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Tip #1: Avoid anything that's already 'on the up'. Given your budget, anything that's rising rapidly in price will mean you're probably buying into it at 'complete lemon' territory. OK, so you can bring it up to scratch, but at what cost? Tip #2: Buy something that's as original and unmolested as possible from the outset. Even if it might need a bit of tidying up, an original car with good paperwork will be better than a modified one with unknown history in years to come, even if the mods are good ones. Tip #3: MOST IMPORTANT!! Buy something you'll enjoy. Buying a car for an investment is a great idea, but what's the point of doing it if it's a car you aren't going to love and have fun with along the way? You might as well invest in shares/vintage wine or stamps if it's purely about the money. If you love cars, invest in a car you love. After all, if you love it and look after it, the chances are someone else will further down the line too. The enjoyment you get out of it in the meantime is as, if not more, valuable than the physical price increase you may gain. My money would be firmly on as near mint, rot free original early UK spec Mk1 MX5 1.6. Surefire winner on the investment front and an absolute hoot to own, even in stock trim. Cheap to fix/maintain and also within your budget.
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If i had space i would buy a ford puma, as high spec as possible. You can get them for about £600 and in my and a few others opinions they will only go up. If you can put it away for a few years but heep it serviced and in good nick that is.
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Have had more thoughts on this.
I agree with the 106 GTI/Saxo VTS suggestion as they are starting to get thin on the ground.
206 GTI 180's are about £1k, they have to start going up.
Mercedes SL500 (R129), get the right one and I reckon in 5 years time they will be stupid money.
Fiat 126 has been going up steadily
E36 328 Sport or M3 Coupe's, although they are already on the up.
E39 M5's are starting to go back up, plus as a bonus they have a 400bhp V8 so whats not to like.
Lancer EVO 6 Tommi Makinen, has to be red (I have a soft spot for them)
205 GTI, lowest mileage one you can find.
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Have had more thoughts on this. I agree with the 106 GTI/Saxo VTS suggestion as they are starting to get thin on the ground. 206 GTI 180's are about £1k, they have to start going up. Mercedes SL500 (R129), get the right one and I reckon in 5 years time they will be stupid money. Fiat 126 has been going up steadily E36 328 Sport or M3 Coupe's, although they are already on the up. E39 M5's are starting to go back up, plus as a bonus they have a 400bhp V8 so whats not to like. Lancer EVO 6 Tommi Makinen, has to be red (I have a soft spot for them) 205 GTI, lowest mileage one you can find. 205 gets my support too, although i couldnt find any in budget sadly. Any early small 'hot hatch' i think is fairly sound. Hopefully my fiesta will go up in a few years time, if not then it doesnt matter as it cost nearly nothing.
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dbdb
Part of things
Posts: 821
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One of the more desirable spec Subaru Imprezas in good, unmodified condition would be my guess. They're tomorrow's Escort Mexico.
The cars which end up really quite expensive fall into two groups- those which are always fairly expensive right through their life and end up very expansive when they become older, and cars which trigger nostalgia in people - the cars people wanted when they were young. They are almost always sporty. This generation, they are likely to be German or Japanese.
Lovely though they are, cars like Jaguars never become expensive because there is so little enthusiasm for them. People just aren't interested in sufficient numbers. Look at the photos people post up that they have taken at events: Fords; Japanese cars; VWs etc. Never Jags.
The XJ-S seems to be rising in value - but anything which stands a chance of becoming expensive is already quite a lot of money.
The XJR version of the XJ40 will be worth a few thousand eventually, particularly the very rare manual cars - as will the manual supercharged XJR6 X300. The automatic, not so much.
Really though, the Jaguar saloons need to be left hand drive. There is a lot more interest in them on the Continent than there is in the UK - my XJ40 would be worth several times as much if it was LHD. This is having quite a noticeable effect - the best and most interesting XJ40s are gradually being exported. XJR manuals aside, I don't see either the XJ40 or the X300 ever being worth very much in RHD.
So my guess - Subaru Impreza!
