What's the best investment?

blacklineninja

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You probably don't know because I don't think I've been on for the past year or so but I had a major life change last year and became a father to a beautiful baby girl.

Ever since then we've been struggling a bit having a three door hatchback although its getting easier now she's older. Apparently it'll be much easier when she's into her forward facing seat.

There's been in my mind all year the thought that I should maybe get a sensible four door but also since she was born I've been entertaining the highly romantic notion of investing in a cool classic of some description, taking her out on fun excursions and making some happy memories for her in it and then when she's grown up, either as a 25th birthday, or maybe a graduation present if she chooses that path, give her the keys to it as a surprise, to either keep and enjoy more or sell on, hopefully for a substantial amount more than we bought it for. I know a bit about the classic market but not enough to make a surefire investment.

I can only afford to do one or the other though so if we went for the latter option then we'd have to keep the Grande Punto going for as long as possible. If however I went for the four door then I wouldn't have a massive budget to go buying a Subaru STi or anything majorly exciting and running costs would need to be a major consideration.

There are four cars I have in mind, the "sensible" option being a 2-litre diesel Giulietta about 2-3 years old (whatever car I get next will need to last me so I want it to be something stylish and fun) or if I go classic then I'm considering either my old favourite TE27 Corolla, a classic Beetle or an old American car of some sort. There's a 1951 Pontiac Chieftain that looks very Lola.

Being as I am an obsessive sort, this is driving me mad. Mrs Blacklineninja won't give me a definitive answer either way so what do you guys think?
 
I think a 1303s beetle with a Porsche engine would suit you down to the ground and give you some fun as well! They hold their value really well and don't fall apart like some other classics.

Modern TD engines offer loads of performance and great economy.

It's good to hear from you, it's been a while. I bet you're over the moon with your little one, they really do change your life! Glad it's all going well for you buddy.
 
gulietta is nice car , and its fiat underneath so i dont know i think its smaller inside then grande punto.
go for classic car if you like alfas spider is nice.or go for american muscle.
im from Europe so a little bit different cars here becomes classics for example opel manta 5 years ago had a price for about 500 to 1000 euros and now there aren't any for less than 2000
 
Well you have a tough time ahead..........................bringing up a young lady and a car to invest in! :) 25 years from now it could be any car as even a dullard can fetch decent money these days. What you need is something that is going to last the course and be a sort of future icon for certain reasons. We had a Mini 25 which we were going to keep but my eldest couldn't get on with it. After a couple of years it going she regretted it, worth a bit of money now! Anyway enjoy the little one as they grow up real quick!
 
IMHO when you have kids, safety becomes the #1 concern. Classic cars aren't safe- no ABS, TC, air bags, often the seat belts are inadequate, bad brakes and they are generally unreliable (there's a reason carburetors have gone the way of the dinosaur). Get the newer, safer car.
 
Good point.

When my nephew, then 17, was looking for his first car to drive 20-odd miles to work and back, he really, really, really, really wanted this old classic Mini.

To be fair this Mini had been really well looked after, and had some good mechanical mods that made it hold the road like glue and be quite quick.

But at the end of the day it was an incredibly noisy, paper-thin metal deathtrap, which would have been great for a weekend car but not to have to get into at the end of a hard day's work.

We got him into a nice Fiesta isntead.
 
I was thinking the same thing. I wouldn't want to be driving about in a 25 year old car at all, regardless of who was in there with me.
 
Cheers guys, although just to be clear, if I went for the classic it would NOT be my daily driver, nor hers when I pass it to her; I'd be keeping the GP and she'd be getting a first car that's as near to wrapping her up in bulletproof flame retardant cotton wool as technology will let us get.

The classic would be for fun drives around the local Saddleworth Moors and the odd car show.

Although after this week, I'm in my occasional "I hate cars" mood again, being as I've had to shell out nearly £500 on repairs plus the cost of a rental car to make pre-arranged plans...
 
Anything rare tends to hold it's value well. It would need to be exceptional though. Imports can be hard to insure and that would put a lot of people off buying them.

See what they are selling for on car sellers websites, compare a couple of years difference if you can and you'll get a feel for how well they hold their value. Anything after 2000 will still depreciate though.
 
But if I can find a nice condition unmolested one, freshen it up and keep it (shudder) stock, in 25 years' time, that should be pretty rare, right? Rare and valuable, especially being the first generation of Civic Type R's?
 

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