Car Deals to Save You Money

BEST NEW CAR INVESTMENTS

It's a harsh fact of life that when you buy a car, you can expect it to depreciate year on year until it's worth less than Greece. Even 2010's least depreciating mass-produced car, the Volkswagen Tiguan, loses £2,394 a year over a three-year period, this according to the trade guide Glass's.

There are of course cars which have bucked this trend and proven to be shrewd investments.

BEST NEW CAR INVESTMENTS

And the appreciation of a car's price can be shocking. The world's most expensive auctioned car, the Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, sold for $30 million last year and according to Paul Fraser Collectibles. That represented a 17.32% increase in value per year since launch in 1971.

Closer to home, Britain's most expensive sports car, a Ferrari 250 GT, was bought by jockey and show off Chris Evans.

Investing your own money in a potentially appreciating 2nd hand car may take a slightly different shape to the above, of course. Some of the following best investments are for investment bankers only. But there are also more real-world options available.

Sierra RS Cosworth

Spending £10,000 last year would have netted you this classic 1985-87 three-door sports car from the Blue Oval. Pop along to Pistonheads classifieds and a 1986 model can now be found going for £15,000.

Lotus Elise Mk 1

The original version of the brilliant bug-eyed roadster was launched in 1996 and has proven to be an enduring classic for drivers. More importantly this has proved to be a shrewd investment. Costing £9,000 in 2010, it has seen an increase in value of around £2,500-3,000 if sold on today. Also keep an eye on prices for the Exige S1, another classic used Lotus.

Only 422 of this stripped-out 'hardcore' version of the E46 M3 found their way on to UK roads between 2003 and 2004. Unsurprisingly then, the CSL is much sought after by enthusiasts. If you bought a 2nd hand CSL last year, it would have cost you £25,000 but prices have crept up to £27-30,000.

Porsche 964 RS

A truly great Porsche like the 964 is always going to have collectors banging on your door once up for sale. When released back in the 90s, you could expect to pay £63.5k. By 2002, the used price was £25-30k and now, you can expect to pay between £45-50k (the sky's the limit if you want a very rare right-hand-drive version).

Also consider the Mk I Porsche 911 GT3 whose value has increased by nearly 30% in the last year alone; we found one for £45k at McGurks in Warwickshire. Finally, a late 1970s Porsche 911 Turbo is well worth a look too.

Pagani Zonda C12 S

Featuring a V12 engine and looks that are from another planet (and not merely Italy), the Zonda is a truly unique supercar. With an asking price of £330,000 in 2003 on its launch, we found a C12 now going for £485,000 at AdTrader. One for millionaire investors only.