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Tip #3: MOST IMPORTANT!! Buy something you'll enjoy. Buying a car for an investment is a great idea, but what's the point of doing it if it's a car you aren't going to love and have fun with along the way? You might as well invest in shares/vintage wine or stamps if it's purely about the money. If you love cars, invest in a car you love. Cant argue with that, that should be rule number one!!
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What about a BMW 1602 (not the 2002 Tii) trust me I am restoring one and it will cost about £20k. But there are still some 1602 bargains to be had. Rust is a major problem for ANY 1970's car, especially one that's spent it's life in the UK though.
So unless you also want a £20k resto bill. Really go to town on the inspection, or get an expert opinion.
2002 Turbo prices are silly money £40 -60k 2002 Tii's are increasing, nice early examples heading towards £20k.
1602's will only follow suit, if you can get a decent one at the right price. Get the head flowed and a set of twin 40's and you got a great car.
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BMW 2002 Tii (in total rehab)
BMW 1602 (Also in rahab !!)
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Agreed here as well. E36 Coupes of all models are dwindling in numbers for high quality, low mileage examples. I also own one such E36 Coupe and have done for just coming up to 10 years, but unfortunately not an M3. Me too. A very nice standard '97 318is resides with me. I intend to keep it for some time as my 'posh' car. Mileage is low for the age and will stay that way. Body near prefect and have a friend who does award winning resto's so I can have the minor blemishes sorted properly in due course. Hopefully it will appreciate in value over the years so if I do decide to sell one day I can get a decent profit. Mine is a 1994 318is which has just gone over 70,000. Bodywork is also near perfect and never had any rust or anything on it, as is the interior. It's not quite standard, but all upgrades are genuine BMW or approved. I've had it coming up to 10 years, but will be for sale very shortly as I'm trimming my fleet down due to impending business expansion and house move, so if you know anyone who may be interested in any such vehicle, feel free to get in touch! Fantastic cars and I'd rather have the 16v four pot than any of the lower powered end of the 6cyl range. Lovely balance with that revvy engine tucked way back in the bay. Also the E30 318is has quadrupled in value at least over the past 2 years. Sure, it was a far more limited model run than the E36, but E36 numbers are rapidly falling, particularly good examples as they became a throwaway car a few years back now and so many have been ruined, thrashed, racked up starship miles, used for drifting etc etc. I'm sure any BMW with a 16v 4cyl engine will become something of a novelty in the not too distant future and the E36 is a car that can be considered one of the last truly "mechanical" BMW's, yet is still well-equipped enough to make a great daily driver and mixes curves and straight lines better than any other mass-prodcued car that I know. Good examples of 328i Sport Coupes will also be a good bets and obviously the M3. The Touring models are also surprisingly thin on the ground compared to the E30 and E46 Tourings that sandwiched them on the model timeline.
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Specialist Bodyshop & Fabrication Classic, Retro, Prestige & Custom Small Repairs to Concours Restorations Mechanical Work Vintage to Modern
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If i had space i would buy a ford puma, as high spec as possible. You can get them for about £600 and in my and a few others opinions they will only go up. If you can put it away for a few years but heep it serviced and in good nick that is. Again, great choice and fantastic car. Shame they rust so badly in places, but I urge anyone to buy a good one now, spend a few quid getting the bodywork up to scratch and keep hold of it. Gotta be a 1.7 though!
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Specialist Bodyshop & Fabrication Classic, Retro, Prestige & Custom Small Repairs to Concours Restorations Mechanical Work Vintage to Modern
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Jun 10, 2015 10:44:58 GMT
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Often well kept original cars are commanding more than fully restored cars so always try and buy the best you can afford. Having said that the best early 911 I could afford was a basket case, which is what i've decided to invest in . Wish I had bought one 4 years ago. Also lotus Elan Plus 2's have really picked up but I think there is still a way to go. Remember though as with all investments things aren't always guaranteed to go up in value.
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1970 Porsche 911E 2002 Porsche Boxster S 2002 Peugeot Partner 1.9sdi
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Jun 10, 2015 11:36:01 GMT
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When i got my current Alfa GTV V6 a couple of years ago you could drop on a sheddy but useable example for around £1500 - not seen any for sale at anything like that low a price recently.
156 GTA is over budget but the lesser 156's might bask in the reflected glory - a late-ish V6 in a strong colour with the 6sp etc
Fiat Coupes must start increasing in value soon mustn't they?
