These Cars May Cost a Lot but They Didn't Age Appropriately to the Price
Unless you’re excessively wealthy and wealthily excessive, buying a car isn’t always a one-and-done purchase. Usually, it’s an investment for the future, too - an investment that won’t pay out if the car you buy doesn’t age well.
1981 Maserati Biturbo
The Maserati Biturbo was hotly anticipated before its release - it had the Maserati name attached to it, after all. Promising performance like no other, the Biturbo instead delivered shoddy build quality, frequent engine overheating, and numerous other reliability issues. Despite this, the vehicle enjoyed over a decade of production.
1980 Ferrari Mondial
The Ferrari name carries a significant amount of weight, and every new release comes with a bevy of very high expectations. Unfortunately, despite its expensive price tag, the Mondial underdelivered in almost every way, from performance to design, ultimately undermining the much venerated Ferrari name.
2002 Audi A8
The Audi A8 from 2002 was highly anticipated due to its promised technological innovations, which - to be fair - were fairly significant for the time. These days, however, the A8 is seen as an outdated relic, with overly complex aluminium bodywork and expensive replacement parts that just make it even more expensive to maintain.
1992 Jaguar XJ220
Jaguar is one of Europe’s finest automotive manufacturers, with a long and storied history that has earned them the respect of many. The ‘92 XJ220 was - as expected - an absolute stunner of a vehicle. What people didn’t expect, however, were modifications to the vehicle’s specifications that made it a disappointment. With very little collector appeal, many XJ220s languish in the garages of their owners.
2011 Fisker Karma
The story of the Fisker Karma is a tragedy. It promised revolutionary plug-in hybrid technology. Unfortunately, its battery was less than reliable, leading to several recalls which, in turn, led to the manufacturer’s untimely bankruptcy.
2012 Jaguar XF
As was to be expected, the 2012 Jaguar XF was easy on the eyes, a decent-sized luxury sedan with plenty of room on the inside. Unfortunately, its great sense of style was let down by shoddy construction, with fragile materials and unreliable rotary selectors that made it look and feel dated after less than a decade.
1980 Cadillac Cimarron
Cadillac always had an aura of prestige surrounding them, and people came to expect the finest luxury money could buy with any vehicle they attached their name to. The Cimarron… was not that vehicle. Essentially an overpriced, rebadged Chevrolet Cavalier, the Cimarron was an utter failure and a huge PR disaster for Cadillac.
2014 Cadillac ELR
As if Cadillac didn’t learn its lesson decades earlier, the 2014 ELR was basically just a slightly better Chevrolet Volt, albeit much more expensive - and thus, much more underwhelming as a result. Resale values have only continued to plummet since their release.
2002 Volkswagen Phaeton
Volkswagen was always the people’s brand - but even the people deserve some luxury. The Phaeton was exactly that, a well-made, well-engineered luxury sedan that, unfortunately, simply failed to justify its price tag. It was also difficult to market such a vehicle that carried the VW badge, and production ultimately ended in 2016.
2009 Acura ZDX
The 2009 Acura ZDX was a luxury crossover sedan/coupe that had a unique aesthetic to help it stand out from amongst its competitors. Unfortunately, the badge just didn't have enough prestige in the luxury market, leading to middling figures and mixed reception.
1975 Rolls‑Royce Camargue
Manufactured and marketed from 1975 to 1986, the Rolls-Royce Camargue was once the world’s most expensive production car. In retrospect, that fact is totally ludicrous when you consider the fact that the vehicle’s sharp, angular design and wildly overpriced technology caused it to struggle even in its own niche!
2010 Lexus LFA
The Lexus brand can never seem to catch a break. Toyota’s own luxury brand, Lexus, doesn’t have the presence and power they need to be successful. Take the LFA, for instance: while technically impressive, its exorbitant price and obscurity led to underwhelming sales for the brand.
2005 Mercedes‑Benz R‑Class
The 2005 Mercedes-Benz R-Class was always an odd duck. Folks couldn’t make out whether it was an SUV or a minivan due to its awkward proportions and style. Combined with its absurdly high price, it made it so that no one was interested in buying it.
2001 BMW 7 Series
The 2001 BMW 7 Series was an ambitious vehicle, with bold styling and expensive electronics. Unfortunately, those same electronics and the vehicle’s own iDrive function simply weren’t advanced enough in 2001 to be a success, ultimately dating the vehicle terribly.
2004 Maserati Quattroporte
Again, the Maserati name graces our list. The Quattroporte was an exceptionally beautiful car, but its flaky electronics and exorbitant cost of maintenance (in addition to the actual cost of the car itself) reduced its luxury appeal significantly.
2008 Ferrari California
Designed with sunny weekend driving in mind, the 2008 California had a lot of style going for it - at least at a glance. On closer inspection, people couldn’t get behind some of its more quirky design choices, from its odd roof profile to its weird exhausts. These days, many other vehicles - including other Ferrari models - have completely outdone it in terms of style.
