Can your car still be an investment?

Remember the “good old days” when cars were considered to be an investment? They’re over! Much like death and taxes, car depreciation is unavoidable. From the highest priced luxury marques to the mass market family sedans, most new cars lose value the minute they’re driven off the dealer’s floor. But which of today’s models might become valuable collector’s cars in the future?

According to Darryl Jacobson, managing director of Burchmore’s, top of the pops is the MINI. “The brand is always desirable, with early MINI One models continuing to hold their price well,” he tells WOW.

In a similar vein, there is the newly launched Citroën DS3. “Named after the Citroën DS, the enormously successful executive car styled by Flaminio Bertoni and produced between 1955 and 1975, this car is a highly credible MINI competitor, which is also set to attain iconic classic status,” Jacobson believes.

Yet another “future classic” is the Mazda RX8. “Now very affordable and quirky enough, RX8 – with its rotary engine and suicide doors – is sure to get classic status in the years ahead,” says Jacobson. Also from the Mazda stable is the fun and funky MX-5. “This is an outstanding little roadster,” he comments. “It’s a real driver’s car, one that is already considered to be highly desirable. It’s sure to be a future classic.”

Moving considerably upbeat on the price scale, there is the utterly remarkable Mercedes-Benz SLS. “Mention the Gullwing to any motoring enthusiast and his or her eyes immediately become glazed over. For good reason; this legendary car – official title Mercedes-Benz 300 SL – is to cars what Coco Chanel is to fashion. There is absolutely no doubt that, like the Gullwing, it is set to become a future classic,” Jacobson believes.

Another classic car that is very much in the exotic league is the Porsche 911. “The 911 is one of the oldest sports coupe nameplates still in production. It has been around for more than four decades and, since day one, it has been a classic,” says Jacobson. “A used car buyer cannot go wrong with a 911.”