luxury living

Tyga continues with his addiction to luxury cars with this classic Rolls-Royce

 

Tyga is getting quite a name for himself in the luxury car world. Photos of him standing along side his recently purchased black Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, also nick named the ‘batmobile’, circulated a few weeks back and now we are seeing him constantly posting on Instagram with his classic Rolls-Royce

Tyga is getting more and more attracted to the classic Rolls-Royce, considering he keeps posting images with a 1959 model on his Instagram. We all know how important the British luxury car is for all these rappers nowadays, who compete each other with the number of Wraiths and Ghosts they own, but in Tyga’s case it looks more like an obsession if you ask us.

Michael Ray Nguyen-Stevenson, known by his stage name Tyga, really wants it all, even though some things should remain for the connaisseurs. Since it’s owned by BMW AG, the Rolls-Royce models seem like they’ve turned into rappers’ favorite luxury coupe. We get that. But what we can’t agree with, is having the old school British ones also touched by this trend.

In the picture Tyga recently posted on social media, we can see a 1959 model, which means we’re talking about the Silver Cloud II. Even though it had little changes on the exterior, as opposed to his predecessor this model came with a 6.2-liter V8 engine, which pushed the weight to 2.11 tones. Performance was greatly improved and top speed was raised to 114 mph (183 km/h). The main improvements came with the acceleration and torque, while power steering became standard and electrically operated windows were now available as an option.

After all, this car makes you feel like the head of state, but that is only because kings and queens all over the world owned these sort of luxury limousines. We understand how rappers nowadays feel better when associated with gangsters, even though most of them are surrounded by bodyguards 24/7 and still play GTA on playstation. But seriously, nobody should joke around with the classics like these fellow wants to.

Source http://www.autoevolution.com/news/tyga-goes-royal-with-his-classic-rolls-royce-passion-84044.html

Who will win the luxury car race BMW or Audi?

BMW held onto the lead in global luxury-car sales as demand for 5-Series sedans and X5 sport-utility vehicles helped edge out Audi AG.

BMW delivered about 1,000 more vehicles than Volkswagen AG (VOW)’s Audi in May as the race for the top spot tightened, according to figures from the carmakers. Through the first five months of 2014, Audi’s sales climbed 12 percent, outpacing BMW’s 11 percent gain. That helped the world’s second-largest maker of premium cars cut Munich-based BMW’s lead to about 8,200 autos from 11,000 a year ago.

Audi has been closing the gap to BMW in recent years with an expanded model line-up in a bid to become the best-selling luxury-auto brand by the end of the decade. In April, the VW unit rolled out a sedan version of the A3 in the U.S., helping sales there jump 26 percent last month. BMW responded with the 2-Series compact coupe, which went on sale in March.

“BMW is more geared into the second half and into 2015” in terms of model introductions, Arndt Ellinghorst, an analyst at ISI Group in London, said by phone. “They report stronger growth right now than I would have thought, given the product outline.”

Deliveries last month of BMW autos rose 10 percent to 153,023 vehicles, as 5-Series sales gained 11 percent and X5 demand surged 63 percent. Including the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, sales rose 6.8 percent last month, with five-month demand increasing 7.4 percent to just under 826,900 deliveries.

Delivery Target

“The BMW group continued to achieve record sales in May, keeping us well on track to sell over 2 million vehicles in 2014,” Ian Robertson, head of sales and marketing, said in a statement today.

Global sales by Ingolstadt, Germany-based Audi climbed 11 percent to 152,000 cars in May, lifted by a 43 percent surge for A3 models and a 21 percent gain in demand for the Q3 compact SUV. Daimler AG (DAI)’s Mercedes-Benz, which also has a target of overtaking BMW in sales by the end of this decade, increased deliveries 10 percent in May to 134,031, buoyed by demand for the C-Class sedan and GLA compact SUV.

BMW declined as much as 1.1 percent and was trading down 0.6 percent at 92.02 euros at 12:59 p.m. in Frankfurt. VW fell 0.3 percent, while Daimler rose 0.3 percent.

Chinese Push

Surging demand for premium models in China and the U.S., the world’s two largest auto markets, is propelling growth at the three German carmakers, which are all targeting record deliveries for 2014. The competition is heating up after Audi briefly passed the BMW brand in sales at the beginning of this year, while new compact models have generated gains at Mercedes.

