ROME – “Shall we do 4,500?”, “I already told you, 5,000 euros is the last price.” So be it. Take the check, grab the keys and leave the office. waiting for you outside there is a Panda. Or an Opel Corsa. In short, a car of the normal ones. And instead there is a black Jaguar XJ year 2005 with beige leather interiors and briar everywhere, 4200 displacement, 8 cylinders, 280 Hp, navigator, air conditioning, automatic gearbox. A wonderful car, more than 5 meters long, capable of bringing five people from Agrigento to Aosta in a princely way. Get on board and don’t believe your eyes, start the engine and hear the eight cylinders that They mutter. Put the D and go, ready to shame some unfortunate at the first traffic light. But is it ever possible? A Jaguar XJ, the queen of top-of-the-range sedans, for only 5,000 euros? Where is the catch?
No scam and no trick, just a merciless law of the market: the car is 16 years old, consumes a lot and costs to maintain it between super road tax and maintenance. It is a dream for a few euros, but this dream could also turn into a nightmare if it starts to give you problems. It’s just a matter of feeling like taking risks or not.
On the web there are plenty of beautiful cars that are now of a certain age. Just to stay on the Jaguar theme, a metallic gray 2005 S-Type, 3000 V6 diesel with 150,000 km is around 1,900 euros. A 2007 Mercedes CLK, also 3000 cc 6-cylinder diesel with 230,000 km, 4000 euros round round. You get to 7,700 euros (negotiable) for a 2004 Mercedes CL 500, with 306 Hp petrol and 200,000 km on the odometer. There’s something to indulge in: a 2007 Volkswagen Passat Variant for just over 3,000 euros, in perfect condition. A 2005 Bmw 630, for 9,000 euros or a 2006 Toyota RAV4, with 175,000 km, for 4,900 euros. In short, the choice is yours …
The different areas of Italy are also important. Rome and Milan are the cities where prices are higher, while in general the province is cheaper. Of course, there is the inconvenience of having to go and test the car perhaps many kilometers away, with the risk of being disappointed and having made an empty trip, but in some cases it is worth the risk. But don’t think you will find the same offer on brands like Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lamborghini and associates. For them this rule does not apply, because we are on the ground of the so-called dream-cars, those truly dream cars whose price is much higher. For a 2003 Porsche Targa with 78,000 km this is close to 50,000 euros, while for a 2004 Ferrari 360 Spider it can easily reach 100,000 euros.
by Federico Pesce
.