5 Sporty Cars That Are Actually Good Investments $ $ $

Member's, which ones do you like (if any) ? I don't agree with all the ones selected below ? Do you ?


By Keith Griffin December 7, 2014 1:30 PM




Sure, it’s cool to own a sportscar, but can you really justify the expense? Excuse me while we go nerdy for a moment and run some numbers by you.
What ALG has proven is there are 5 surprisingly cool cars out there that hold their value better than boring family sedans and crossovers. Go ahead, tell your wife — it’s not a midlife crisis, it’s a sound financial decision.
Mazda 3



It may not be the sportiest of the bunch, but the Mazda 3 is one of the most fun little sedans money can buy. And a good investment.
Dodge Charger



We’re not just talking Hellcat here. The entirety of the Charger lineup remains a sound investment even after a few years.
Subaru WRX



Another fun four dour option could be the new Subaru WRX.
Audi TT



When talking about two doors, the Audi TT looks good, goes fast, and remains valuable in the marketplace.
Porsche Macan



Essentially a lifted Cayman, the Porsche Macan is the most practical and one of the most fun on the list.
These sporty cars were honored by ALG. Its Residual Value Awards recognize vehicles in 26 segments – including midsize and full-size commercial vans for the first time – that are forecast to retain the highest percentage of their MSRP after a three-year period. This year’s recipients were chosen from 2015 model year vehicles on sale that have shown strong value in their competitive segments.

 

How To Buy a Car As a Good Investment For The Future


By Trent Hamm Last updated September 15, 2014 Repost by `Space December 9, 2014

Automobiles are some of the worst investments you’ll make in your life.

They immediately start losing value the second you drive them off the lot. They require constant additional cost to stay on the road (in the form of gas, oil, insurance, and repairs). They’re prone to breaking regularly. They’re a potential physical danger. Best of all, when you finally decide to sell it, you get only a pittance of what you paid for it in return.
A very poor investment, indeed, but it’s one almost everyone makes several times throughout their adult years. I’m on the verge of buying my third automobile and this time around, I’m going to do what I can to ensure that it’s a good investment for the long haul. I’m also taking care to consider what my car insurance options are for the vehicle I end up buying.
Here are eleven steps we can all take to ensure that our next car purchase is the best investment available.



Buy a late model used.
I’ve seen countless different models that show different potential car buying possibilities and clever arguments on behalf of each of them. Lease a car. Buy new, but negotiate and hit a good sale. Buy the most reliable car with a bunch of miles already on it.
In the end, though, most unbiased analyses seem to point towards late model used cars as the way to get the most car bang for the buck. From an excellent unbiased comparison of used versus new from Cars.com: “If you’re on a tight budget, then buying a used car gets you the most vehicle for the least amount of money.” Since that’s what I’m looking for – the most vehicle for the least amount of money – then it’s late model used for me.
That article does give a lot of reasons for buying new: reduced maintenance, warranty coverage, roadside assistance, and peace of mind. However, these factors are mostly important only if you don’t do adequate research beforehand, and that leads us into some of the other points…

Do your research before you ever approach a car dealership.
The best way to get a poor deal on a car is to not adequately research things before you go to the dealership. If you’re walking out to the dealership without having evaluated some hard data and figured out based on that hard data what you’re looking for, you’re going to wind up with a poor selection.
Before you even head to the dealership to make your purchase, do some research. Hit the library and dig through their car buying guides for the last few years, seeking as much information as you can about different models in the type of car you’re considering. Spend a few hours on it – it’s time that will pay off over the long haul if you know exactly what to get when you head out to the dealership.
Most importantly, you don’t have to know much about cars to do this research.Most of the research tools you’ll use are extremely self-explanatory. For example,Consumer Reports breaks everything down in easy-to-compare numerical scores so that you can quickly tell which is the better option in the areas you’re looking at – and by how much.
What should you be looking for to maximize your investment?

