Buying a car is one of the largest financial commitments most of us will ever make. The truth of the matter is that for most people, owning a vehicle is a necessity; it brings a sense of pride and achievement that we all aspire to here at MyCarHeaven. When it comes to luxury vehicles the...

Buying a car is one of the largest financial commitments most of us will ever make. The truth of the matter is that for most people, owning a vehicle is a necessity; it brings a sense of pride and achievement that we all aspire to here at MyCarHeaven.

When it comes to luxury vehicles the stakes are of course even higher, leading many of us to turn to the used car market for purchasing opportunities. So here are our top three considerations for choosing second hand luxury this summer.

Don’t Bank On The Scarcity Premium

By their very nature, luxury cars are in shorter supply than mid to lower range models. Indeed, more premium manufacturers strictly limit the numbers of models produced. This combined with longer lifespans and vehicle popularity can create a ‘scarcity premium’ that helps maintain the value of the vehicle. In some cases we’ve seen second-hand vehicles sell for more than brand new models.

This scarcity gold rush has seen many amateur speculators enter the luxury used car market over the past five years with some awful horror stories.

Our advice – buy something you’re happy to hang on to and do your homework! As well as the usual pre-purchase checks, look for other recent price points, availability of parts, common faults, offsets for ongoing maintenance costs, etc., all of these can add up to a nasty surprise when the deal has been done.

Don’t Overlook Maintenance & Running Costs

Luxury cars often require a higher degree of maintenance to keep them operational, this is something often overlooked with a first purchase, particularly by those used to buying new cars from the manufacturer.

As with scarcity premiums, the more luxury the vehicle the more this is the case and its particularly true with high performance vehicles.

As well as maintenance cost, one should also consider the usual running fees that apply to all vehicles – running an insurance quote against a number of providers and considering fuel consumption statistics can ensure you don’t take on a vehicle you later can’t afford.

There’s A Halfway House: Manufacturer Approved Pre-Owned

If it’s your first purchase then working through the manufacturer is a no brainer.

Higher purchase prices tend to come with higher levels of manufacturer accountability, so it’s worth taking advantage. Ferrari, Aston Martin and Porsche all maintain a centralized database of approved used vehicles within each respective market.  These should be your first port of call when starting your search with many vehicles coming with extended manufacture warranty and additional technical checks.

On the downside, you will pay more for manufacturer approved models but, if nothing else, these price points can serve as a compass to spot anomalies in the non-approved market.

Good luck and happy shopping!

The Concours of Elegance is just around the corner and after an incredibly successful move to Hampton Court Palace, once again more than 1,000 of the world’s most exclusive cars will gather on the prestigious grounds. Check out our gallery from 2017, to give you a flavour of the beautiful cars you can expect to...

Promotional Code for the Concours of Elegance

Here’s a Goodwood Festival of Speed video from NM2255 Car HD Videos.  Here you can enjoy some of the best footage they recorded during day 3 (Saturday) of the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed, including the Mercedes CLK LM, Nio EP9, and Lamborghini Centenario Roadster.  Great stuff. Cars featured include: Williams FW23 F1 V10 Mad Mike...

Here’s a Goodwood Festival of Speed video from NM2255 Car HD Videos.  Here you can enjoy some of the best footage they recorded during day 3 (Saturday) of the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed, including the Mercedes CLK LM, Nio EP9, and Lamborghini Centenario Roadster.  Great stuff.

Cars featured include:

Williams FW23 F1 V10

Mad Mike Mazda RX7 FD3S Rocket Bunny 4-Rotor

VW ID R Pikes Peak

Mercedes CLK LM

Dodge Viper Twin Turbo V10

Koenigsegg Agera RSN

Porsche 911 GT1 Le Mans

McLaren F1 GTR

1360-HP Nio EP9

Koenigsegg Regera

Gumpert IE

Porsche 911 GT1

Pagani Zonda Barchetta

Ford RS200 Pikes Peak

Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s 2018 Ford Mustang RTR

Porsche 961

Nascar Tundra Truck

Georg Plasa BMW M3 E36 Gudd V8

James Dean Mazda RX7 FD3S

Mercedes AMG GT-R

Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster

Lamborghini Centenario Roadster

Ferrari F1 123 C4 M2

Maserati MC12 GT1

BMW M4 DTM

ToroRosso F1 V8

BMW M8 GTE

2018 Aston Martin Vantage GT3

Lamborghini Huracan Performante

McLaren 600LT

Hope you enjoyed the video, more here.

A fabulous Delage with silver screen history is sure to wow onlookers in the Pre-War Luxury Tourers Class during the Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance which forms part of Salon Privé. The 1939 D8-120 Cabriolet, with a ‘Bustle Back’ outline by legendary French coachbuilder Henri Chapron, has a fascinating backstory, and will make a rare UK...

A fabulous Delage with silver screen history is sure to wow onlookers in the Pre-War Luxury Tourers Class during the Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance which forms part of Salon Privé.

