purchase Cost
One of the largest barriers to entry when it comes to luxury cars is the steep price points. Most people are simply priced out of ever getting their hands on one. Unless you have plenty of disposable income to throw around, buying a luxury car is sure to bring about a lot of unnecessary financial strain.
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2. Expensive Maintenance
Not only are luxury cars more expensive to purchase, but they're also more expensive to maintain. Even basic services like oil changes and brake replacements can cost you an arm and a leg due to the specialized skilled labour they would require.
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3. Steep Depreciation
Just because a car is expensive when you purchase it initially doesn't mean that value will carry over if you decide to sell it. In fact, the opposite is true! Many vehicles experience sharp depreciation as soon as they’re driven, especially if the car isn’t well-maintained.
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4. Higher Insurance Premiums
Luxury cars tend to have more liabilities, and insurance companies know this all too well. Due to higher repair costs and increased risk of theft, insurance companies levy higher premiums on luxury car owners because they know it could cost them a lot more in the long run.
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5. Limited Practicality
If you’re looking for practicality, buy a Toyota! Luxury cars aren’t intended to be the most utilitarian cars on the road — they’re meant to look flashy and opulent. In the case of luxury vehicles, it's almost always style over substance.
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6. Expensive Parts Replacement
Luxury brands don’t want you replacing their car parts with just anything — they want you getting it straight from the source. Unfortunately, that means you’ll need to get your hands on costly, brand-specific parts that aren’t always readily available and, in some cases, will even need to be imported.
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7. Lower Fuel Efficiency
Let’s face it: luxury cars are rarely ever designed with fuel efficiency in mind. People with enough disposable income to buy a luxury car probably won’t fret about fuel economy so most brands won’t prioritize it. Not to mention the fact that many luxury cars have immensely powerful engines that eat up a lot more fuel than the average car.
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8. Limited Availability of Service Centers
Due to their exclusive nature, many luxury car brands simply won’t have as many available service centres compared to a typical brand. Finding a qualified mechanic can become a gruelling task, often requiring you to travel a lot further than you normally would.
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9. Complicated Features
The whole point of buying a luxury car is enjoying the breadth of features and options that come with it. But for some people, all of these bells and whistles can quickly become overwhelming and overly complicated. Sometimes less is more.
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10. Attracts Unwanted Attention
For some people, the attention-grabbing nature of owning a luxury car is a major selling point. But in reality, all of that extra attention is bound to result in some pretty unpleasant experiences, most notably envy from those around you and even theft.
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1. Superior Comfort and Quality
If there’s one thing luxury vehicles are known for, it's superior comfort and quality. They may not be the fastest or most practical vehicle on the road, but one thing they will almost always excel at is delivering keen attention to detail, high-quality materials, and advanced features that will ensure you have the best ride possible.
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2. Advanced Technology
Luxury car brands are widely recognized as indispensable automotive trendsetters, who often set the benchmark for what the rest of the industry will adopt in the years to come. That means you can always expect a new luxury car to have the most innovative and cutting-edge technology including infotainment systems, driver assistance tools, and advanced safety features.
3. Enhanced Performance
Due to their steep price points, you can expect most luxury cars to pack quite the punch when it comes to performance. Often equipped with powerful engines and finely tuned suspension, luxury cars will provide you with unmatched speed, handling, and comfort.
4. Status Symbol
Beyond the technical might and prowess that comes with owning a luxury car, a major selling point for most people is its use as a status symbol. Luxury brands carry with them a heightened sense of prestige and exclusivity, which many people take to as an outward display of their success and personal achievement.
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5. Customization Options
Luxury vehicle brands offer customers unmatched customization options that allow them to personalize a car to their exact specifications. These brands know that they need to tailor to their customers' every desire including bespoke interior finishes and distinct exterior colours.
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6. Better Resale Value for Certain Models
While most cars (especially luxury cars) greatly depreciate over time, there are some limited edition or classic luxury cars that not only retain their exorbitant value but even appreciate in some cases. If you know what you’re doing, you can easily expect to flip a luxury car on the secondary market to make back your money or even profit a bit.
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7. Superior Safety Features
In an effort to offer its customers unparalleled comfort and peace of mind, most luxury car brands will place heavy emphasis on including robust safety features. Things like adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and advanced airbag systems are all par for the course when it comes to purchasing a modern luxury vehicle
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8. High-Quality Customer Service
As high-paying, premium customers, luxury car owners can expect to receive unparalleled customer service. Dealerships will generally go the extra mile to sweeten the deal and help justify the steep cost of their vehicles by offering perks like valet services, concierge support, and extended warranties.
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9. Exclusive Ownership Experience
In addition to going the extra mile when it comes to customer service, many luxury car brands will also offer loads of exclusive ownership experiences to really give their customers a pampered treatment. Owners can expect to periodically receive access to exclusive events,, private lounges, and even test-driving events for news models.
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10. Quiet and Smooth Ride
Luxury cars are renowned for offering drivers the smoothest and most comfortable ride possible. With advanced suspension systems and stellar sound insulation, many luxury cars are specifically engineered to create a smooth and serene driving experience that goes above and beyond their standard automotive counterparts.
