You win some; you lose a little. Buyers of the worst investment cars on this list are probably cursing the day these cars entered the garage. You won’t find them in any classic car collection unless you know a very strange character who is terrible at investing.
The MG TD was the worst investment car of the last 12 months
According to Classic.com, the 1950 to 1953 MG TD saw a -18% return on investment (ROI) over the past year. According to sales history, 66 MG TDs were sold in the previous 12 months. The lowest price was $7600 for a 1953 MG TD 4-Speed. It had 80,000 miles and a banjo style steering wheel. It was also left-hand drive! The most expensive sale came from a 1952 MG “Cisitalia” Special for $55,000. The MG TD was just one of 75 cars to lose value in the past year.
Forbes has weighed in on some of the best and worst investment cars of the past year. Many vehicles have shown significant ROI over the previous 12 months, such as the Mercedes-Benz 300SE-W126, which achieved a 95% ROI. Forbes suggests that this huge increase is due in part to online auction sites.
Classic.com uses sales, price and other data from online sales. In the first half of last year, 17,369 cars were auctioned for a total value of $589.4 million. During the same period this year, that number was 28,904 cars worth a total of $920.6 million. Forbes says that’s a 50-70% increase.
The Mercedes-Benz 230SL Pagoda was another of the worst investment cars
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The 1963 to 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230SL Pagoda saw a -16% ROI over the past year. The 230SL Pagoda has seen 48 sales in the past year. The lowest sale was for a 1965 Mercedes-Benz 230SL 4-Speed Pagoda project car that needed some work but still sold for $20,250. Mercedes-Benz 230 SL Hardtop Convertible The 1965 was the most expensive sale at $129,572.
For the most part, used car sales saw an unusual jump in prices. Juan Diego Calle, CEO of Classic.com, says there are several reasons for these wild numbers. With new car prices high, the circumstances are right for niche used car sales. This is coupled with the fact that semiconductor shortages have slowed the production of new cars. This leaves many people looking for a used car. Unfortunately, those on this list just didn’t get to pick the moment.
The BMW M5 (E39) may be a collector’s car, but it wasn’t a good buy this year
The BMW M5 (E39) from 1999 to 2003 saw a -15% ROI over the same period. But being one of the worst investment cars of the year didn’t stop all 119 sales of the E39 M5. Selling prices were all over the place, with the lowest sale for a 2001 BMW M5 at $12,600. The top sale was $125,000 for a similar 2001 BMW M5 with only 4,000. Who knows, maybe the E39 M5 will be on the list of best investment cars for 2023.
Classic.com calls them “underperformers,” which roughly translates to the worst investment cars of the year. If you’re interested in the best investment cars of the year, check out the list. Have you recently bought something useful to store in the garage for a few years?
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