Expert answer

Hi Patrick,

Classic cars are, currently, an exceptionally good investment, but I would exercise a touch of caution – back in the eighties, the same was true and values seemed to quadruple every week, but then came a massive crash in classic prices, which saw more than a few investors get their fingers (and in some cases hands, wrists and elbows) burned.

There are a few specific models and makes to focus on, but first off don’t assume that you can buy an old wreck, restore it and make a profit. Sometimes you can, but proper restorations cost enormous amounts of time and money and many restored cars are actually sold at a loss.

There are some cars that are pretty safe bets though (albeit that comes with the caveat that values can fall as well as rise). The best car for investments seems to be the Mercedes-Benz SL, of pretty much any generation. Mid-sixties ‘Pagoda Roof’ SLs are probably at the peak of their values now, but the later ‘Bobby Ewing’ models still have some viable investment room. The better bet, though, could be to get in on the ground floor of the R129 SL model, built from 1989 to 2002. They’re still relatively affordable, and if the values of their predecessors are anything to go buy, you could be looking at a serious rise in values in the next few years.

Obviously almost any Ferrari is a viable investment tool, although you will need to seek out specialist advice on that one, and it’s getting harder to find affordable ones that have a chance of a good rise in value. Porsches, especially early-model 911s, are a good bet too, with original RS and RSR versions being a solid investment.

Beyond that, anything rare, interesting or, better still, with a celebrity name on the logbook, is worth a look, but as with all investments I’d engage the services of a professional financial advisor before committing to anything.

Expert answer

Hi Martin,

That’s a tough question as it’s very hard to know what an individual dealer would offer you and whether or not the damage and repairs in question will make a significant difference to the value. What I’d suggest is go to the dealer with whom you’re thinking of trading it in (or a number of them, if you haven’t yet decided) and have a very honest chat with them about the car. The fact that it has a full service history is very good, so what you need to find out is are you going to make more on the trade in than the cost of the repairs, or are you going to lose more than they’d cost if you leave them?

That’s the crucial question.

Expert answer

Hi David,

They’re not bad actually. The only major mechanical items that cause regular bother are the engine’s exhaust gas recirculation valve (if the engine is down on power or putting out lots of smoke, suspect this…) and the fragile water pump on the 1.6 HDi diesel. That 1.6 also needs a steady diet of high grade oil at service time. The only other issues are minor electrical niggles, such as the electronic parking brake, sticking fuel filler flaps and the like. Buy one with a full service history and keep it serviced and you should be fine.

Expert answer

Hi Pat,

Well, it’s impossible for us to comment on an individual car that we haven’t seen and don’t know the history of. Toyotas tend to be very reliable and well made, and the Avensis especially so, but no car is entirely without its issues and much depends on maintenance, care and attention to detail. Have you tried contacting your Toyota dealer? Did the problems occur within the original warranty period? Does the car have a full and complete service history?

Expert answer

Hi Brian,

There have been intermittently reported issues with Toyota gearboxes across the board, from sticking shifts to complete failures, but they tend to be quite rare overall, so if the car you’re looking at has a full service history then it should be OK. Ask for a warranty if you're really worried about it.

Expert answer

Hi Asier,

It would of course depend on the year, which you haven’t given us I’m afraid, but the ballpark runs from €1,400 for a 2004 model to around €6,000 for a 2008 model. 

Expert answer

Hi Sean,

I assume it's a 2.0 TDCi model? If so it uses a 'dry' belt to drive the camshafts, which has a service interval of 200,000km. However, there is also a tiny chain that links the two camshafts and this is apparently prone to snapping, so make sure that this is changed whenever you change the timing belt, even though it's supposed to be a service-free item. 

Expert answer

Hi Brendan,

It should be worth in and around €5,500.

Expert answer

Hi Jason,

There’s a pretty big range in Civic prices for a car of that age, from as little as €5,000 to as much as €9,000, but I’d say splitting the difference at around €7,000 would a pretty safe bet.

Expert answer

Hi John,

Vehicle history check expert, Cartell.ie, tells us it can provide the next NCT due date as part of a range of information its service makes available to the consumer. History checks start from €10.