Toyota sold more than 300,000 examples of the Camry in the United States last year. While it’s a perfectly suitable car for most modern motorists, we can’t help but feel that some of those buyers wished they had bought something a little more adventurous. Something like a $100,000 coupe.
Now, we’re not one to advocate spending beyond your means. Car finance figures are scary enough as it is, but don’t worry, as there is an alternative. Shopping around on the used car market reveals a smattering of six-figure specimens now changing hands for the same or less as a brand-new Camry in loaded spec. For reference, an XSE-grade Camry with a few nice options and the destination fee can surpass $40,000, so that’s the figure we’re working with here. For the brave at heart, here are 12 six-figure solutions for $40,000 or less, ordered from lowest to highest by original MSRP.
2006 Cadillac XLR-V
Pricing Overview
Original MSRP: $97,485
Pricing Today: From $30,000
OK, we’re cheating a little here, as the Cadillac XLR-V isn’t exactly a coupe, and at $97,485 in its final year, it’s not exactly $100,000 either. The model comes with a retractable metal hardtop that fulfills the role of a coupe. Plus, once destination fees and a tasty option were added, the sharp Cadillac soon demanded north of $100,000 from buyers.
Today, the supercharged 443-horsepower XLR-V sells from $30,000 and up, making it something of an American-made bargain for muscle enthusiasts today.
2014 Jaguar XKR
Pricing Overview
Original MSRP: $97,500
Pricing Today: From $25,000
At $97,500, we’ve applied the same logic to the Jaguar XKR. This sleek British coupe is more brutish than its slender lines suggest, with a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 delivering 510 horsepower and 461 lb-ft of torque. The hybridized Camry XSE is certainly no slouch with up to 232 hp under the hood, but it wouldn’t hold a candle to this heavily depreciated old Jag.
2010 BMW M6
Pricing Overview
Original MSRP: $102,350
Pricing Today: From $20,000
The E60 BMW M5 is an affordable V10-powered super sedan, but enthusiasts are paying crazy prices for the smartest examples, and that’s driving up values across the board. Thankfully, the E63 M6 Coupe seems to be missing out on the hype, so prices remain modest for now.
A notoriously tricky-to-maintain naturally aspirated V10 powers it, mated to an equally maintenance-sensitive (read: unreliable) SMG transmission. It will never match the Camry for reliability, but at half the price of a loaded Camry, surely it’s worth at least thinking about?
2016 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe
Pricing Overview
Original MSRP: $103,600
Pricing Today: From $37,000
The XKR is a mean-looking coupe and a proper performer, but it has a whiff of ‘old-world’ Jaguar about it, and for some buyers, that could be a turnoff. Instead, buyers should focus on the F-Type R coupe.
It’s smaller, more aggressive, and decidedly younger in its appeal. Lesser models were cheaper new and are cheaper now, but that ‘R’ badge means something in the Jaguar world, and it’s a grade worth stretching for. As is the supercharged 5.0-liter V8, which throws 550 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque the way of the rear tires; sounds fun, doesn’t it?
2008 Maserati GranTurismo
Pricing Overview
Original MSRP: $110,000
Pricing Today: From $18,000
Regardless of how loaded it may be, a Toyota Camry is unlikely to help you get anywhere in the dating world. In contrast, an old Maserati GranTurismo has been scientifically proven to get you more sex. Sort of. Maybe that’s a stretch, but it still looks incredible almost 20 years on, and that Ferrari-derived V8 sounds glorious even through the factory pipes. This is a perfect example of Maserati’s ability to deliver timeless elegance, and with prices starting below $20,000, you could even buy two for the price of a loaded Camry — ideal for when one inevitably doesn’t start in the morning.
2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Pricing Overview
Original MSRP: $110,000
Pricing Today: From $35,000
James Bond may have stooped so low as to get behind the wheel of a Ford Mondeo in Casino Royale, but he’s still never been spotted at the helm of a Camry. Actually, he’s never been seen in a V8 Vantage either, not one of this ilk, but that doesn’t stop Aston Martin fans from both feeling, looking, and sounding the part by side-stepping the sensible Toyota and instead dropping similar money on a 20-year-old, 4.3-liter V8-powered Vantage.
2020 BMW M850i Coupe
Pricing Overview
Original MSRP: $111,900
Pricing Today: From $40,000
This one’s a real shocker, as the BMW M850i is not only a genuinely brilliant product that’s proving dependable and truly premium, but it’s also like a heat-seeking missile with depreciation pre-programmed as the only available target. These kicked off north of $110,000, and many have been specified well north of that figure, but look how affordable they are today:
Many of the other options on this list are likely to see you building solid relationships with both local mechanics and gas-station attendants within the first week of ownership, but the big BMW doesn’t slot so inconveniently into such stereotypes. Plus, it still looks every last bit like a six-figure car.
2014 BMW i8
Pricing Overview
Original MSRP: $135,700
Pricing Today: From $35,000
First Tom Cruise, and now you. The appeal of the BMW i8 only seems to be growing as the years roll on, after a slightly tumultuous start, with die-hard BMW fans finding it tricky to get on board with its chosen propulsion methods. Oh well, more fool them, as we’ve seen countless times now just how brilliant three-cylinder engines can be.
Rarely does anything quite so distinctive as the i8 ever make it past the concept stage, and the fact that you can own a fine example for the same outlay required to net a humble Camry is just a little bit silly. Grab one, immediately, before the i8 boards the modern-classic-price-appreciation train and never comes back.
2004 Bentley Continental GT
Pricing Overview
Original MSRP: $149,995
Pricing Today: From $25,000
This was the car that transformed Bentley from old-world and old-hat into the cutting-edge, modern automaker it still is today. When new, the Continental GT had a glitzy, somewhat garish image. Time has been kind to it, as long as you avoid the oversized wheels and lazy matte-black paint jobs that seem to have found their way onto so many neglected examples.
It’s a twin-turbocharged W12 powerhouse, and while it can be a nightmare to maintain, prices starting at just $25,000 mean you can set aside a chunk of cash for beastly repair bills. As the chart above shows, you don’t need to look for a first-year model either; examples from 2006 to 2010 generally fall under $40,000 in smart, serviceable condition.
2014 Mercedes-Benz CL 63 AMG Coupe
Pricing Overview
Original MSRP: $154,600
Pricing Today: From $25,000
The CL-Class is a Mercedes coupe that’s all too easily forgotten today, with many instead lusting after the CLS-Class stylish sedan or S-Class coupe. That really ought to change, as the CL (especially in 63 AMG guise) is a great-looking and well-finished model that delivers everything the Mercedes-Benz brand stands for. They are also notably cheaper than their S-Class counterparts.
