1970 - 2005 - Car Investment Under £200k?

[Ffffaster]

Looking for recommendations for a car made between 1970 and 2005 that could be a good investment.

4 seats preferred over two, as I would a convertible, but none of these are deal breakers.

Budget is up to £200k. Ideally something with potential to appreciate or at least not lose any value, rather than just driving pleasure.

What would you pick and why?

Would love to see what the collective thinks. I looked at a Maserati Ghibli recently, but it wasn't as good as an example as it should have been for the price.

Porsche is an obvious candidate, but I'm hoping I can be a little more original and have something more "beautiful" (so so subjective of course!).

[GreatGranny]

Aston V550

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1707127

3.0 CSL

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1784465

I know it's a Porsche but IMO it's beautiful

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1837624

Khamsin with a nice pot to make it immaculate

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1826128

[dundarach]

Wow, £200k with potential to go up is way out of my comfort zone, just the one car, or room to spread the capital risk?

Morgan Plus 4
https://www.carandclassic.com/l/C1841074

[Dapster]

C124 Convertible Mercs, especially late model 6 pot ones are only going one way

[OutInTheShed]

Over what time frame?

I reckon by 2050, there could be a lot fewer people wanting 'collectable' IC cars.
And there's ever more cars which people are trying to proclaim as 'classics'.

Shorter term, I reckon picking the very best examples of things that are about 15 years old now?
Maybe things which are devalued by the high VED at the moment?
But when you start looking beyond the UK market, it's more complex.


Spend the £200k on a lock up unit, fill it with cheap crap and see what happens?

[aeropilot]

OutInTheShed said:

Over what time frame?

I reckon by 2050, there could be a lot fewer people wanting 'collectable' IC cars.
And there's ever more cars which people are trying to proclaim as 'classics'.

I agree.

I wouldn't be looking to 'invest' 200k in any classic car now, at all.

If I had 200k that was available to buy and enjoy a classic car now, while you still can enjoy them, then that's a different ball game, but I would be looking at 1970-1985, not newer than that.

[IroningMan]

I occasionally wonder about this - whilst I imagine that A-list stuff like 250s, F1s etc will continue skyward, there must be questions about the medium-term prospects of cars a tier or two down from that?

[Hoofy]

Some stuff has spiked up quite considerably which has me treading with caution. For instance, I remember when Ferrari 308 GT4s were going for £15k (late 90s, I know, inflation blah blah but still). Now you'll see them for over £50k. There may be more upward movement but I couldn't bring myself to put £50k into one.

So for me, I'd have to look at the price movement for the last 20 years and then risk money in something that's only gone up a little bit.

Also, I recall someone posting somewhere that a classic Ferrari will use up money as quickly as you can throw money at it.

Ok, you could just put it in a barn... I mean lockup... for 20 years. But then you might need to pay for restoration which may cost a fair bit and would eat into your investment.

I'd rather take a risk on something that was cheaper and enjoy driving it. That's why I got an older 911. The price has remained flat but I've enjoyed the last 3 years of ownership (even if there are £2k pa running costs).

This is all speculation, of course. It might go up, it might go down.

And I wouldn't trust me for financial advice. I was looking at bitcoin when it was worth about $2 and someone said they'd give me some just to get me into crypto. I turned them down. That said, I'm not regretful - knowing me, even if I'd accepted the $2 bitcoin, I'd have sold it at $10 thinking I'd made 5x.

Edited by Hoofy on Wednesday 5th March 12:25

[kiethton]

Limited/falling numbers, coming to an age where those that looked to them can afford them...

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/lotus/carlton

[blue_haddock]

I'd be looking at manual Ferraris like the 355 and 360

Boring yes but almost certainly only going one way.

[moffspeed]

Given your budget you could fill a barn with about 20 of these XK-8s. Probably enough change to buy the barn as well.

Aesthetically, like the XJS, the passage of time has been kind to them. Choose the well maintained ones with the right spec. and colour and you won't put a foot wrong. A well sorted one is a half-decent drive too, I'm thinking continental tours not B-road hooliganism.