The 1939 D8-120 Cabriolet, with a ‘Bustle Back’ outline by legendary French coachbuilder Henri Chapron, has a fascinating backstory, and will make a rare UK appearance before an appreciative audience at Blenheim Palace on Thursday, 30 August. Delivered new to Chapron as a rolling chassis, it was equipped with an exceptionally elegant four-seater body, complete with a three-position top. The car was reputedly commandeered by a collaborating French general of the Vichy government during World War 2. In 1946, a year after the end of hostilities, he dispatched the car to California on the assumption that he would be reunited with it shortly thereafter. However, he was unable to obtain a visa to enter the USA, so he fled to Argentina instead. The general subsequently sold the Delage to RKO Pictures, one of the ‘Big Five’ studios during Hollywood’s Golden Age.

The car’s beautiful styling earned it a role in the 1951 MGM production, “An American in Paris”. It received a cosmetic makeover for its appearance on the big screen, which stretched to modifications to the taillights and a new green paintjob. In the film, star Gene Kelly is seen being chauffeured around the City of Lights alongside actress Nina Foch. In 1955, ownership of the Delage passed to Thol ‘Si’ Simonson, a special effects expert who was part of the RKO Studios production team. He was ‘given’ the car in lieu of the pension he was owed, and Simonson drove the car around Arizona before it went under the hammer in 1987. It was acquired by its current owner who has since returned the car to its former splendour. The Delage has garnered awards at concours events stretching from Italy to India via the USA, and it is sure to amaze the judging panel at Salon Privé.

It will be vying for honours alongside a remarkable coachbuilt Lancia Astura. This streamlined machine is believed to be the lone survivor of only three fourth-series Asturas bodied by Carrozzeria Boneschi during the late 1930s. The model, which features a narrow-angle, three-litre V8 engine sited in a long-wheelbase chassis, acted as a blank canvas for most of the great Italian coachbuilders of the day, and variations on the theme were used extensively by Italian government departments in period. This ultra-stylish example was originally owned by a Belgian coalmining magnate, and it was laid-up during World War 2. After this death, his widow kept the car in storage.

Save for a repaint in its original dark grey hue, this elegant Lancia is completely original, including its plush black leather upholstery and grey, convertible roof. This arrangement is electrically-operated, too, which was highly unusual and innovative for its era. A true ‘Gran Turismo’ from a time before the term was even coined, this rarest of classic Lancias serves as a reminder of a period when Italian coachbuilders were emerging as world leaders in transforming metal into rolling sculpture.

These are just two examples of pre-war coachbuilt icons set to appear in the Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance; one of countless attractions for car lovers of all creeds during the Salon Privé extravaganza at Blenheim Palace.

Salon Privé will spring into action from 30^th August to 1^st September. Firmly established as the UK’s most exclusive automotive Garden Party and one of the longest-running and most successful motoring events in the UK, this year marks a particularly special milestone as the event relocates to the foot of the Palace becoming the first event ever to be located on the famous Blenheim Palace Cricket Pitch.

Salon Privé showcases two Concours celebrations within the same event; firstly, the Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance on Thursday 30^th August which is followed by Concours Masters Celebrates 70 Years of Porsche on Saturday 1^st September.  Boodles Ladies’ Day sits in the middle on Friday 31^st August which has fast become a social highlight of the Summer Season.

Tickets can be purchased via the website www.salonpriveconcours.com or by calling the Ticket Hotline: 0808 100 2205.

We are delighted to be able to offer two pairs of tickets to this wonderful event, the Classic Motor Show 2018, that will be held at Birmingham’s NEC on the 9th to 11th November 2018.  To be in with a chance to win a pair of tickets to this wonderful Classic Car Show simply tell us...

We are delighted to be able to offer two pairs of tickets to this wonderful event, the Classic Motor Show 2018, that will be held at Birmingham’s NEC on the 9th to 11th November 2018.  To be in with a chance to win a pair of tickets to this wonderful Classic Car Show simply tell us why you’d like to attend, and if you could drive any classic car to and back from the event (money no object) what car would you choose and why.

More competitions to follow shortly.

To keep up to date with us you can follow us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.  If you do not want to miss out on our regular complimentary ticket competitions, then feel free to take a moment to subscribe to our regular newsletter.

A massive congratulations go to our competition winners who will be receiving a pair of complimentary tickets to both the Blenheim Palace Classic & Supercar Show 2018 and the Blenheim Palace Festival of Transport 2018.  Two awesome days out for the family and any car loving persons.  So I really hope that you’ll enjoy your days as...

A massive congratulations go to our competition winners who will be receiving a pair of complimentary tickets to both the Blenheim Palace Classic & Supercar Show 2018 and the Blenheim Palace Festival of Transport 2018.  Two awesome days out for the family and any car loving persons.  So I really hope that you’ll enjoy your days as much as we will, and of course we’d love to hear all about it afterwards.

Our winners and congratulations go to:

• Caroline Danby; and 
• Karen Woodley.

We have no doubt that you’ll have a great time at this wonderful event. Let us know all about it below, so those that do not attend can get your thoughts and highlights, so they don’t miss out next year.

Watch this space for lots more free ticket competitions, next up is the Concours of Elegance and the Classic Motor Show.

If you do not want to miss out on our regular complimentary ticket competitions, then feel free to take a moment to subscribe to our regular newsletter or like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and be kept up to date with our posts.