I've had this question on my mind a lot lately... I have watched a few American car reviews lately featuring cars that are deemed prestigious here in Australia. But here is the problem, they seem to be so cheap! For instance, a BMW 135i which costs about $82,000AU, costs about $40,000US.
Same goes for a lot of other 'prestigious' cars... So if they are so cheap in the US, are they really prestigious at all?
What do you deem a prestige car over there? Are all the other cars just a lot cheaper too? Maybe our government just takes so much more tax from us...
Do you mean a BMW 325i? I don't think the 1 series will be starting that high- I believe an entry level 1 starts around $28k US.
You are forgetting the currency conversion. Since an American dollar is worth about 20% more than an Aussie dollar, you need to do some conversion before you can make any kind of real comparison. And oftentimes, while the name of the car might be the same, the actual car itself can be fairly different in trim, accessories, etc.
I'm also fairly sure that like you said, there is just a big difference in vehicle prices between the two countries- I bought a 2004 RX-8 for $34k in 2003. But the same (relatively speaking, see below) car in Australia was more than double that, if I remember correctly. And I don't think anyone in either country is going to argue that Mazda is exactly a prestigious brand.
And no offense to anyone here, but a $40+k car, bought new in the US, means you are doing pretty well to 95% of the population. I'm guessing the average income on the Purse Forum is a bit higher than the median $50k for the entire US, so I think you may get a skewed viewpoint on here. . In general, if a normal person sees a new BMW, the first thing that goes through their head is "that person must make more money than the average person."
Now, to answer your question- my personal feelings on what I'd consider a prestigious cars:
Range Rovers
Any Lotus (boy would I LOVE to have an Elise! Maybe when my daughter's a little older, lol)
BMW M5
BMW 6 series
Any exotic (ie. Maserati on up)
Bentley
Rolls
Any Porsche above a Caymen
Mustang Saleen