Not particulary increasing in value, but getting very hard to find, are the Saab 9-3 Aero's (98-02). The 9-3 SE Sport was alwayss less common and might be the one to look out for (essentially an Aero without the body kit. Probably a "slow burn" value wise though
paul
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Jun 10, 2015 11:43:58 GMT
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I sold a peach of an early phase 2 GTV V6 about 2 years ago now for £2000. Not perfect, but great body, almost perfect interior, drove great. 112k on the clock I think.
There's a lot of cars I've had in the past 5 years and sold that have gone up in value pretty quickly. In most cases I knew it would happen, but couldn't keep them all!
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Specialist Bodyshop & Fabrication Classic, Retro, Prestige & Custom Small Repairs to Concours Restorations Mechanical Work Vintage to Modern
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Jun 10, 2015 11:48:27 GMT
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Didn't sell it to me did you ? - thats a pretty good description of what i bought and at around the same time !! Vela blue with Blueline interior, Teledials, Powerflow FK's etc
Did see a 206 GTi 180 last night with a long MoT and under £1k - looked unmolested, keep it nice and should more than pay for it's keep over a few years if current 205 prices are anything to go by
Paul
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🇿🇼Kingludba🇬🇧
Part of things
If in doubt... flat out !
Posts: 975
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Jun 10, 2015 14:17:59 GMT
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BMW e34 535 manual. Getting rare due to rust and e30 engine swaps.
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`99 BMW 528i auto - current `01 Merc C320 - Gone `01 Forester S-Turbo - Sold `89 BMW 320i Convertible - Sold(shoulda kept it ) `88 Toyota MR2 T-Bar - Sold `89 BMW 325i touring - Sold `89 BMW 535i - Let her go too early `85 BMW 320i 2 door - Rust = character `00 Subaru Impreza Turbo wagon - Sold (engine failure) `93 BMW 325i - Sold
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Jun 10, 2015 15:02:27 GMT
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Didn't sell it to me did you ? - thats a pretty good description of what i bought and at around the same time !! Vela blue with Blueline interior, Teledials, Powerflow FK's etc Did see a 206 GTi 180 last night with a long MoT and under £1k - looked unmolested, keep it nice and should more than pay for it's keep over a few years if current 205 prices are anything to go by Paul No it was Titanium Grigio with black leather interior. Sold it to a chap who came up on the train from Central London.
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Specialist Bodyshop & Fabrication Classic, Retro, Prestige & Custom Small Repairs to Concours Restorations Mechanical Work Vintage to Modern
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tenman
Part of things
m00000000000
Posts: 899
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Jun 11, 2015 10:22:49 GMT
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Lotus Elise could be a good choice, or a VX220...
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RWD Fanatic...
2003 BMW 320d Wagon (getting old and boring) 1996 Mini Kensington (SWMBO's)
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93fxdl
Posted a lot
Enter your message here...
Posts: 2,000
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Jun 11, 2015 11:18:27 GMT
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To me, the key points would be common base models and a hot version with good race pedigree, ie Sierra 1.6l and the cosworth version.but you only want the top model. As early a model as possible, preferably 1st year of production. Probably less doors helps A good previous owner or driver adds value, a picture of a top driver in your car helps. Has to be factory standard unless an ex racer when it should be in race winning trim. Lesser models will follow but only once the better ones get too pricey Ttfn Glenn
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mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,364
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I'm tempted at getting another 924, I can see them increasing in value! Mine cost me £200 and I made nearly all that back selling a pair of front seats that came spare with it! I then swapped it for a mk1 caddy so can't complain too much haha
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I think to win big you need to spend big. Look at a few 'winners' over the last decade...
Jensen Interceptor Jag E Type Porsche 911 (70s / 80s) E30 M3 R107 SL Merc
All these were 10k cars very recently and now retail from £20k and up, a decent Interceptor is heading for £40k and up, E Types higher still.
So what costs £10k now and could rise? Jag XK8? Anything AMG from the 90s? I'm struggling a bit here.
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Lotus Elise could be a good choice, or a VX220... VX220 is a good shout, especially the turbo.
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