If your financial advisor ever tells you to buy a new car and hold onto it as an investment, you should probably make sure his or her last job wasn’t with Lehman Brothers.
Most new cars will never be worth as much as they are on the day you sign on the dotted line in the dingy finance department office at a dealership, but that doesn’t mean that a few cool rides aren’t worth hanging onto.
New cars are generally very poor investments, especially if they are kept unused in a private collection. You’ve probably seen countless “showroom new” beauties go across an auction block for less than their original owners paid decades ago. Not only are these collectors being deprived of the joys of motoring, but they’re doing the same thing as many other “collectors” across the country: Preservation for no good reason.
Our editors came up with a list of 10 new cars you can buy today (or will be able to buy soon) that balance potential collectibility with immediate enjoyability particularly well. Use (but not abuse) any of these (mostly) affordable future classics you’ll see a decent return in a few decades. They’re the kind of cars that will appeal to people who say things like “I always wanted one” or “I had one but I let it go” at a car show.
What new cars would you add to our hardly exhaustive list? Tell us below in the comments section.
Ten new cars worth holding onto
2012 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Corvette owners are notorious for their meticulous preservation; there are probably half a dozen unused ZR1s tucked away in garages in your ZIP code alone. And that’s just why you should buy one and enjoy it, since at least yours will be unique because it was driven.
2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. As we discovered last month at the annual collector car auctions in Arizona, trucks are really hot right now. Will they continue to demand big bucks in the future? We don’t know for certain, but we’d be willing to put our money on Ford’s aggressive Raptor. Owners of these big bruiser trucks love to take them off road, so the number of “unmolested” ones will decrease with every passing year.
2013 Ford Shelby GT500. The announcement of a new-for-2013 GT500 capable of hitting 202 mph immediately made the outgoing GT500 yesterday’s news. We thought the suckers who bought 2011 Ford Mustangs with the old 4.0-liter V6 were getting screwed, but 2012 GT500 buyers might be just as unlucky. Buy one and enjoy it, but don’t tickle that 202 mph figure too much or else you might find yourself as a collector without a driver’s license.
2013 Fiat 500 Abarth. The standard 500 has proven to be somewhat of a bunt in the United States, but we think the Abarth might just have what it takes to become a genuine collector’s car. This zippy minicar is likely to finally give the evergreen MINI Cooper a run for the money. And money’s the big draw here since the 500 Abarth will be well under $30,000 despite a relatively limited production run.
2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. A hot rod Jeep initially seemed like a silly idea a few years ago when SRT first worked its magic on the Grand Cherokee midsize sport-ute, but then we drove one. With its standard all-wheel-drive, the Grand Cherokee SRT8 was arguably the best-driving of SRT’s sporting cars, and that’s hardly faint praise. The latest model is more outlandish yet more livable, and its resale value reflects strong demand.
2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. High-end German cars are generally a laughably bad investment (just look at how “cheap” a low-mile SLR is on eBay; double its current price to find its MSRP a couple of years ago), but the SLS is a little different. The first car designed from the ground-up by AMG, its design might look backward but its performance is pure 21st century. Book your trip to Italy in 2042 for the Villa d’Este concours.
2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Considered by many to be Generation X and Y’s muscle car, the Evo’s days are numbered as Mitsubishi attempts to rebuild itself in our market. An Evo might very well be the best investment on this list if it is gently enjoyed since so many wind up being driven hard and subsequently modified on a tight budget. We shed a little tear every time we see an Evo with an APC sticker and an exhaust pipe as fat as a garbage can.
2011 Saab (any). If you can stomach the lack of a warranty and questionable future parts availability, a new Saab is an intriguing proposition. We’ve heard of dealers slicing more than 50 percent off of list prices, which means Swedish style is available for Corolla money. But will they be collectible in the future? They’re not making any more of them, so this is your last chance to buy a new Saab. You’ll be the star at the Orphan Car Show when Saab becomes eligible.
2013 Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ. Ostensibly the same vehicle, the FR-S and BR-Z represent a unique collaboration between Toyota and Subaru, but they especially prove that big T’s sports car days are back. You’re never going to make a fortune on an FR-S or BRZ, but keeping one clean should make it a relative rarity in a few decades.
2012 Volkswagen Golf R. Dropping around $35,000 on a VW Golf is not for the faint of heart, but this 256-horsepower, all-wheel-drive hatchback is basically a sports car wrapped in an economy car’s body. That unique combination promises enduring fanboy (and fangirl) awe for years, especially since VW has some of the industry’s most devoted gear heads.
