Okay, so I’m looking to pick up a car which will not depreciate in value. I seemed to have owned many such car in the past however didn’t have the foresight to keep them – numerous VW beetles, 2 VW split screen campers, Mk1 Golf Gti etc. So, with a budget of £10,000 , possibly £3-4,000 more if REALLY nice. what would you buy as a purely weekend car/non depreciating asset. I keep going back to air cooled VW’s as I know them well, however I can’t see myself spending the money people are presently asking and although I would like a project car I don’t really have the space for major work. Another option would be a Boxter, but I’m not a hairdresser, and 996 Porsches (yet to appreciate) are out of my price range. Thoughts?

Honda S2000’s seem to be holding their value very well.

Really clean E46 M3?

MK1 Focus RS.

Subaru Legacy MK1 RS

B5 RS4

C5 RS5

Basically anything with RS in the name. Except maybe the diesel skoda type.

Another vote for a Honda S2000. They’re more reliable than an M3 for lower hassle but watch out for the high road tax.

Skoda Octavia VRS

Few, if any, cars mentioned on here will genuinely appreciate in value. At least not if you use them.

What do you want, a car to use? Or an investment? If the former then just buy what you want and stop worrying about it. If the latter don’t buy a car.

I’d go for a series 4 Porsche 928 if you can afford to look after it. They’ve got to start appreciating properly soon.

I really don’t get this? Aren’t all cars – well… anything interesting – just money pits? I know my mine (Golf GTi 1.8T) bloody is! Its Triggers bloody Broom! My local garage owner has started referring to it as his retirement fund! 😥

Just buy something you like, then go and rag the tits off it 😀

Any proper square Land Rover. Wish I’d never sold my 1986 90…

njee20

Few, if any, cars mentioned on here will genuinely appreciate in value.

Come back to this thread in 15 years.

At least not if you use them.

ac505
what would you buy as a purely weekend car/non depreciating asset

Okay, so I’m looking to pick up a car which will not depreciate in value.

Can’t say that I’ve ever had any vehicle that was in use not depreciate, nor could I imagine have most folk.

Sapphire Cosworth and it’s bang on your top budget.

I was wondering this the other day.

Even if some were monumentally crap, the cars I grew up with all had character, they were distinctive. Even now, you can look at a 70s / 80s car and pretty much instantly recognise it. I’d wager there’s few folk reading this thread who wouldn’t be able to identify, say, a MkII Escort (and that’s not just the model but the revision!).

These days, all “family hatchbacks” look the bloody same. The last real revolutionary design was the Ford Sierra; since then, everything that’s followed has been Sierra-shaped. And silver, christ even the colours are bland.

VR6 Corrado

Okay, so I’m looking to pick up a car which will not depreciate in value.

While it’s true that a classic will increase in value most of the time, to ensure this you have to treat them very carefully and be rigorous with the maintenance. If you want to use it every day then it will possibly cost as as much as running a “normal” car.

Could be a lot of fun though!

How about a low mileage Corrado G60?

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C728015

Porsche 996, Westfalia VW, Good examples of fast Fords c15yrs old.

A bit of canny buying will see your budget into one of the above that you’d actually want to own and won’t be a guaranteed money pit.

All of the above have increased in value in the last few years, and would be fun to own which is a benefit.

Factor in cost of a garage if you haven’t got one.

Corrado, 928, Cayman etc are a bit more speculative, personally I’d go for a Sapphire Cosworth.

B5 RS4 and possibly B7 RS4 is starting to get there

Not really any contribution but My bro paid £25k for a Ferrari 328 gts 10 years ago. Went to insure it last year and was asked to get it independently valued, its now worth north of £100k.

id I had the funds i would be looking at the cosworth, what a car

stevepitch

Not really any contribution but My bro paid £25k for a Ferrari 328 gts 10 years ago. Went to insure it last year and was asked to get it independently valued, its now worth north of £100k.

The really smart money (albeit a good bit more than the OP’s budget) would be on a Ferrari 355 with manual transmission. Still some around for under £60k but they’ll be £200k in no time.

One of the last mid engined Ferrari’s with the slotted manual, classic looks and one of the best sounding engines ever.

