Three Affordable Cars with Plenty of ‘Future Classic’ Potential

The price of a car tends to appreciate or depreciate based on several different factors. With key criteria like style, desirability, rarity, and innovation often determining a car’s cult status, you could be excused for thinking that only cars with an expensive price tag have a chance of becoming a classic.

But with cars produced to fit every budget, more affordable options can find themselves in the same classic bracket as those that end up in museums and even on the big screen. Today our focus is on three affordable used cars that have a serious chance of earning their own classic badge in the future.

Maserati Quattroporte (fifth generation)

We’ll start with a vehicle that you probably wouldn’t expect to see on the list based on usual sentiment towards Maserati cars. But with prices starting from £9,000 for the fifth-generation Maserati Quattroporte, it was a no brainer to include it on the list.

With a Ferrari-derived petrol V8 engine and super sleek looks for a saloon car, the fifth-generation’s eight-year absence from the market gives it a serious chance of earning classic status. And who wouldn’t be happy with saying they own a Maserati? Especially when you consider the most recent release of the sixth-generation model has a starting price of just over £75,000.

Renaultsport Clio 182 Trophy

Hot hatches are no strangers to causing a positive stir in the automotive world. Due to their high-performance nature, they tend to stand out among hatchbacks with an everyday purpose. And when you’re in the market for a hot hatch, you’re going to want to experience maximum thrills for the price you pay.

The Renaultsport Clio 182 Trophy’s chances of becoming a future classic are high. Firstly, its 2.0 litre engine inside a tiny supermini — which weighs less than a tonne — makes it a powerful vehicle despite its small presence. Secondly, only 500 right-hand drive models were produced by the French manufacturer, meaning your chances of getting your hands on the car when it was released in 2005 were slim, never mind 15 years later. With prices starting from £7,000, it could be a small price to pay for a car with plenty of performance capabilities.

Audi A2

Produced from November 1999 to August 2005, the now defunct Audi A2, provides car lovers with a genuine gap in the market, with the model originally situated between the German brand’s A1 and A3 models.

Built from aluminium, and with a futuristic look, the car was arguably ahead of its time and struggled to gain the commercial success Audi desired. But it may well be a case of the manufacturer and the consumer being left to kick themselves, as the car’s lightweight structure allows for a small, efficient engine that made the vehicle very economical to run — something that’s an expectation rather than a desire for new cars today.

The car almost was electrified back into existence in 2012, but Audi pulled the plug on an electric version of the vehicle due to a price tag that would have surpassed the €40,000 mark at a time when demand for e-vehicles was lower than it is now.

Over 20 years later and the car is now well on its way to becoming a future classic, thanks to a timeless design and an economical engine. You can pick up one up for less than £1000, but the price will naturally vary by specification, miles on the clock and overall condition of the vehicle.

And that completes the list of three affordable vehicles that we could well see earn future classic status in the future, and in the process, prove to be a worthy investment for car lovers.