Buy a model that’s known for reliability.
The first big factor to look for is reliability. The first place I look is the reliability reports in Consumer Reports for the last three years. I focus in on brands that have a high reliability factor – Hondas and Toyotas tend to do well in these, while Volkswagens do poorly.
Not only do I look at reports for individual models and years, I also focus on more general reports about reliability from that company. For example, if I were looking at a Ford Taurus from a particular year, I’d also look at all sedans produced by Ford, since they often have most of their parts in common. This will give a broader view as to the reliability of the model you’re studying. It’s in your best interest to take a look at how aftermarket parts affect your car insurance.

Why is reliability so important? A reliable car will minimize your repair costs over the long haul and also give your car a longer drivable lifespan – you’ll keep it on the road for longer overall and, even better, keep it out of the repair shop. Both will put cash back in your pocket.

Buy a model that’s known for fuel efficiency.
While looking at reliability, I also keep a big eye out for fuel efficiency, the other big area I look at when evaluating a car. For this number, I use fueleconomy.gov to get standardized numbers across all model years. I don’t pay much attention to small differences (up to 2 miles per gallon), but differences larger than that start to add up to significant differences in the amount of fuel your car will drink per year, and if the difference is significant (five miles per gallon or more), you quickly start talking about hundreds of dollars per year (assuming normal driving levels).
Why is gas mileage so important? It’s every easy to demonstrate the power of gas mileage. If one model gets 18 miles per gallon and another car gets 28 miles per gallon, over a normal year of driving (10,000 miles), that’s 198.4 gallons of gas. At $4 per gallon, that’s $792 saved – and that’s a big difference.



Be sensible about the extras your car actually needs.
Most of the nifty gadgets in a car are really not all that necessary? An in-car DVD player? Just get an inexpensive portable one. OnStar? Just use your cell phone and call for necessary services. All wheel drive? If you don’t live on a farm or in an area with severe winters, it’s not necessary.
Focus in on the core features you need and don’t worry about the other fluff. You need a reliable car to get you where you’re going and good fuel efficiency to save you money. The rest? Not really important. Remember, this is about getting the best investment out of your car that you can, and these extra features are simply inessential. Focus on the essentials.

Do due diligence before you buy.
Take the car for a test drive, then take it to a trusted mechanic who will look for problems for you. Also, mark the car’s VIN and do a CarFAX history report so you can know if there are any major hidden problems you might want to know about. Taking these two steps can go a long way to keeping you away from a lemon and helping you to ensure that the car you’re buying is a solid purchase.
This won’t protect you from everything, of course, but it will identify major issues that may be hidden from you at first glance.
Keep it clean.
Once you actually own the car, keep it clean consistently. A dirty car, both inside and out, is a sure way to increase the wear and tear your car will face. Clean out your car regularly, particularly in the spring after the winter weather has passed – the salts and cinders that are used to keep the roads passable are very hard on your car. A spring cleaning can go a very long way toward mitigating that problem.

Follow the maintenance schedule as described in the manual.
Don’t pay any attention to the schedules offered to you by repair shops or your car dealership. Look at your car’s manual and follow that maintenance schedule as closely as you possibly can. Repair shops and car dealerships pad their maintenance schedules with more frequent stops than necessary – these will go above and beyond what’s needed to keep your car running. Instead, trust the manufacturer and save yourself a pretty penny.
One of the biggest things you’ll notice is that your manual points you towards less frequent oil changes. Most repair shops push for oil changes every 3,000 miles, but with modern engines and modern automotive engineering, they’re simply not needed. Many manuals suggest an oil change every 5,000 miles – others recommend changes every 7,500 miles. Check your manual, follow the instructions of the actual manufacturer, and save yourself some cash.

Keep an accurate record of the maintenance you perform.
While performing this maintenance, keep a detailed record of the maintenance. Record every maintenance in a log book – the type of maintenance, where it happened, the mileage on your car when it happened, and the date. When you go to trade in or sell your car, this can provide great documentation about the maintenance your car has received.
I keep my log book in the glove compartment and just take a few seconds after each maintenance task to add a note. This way, when I go to sell the car, I can provide that log to demonstrate that I’ve done proper maintenance. Depending on how you choose to sell the car, this can add some resale value.

