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Some people buy properties, some buy baseball cards, and others buy investment cars. These are some of the best investment car purchases of 2022. You won’t be able to guess which collectible car made this list, but the results are interesting. While some people are converting classic cars to electric vehicles, others just take the dream car out for a spin.

This Mercedes-Benz was the best investment car of the last year

Best investment cars of the last year
The Mercedes-Benz 300SE at a festival | Michael Cole/Corbis via Getty Images

According to a recent study by Classic.com, the 1986 – 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE-W126 had a 95% return on investment (ROI) since June 30, 2021. The last year’s cheapest sale for this Mercedes is $3,600 for a 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300SE. The most expensive sale was $28,300 for the same make and model.

Forbes says that the reason for this huge increase is partially due to online auction sites. Classic.com uses the sales numbers, price, and other data from the online sales.

In the first half of last year, 17,369 vehicles were auctioned off for a total value of $589.4 million. In the same period this year, that number is 28,904 vehicles totaling $920.6 million. Forbes says that is an increase of 50-70%.

The GMC Typhoon is more of an investment SUV than an investment car

Remember the 1992 to 1993 GMC Typhoon? This high-performance SUV had an 83% ROI. The cheapest one that sold in the last year is a 1993 GMC Typhoon for $22,250. The most expensive sale is also a 1993 GMC Typhoon that sold for $175,000 earlier this year.

Juan Diego Calle, the CEO of Classic.com, says there are a few reasons for these wild numbers. With new car prices through the roof, the circumstances are right for niche used car sales. That is coupled with the fact that the semiconductor shortage has slowed the production of new cars. That leaves plenty of people looking for a used car.

Don’t expect to see many Porsche Carrera GTs on the road

The 2004 to 2006 Porsche Carrera GT had an 80% ROI in the last year, coming in third on the list of best investment cars. It was only made in those years, making this one quite hard to find. In the last year, 16 of these Porsche Carrera GTs have sold. The cheapest one sold was a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT for $763,786 late last year. The most expensive sale was also a 2005 that went for $2,012,500 in March of this year. The average sales price of this sports car is $1.6 million.

The Porsche 928 is the king of collectible vehicles

This year, the 1978 to 1982 Porsche 928 (base model, automatic) showed a 77% ROI. While only eight of these have sold, the numbers are quite interesting. The lowest sale was for a 1981 Porsche 928 at $7,800. The most expensive sale was a 1982 Porsche 928 that went for $95,000 earlier this year. Not a bad collectible car to have in the garage.

This BMW 633CSi was also a good investment car

For fans of the 1978 to 1984 BMW 633CSi (manual, E24 ), a 73% ROI probably seems pretty normal. Only five of these have sold in the last year, making it a rare investment piece. The lowest sale was from a 1984 BMW 633CSI 5-Speed for $15,000. For the most expensive sale of $50,000, it was a 1984 BMW 633CSI.

Interestingly enough, Juan Diego Calle of Classic.com suggests that one of the reasons for these huge sales numbers is due to a generational shift. There is now a large group of buyers in the 40-50s age bracket with disposable income. Buying one of these collectible cars from the 80s or 90s has probably long been a dream. These investment cars are meant to be driven and enjoyed.

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