Luxury is a malleable concept. After all, the details that impressed back in the Seventies and Eighties—tufted leather seats, digital dashboards, vinyl roofs, and opera windows—have become ironic jokes. But two aspects of luxury never go out of style: quality and performance. And in a worldwide economy that’s stutter-stepping around the abyss of a recession, it’s possible to get both for a low price. Ridiculously low.
The trick for those lucky enough to be prosperous in perilous times is to find products that fulfill their appetites without rubbing it in the unwashed faces of the downtrodden hoi polloi. Showing up for dinner at Ruth’s Chris in a block-long luxury flagship may have been the dream way back in 2007, but right now the smart money is staying with the premium brands, but going mid-size and ordering the New York strip at Outback. As to big V-8s, forget ‘em. No one with half a brain believes the current drop in oil prices will last, and today’s sixes are plenty good anyhow. There are bargains to be had. For you surviving plutocrats out there, here are five of the best.
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