The best luxury barges for £30k and under: Used Buying Guide

I might be alone here, but I do like the look and whole bearing of the Porsche Panamera. At its simplest, this is a great big 911 with extra doors.

Those who want a bigger 911 will more than likely drive home in Porsche’s best-selling Cayenne. And who can blame them? It shows up the Panamera as not being nearly family friendly enough by having just two rear seats.

See Porsche Panamera for sale on PistonHeads

But you can now buy a 2010 Panamera for just over £30,000. That seems like rather good value for money compared with a 911 from the same year; that’s going to be just under £40,000. So by my backward Bangernomics reasoning, you will get a lot more Porsche for your money. However, if you want to transport more than four occupants, you really do have to shop around for an alternative, high-performance luxo-barge.

The Audi A8 is always my default choice for barging, especially as there are S8, quattro and diesel options. However, rather than take that route, there’s one model I haven’t mentioned much, because they have taken a while to become affordable: the Audi A7.

Audi may call it a Sportback, but we know it is an executive hatch in the mould of a Rover SD1. It isn’t as interesting as the mangy old Rover, but it is bigger, more practical and probably, at £12,995, cheaper than the appreciating classic. It would have a 3.0 TDI engine and you will have every possible extra and an eye-popping colour display if you find an SE. Most seem to be a more solid £15,000, and an S line is going to be £18,000-plus.

I looked at a Lexus with a reclining and massaging rear relaxation package, but that meant there were only two rear seats, and the price was even more off-putting. A 2009 LS 600h is the sort of vehicle that gives hybrids a good name. The thing is that you know it’s going to be reliable. Everything is pretty much standard, with all the usual luxury ingredients, and don’t be fobbed off by A 2010 Porsche Panamera can be had for just over £30k the thought of just four seats. Push up the tech-laden armrest and sit on the hump, or stick a child seat there.

The Honda Legend is now long gone from new car showrooms but is still around in large enough numbers second-hand to be tempting. A 2009 3.5i VTEC at £6495 doesn’t seem half bad and is slightly more interesting to look at than the original giant Accords. The Legend is cheaper and rarer than a Lexus LS and there’s lots of rear room.

I’ve only scratched the luxo-barge surface here and this is very much my favourite area of the car market. I’ll be returning soon and won’t care much about child seat friendliness.