Jesus! I was going to suggest an Escort RS Cosworth (a mate had one, and it was mental! We had some laughs in that car!), but I’ve just had a look at the prices they’re going for! EEK! 😯

My mates was this colour. Lovely…

Any of the later Alfa V6’s – GT, 156, 147, Brera, GTV etc.

Agree the Corrado VR6—lovely car.

Some of the Mercedes AMG’s are getting there – CLK 55 AMG for example.

A good Lancia Delta Intergrale is probably already too expensive to make much on for a good while now plus spares are like rocking horse shit

Original Renault Clio Williams?

I’d get a Triumph Stag, they’ve gone up in value quite considerably over the last 5 years. They are a money pit though.
Peugeot 205 1.9 GTI
Porsche 928
Defender 90

Alfa Romeo 147 GTA .

Last of the GTAs (to date , Mito fans are hoping for a Mito GTA with the 1.8TBi engine) and has the Busso engine .

Porsche 928s are already on the move.

Z4M Coupe.
E60 M5 Touring.

MG ZR or ZT, values bottomed out long ago, and spare parts are still available 10 years later so bodes well.

I’ll be honest, Audi and VAG cars just don’t do anything for me so I’m biased against them, but part of the appeal of classic cars is they need to do something that won’t be available in the future, and I’m not sure modern-ish VAG’s will ever do that. Engine’s too far forward, they’re not light, they’re not especially good looking. Older German cars are cool because they could do 160mph in comfort on the autobahn when the rest of Europe was making the Citoren ZX and Rover 800, but a contemporary Fiesta to JimJam’s examples can now do the same.

That and when spares become scarce, at some point you’re going to have to log onto a site and buy a set of Skoda parts for your supposed supercar. Very not cool!

mitsumonkey
Peugeot 205 1.9 GTI

I nearly bought a nice one circa 2007 for £900. Seeing what they are going for now makes me 😳

MG ZR or ZT

I think you need to go and sit on the naughty step, and have a think about what it is you’ve just said

😉

M3 CSL E46, owned mine for three years, bought at 14K miles sold at 17.5K miles CL04CSL

Now fetching around 70K with that mileage, slightly bonkers car raw power with a light back end some what side ways in anything but dry conditions, never found anything to replace it with & now I’m a old geezer it may be dare I say it Jag time.

I think you need to go and sit on the naughty step, and have a think about what it is you’ve just said

Didn’t say they were any good, but they will go up in value because you can’t buy better MG’s and people wil always want one.

I’d also say MK1 and MK2 Civic Type R, especially a re-imported version, or a re-imported MK3 which still had the independent rear suspension. They’re classic because later ones (European MK3’s, or MK4’s) were worse (4 door, no IRS etc).

And the original (new) supercharged Mini Cooper S (better than the turbo that replaced it).

Same logic why MK3 RWA midgets are worth more than MK4 1500’s, they peaked.

Not sure but I’d go for more “modern” and less “classic” at the moment. Classic cars seem to be in a bit of a bubble currently, prices have shot up for a lot of usable classic sports cars over the past 5-10 years. The bubble might not burst, but prices are already quite high.

Buy something you would like to own, at least then you’ll enjoy it and if it ends up worthless it’s not so bad. Unless you are very skilled in the workshop, find a good specialist to look after it if you are going to keep it long enough to appreciate significantly. You’ll probably spend far more than you will ever make.

I would guess Elise S1, possibly Mk 5 golf GTI and R32, and (although maybe above your price range currently) almost definitely the V8 M3s – probably the latter more so, as they were really under-rated when launched, being heavier, “less focussed” etc., but having been in a couple they are very nice cars and have plenty of performance, plus being last of the naturally aspirated era are likely to become desirable (whether you are a believer in turbocharging or not the “end of era” cars always end up going up in value).

Corrado VR6 Storm
Polo G40 Genesis
Golf Rallye 16v (not the 8v) G60
Passat W8

Vauxhall VX220
Nissan 370z
Mazda RX7
Toyota Celica GT4
Mitsubishi Galant VR4
Mitsubishi 3000GT

Mk1 MR2 (must be a T-Bar)

VW Passat 2006 2.0 TDI 140bhp.

Not just any example though, my specific one. It’s legendary already.

Lancia Delta Integrale Evo 2

Fiat Coupe is a great call – I think it is a seriously good-looking car even now. I love the interiors too.