The five-month sales lead by BMW over Mercedes was about 80,700 vehicles, narrowing from a year-earlier difference of 88,300 autos. BMW introduced the plug-in hybrid i8 last week, its first sports car in more than three decades. In addition to the 4-Series coupe and X4 SUV already on sale, BMW plans to introduce a variant of the 2-Series, the van-like Active Tourer, this year.

BMW is likely to remain ahead of Audi in deliveries through 2015, said Ellinghorst. Even so, a race among the luxury-car makers to maintain volume at the expense of pricing is undermining profitability and brand perception.

“All these guys are defining themselves by volume and not by price realization,” he said. “You can’t call yourself a premium brand if you give away your product with a 20 percent to 30 percent discount.”

Source http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-10/bmw-holds-off-audi-as-race-for-luxury-car-lead-tightens.html

Luxury car brands to target women

When it comes to fashion, style, luxury and spending money, no one does it better than the women of the world! It comes as no surprise that luxury car brands are standing up and taking note of the female client and what they want in a car.

Women are buying more than half of the new cars in the United States and influence up to 80 per cent of all car purchases, according to Women-Drivers.com and Forbes. With statistics like these, car manufacturers and their marketers have heard the lure and are finally starting to target women and their specific needs.

The trend guru Faith Popcorn, in her book EVEolution, says, “women don’t buy brands, they join them”. And in the luxury car industry, this seems to be just the case – it looks like women are changing and pervading the field from the inside out and the outside in.

Italian marque Lamborghini reports that “three out of four workers in their trim and colour assembly area on the Sant’Agata Bolognese production line are now women”. This team of 35 women works on industrial sewing machines, cutting and stitching the leather upholstery. And the brand’s production managers at the plant agree: “Women have a more critical eye for detail”.

But women aren’t limited to the production sector – Helen Emsley heads the team that designed the interior of the 2014 Corvette Stingray and was recently appointed executive director of Global GMC Design and User Experience. The designers of the BMW i Series user interface are two women, Sandy McGill and Monika Zych. And it was big news in the car world when General Motors named Mary Barra as its new CEO last December – the first woman to ever lead a major global carmaker.

Not only are the cars becoming more women-centric, but their many accessories and brand extensions are finding new owners as well. It all started with car accessories for Maserati, Ferrari, Porsche and Bugatti – first there were leather first-aid kits and luggage compartment mats, which quickly evolved to luggage and iPad cases that took on a more feminine aesthetic.

These so-called brand extensions are inherent in the luxury goods market. Haute couture has for the past century extended to accessories, jewellery and cosmetics. Chanel and Saint Laurent (then Yves Saint Laurent) set forth as haute couture brands and today are empires spanning everything from fashion to household goods.

In the car industry during the 1970s, collaborations with luxury brands, such as Cartier, Pierre Cardin and Oleg Cassini, were commonplace and consumers looked out for these elegant special editions. Today, it’s still rife with such models as the Gucci-designed Fiat and Victoria Beckham’s baby Range Rover Evoque.

And so Bugatti joined the ranks of Porsche and Ferrari at Milan Fashion Week in September last year by launching an exclusive apparel and accessories collection. Not to be missed is their crocodile skin handbag, sculpted to mimic the front grille of the Bugatti.

Last year, Bentley started selling handbags that retail for over US$5,500, while Porsche debuted its Maria Sharapova handbag. And Mercedes-Benz is not far behind with The House of Mercedes-Benz, a fashion boutique featuring exclusive items as a limited-edition collection of wooden eyewear inspired by the wood detailing in the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Brands are gearing up more than ever to expand their offerings. Before the Geneva Motor Show in March, Lamborghini and Bentley released statements declaring that they want to “expand their brands and specifically proffer to women”.

 

Bec Brideson, director of the marketing agency Hello I’m Venus in Australia, says: “Car dealers have improved their soft skills in the dealership – putting on events that appeal primarily to women, and making their showrooms more female-friendly.” But she believes car companies still stick to a “one-size-fits-all-genders approach, especially with product development”.

Donna Milgram writes on her Recruiting Women TechnoBlog: “There are fortunes to be made for the first of these luxury car brands who are brave and imaginative enough to commit to researching, designing and marketing vehicles that appeal specifically and exclusively to the new affluent, independent woman.”