2008 Mercedes-Benz SL
Just because you’ve got a prestigious brand name, it doesn’t mean that you’re allowed to skimp on quality. Sure enough, the 2008 Mercedes-Benz SL was curvaceous and stylish on the surface, but its shoddy build quality instantly dated it the moment it hit the roads.
2005 Ford Mustang S197
No matter what, you can guarantee that any car with the Mustang nameplate attached to it is going to draw crowds. Unfortunately, while the 2005 Mustang S197 was a success, its retro-futuristic design - despite being fairly novel at the time - hasn’t aged the best.
2005 BMW M5 E60
In terms of style, the BMW M5 E60 was nothing to write home about, looking like any other BMW at the time. What made it age poorly, however, was its engine, a decidedly tiny thing for such a large vehicle that produced some whopping emission ratings.
2001 Aston Martin Vanquish
The Vanquish was one of Aston Martin’s most beautiful cars, and still holds up exceptionally well today in terms of aesthetic value. Unfortunately, its shoddy transmission was unbearable to deal with at the time, and it only feels much worse today.
1974 Ford Mustang II
The ‘74 Mustang II is one of Ford’s biggest disappointments. While collectors may still pay a pretty penny for one of these today, it came out during the Oil Crisis of the 70s, which resulted in Ford gutting it of all its performance capabilities.
1980 Chevrolet Corvette (L48)
The Corvette nameplate is one of the oldest and most venerated in automotive history, but not every vehicle it’s been attached to has been a success. Coming in towards the rear-end of the Oil Crisis, the 1980 Corvette offered little in terms of performance, and still doesn’t feel great to drive today.
1976 Cadillac Eldorado
The Eldorado nameplate survived almost half a decade, only ending in 2002. It could have ended much sooner, however, if the ‘76 Eldorado Convertible wasn’t bought as much as it was. While it still had some luxury appeal, its heavy-duty design and underwhelming performance made it less-than-desirable then, and even less so now.
1989 Chrysler TC by Maserati
Despite having two of the most respected names in the industry attached to it, the ‘89 Chrysler TC by Maserati was really little more than an engineering showcase - and not even a very good one at that! Underpowered and under-designed, it lacked the real Maserati refinement that people wanted.
2002 Range Rover
Despite being an icon of the off-road, the 2002 Range Rover has aged terribly since its release in 2002, mostly due to its array of mechanical failures - including transmission issues and electronic gremlins - and the high cost of maintenance required to keep it running.
2003 Dodge Viper
One of the world’s most renowned supercar nameplates, the 2003 Viper was - unfortunately - nowhere near as uncompromising as earlier models, and was quickly outpaced by future ones, too.
2007 Shelby GT500
Another classic nameplate updated for contemporary drivers, the 2007 Shelby GT500 was no slouch in the performance department at the time. However, newer muscle cars tend to outpace it on the track, leaving the GT500 to lag behind better-aged vehicles.
1984 Pontiac Fiero
Despite its innovative mid-engine layout, the ‘84 Pontiac Fiero was ultimately let down by poor build quality, as well as underwhelming performance for a vehicle of its prestige. That, and it also had a tendency to catch fire. Fiero, indeed.
(Pre)-1969 Porsche 911
Despite being one of the most iconic vehicles ever, earlier versions of the Porsche 911 - while ridiculously expensive - were nowhere near as accessible as later entries. They were difficult to repair and maintain then, and even more difficult now.
1974 Aston Martin Lagonda
The ‘74 Lagonda was already being labelled one of the ugliest cars ever, even when it was first released. Time hasn’t done it any favors, either, and this overpriced monstrosity is still just as ugly today as it was then.
2003 Jaguar XJ X350
Despite being Jaguar’s very own flagship sedan, the XJ X350 lost nearly 70% of its original value over just five years due to the vehicle’s numerous electrical quirks and fragile air suspension.
2003 Mercedes‑Benz SLR McLaren
Undeniably stylish and cool, the SLR McLaren was a nightmare for owners who had to contend with hard-to-find exotic parts, carbon fiber bodywork, and highly specialized servicing that jacked up its price and reduced its resale value.
1989 Vector W8
The Vector W8 is still one of the automotive industry’s strangest stories. Designed and manufactured by the fledgling Vector Aeromotive Company, the W8 was intended to compete with the world’s best supercars. Unfortunately, technical shortcomings and shoddy construction caused it to crash and burn on release instead.
1995 Mercedes-Benz W210 E-Class
Despite having a comfortable ride and easy handling, the ‘95 W210 E-Class was ultimately let down by its electrical gremlins, heater failures, and excessive rust, all of which made it an expensive, outdated nightmare to own even then.
2005 Maybach 62
Mercedes-Benz’s attempt at carving out their own luxury niche, the 2002 Maybach 62, had all the surface-level qualities you’d expect from a luxury vehicle. Unfortunately, its lack of brand awareness and huge price tag caused it to age much faster than it should have.
