[Cresterk]

With the way they are banning and de-registering cars left right and center, I doubt it. Earlier, a car like an old Skoda octavia, old Safari 4x4, first gen Honda city, Contessa, Audi 3.0 Quattro sedans, Mercedes W124 etc and bikes like the old Yamaha RD350, Diesel Enfields, pre bs4 KTM 390s etc could be purchased and then sold off later for about the same amount if not more than what you bought for. Current market conditions and dealers have shot their prices up too much now and you are one regulation away from holding overpriced scrap you can't even legally drive next year

[ruzbehxyz]

There is no car with any appreciation. If you are buying a car for resale or any similar reason, you have lost the plot. A car is bought for driving pleasure, touring, family travel etc. Remember a car is a depreciating asset from Day 1. The insurance for a brand new car is 95% of the Invoice value.

[BeemerBug_06]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Good investment to me should let you enjoy(give returns timely) and at the same time, appreciate.

Some of the cars in this category:

1. First gen City Vtec
2. First gen Octavia vRS
3. Palio GTX/1.6
4. Fiesta 1.6 S
5. Polo 1.2 GT TSi/ GTi
6. Ford Endeavour 3.2(Not limited edition, but still commands decent resale despite Ford exit)
7. Octavia RS230/245
8. i20/Venue N line(Too early may be?)
9. BMW 330i
10.Duster AWD

Somehow the words 'investment' and 'enthusiast cars' don't really go hand in hand. There are few times wherein one can really invest in such cars. Most of the cars you've listed will not be a worthy investment at all. For example, the Fiat Palio 1.6 GTX is sadly now quite a goner in that respect. Unless it is the limited edition S10 , which may command some value, the regular GTX has almost no demand or real resale value in today's market. They are brilliant cars to drive , no doubt. But lack of spares and expensive maintenance would cause enthusiasts to look elsewhere.

Even if you manage to get one of these cars for a dirt cheap amount, remember they are mostly above 10-12 years of age and will need work, post that there is no guarantee that you're going to recover the amount or make a profit by selling it off.

So I personally don't feel an enthusiast car should really be looked at as an investment, instead it should just be enjoyed, driven and then sold off for whatever best price it can command, if at all. Although, rare or limited edition cars which hold value may help gain a better price due to their rarity.

If you want to invest in cars, I'd say it would be a better idea to look at fast-moving mass market cars and those which you know can get you good value in the used car market.

[DanishP9797]

No idea about investment but I sold my 2018 GTI in April 2022 for the same OTR price I had bought it for. I obviously did not recover any modification money which I could have if I tried, but I had enjoyed it so it’s okay. Can’t say about demand, but these cars hold value really well.

[Jeroen]

I can’t really comment on the Indian situation. In Europe, probably most of the western world, as an average rule, cars will always cost you money.

So yes, just enjoy it as much as you can. It’s only money!

There are only less than a handful of modern cars that appreciate rather than depreciate. Most if not all of them are Porsche. My best friend and spanner mate Peter is a professional car appraiser. He deals wit Porsches a lot. On some of these he needs to re-appraise them every 6 months.

But the models that appreciate do vary over time a lot too.

When it comes to classic cars. We all read about these ridiculously expensive classic cars. E.g a Ferrari GTO being auctioned off at tens of million dollars.

The top of the classic car market is minute. And as soon as you need any major restoration work carried out on any classic car, you are unlikely to ever recuperate your money. Save for a few exceptions.

So be it brand new or very classic, the notion of it appreciating are slim at best.

If you want to invest to earn money I would strongly suggest to look anywhere, but the modern and classic car scene.

Jeroen

[shankar.balan]

The ‘investment’ per se which you allude to is only going to pay you dividends in the ‘fun experience’ that you will derive from it. The money that you put into a car which you love will give you immense returns by way of unbridled joy each time you drive it and waves of pleasure each time you park it and then while walking away, turn back to look at it. After all, as enthusiasts, the only cars worth buying are those that conform to the above criteria.
Like these, for me…