Images of lipstick, stilettos and nail varnish populate past marketing efforts that were unsuccessful. In the book Oops, Martin Smith and Patrick Kiger give examples from the 1950s, when Ford developed “Motor Mates”, a line of handbags tied to certain Ford vehicles, which Chrysler responded to with the pink “Dodge La Femme” with matching handbag, raincoat and umbrella. The 1960s were even worse – competitions with Mustangs in lipstick colours as prizes, or Studebaker’s manual entitled “Going Steady with Studie” that patronised female buyers.

A step in the right direction, however, was Volvo’s YCC (“Your Concept Car”), presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2004. Volvo assembled a design team entirely made up of women, and looked extensively at ergonomics from the perspective of a female driver.

But since then the industry is looking for the next evolution, with brands such as Bugatti reporting that they want to “double their female customers within the next five years”.

And so this is only the beginning, as luxury car brands cater to women – mimicking the female form in terms of design and paying careful attention to attributes such as maneuverability, interior craftsmanship and user-friendly features. Women, meanwhile, are interested in a luxury car product that evokes emotion, provides total reassurance and at the same time maintains the authenticity they crave – and apparently they are not afraid to ask for exactly that.

Source http://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/article/1520512/luxury-car-makers-turn-focus-women-drivers

Marbella has become the home for luxury cars in Spain

Marbella, its good news for us that Marbella has now become the home for luxury cars in Spain!

You only have to take a cruise up the Golden Mile from the centre of town to Puerto Banus and you will pass, or more likely be passed, by an exotic collection of machinery including Porsches, Ferraris, Bentleys and more recently McLarens.

The town sells more luxury cars than practically anywhere else in Spain.

So it is no surprise to find so many upmarket dealerships in town, including VIP Cars and No1 Cars Marbella in a nearby industrial zone, which offer a full range of services by British trained mechanics.

Heading in the other direction towards Estepona, you will find C. de Salamanca and Guarnieri selling the types of cars most can only dream of – Maseratis, McLarens and Rolls Royces.

Another well established dealer Miguel Domenech has been selling dream cars for over two years having made the decision to relocate from his native Sevilla and considers the Costa del Sol one of the best places to sell.

“In the last six months we have seen the market getting busier and busier,” he told the Olive Press. “I was involved in the luxury car business in Sevilla and when the crisis hit it was at its worst, but I didn’t want to leave the high end of the market”.

So what is Miguel’s dream car for the Costa del Sol? “Well, I drive to Sevilla a lot so for me it has to be something practical like an Audi A4 or A6 Avant.

“The most popular cars among my clients however are the Mercedes and BMWs. Though I suppose my perfect car would be a convertible Bentley!”.

 

Aston Martin creates 250 jobs in South Warwickshire

Most of our blogs have recently talked about the growth we are seeing in the luxury car market. Nothing cements this more than the reports we are seeing of luxury car manufacturers investing money and creating jobs for new developments and proposed expansion. The latest news comes from the south Warwickshire-based luxury car-maker Aston Martin who is investing £20 million in new developments, with the creation of 250 jobs.

The 10,000 square metre extension will be the firm’s biggest development at its headquarters in Gaydon in recent history as it looks ahead to projects on creating new sports cars.

The new jobs – to be recruited for over the next few months – will be in a number of areas, including engineering, manufacturing and commerce.

Keith Stanton, Aston Martin’s manufacturing operations director, said: “I am very happy to be able to execute another part of our manufacturing strategy by extending our already highly-efficient facility.

“The improvements at Gaydon are a big step forward and the development will enable us to streamline and finesse our manufacturing processes which, in turn, will allow us to be leaner and even more competitive.”

He added: “We have the vision of being the best producer in the luxury sports car sector and a new facility, along with the support of our flexible, highly-efficient workforce, will enable us to achieve our goal.”

Meanwhile, more than 500 applications have been submitted for the 12 places available in the latest round of the firm’s apprenticeship scheme and 14 graduates will be taken on as employees this year.

Chief financial officer Hanno Kirner said: “We have confirmed that the coming years will see Aston Martin implementing the biggest investment programme in the 101-year history of the brand, with a plan to inject over £500 million into the company’s next generation of high performance sports cars.”

This first round of developments, expected to be complete next year, will include a new chassis and pilot build facility, new offices and an extension of the parts and logistics storage area.

Source http://www.kenilworthweeklynews.co.uk/news/local-news/south-warwickshire-luxury-car-brand-to-create-250-new-jobs-1-6087342

Could the Rolls-Royce Phantom be the best car on the planet?

