European cars are some of the most stylish and desirable vehicles on the market, ranging from the absolutely gorgeous Bentley Flying Spur to the much more affordable BMW 3-Series. European cars just have this vibe about them that automatically elevate them to a higher plane of automobile – above anything from other countries.
Over the years, most automakers around the world have designed and engineered their respective models to compete with the European cars. The most well-known example of this is the BMW 3-Series. Many automakers build small executive sedans, but they use the 3-Series as the standard and try – at the very least – to break even with it in terms of performance and build quality. Some carmakers accomplish their goals in regard to the European cars, sometimes exceeding expectations and ending up with a car more stylish.
Luckily for us motoring enthusiasts, European cars are mostly considered premium vehicles, so they fall into more towards the ‘luxury’ segment, resulting in depreciation that will make a Bitcoin owner blush. So, while these cars have become quite affordable – according to Hagerty – and mostly seem like a steal on the used market, is it really a good idea to buy them? Here are ten stylish European used cars we can afford, but probably shouldn’t buy.
10 Maserati Quattroporte
The Maserati Quattroporte V can be considered the first proper 4-door Ferrari – even though Ferrari would disagree. The Quattroporte used many Ferrari parts – including the engine and transmission – but never emphasized its sportiness outright.
The Quattroporte V was fitted with either a 4.2-liter or 4.7-liter V8, which was the engine out of a Ferrari F430 – albeit slightly tweaked. As a result, the Quattroporte V produces one of the best exhaust sounds of any car – a proper Ferrari accolade. Unfortunately, the Quattroporte is a luxury car, so in addition to the ridiculous depreciation, it is quite expensive to maintain and repair – especially if parts need to be ordered from Italy.
9 Alfa Romeo 156
The Alfa Romeo 156 was the Italian marque’s mid-tier sedan designed to do battle with the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4. It mostly had 4-cylinder engines in both naturally aspirated gasoline and turbocharged diesel configurations. The best of the range was the 156 GTA with its glorious Busso V6.
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
Some may not necessarily think the 156 is a stylish car, which is fine, but there is no way to forget that the car is Italian and was available with one of the best V6 engines ever made. Granted, it was an Alfa Romeo, so it required a relative amount of care to stay in working order, but it is a fantastic vehicle – when going for the V6.
8 Jaguar S-Type
The Jaguar S-Type originated in the 1960s as the successor to the famous Mark 2. The first model lasted for five years between 1963 and 1968. The S-Type name was revived in 1999 as the predecessor to the modern XF.
The S-Type was not necessarily a bad car. It had good engines, including a 400 hp supercharged V8 in the S-Type R trim. The S-Type is still a comfortable and smooth premium vehicle for anyone wanting to get in on the European train cheaply. Unfortunately, maintenance and repairs on it can get quite expensive when the bigger stuff goes wrong.
7 Range Rover L322
The Range Rover L322 generation is an interesting vehicle. When browsing among the various car-focused forums, users normally ask about the vehicle in question’s reliability, fuel economy, running costs, and so forth. When visiting the L322’s forums though, most users who actually have experience with the Range Rover tell everyone to stay away.
The reasoning behind this is quite sound – the L322 is a nightmare to keep on the road. Designed and engineered during a time when BMW and Ford owned Land Rover, the L322 was caught in the middle and got bits and pieces from both automakers – mostly the cheaper and less reliable bits. So, for anyone who is looking to purchase a L322 Range Rover – good luck.
6 BMW M3 E36
The BMW E36 M3 had a difficult time in North America. Sales of the previous E30 M3 were quite bad, and BMW USA had told Munich that they don’t want the new M3 as it just won’t work – especially not at the cost of the engine. So, BMW USA made a cheaper version using a less powerful engine.
Original E36 M3s have some potentially bigger issues than the US-Spec model, mostly thanks to the throttle bodies and the more racing-inspired M-engine. The E36 also has a reputation for corrosion, something the succeeding E46 mostly solved. We’d rather go for the newer model at a slight premium for peace of mind.
5 Jaguar XJS
The XJS was the most luxurious car in Jaguar’s line-up for more than 20 years, from 1975 to 1996. It was facelifted in 1981 and a new straight-6 was added as a cheaper-to-run model. Even with yearly updates, the XJS quickly became old-fashioned and vastly outdated compared to its rivals – with the 5.3-liter V12 producing much less performance than equivalent competitors.
Regardless, the XJS remains one of the coolest Jags ever with its classic styling and comfortable ride. XJSs are quite cheap to purchase on the used car market, however, maintaining an XJS may be a bit tricky as parts are becoming rare and ever more expensive.
4 Audi RS4 B7
The Audi RS4 B7 is among the best of the RS cars. Not because it has excellent driving dynamics or because it will break track records, but simply because it has one of the best V8 engines ever made. The 4.2-liter Audi V8 sits up there with the Ferrari-Maserati F136, BMW S63, and AMG M156 as one of the greatest European V8s.
Unfortunately, one major aspect of the RS4 which has caused some discussion among owners is the horrendous understeer situation. When driven at speed, the RS4 behaves for the most part, but the worst trait is that the RS4 even understeers when driving at slow speeds. Owners have accidentally driven into their own hedges and walls because of the seemingly random slow-speed understeer.
3 Bentley Continental Flying Spur
This should be quite an obvious thing, but if you don’t have another $28,000 to spend on maintenance and repairs, do not buy a Bentley Continental Flying Spur on the cheap. It is amazing that a car which once cost nearly $200,000 nearly 20 years ago, now costs a little more than one-tenth of the original price.
The Bentley Continental is among the best of the best grand tourers on the planet and the Flying Spur version added another set of doors to allow more than two people in the car. Sadly, the early Continentals weren’t the most reliable of vehicles, with owners selling their cars right after the service plan and warranty expired – as is the case with Ed Bolian’s Continental SuperSports.
2 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was the British luxury automaker’s flagship between 1965 and 1980. The Silver Shadow featured the famous Bentley-Rolls-Royce V8, which started at 6.2 liters between 1965 and 1969, enlarged to its famous 6.75-liter displacement for the 1970 to 1980 model years.
While the Silver Shadow is among the cheapest of the Rolls-Royce models on the market, it may be prudent to look at other options. The engine wasn’t known for its cooperation and the hydraulic suspension borrowed from Citroën was extremely comfortable, but costly to fix and service. Still, the Silver Shadow is one awesome luxury barge.
1 Mercedes-Benz S-Class W220
The Mercedes-Benz W220 S-Class was a car of many firsts – as per the S-Class tradition. It was the first car to have ventilated seats, keyless entry, and start, radar-controlled adaptive cruise control, and it could even adjust the air suspension according to the surface of the road with the click of a button – advanced stuff that has now become the norm.
Unfortunately, all this fancy technology came at a price – horrendous repair bills. Most of the vehicle is controlled electronically, and the electrics had a tendency to stop working properly. Today, W220 S-Class models with V8 engines are for sale on the used market for much less than $10,000, mostly because they have some massive issues that the previous owner didn’t want to fix. Interestingly, to resolve some problems, the repair cost can easily be more than the cost of the car. We’d steer well clear, thanks.