Five affordable cars that will make you money in the future
A few wise investments could prove fruitful if you hang onto them
If your idea of a nest egg is something that you can also drive, then these are the cars for you. Showing strong residual values, a clever investment could mean you make a profit in future.
BMW 1M
In the burgeoning classic and performance car market, there exists any number of M cars that could nab this spot. The E39 M5 has long been underappreciated, and undervalued, and the Z4 M Coupe has that engine, looks and rarity on its side.
But for a more recent M-hewn piggy bank look no further than the 1M, a car that started off in demand and hasn’t really dipped since. In fact, sub-20,000 mile cars currently command in excess of the new list price. With just 450 brought into the country, and a pugnacious, no-nonsense charm, there’s no reason to believe values won’t simply keep on rising.
Porsche Cayman GT4
The GT4 may well be a good investment, just as long as you could actually buy one in the first place. Nevertheless, the fact that it’s highly likely you can’t means that the financial prospects for this baby GT department car look rosy indeed.
In the current market it seems that any car with the Porsche GT badge on its rump is a solid prospect, but this will be the first time anything other than the 911 has had the treatment, and the market waits with interest. For something different, just check out the prices of 996 GT2s…
Ford Focus RS mk1
Interest in the original FRS is bound to increase with the imminent arrival of the third instalment. The first RS has always split opinion, on the pages of EVO and elsewhere, although it’s a brave soul that argues against it being one of the finest looking hot hatchbacks of all time.
The market for classic fast Fords exists in its own orbit anyway, but the FRS1 is a relatively affordable way to bag a modern, highly useable classic, as EVO’s own Richard Lane has recently demonstrated.
Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy-R
Remember when they couldn’t give Megane R26Rs away? Eventually a portion of unsold stock made its way back to Europe, unwanted, unloved. And now, well, yes, things are rather different. What, then, of this latest generation car: limited to just 30 units, extreme in specification and a record holder at the ‘Ring, the investment bells are ringing merrily.
Moreover, post-‘Clio-turbo-gate’, consider how much faith there is in Renaultsport maintaining their form with the next generation of Megane: or will the Trophy-R mark the end of a glorious era? If it’s the last as we know it, it’ll always be the ultimate of the breed, and valued accordingly.
Nissan Skyline GTR
There’s an RB-26-engined GTR to suit most budgets, and all look as though they have plenty of room for investment potential. Given their engineering, competition credentials and ability, it’s amazing you can still buy a decent R32 for under ten grand. In fact, this same sentiment could apply to so much Japanese metal from the 1990s.
In some cases the ship, if not already sailed, has definitely secured for sale and is nudging out of port: NSXs already command good money, and a nice, unmodified Mk4 Supra is not the bargain you may assume it to be. Nevertheless, an Evo 6 Tommi Mak or choice cuts of the Impreza appear mightily tempting right now.