How much does true luxury cost these days? Well for nearly half a million dollars, you can buy yourself a truly luxurious car that can offer you the best speed, interiors and latest digital technology, but which of these will give you true luxury?
What do I mean “true luxury?” Well, let me break it down for you. A large luxury sedan is something like the all-new Mercedes-Benz S-Class or Audi A8. Getting behind the wheel will have you pampered and feature the latest and greatest technology. BUT, the interiors aren’t entirely sumptuous and when you hit some bumps you will feel them.

True luxury vehicles are cars that are conceived on what seems like another planet. Everything is, simply, the best and the vehicle reflects that in every measurable metric.

Though other marques may be social media mavens or produce the most memorable Super Bowl commercials, there’s only one that can sit atop the throne and have brand equity that places it number one in the luxury domain. Think: What other brand has attained the status of being top-notch and can be applied to any other inanimate object? How many times have you heard about another product that it’s “the Rolls-Royce of…’x’?”

This neatly brings us to our subject, the Rolls-Royce Phantom — in this instance, the Series II.

The Phantom is the flagship nameplate, which now features a standard wheelbase sedan, a long wheelbase sedan, a convertible and the rarely seen coupe. It was the first new Rolls vehicle produced under BMW ownership and was launched in the early 2000s.

When you’re confronted with the properly massive sedan you truly understand the gargantuan nature of this automobile. It’s the size of most luxury sport-utility vehicles; however, it is relatively narrow which is good for navigating busy urban centres.

Up front you’ll find the large, trademark grille that bestows a Roller. Of course, the Flying Lady does her pop up trick upon unlocking the car and it hides when the vehicle is off. From the façade back you’ll note strong lines that embody elegance and presence.

If you didn’t realize what you were getting into before, when you pull the handle of a Phantom you’ll definitely know this is not your ordinary luxury vehicle. The door weighs a lot and requires effort to open it. The good news is if you’re a rear seat passenger you have a button to press and hold to close the suicide door. I hope you didn’t think all of that wood, leather and metal amounted to nothing.

Plopping down behind the enormous and thin steering wheel, you’ll note that the bottom of the wheel — not the top, like in sportier vehicles — have thumb grips. Clearly this is a clear message that the Phantom is to be ridden in. Getting more comfortable, you’ll also realize that the seats are simple. There’s not a ridiculous number of adjustments and there’s good reason for this: they’re comfortable as is.

Probably the element that gains the most attention is the plush carpeting. I have been in many sumptuously appointed homes but nothing has ever had a carpet like this. Bentley and Jaguar have nothing on this. It’s thick and soft to the touch. It feels almost criminal to be placing your feet on the carpets but c’est la vie.

If you have the joy of going for a cruise in the back seat you’ll soon appreciate how the thickness of the carpet makes your ride that much better and comfortable.

Looking at the switchgear, it’s all bespoke and quirky as you’d expect in any British automobile. Things aren’t located where one would expect. The seat controls are hidden in the armrest and the Park Distance Control (PDC) and Boot — trunk — switches are found in the ceiling’s control pod.

The infotainment unit is BMW’s iDrive just the graphical user interface (GUI) has been “reskinned.” It’s sort of funny because the rest of the cabin is simple and elegant, yet BMW‘s iDrive can be complex and confusing to some. Personally, I have grown to like it over the years and I find it logical. There’s just a two week learning curve for novice users.

I could go on for another 1,000 words about the high quality leather and remarkable wood veneers that Rolls-Royce uses in the Phantom, but frankly, I don’t want to bore you with my car geekiness. Let’s move on to the driving experience.

There’s no other way around it, though I’ve driven just about everything under the Sun, nothing compares to the Phantom. Everything about the Phantom is so far removed from even the best large luxury sedans that it makes you feel as though it was intended to be a real car and everything else is simply a go-kart.

The 6.75-liter V12 motor that produces 453 horsepower and 531 lb.-ft. of torque is eerily quiet and will never even come close to interrupting an in-cabin conversation. If you inspect the glass you’ll note it’s double-pane and it helps make wind noise virtually non-existent.

Though the Phantom weighs in at over 5,800 pounds, it has more than enough power. Zero to 60 comes in 5.7 seconds, which is quick for any automobile. On the freeway, surprisingly, it doesn’t do as bad as one would suspect lugging around all that weight as the torque easily gets you past any slow pokes. One thing I found interesting is that when you really push the “go” pedal, the vehicle doesn’t lurch forward with rude manners, it elegantly wafts along.

