Due to the shortage of new models and the rising demand for older vehicles, the average price of a second-hand car grew by 28 percent last year. If you know where to look, however, you can get some summer-ready roadsters that are not much affected by the price hikes.
The Hagerty Valuation Team revealed that there are still two-seater convertibles that have managed to remain affordable despite the heated car market. From the data they received from the last two years, they were able to identify a group of recession-proof roadsters whose value has remained did not increase or decrease by more than give percent of their value.
Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider Veloce
The iconic 105-series Spider from Alfa Romeo is simply beautiful. And there are good units that are great to drive too. The Spider has up to Series 4 and Series 1 cars, which are commonly known as ‘boat tails’ are considered to be the most desirable of all the series. Production for the Spider ended in 1993.
Hagerty UK Price Guide Editor John Mayhead shared that between 2015 and 2019, the values of the Spider sharply rose and then eventually levelled off. For a concours condition Series 1 cars, collectors would gladly pay well for them as they can sell for more than £50,000. A decent 2000 Veloce could be had for only £14,800.
Austin-Healey ‘Frogeye’ Sprite
Initially, the Frogeye Sprite was planned to have pop-up headlights. Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, the supposed pop-up headlights became permanent giving it a froggy façade.
From 2012 to 2018, top Hagerty Price Guide values rose from £16,000 to £27,300, it then dropped a little after that then eventually leveled out. The model has been highly coveted in the US.
Fiat X1/9 1300
The mid-engined layout in road cars was popularized by the Lamborghini Miura, but it was the Fiat X1/9 which brought it to the masses. An early X1/9 model had 13-inch steel wheels with minimal external plastic while the late models had impact bumpers, rubbing strips, and busy color schemes.
Despite the chaos of the last few years, the X1/9 really only saw a drop of five percent. The best examples of the X1/9 can be sold for £20,000, a Hagerty ‘Condition 2 (excellent)’ is worth less than half the value of a concours example.
Jaguar XK150 3.4 DHC.
The successor of the XK120 and the XK140, the XK150 offers the most value for money compared to the other XK models. Hagerty’s John Mayhead claimed that the drophead gives car owners the feeling of top-down motoring without having to pay for a Roadster.
Data from Hagerty shows that the value of the 3.4 has been slowly rising for the last few years and so far it has no evidence that it will stop.
For the best examples in the world, buyers can expect to pay up to £109,000, but a condition 4 car is only £35,000. With its elegant and unique features, the XK150 is the best example of a British roadster.
Mercedes-Benz 450 SL (R 107 series, 1971 to 1989). This version was built until 1980
Mercedes-Benz 450SL (R107)
For the longest time, the R107 was seen as rather uncool, and it has been very interesting to watch people’s perception of the roadster slowly shifting. The R107 did a full 360, however, and it was another shift that started in the 2010s. Although a bit slower, the shift is still happening today although John Mayhead was optimistic about it, saying, “This is a good thing: price stability usually means the market has found its level.”
A Condition 4 example for the 450SL can be acquired with as little as £10,100, though a Condition 1 car is a bit more expensive at £38,800.
Peugeot 205 CTi
The Peugeot 205 CTi is not quite exactly a roadster but more of a hatchback with the top removed. Still, it is not something to just easily brush off as it was considered to be one of the greatest superminis ever. It has always been a bit tricky to pull off hatch-based cabrios, but the 205 was able to confidently pull it off, both either top up or down.
The CTi has been valued by the Hagerty Price Guide at roughly about half of a GTi, although its price has steadily grown since it was first added in the guide back in 2015. Purchasing a CTi is not for those who wants instant growth in investment. It simply means that with the CTi, you will be able to comfortably wait around and there won’t be huge shifts in the prices of the Cti.
Porsche 988 Cabriolet
The 968 is another example wherein for collectors and drivers, the convertible version just did not have the same appeal as its coupé version. Despite that, the value of both the coupé and the cabriolet have consistently risen over the years.
John Mayhead shared that in America, the value of the 968 have shot up considerably. Gooding & Company sold a rare Porssche 968 Turbo S back in 2021 for an impressive $792,000 (around £600,000. Recently, Bring A Trailer was able to sell a low mileage coupé example for $164,000 (£124,000).
The good news is that UK collectors have kept their cool heads with regards to the 968, you’ll only need a little more than £20,000 to get a 968 that is already in excellent condition. Cabriolets are a wee bit cheaper.
TVR Chimaera 500
The Griffiths, Cerberas, and the Tuscans are all really great cars, but the Chimaera has remained as the entry-level TVR. Hagerty believes that the Chimaera is really undervalued as a Chimaera 500 that is in really excellent shape would rarely, if ever, go past £20,000.
The price of the Chimaera has been slowly rising since 2017, when it was added to the Hagerty Price Guide. Then and now, the Chimaera has remained affordable. So purchasing a good Chimaera is most likely a good purchase.
Hagerty Editor James Mills shared, “Against a backdrop of rising used car prices, our research shows many desirable roadsters remain attainable, with values steady even amongst desirable brands such as Porsche and Mercedes-Benz. As with all collector cars, buying decisions should be made with the head as much as the heart, but choose any of these and open-top driving enjoyment is guaranteed.”