Learn how to perform the basic maintenance yourself.
Most maintenance tasks can easily be done in your garage. Just follow the instructions in your manual and try changing your own oil. You can usually save $20 or $30 doing an oil change yourself – it doesn’t take many oil changes for that to add up to some real cash. You can do all sorts of maintenance work yourself: airing up your car tires, changing transmission fluid, changing your air filter, changing your oil filter, and so on.
Learn how to do these yourself and you’ll have the confidence to do such work on any car you own. You’ll save money for the rest of your life with this knowledge.

Drive the speed limit.
Driving the speed limit not only cuts down on the cost of speeding tickets, but it alsoreduces the wear and tear on your car. A minute more on a trip here or there can keep speeding tickets out of your hair and also extend the life of your car, so it’s well worth it to eliminate the speeding habit. I’ve found that setting the cruise control while outside of towns is a great way to keep my lead foot under control.

Start saving for your next car now, not later.
The final tip is one of the best. Start saving now for your next car instead of taking out a big loan. Let’s say you’re going to buy your next car in five years and plan on plunking down $8,000 on it. Just put $28 a week into an ING Direct savings account earning 3% a year and you’ll have that $8,000 in hand after five years. On the other hand, take out a five year car loan for that car at 9% and you’ll be spending $166.04 a month on that loan – $38.30 a week. Starting saving right now saves you $10 a week on an $8,000 car. If you’re buying a more expensive car, it’s even more savings – each week, every week.
Following all of these tactics will go a long way towards reducing the pain of your automobile “investment,” making a very painful loss much less painful. All of these tactics taken together can reduce your expenses significantly over the long run, putting you in a car that runs better, runs longer, and has smaller monthly payments

$ Good Infor 4-Sure

 

Great post with a lot of valuable information.
My father is a firm advocate of buying the used low mileage rental/fleet vehicles such as his current 07 Impala. He bought it for a great price with only 13 thousand kms on it and it now has 245 000 on the odometer with very little maintenance cost, and it's fully loaded. I know at least in my area there are a lot of people that followed in the same footsteps as him as the local dealers were almost giving them away quite a few years back and you see them all over the place. The only downside is that now they don't have that high of a resale value, but if you are buying to drive then you get your money's worth from the car that way

 

I definitely have a hard time with their use of the word 'good investment'. Just for kicks, I looked at the price of that Macan- $50k for a base mode! I decided to build one for kicks, and after picking the options that I thought would be neat (including starting with the turbo model)- it came out to $117k!!

Imagine driving that for 10 years and putting 100k miles on it- that thing isn't going to be worth anywhere near what you've got into it. Even if you did manage to sell it for $30k at that point, you'd still have lost almost $100k on the value of the car alone (not considering maintenance costs, like the tires for those sweet 21" wheels I optioned out).

In general, unless you're willing to risk money gambling on collectors cars (muscle cars, old ferraris, etc)- I think it's a huge stretch to call any car an investment, much less a good one. What makes it worse is so many people buy on credit financed over 3, 4, 5 years which makes it even a worse deal.


That's not to say I'm going to buy a Civic and invest the money in something else instead, I definitely enjoy spending money on cars as a hobby. The difference is, you have to be honest with yourself going into it that the money is almost completely wasted in the long run.

 

Hi `Chad,

Great post & tell it as it is 4-$ure.

I also don't believe that any auto is a good investment, but I do believe that certain select auto's/vehicles hold their value over the majority of others.

I don't believe in investing in a auto to just store it & never get to appreciate the driving experience....Unless it's purchased just as a art object (?)

It's expensive to own any nice car in today's world. It's pays to do you homework `if you want to get the best bang for your $.

I prefer to purchase what I desire & enjoy. Knowing that this pleasure is going to cost me for this fun Like burning `off a set of tires in one outing (LOL) Life is Short > EnJoy `if you can >>>>When you can 4-Real....

