Which cars to buy likely never lose value?

My safe bet list:

• Boxer BBi
• Testarossa
• Stradale
• Scuderia/16M
• Ford GT
• 993TT
• 964TT
• 328GTB
• Diablo
• Manual Murcielago
• DBAR-1
• NSX (91-03 one)
• MB 500E

 

Of the Gallardos, I think Performante and the Balboni 550-2 manual are the ones to have.

I’ve heard great things about the 675 and they certainly held value over the 650. 600LTs dropped to 200 range quickly but have held on and stabilized.


Manual V12 Vantages are slowly on their way up it seems after hitting the 90-100k range now up a bit.

 

My 2001 BMW Z8 and 2006 Ford GT.

Joe

 

Don't forget about Corvette C6 Z06 and ZR1s

 

Oh yes I forgot the Z8, also a high water mark. Perhaps the 850CSi too?

 

I buy what I like. Those two were the best investments. Who knew?

Joe

 

Cayman R

Audi V10 MT

 

Agree.

 

Great pics so far. I will add:

Aston Martin DBS V12 Manual
Porsche 964 C2
Porsche RS cars and most GT cars

 

NSX 2002 through 2005.
We owned four until I moved one in June.

 

F355B or GTS

 

Z8s tend to fluctuate more than almost any other car. They ride a wave of 50k price spreads for the last decade. It's wild

 

The bore scoring on a Cayman r is going to be a tough one

 

Lotus Elise exiege etc...

They just don't make them like that and there is nothing like them.

 

Pretty much anything that is 3 pedals, rwd and NA is a good investment at this point.

 

Not a simple question, but the factors that I'd consider:

1. Relative scarcity. I like Testarossas and 328s, but there are a lot of them. I think Marshall Goldman has three red TRs for sale today, all with ultra low miles, so these aren't rare. Ryalex is probably right about the 328 GTB -- only about 1,300 made for the world. With Porsche, it was a small company until the mid/late 1990s, so 930s and later 964s have low production numbers. A key is to buy something scarce, but not stupidly obscure. The Lamborghini Jalpa is rare, but the demand for them is niche, and care and feeding will exceed the value of the car. The 930 and 328 GTB are uncommon, but there is a tangible market for them. Very liquid. I'd also add that having the only Ferrari 360 with two-tone contrasting stitching in the ashtray doesn't make it a rare car.

2. Classic status. There will always be thick checkbooks waiting for blue chip legends like a Merc 300 SL, Ferrari 365 GTB/4, Jag E-Type, Porsche 550 Spyder, etc. These cars have iconic styling -- we can all identify them from a distance. On the flipside, most modern Aston Martins and McLarens are indistinguishable from one another.

3. Usable. There is a lot to be said for classic cars, but many (most?) of them aren't great to drive. A Merc 280 SL isn't a thrill to drive, but it won't leave you stranded and it can survive in modern traffic. Porsche 911s back to the F-body cars are also very usable, and you don't need to worry about adding miles (a huge part of their appeal, by the way... I currently have a higher mile 964 and if/when the engine decides to retire I'll just get it rebuilt.)

4. Maintainable. Are parts and service readily available? Mercedes and Porsche do this well. Jaguar E-Types also have great support. If you're planning to park significant money in a car long term, future buyers are going to want a comfort level that their investment won't become a white elephant. McLarens seem difficult and expensive to keep on the road. I wouldn't invest in the regular production cars. As I post here often, I'm not a fan of complex modern cars as long term keepers.

5. Desirable when new. I've never read an "F40 sucks" review -- the car was hailed as a landmark from day one, and values have only risen. On a lower price level, Porsche 930s were always held in high regard, and prices are solid. Ditto most air-cooled 911s. On the flipside, the mid-2000s Aston Martin Vanquish was a turd from day one because of its gearbox, and values are weak. Add miles and they seem to be pretty sale-proof. There is presently enthusiasm for the Porsche 996, but honestly they fall between the widely admired 993 and 997, and they weren't loved when new.

Reasonably available sports cars that could be bought today, driven, kept long term and hold value:

Porsche 911E or 911S coupe 1967-1973
Porsche 930
Porsche 964 C2 coupe, especially manual, 3.3/3.6 Turbo
Porsche 993 TT
Ferrari 328 GTB
Jaguar E-Type Series II convertible
Mercedes 280 SL, especially manual
BMW E30 M3

If you're willing to write off maintenance costs as the price of driving something distinctive, I'd add the Aston Martin Vantage V8: It's the nearest Aston has to a sports car, and they have already depreciated. Numerous enough, and with enough Mercedes hardware, that they should be maintainable. Possible future classic.

There are definitely others. I wouldn't go with many post-2000 exotics because mileage seems to kill values. Few bidders will chase a 50,000-mile Gallardo, while a Porsche 930 with that mileage will start a bidding war.

 

That's because nobody drove them. A lot of new F40s went straight into air conditioned storage.

 

Gt3 ToiuyringGt4 Rs, the last of the last.

Appreciate is a hard call cause very car car money to keep.