During my time with the Phantom, it chalked up 13 mpg. Though cliché, I am pretty doubtful anyone in-market will care.

My specific tester was equipped with the Dynamic Package, which provides extra strengthening to the Phantom’s chassis, stiffens the suspension and recalibrates the transmission. By pressing the Sport button, you’ll feel all of these things take effect as the steering gets a bit more weight to it, the eight-speed automatic transmission gets more aggressive and, overall, the car hunkers down for speedier travel. It’s not intrusive to passengers but it provides the driver with much-needed confidence to move the luxury-tuned barge at speed.

Its ride quality is most accurately described as feeling akin to a floating carpet. You can tell that it must be one of the company’s highest priorities in research and development, and that nothing is allowed to compromise it. Even over railroad tracks there is no perceptible feeling of bumps though you hear the vehicle travel over them. You simply forget they’re there.

While I typically look forward for a drive from my northern New Jersey home into my Manhattan or Jersey City office, I have to admit it can be bumpy and pain inducing at times — especially after this year’s rough winter. That wasn’t the case in the Roller. When I first picked up the Phantom I trekked down to the office at 8:00 a.m., which is the WORST time to travel in the New York tri-state region. Though I sat through two hours of traffic, I arrived at my destination completely relaxed and carefree. Following that, I had a great day of productivity. This is why a car of this calibre makes sense. Never have I ever experienced such a carefree experience. Not in a Bentley, an S-Class or any other high-end luxury auto.

To sum up the experience, it can be crystalized as a traveling living room. Except it’s probably built better and is more comfortable than any living room you’ve been in. Now I “get it.”

While Rolls-Royce is a company that has expanded into a variety of new models, and offers more sporty and tech-enabled vehicles, it remains true to its heritage of building the best luxury auto produced. There’s a reason why those interlocked R’s are recognized across the globe: the company earned it.

The Good:

– The ride quality is unlike any other vehicle I’ve travelled in — it’s easily the most comfortable, isolated ride
– The V12 powerplant is an engineering marvel as it can power a near three-ton auto with ease and grace all the while being remarkably quiet
– Nothing says presence and class like a Rolls-Royce

The Bad:

– I did hear a very slight rattle from the passenger side of the auto that became annoying
– When you arrive in a Rolls-Royce, it is an event — if you don’t like attention, this isn’t the vehicle for you
– It’s price isn’t for the faint of heart, if you have to ask you cannot afford it — for the curious, its base price is set at $402,940.

The Lowdown:

Though some like to make the argument that you can acquire a large luxury sedan for a fraction of the price and get the same satisfaction, they’re wrong. Dead wrong. That’s called settling. Simply put, this is a vehicle that’s built to be the best for the best. If that’s how you set a benchmark, you need not look any further as this vehicle is completely extraordinary compared to all else.

Source http://www.autospies.com/news/REVIEW-Is-A-Rolls-Royce-Phantom-REALLY-The-BEST-Automobile-On-The-Planet-Only-ONE-Way-To-Find-Out-81458/

Marketing tips and figures for luxury car brands

If you are involved in the luxury car market, then these figures and marketing tips will definitely be useful to you, but even those of us that just have an interest in luxury car brands will find the information of interest.

Do you agree with the marketing research? What are your thoughts on the figures that are circulating at the minute?

High luxury motor car manufacturer Rolls-Royce kicked off ‘The Icon Tour’ on April 22, at the Flower Dome in Gardens by the Bay to celebrate 110 years. The tour showcased the exemplary company history and renowned icons Ghost, Wraith and Phantom, with factory artisans present. Rolls-Royce places great emphasis on the bespoke business as the majority of ultra-high net worth customers (UHNWI) seek extensive personalization. Rolls-Royce is eyeing the Asian market for its good potential; the tour is set to make further stops in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul.

Rolls-Royce invited Agility Research & Strategy to make a presentation on the day of opening. The talk conveyed key Asian market insights regarding the affluent consumer generation that will drive business for years to come. The 2013 study involved more than 7000 consumers to understand the top 40% income segment and their relationship with brands.

This emerging class has been named Generation AAA after their unique traits; they are aspirational, ambitious, and affluent. It possesses the financial power and propensity to buy mid- to premium-priced brands.

About Generation AAA –

  • Generation AAA is a young group at 18-34 years, with an equal gender distribution.
  • More than 75% have earned a university degree or higher, and of this majority, 62% are in mid- to high-level influential positions in their respective companies, while about 6% are entrepreneurs.

