Luxury car alternatives for less

Funny thing about luxury automobiles... They tend to be kind of expensive. To be fair, it's really not like you're paying all that money for nothing. Luxury cars also usually look, drive and ride better than ordinary non-luxury cars.

But what if you just can't afford it? Luckily, there is a good chance you can find a perfectly good non-luxury alternative that gets pretty close for a lot less money.

For instance, let's say you've been aching for a BMW 3-series sedan. It's a stylish car with a nice ride and terrific performance. Few sedans are this much fun.

Base prices start at about $37,000. Now that's not absurdly expensive but, for a compact sedan, it's still pretty darned pricey. The fact is there are cars that offer as much fun -- or, if we may be so bold, maybe even a little more -- for a lot less money.

NEXT: Cheaper sedan