True or False: Supercars are a good investment. My top 3 tips.
- Matthew Mackintosh
- Sep 8
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 10
Is a Supercar a Good Investment: from a Property Investor’s Perspective
I love supercars. Perhaps I love supercars as much as sound financial sense love’s a good investment. But, is buying a supercar a sound financial decision? I’m not especially a supercar expert, I speak only from personal experience where that is concerned - accumulating 3 supercars since October 2023. However, it could be said I know more about good financial sense than I do supercars. From very small beginnings I built, own and run one of the South’s largest independent Property Management & Facilities Companies including an investment portfolio of property across the UK. My enthusiasm for return-on-investment and good business sense far predates that of for supercars albeit growing rapidly for supercars also.
From what I’ve learned of financial investment, can I say a supercar qualifies as a good one? It’s complicated.
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Supercars bring immeasurable smiles and joy. I’ve found they facilitate the forming of new relationships, the bonding of existing relationships, the making of core memories and certainly it’s been my experience a supercar excels in these areas more than matters of business or property investment.
Tip 1 - Patience
To the question at hand, is a supercar a good investment? It depends. It depends what return on investment (ROI) you’re expecting and how “good investment” is defined to you - is it the generation of monthly revenue, asset appreciation, a long term safe place to store your money? It’s likely a supercar provides none of these and if it does, it may just be by way of happy accident.
Predictable and a quick financial ROI a supercar is not*, but certainly an investment it is. Where is the return?
Supercars are in similar price-brackets to property and just like property you can make a purchase according to your budget. Which is a good financial investment? Property is hands-down the place to put money for predicable return, monthly revenue and year on year appreciation. Supercars will generally depreciate. In the traditional sense, property is without doubt a sound financial investment.
To get into a supercar first make investment in assets that bring a return. Property has done that for me. With patience and sensible investments first, you could be living the supercar dream in a few short years.
Tip 2 - Diversify Assets
A supercar shouldn't be your biggest asset. Owning a diversity of assets, especially in property - generates income to cover supercar related expenses - and reduces risk should a supercar not provide financial return (which it probably wont).
“…. any positive financial outcome from a supercar is best considered as a happy accident, not an expected or hoped-for part of the ownership experience.” - Matt
As a rule-of-thumb, investment in property will generate revenues of 10% whereas many supercar owners expect to spend at least 10% of a car’s value on maintenance - essentially 10% negative ROI - not to mention insurance, security and so on. Property appreciates annually. Many supercar owners are anxious about 10%+ annual depreciation.
Build a portfolio of assets generating passive income or appreciating value before stepping into the world of supercar ownership.
Some of Matt's Largest Property Investments Feature in this Reel
Tip 3 - Perspective
I’ve found in the first instance a supercar to be an investment that returns joy before thinking of it as good financial sense. An investment in excitement, adrenaline, new experience - you betcha does the right car deliver on these - and so if you value these highly enough, a supercar IS a good investment. Taken with the right perspective, financial outlay of maintaining a supercar can be enjoyable - taken as part of the entry price in fun - when balanced by other more sensible traditional investments that cover said outlay.
On one hand my Lamborghini Aventador does 0-60 in less than 3 seconds, on the other - you don’t pay the bills in 0-60 acceleration. If your aspiration is to buy a supercar and you find yourself justifying it as a good financial investment perhaps it’s not the right time, buy property for that. Investments in property will pay the bills, quite literally bills that certainly arise with supercar ownership.
Buy a supercar for the investment in unique life experiences, a sub-3 second acceleration does that. For me, investing in property is what came first many years before any sports or supercar.
Buy property first, cars later and you may find your good financial sense can fund your investment in fun.
My personal feeling is that any positive financial outcome from a supercar is best considered as a happy accident, not an expected or hoped-for part of the ownership experience. Rely on other investments for more assured positive financial outcomes.
*speaking in general terms, exceptions and market trends apply. Usually in unpredictable circumstances some supercars can increase in value over short periods of time. This article is not a commentary on hypercars.
Final Thought
View owning a supercar as an investment in FUN with the associated outlay simply part of the cost of entry. With the right perspective you can release yourself from anexity of seeking to reconcile supercar ownership as a sensible financial decision. Secret - it isn't supposed to be!
Don’t think of a supercar as a good financial investment in the traditional sense but instead an excellent investment in FUN - with any positive financial return best taken as luck.
Is a supercar a good investment? YES - for the unrivalled life experience and fun they bring, not financial return.
Follow Matt’s supercar journey via Matt’s Supercars Instagram @Matts_Supercars.
Matt's Supercars in association with AM Surveying & Block Management, www.amsbm.co.uk.