Key Insights from Agility Research & Strategy

  • Generation AAA dominates Asian markets such as China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Within the next 12 months those in India are the most likely to purchase a car, followed by Indonesia and China (figure 1). The high inclination for car purchase in India and China can be attributed to the swell in ranks of the well-to-do, and changing taste in cars.

Agility chart_1

  • The majority of Generation AAA chose the price-quality relationship as the most important consideration when buying luxury cars, followed by their identification with the brand, and the individuality the brand conveys to others (figure 2).
  • Brand pricing relative to quality is vital as the pricing and marketing signals put out have to be consistent with consumer expectation. Brand identification and conspicuous individuality are important as users view purchases as an extension of themselves.

Agility chart_2

  • Generation AAA also rates Rolls-Royce among the top ten luxury cars (table 1), while BMW is rated as the top brand in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and China, and Mercedes Benz is rated higher in India and Indonesia.

Agility chart_3

Top 3 Tips for Luxury Car Brands by Agility Research & Strategy

  • There is high market potential in India, Indonesia, and China over the next year and foreseeable long term. Luxury car brands should ramp up marketing frequency and intensity in those significant areas to penetrate consumer consciousness.
  • Consumers’ main concerns are brand and pricing relationship, brand identification, and ability to use the brand to express individuality. Brands must seek to create coherence between their pricing strategies and brand equity to appeal to consumers; a high pricing must be supported by a reputation, while low prices may dilute brand value. Luxury car brands must also profile their target markets more accurately to achieve a good fit with consumer identity. Consumers prefer brands that are a good fit with their self-image or ideal self-image, and brands which can serve as a form of expression.
  • Each automotive giant may well be banking on a different strategy based on their individual luxury brand rankings. Brands may need to decide on the optimal spot based on their target market size and intended exclusivity.

Source http://www.marketing-interactive.com/events/top-3-tips-luxury-car-brands/

Are luxury cars more affordable in todays market?

Do you think you can afford a luxury car? The luxury car market is going from strength to strength even through the recessions we have seen of late. More people are looking to invest in luxury cars, but don’t quite have the budget.

If you’ve been casting envious eyes on those Mercedes and BMWs in the office parking lot, you may be wondering if you could fit a luxury car into your budget. Luxury brands have been reading your mind and indeed have brought out more affordable models. But make sure you calculate all the costs that come with owning a luxury car — not just the purchase price.

You wouldn’t be the only one considering so-called entry-level luxury cars — those with purchase prices often starting under $35,000. Growth in this segment has been a major reason that luxury vehicles have increased their market share in recent years, according to an April report from analysts at the National Auto Dealers Association Used Car Guide. “The data suggests that the growth was due almost exclusively to new buyers entering the market,” not habitual luxury buyers trading down to less expensive models.

One of the entry-level luxury models’ best financial qualities is high resale value. And that leads to a more affordable way to drive a prestige model — by leasing it. The NADA Guide report notes that entry-level luxury cars on average retain 48.8% of their original value after three years, more than other luxury segments.
“The lower the rate of depreciation, the lower the lease payment,” notes NADA analyst Laurence Dixon III. For instance, the Lexus ES currently has a lease deal for $349 a month for two years with $2,999 due at signing.

Whether you get a good lease deal or buy the luxury car, that’s only the beginning of your expenses. As with any car, insurance, fuel maintenance and repair costs still have to be paid. To see the differential in costs, let’s compare an entry-level Mercedes-Benz C250 (selling at an average of about $35,900, according to TrueCar.com) with one of the best-selling midsize sedans, the Toyota Camry XLE, the best-equipped Camry with an average selling price of $23,061.

Here’s a look at comparative costs to own these cars:

Fuel Cost — The Mercedes, like most luxury cars, requires premium gasoline, while the Toyota, like most mainstream brands, uses regular. The current national average for regular is $3.64 a gallon vs. $4 for premium, according to AAA. The Mercedes C250, with a rating of 25 MPG in combined city and highway driving would rack up fuel costs of $2,400 per year, according to fueleconomy.gov. The Toyota, with a 28 MPG combined rating would come in at $1,950. That’s an extra $450 in your gas budget each year.

