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As we enter the swansong of the internal combustion age the idea of having a final fling with something exciting and petrol-powered looks ever more attractive, and the cars best-placed to deliver on this kind of experience will become ever more covetable. And valuable. So, with up to £50,000 to spend on a fun car to live this dream and hope you can move it on for (hopefully) a bit of a profit, what should be on your shortlist? We’ve had a few ideas…
The nine best sub‑£50K investment cars to buy in 2022
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Alpine A110
Yours for £45,000-plus
While the majority of Alpine A110s in the used market are over our £50,000 limit there are some hovering just within it, so we’ll give it a pass on that score. But why list a car still in production as potential investment material? It comes down to how much you’d be willing to bet on Alpine’s long-term future, and whether this rebirth is sustainable given the relatively small number of cars it builds and the fact it is out-sold by cars attracting a lot less hype. Whatever happens long-term it’s clear there are relatively few A110s in the market and such is the critical acclaim and endorsement by people of automotive taste (Gordon Murray is an enthusiastic owner) there will likely be a healthy balance of demand versus supply. You may not make a killing on it in the way you might with some investment cars. But your money should be pretty safe while you rack up some enjoyable miles.
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Porsche 911 Carrera (997)
Yours for £25,000-plus
As certain as death and taxes, you can be sure that at some point the prices of what you thought were affordable Porsche 911s will have suddenly shot up just at the point you’d decided it was now or never. So it is with 997-era 911s. There are plenty of cheap cabrios, Tiptronics, Targas and the like. But whittle down the search to the manual Carrera 2 coupes you’d actually want to own and you’ll suddenly have seen your entry price go up by as much as 10 grand of late. The debate about which 911 represents the line’s peak of development is never-ending, but the 997 is in with a good shout when compared against its much bigger successors and a simple Carrera looks a delightfully compact and straightforward option. Inevitably, you won’t be the only one thinking this and if the ship hasn’t quite sailed yet they’ll be shouting ‘all aboard!’ very soon.
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Alfa Romeo 4C
Yours for £45,000-plus
As benchmark power outputs for supercars have breached thresholds of 500PS (367kW), 600PS (441kW), 700PS (512kW), so too has their usability for average drivers in any environment. As such the arrival of the Alfa Romeo 4C in 2013 looked like the right car for the right moment. Once they sorted the ugly headlights it had everything – the looks, the exotic carbon-fibre construction, the heritage of that famous badge and a size and power to weight ratio you could exploit on the public road. It should have been a game-changer. But perhaps supercar buyers weren’t quite ready to downsize quite yet, or the unapologetic rawness. While way more exotic than an Elise the Lotus was still way more satisfying to drive, too. But now a few years have passed, and people have figured out a few simple mods to make them drive better, a 4C looks once again very appealing, and relevant. And as appreciation grows again so will prices…
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Morgan 3 Wheeler
Yours for £35,000-plus
Production of Morgan’s reborn 3 Wheeler came to an end earlier this summer, with over 2,000 having been sold. Big numbers by Morgan standards but values remain strong and even if you’d bought one when it first came out a decade ago you’d get your money back now, with change. An all-new one has already been announced and fans will be glad to hear it is sticking with a naturally aspirated petrol engine, even if it’s now enclosed within the bodywork. It’ll still be a hoot, but a car like the 3 Wheeler is meant to be an event and the thudding, air-cooled, Harley-derived motor of the previous one is – literally – a stand-out feature to make every drive a memorable one. Spot the recurring theme but as opportunities to stretch the legs of modern supercars become less and less accessible, you can expect enthusiasts to go back to basics for their thrills. And demand for cars like this is likely to increase their values further.
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Land Rover Defender
Yours for: Stick a finger in the wind…
How to place a value on an old Defender or Series Land Rover? It’s a difficult one to pin down, given even old wrecks dragged out of the undergrowth of farms and fields the world over are now valuable assets ripe for expensive restorations, while more recent ones range from rough, ex-working vehicles to six-figure specials laden with leather and other trimmings. Given the huge nostalgia for the old workhorse in all its many and various forms you’d have to say anything Land Rover shaped is going to have enduring appeal many years down the line, so if you find one at a reasonable price now and have the means (and patience) to look after it properly it should reward you handsomely when it’s time to sell.
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Mercedes-Benz SL (R129)
Yours for £15,000-plus
SLs have always been slow burners in the classic market compared with Porsches and other racier alternatives but you only have to look at the way values for 60s Pagodas and the ‘Dallas’ spec R107s of the '70s and '80s have gone up over time to understand there’s an enduring fanbase for Mercedes’ definitive open-top cruiser. With its hard-edged, Bruno Sacco designed lines the R129 was a big break in SL tradition and, for years, they’ve been underappreciated and arguably undervalued. But time has been kind to the looks and good examples – especially the early ones with the orange indicators – look more appealing than ever, with values on the up. You’ve probably missed the boat for a cheap one. The window to bag one while they’re still ‘affordable’ looks to be closing fast, too.
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Audi R8 V8 manual
Yours for £40,000-plus
You could get them cheaper still not so long ago so if you like the sound of an all-aluminium, mid-engined junior supercar with a high-revving atmospheric V8 and gated manual gearbox you need to act quickly. Certainly, the first-generation Audi R8 remains a high-point in modern fast cars and a perfect intersection of enough power to feel properly potent but still enough engagement to make the driver feel part of the action. The 420PS (308kW) of that gorgeous 4.2-litre engine is enough to make it feel usefully faster than most 911s this side of a Turbo, and the R8 remains a much more exotic proposition. Great steering feel, supple ride and surprising throttle adjustability all over-deliver on the already considerable promise and, while the V10 offers Lamborghini pace for Audi money, purists love the V8 and one of these with a manual gearbox looks a canny place to put your money.
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BMW 1M Coupe
Yours for £45,000-plus
There are plenty of fast, M-badged BMWs to choose from at this price point but the combination of enduring critical acclaim, limited supply and the fact it’s an absolute riot to drive make it almost surprising you can still get a 1M Coupe for less than £50,000. That might sound like a lot for an old 1 Series but given they’ve never really dropped below the £40K or so they originally sold for and they’ve always been highly prized among those in the know. Rightly so, because the 1M is one of the best fast BMWs of recent times, with more than a whiff of after-hours project car that somehow sneaked into production. Just one built by BMW M engineers, with access to the best bits in the business. Collectors can chase the low-mile ones to covet but even one to ‘use and enjoy’ with a few miles on it can only go one way in value while you have your fun.
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Mazda RX-7 (FD)
Yours for £30,000-plus
The rotary engine at the heart of the RX-7 is simultaneously its most appealing feature, yet also the one that intimidates potential buyers. Even when they’re working properly they burn through fuel and oil at a fair rate and the reputation for fragility and need for expensive rebuilds is scary but, hey, Porsches aren’t exactly averse to this either. There aren’t many RX-7s around but the beauty is more than skin deep, and under those gorgeous lines the final FD version is equally stunning to drive. The buzz of the rotary is truly unique, the two-stage turbocharging makes the power delivery exciting and the wonderful balance in the handling and controls are delightful. Beautiful, great to drive, technically fascinating and rare, as US import rules mean buyers there can now import them, those remaining elsewhere in the world will be increasingly sought after and valuable. Get in there quick.
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Exposure to a Performance Car review of the Lamborghini Countach 5000QV at an impressionable age set Dan Trent on course for a life-long obsession with cars. Immersion in the world of used car temptation with a spell as editor of PistonHeads.com only sealed the deal, compulsive online tyre-kicking now a daily ritual. He’s still some way off that Countach though.
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