Talking of Maseratis - if you avoided the classic Ghibli and spent your pot on a pair of specced-up (modern) Ghibli Hybrid GT's you would find yourself with just £55,000 worth of automobiles after 3 years…

[V12 Migaloo]

As its not a deal breaker, 4 seats or convertible, and not sure if I've read it correctly but with a budget of £200k why would anyone suggest you look at cars in the 20 - 30 K mark... I'd look at any Ferrari V12 manual (but that's just me), Testa Rossa or 550, a 575 manual if you can find one. The 599 (it has the enzo V12!) do look good value to me. These will all slowly but steadily increase in value. Look at the BBI you could get these for around £100k 6 - 7 years ago and they have push north of £300k now... whilst on the Ferrari theme a 355 spider in manual, 430 manual (if bought at a good price), even a 612 (that has four seats) but it has to be manual. A bit left field but ultra rare last Jaguar XKR-SS, the one with the wing.... I could go on...
FFS I wish you hadn't posted this as my productivity will be ruined for the rest of the day as I now search the various websites...

Edited by V12 Migaloo on Thursday 6th March 09:16

[WombleCate]

Car prices seem to go silly when they are a: rare and b: the boys who had them on their wall in their early teens reach 50 (they are mostly boys).

The 50yo of 2035 was a teenager around 2000.

With a Carrera GT and Ford GT already over budget how about:

- Ferrari 575m (or even a Superamerica)
- Skyline GT-R R34
- Porsche 996 GT2

Edited by WombleCate on Thursday 6th March 09:24

[aeropilot]

V12 Migaloo said:

As its not a deal breaker, 4 seats or convertible, and not sure if I've read it correctly but with a budget of £200k why would anyone suggest you look at cars in the 20 - 30 K mark... I'd look at any Ferrari V12 manual (but that's just me)..............
.................Look at the BBI you could get these for around £100k 6 - 7 years ago and they have push north of £300k now...

While I'm no huge Ferrari fan (well, not modern ones) there is a lot of merit in what you say....... but there's one BB here just in budget, and in OP's position, I'd be seriously looking at it, or getting a pukka Ferrari expert opinion on it. Shame about it being boring red though, but I just hate red Ferrari's.

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/13452250

This is the one though I'd be waving 200k in front of the seller to see if it got a nibble
I suspect you'd still need another 20k+ above 200k to get a serious bite though.

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/15930765

[Buzzfan]

Interesting challenge. It sounds as though you want to use the car, not lock away a low mileage minter.

Long term returns seem best on low production numbers - would a 40,000 km Alfa Romeo 8c appeal? I found the cheapest one for sale advertised at €244k, which is bang on £200k. Only 329 made it’s a -2007 model though, so 2 years younger than your 1985/2005 requires. I’d personally prefer the prettier coupe, but those are well outside your budget.

An 80’s Aston Martin Volante would be a 4 seat convertible in the right price range . How’s that ?

[Mr Tidy]

I'm never going to be in that position, but if I was I'd never buy a car as an investment.

A buy-to-let property, gold or even shares - if I had any idea of what I was doing!

I have had a 2006 car doesn't seem to have depreciated over the last 5 years, but has cost thousands in servicing. But I don't really care because I bought it to enjoy driving it and the fun I've had is priceless.

[darreni]

A nice 997.2 GT3 plus an E46 M3 CSL.

[skeeterm5]

Put you £200k into a bond for five years at just over 4% pa, this will yield £40k+.

Use £40k to buy fun car, drive it and forget about depreciation.

At the end of 5 years you still have your £200k.

Seriously though trying to predict this stuff is all but impossible.

[Ffffaster]

Thanks, all - much appreciated.

Quite a few of you are missing the point though. I am privileged to have the funds available to spend on a car, not a barn, not a lot of cars, not an ISA, etc. And yes, it's to be enjoyed and not moth balled.

To put it simply, the goal is drive it and enjoy it plenty. It should be likely to at least hold its value or appreciate, but if it doesn't so be it.

Going to check out a De Tomaso Pantera at some point too. Very left field, but looking is great fun too.

[Hoofy]

Ffffaster said:

Thanks, all - much appreciated.

Quite a few of you are missing the point though. I am privileged to have the funds available to spend on a car, not a barn, not a lot of cars, not an ISA, etc. And yes, it's to be enjoyed and not moth balled.

To put it simply, the goal is drive it and enjoy it plenty. It should be likely to at least hold its value or appreciate, but if it doesn't so be it.

Going to check out a De Tomaso Pantera at some point too. Very left field, but looking is great fun too.

Glad you're going to enjoy it and not mothball it.

Thing is, if it at least holds its value, then you're probably paying out about £3-5k a year to run it even if you only put 1-2k miles on it every year. As long as you don't mind that then fine.

Are you really just looking for an excuse to buy an interesting car? If so, crack on.