Insurance — First-time luxury car buyers are sometimes startled at their bill to insure that car. Following our example, InsuranceQuotes.com gives the following comparison for the two cars being insured in Northern California. For an age 40 married man or woman, the monthly insurance bill would be $173 for the Mercedes and $130 a month for the Toyota Camry. That’s more than $500 a year in extra insurance costs. To compare the insurance costs of your current vehicle to cars you might buy, go to Insurancequotes.com and scroll down the right side to the section called Car vs. Car. You can get an estimate using your age and zip code.

Maintenance — Oil changes and other routine maintenance typically cost more at luxury brand dealerships. As a selling point, some luxury brands like BMW offer free maintenance for the first 50,000 miles on a new car. But in our comparison, Mercedes-Benz does not offer a free maintenance program for this model. Toyota, unusually for mainstream brands, does have free maintenance for two years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Repairs — For repairs that go beyond standard maintenance, luxury dealers are also more expensive. You may be able to cut repair costs by avoiding dealers and going to independent repair shops that specialize, say, in German cars. But double check to see if that still meets the conditions of your warranty.

The comfort, style and prestige of owning a luxury car may in fact outweigh the extra costs for you. Just be sure you have an idea of those costs before you decide to buy or lease.

If you would like to experience a luxury car before going out and buying one, take a look at our website and see what we have to offer

Source http://www.cbsnews.com/news/thinking-of-buying-your-first-luxury-car/

All aboard! Luxury trains in private collections

I thought I would bring you something different today. Obviously we all love the cars that are featured here, but there is always room to appreciate other forms of luxury travel and bask in the glory of what they have to offer! If you want to kick back and relax on your journey, trains can be just as luxurious and impressive as some of the cars we have written about.

Plenty of people across the globe – typically those with considerable means – have things like private planes and private yachts. But a private train? That’s unique – but there is still a collection of train enthusiasts who own their own, private rail cars.

These aren’t your typical rail cars, though – in many cases, they’re gaudy, ornate luxury cars with bells and whistles similar to those found on some of the priciest private yachts in the world.

Saturday was National Train Day, and to honor the occasion photos of some of the fanciest, private rail cars in America were splashed across social media websites – and these rail cars make Amtrak’s big, cushiony seats seem like a plastic bench at a bus stop. 

Many of the owners of these ornate rail cars put their luxurious rides on display in places like Miami, Tampa and Washington D.C. to celebrate National Train Day.

‘People forget that that’s what built this country,’ Borden Black,  the executive director of the American Association of Private Railroad  Car Owners, told Wired.com.

Black reportedly saw more than 10,000 people walk through her own private rail car when it was on display during a previous National Train Day in Chicago.

‘It’s great to watch  the kids who have never seen anything like the insides of these rail  cars.’

Glimpse of the past: Many private rail cars are an homage to classic luxury trains from the beginning of the 20th century

Glimpse of the past: Many private rail cars are an homage to classic luxury trains from the beginning of the 20th century
Rail Car One: Before presidents traveled by air, presidential train cars were the equivalent of Air Force One with all the luxuries of a fancy home

Rail Car One: Before presidents traveled by air, presidential train cars were the equivalent of Air Force One with all the luxuries of a fancy home
First class: At the turn of the 20th Century, the extremely rich flaunted their wealth by making their rail cars as luxurious as possible

First class: At the turn of the 20th Century, the extremely rich flaunted their wealth by making their rail cars as luxurious as possible
Shut eye: Many private rail cars have sleeping compartments for long, overnight trips

Shut eye: Many private rail cars have sleeping compartments for long, overnight trips
History: Many rail stations welcomed private cars that people could visit and get a feel for the history of rail industry

 History: Many rail stations welcomed private cars that people could visit and get a feel for the history of rail industry
National Train Day: On Saturday, private rail car owners across the U.S. put their cars on display to teach the public about the history of the railroad in America

National Train Day: On Saturday, private rail car owners across the U.S. put their cars on display to teach the public about the history of the railroad in America
Bring friends: One of the many benefits of having a private rail car is there's plenty of room for guests

  Bring friends: One of the many benefits of having a private rail car is there’s plenty of room for guests
Who needs a hotel? During cross-country travel, those lucky enough to travel in a private rail car have no need for hotel rooms - everything they need is on board

Who needs a hotel? During cross-country travel, those lucky enough to travel in a private rail car have no need for hotel rooms – everything they need is on board.

If you need some cars in your day, now we have filled your mind with trains, come and check out what we can offer you on our website 

Source http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2625423/Pictured-Inside-luxurious-private-trains-America.html