Now back to my Z07 StingRay `Dreams...>I'm outa here ...
EnJoy

 

Classic cars are now seen as a much better investment than savings accounts. We explain why, plus tell you how to get started

A government minister recently caused outrage when he suggested that, due to a change in pension rules, pensioners would be free to spend their savings on a Lamborghini.
But is it such a bad idea? With bank interest rates wallowing at around 0.5 per cent, there’s little point in keeping cash in the bank. And with the news from private bank Coutts that the values of some classic cars have risen 257 per cent between 2005 and 2013, sinking your money into an old Ferrari or vintage Jaguar might just be a sound investment.
But what’s the secret of investing in a classic car? We visited Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell, Bucks, to get the experts’ view on cars to look out for and how to get the most out of your money.

The first thing we learn is that a classic car is now seen as a better guarded and more profitable place to put your money than a bank. “In Europe, interest at the banks is at an all-time low. So rather than put it there, some people are putting it into cars,” says Paul Spires, general sales manager at Aston Martin Works.
“You might buy a car for £65,000, and in five years it might be worth £80,000, and you’ve had five years of fun. Put it in the bank and you might have £65,000 – if the bank is still there,” he adds. But not everyone is purely in it for the money. “We get a mix of people: those looking to buy a car because they like a car, and those who are doing so as an investment,” says Spires.
So, how do you go about making your first big purchase in the classic car market? James Knight, group motoring director at auction house Bonhams, offers some expert advice. He says: “You have to do your research and decide what you want. But also think about all the other costs. You need to buy the car, insure it, store it and have it restored.”

And what is James’ advice on cars that could potentially make a profit in the future? “Things like, is it known from TV? Does it have full documentation? All these add desirability and make the car worth more.”
With such a rise in values, could the market dip or plateau? It’s unlikely, according to finance journalist and ex-Sotheby’s expert, Simon De Burton. “The value of the most sought-after cars will continue to rise, thanks to interest from emerging markets,” he says.
So it’s clear. Ditch the savings, withdraw the pension and pile it into high-end classics. And if you don’t have limitless funds available to get started, we’ve picked five worthwhile purchases currently available for under £10,000 with the help of David Lillywhite, editor of our sister publication Octane.
Our guide to investing in a classic car

The right brand

Jaguar E-Type: Although values have risen by 257 per cent on some classic cars, this kind of increase won’t apply to just any old car from any manufacturer. An Austin Maestro isn’t going to rocket to £70,000 in the next five years, for example.
This massive surge in price is usually only reserved for certain brands and the right kind of cars from those manufacturers. You’ll need to head to high-end stuff from the likes of Maserati, Bentley, Aston Martin and Jaguar in order to make a serious profit.
Limited numbers

1957 Ferrari 250 GT 14-Louver Berlinetta: It’s fairly simple logic that buying cars that had a limited production run will eventually pay off. Take the 1957 Ferrari 250 GT 14-Louver Berlinetta, for example. With just eight examples left on the road (out of nine built) one sold for more than £5.6 million when it was auctioned in August last year. Look out for limited edition versions of cars, too.
An illustrious past

1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R: If a car has been owned by someone famous, or played a starring role in TV or films – like James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 or Keith Richards’ Ferrari Dino – then it’s likely to push the value up even higher. But it’s not just the silver screen that helps. A car used in motorsport is also likely to get a high price at auction. Last year, the Swiss Grand Prix winning 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Formula One racing single-seater hit a record breaking £19,601,500.
Buy at the right time

Aston Martin Vanquish: There’s no exact science to this sort of investment, and you may just have to take a lucky punt. At some point in a car’s life, it may be at a low enough value for you to part with your cash. If you buy at the right time, the value will take off soon after.
One such example is the standard [non-S] version of the Aston Vanquish. Anyone who put their money into the car around 2008 or 2009 would have purchased it at its lowest value. It’s now starting to creep up in value, much to the delight of owners.
Barn find

Aston Martin DB5: The next time you’re down the pub and a friend offers to sell you a rusting, dusty old car from his garage or garden shed, have a think before you turn them down. Despite their poor condition, so-called ‘barn finds’ can go for big money – even if it means the buyer is going to have to keep on spending to bring the car up to nearly new condition. An Aston Martin DB5 that had sat in a barn for nearly 30 years recently sold for £320,700 – the owner paid £1,500 for it in 1972.
Click through to page 2 for five sub-£10k classics that could make you money, plus tips from a serial classic car collector.

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