Are these the five best cars to invest in right now?

Ford Racing Puma

Launched: 1999

Price today from £6,000

It is remarkable the Racing Puma has remained immune from appreciation for so long, but surely it won’t last. This, after all, is a special little coupe, tweaked and assembled by Tickford to give 153bhp from its 1.7-litre engine, it not only looks the business with its swollen bodywork and Sparco seats, but is also terrific to drive.

Admittedly, it’s not particularly quick in a straight line (0-60mph takes 7.9 seconds), but with a wider track than the standard Puma, plus a fancy Alcon brake setup among the many changes, it remains a riot to drive. Throw in the fact it came from a limited production run of 500 (it was intended to be 1,000, but Ford struggled for orders on account of the £23,000 asking price), and the Racing Puma looks like a safe bet. Just watch out for abused and neglected examples, and be aware that parts aren’t cheap.

Renault Clio 182 Trophy

Launched: 2005

Price today from £5,000

The Clio Williams will give it a run for its money, but surely it’s the later Renaultsport Clio that will in time be regarded as the modern-day Peugeot 205 GTi. It was, after, all, among the last hot hatches to offer that intoxicating blend of a featherweight build and a brawny naturally aspirated engine - the 2.0-litre F4R unit in Renault’s case.

There was none better than the limited edition (to 500 UK examples) Trophy, with its remote reservoir Sachs motorsport dampers among the upgrades that meant it handled better than you could possibly imagine.

The truly great thing about a Trophy was that despite its name you didn’t need a racetrack to get the best from it; driven hard it could be just as entertaining on a B-road, not to mention quicker than cars costing twice the price.

Mini Cooper S Works GP

Launched: 2006

Price today from £9,500

Just about sneaking in under our £10,000 budget is the last of the first-generation BMW Mini Cooper S, the GP. On the face of it, this is a largely pointless car, what with the rear seats being replaced by an enormous strut brace (part of a weight saving programme that made the GP 50kg lighter than a standard Cooper S) and the 18-inch alloy wheels giving a ride that for once with a Mini genuinely could be described as kart-like.

Production was limited to 2,000 worldwide, 500 of which came to the UK, so common sense says to buy one and store it away. However, you’d then miss out on the fun that comes from thrashing the 1.6-litre engine, enjoying the supercharger whine and the challenge of putting 215bhp through the front wheels. Throw in its small dimensions, darty handling and good build quality and surely this is the pick of the BMW-era Minis.

BMW E36 M3

Launched 1992

Price today: From £8,000

Amazing to think you can pick up an M3 within our budget, but the E36 still just about creeps in. You’ll want to avoid the creaky convertible, and for reasons of cost it’ll be an early 3.0-litre car in the frame, rather than the later 3.2, but you’ll still be getting a 286bhp straight-six engine, rear-wheel-drive handling and the knowledge that all BMW M3s will eventually fall into collector territory if well cared for.

Worry not of the slightly lacklustre reputation of the E36 compared with other M3s either, for while the steering on earlier cars is admittedly too slow, history has otherwise been kind to it. Just watch out for running costs and find a good independent BMW specialist who can help you keep on top of maintenance.

Toyota iQ

Launched 2009

Price today: From £2,000

It might not have escaped your attention that this list is made up of high-performance cars. The iQ, with its 1.0-litre engine, could definitely not be called that. It is also, be some margin, the outsider as far as appreciating asset potential goes, but its recommendation is not without reason.

What makes the iQ stand out is that it is so completely different to anything else. When creating it, Toyota’s engineers were briefed to come up with a car that was shorter than an original Mini, but could still seat four and would be happy cruising on the motorway.

In reality, the iQ was more of a 3+1 in terms of seating, because whoever was behind the driver didn’t get much in the way of legroom. But even so, it represents the thinking investor’s choice, a curio from one of the world’s great car makers that really deserved to do better than it did.