If youre willing to fork over more up front, these older sports cars could fetch you more down the line.

Fears of a global coronavirus pandemic have ground the automotive industry to a halt. Manufacturers have either shut down their plants entirely or repurposed machinery to create medical equipment, while consumers have stopped buying new vehicles almost altogether amid an economic contraction the likes of which the world has never witnessed.

For the individual gearhead, though, the current environment has its pros and cons. One benefit is a complete lack of traffic on the highways and byways of America, though most Cars and Coffee events have been canceled, as well. And the effects of this situation on the secondhand market remain to be seen, especially when it comes to collectible cars given that the world's wealthiest people don't seem to suffer as much as an average person might during times of hardship.

Regardless of how the economy ends up, keep scrolling for 14 old sports cars that offer great investment potentialeven if they're a little expensive today.

BMW has struggled to live up to the company's "Ultimate Driving Machine" slogan for almost the past two decades. But looking back at the E30-generation M3 would provide a simple recipe for success: respectable power, perfect balance, and driver engagement. All of those qualities are what make the E30 M3 unlikely to ever go down in value.

RELATED:8 Old BMW Cars That Lost All Their Value (And 7 On The Rise)

While many supercars suffer significant depreciation over the course of their lives, few do so with the kind of impeccable reliability offered by the 996-generation Porsche 911 Turbo. With a twin-turbocharged flat-six known as the "Mezger" engine that uses a dry-sump oiling system and all-wheel drive, the 996 Turbo is truly a steal today and will always be a good investment.

The Lancia Delta HF Integrale is the world's most successful rally carbut the whole rest of the world knows that. The snag here is that American collectors are just starting to catch on to this hot hatch's amazing attributes and the 25-year importation rule has now elapsed. Right now is the perfect time to buy, especially for a not-quite-range-topping Evo model, as opposed to the later Evo II.

Another sports car that was never shipped to the United States but that is now eligible for importation thanks to the 25-year rule is the Audi RS2. This was a sporty wagon that singlehandedly created the market for sporty wagons and was built with a lot of help from Porsche. And values are only going to go up, without a doubt.

Honda built the original NSX to be a Ferrari-beater with stellar reliability at a fraction of the cost. Today, one of the world's best supercars is easy to find around the $35-50,000 range, with the advantage that these cars can run for hundreds of thousands of miles with little more than routine maintenance required.

When it comes to a legit track scalpel that will never lose value short of being rolled at Laguna Seca, the 996 generation of the Porsche 911 is here once again. The GT3 of the era used the same Mezger engine as the Turbojust without the turbochargers, and sent all its power to the rear wheels through a six-speed stick shift.

On the cheaper end of relatively expensive sports cars that are getting up there in terms of age and yet offer excellent investment potential comes the BMW known affectionately as the "Clown Shoe." The best bet for a good M Coupe is a later S54-equipped example, which shares its inline-six with the E46 M3.

Mitsubishi fans will swear that the Lancer Evo is a much better car than the Subaru STI, its main competitor. Regardless, everyone in their right mind should jump at any opportunity to get their hands on a Lancer Evo Tommi Makinen Edition, which features all kinds of rally-bred goodies in addition to the Lancer Evo's already hardcore package.

RELATED: Here Are The Worst Sports Cars Audi, BMW, And Mercedes Ever Produced

Most Subaru fans know about the first-generation Impreza and specifically, the JDM-only 22b STI. This unicorn is a coupe with fender flares and all the turbocharged Boxer engine goodness that made later models of the WRX and STI so popular in the statesall in a lighter car that looks much, much better.

The C8 Corvette has emerged as a potent mid-engined supercar available at a surprisingly reasonable price. But it still can't hold a candle to the outgoing C7 Corvette in Z06 or ZR1 trimand with the coronavirus delaying the C8's development, there's a good chance that fact will remain true for a few years, at least.

It's hard to believe that the Porsche Cayman is almost fifteen years old, though this mid-engined track star has come a long way in the interim years. Still, a first-gen Cayman in the second formwith a facelift and no IMS concernsoffers great potential for investment plus all the great performance of a Porsche at a fraction of the price.

RELATED: 8 Reasons Supercars Use AWD (And 7 Reasons They Shouldnt)

BMW recently revived the 8 Series in an attempt to get back to the company's roots, though the experiment looks to have largely fallen flat. But the original 8 Series has done some serious appreciating recently, especially the rare 850CSi variant. And that means the time is now to get into the next-highest trim level, the 850i, and its V12 engine ASAP.

Lotus has announced the electric Evija supercar and teased a forthcoming "affordable" sports car as its final internal combustion-only model ever. But the Exige remains arguably the best Lotus ever in terms of all-out performance, despite having debuted two decades ago. And there's not much of a chance any Lotus will ever be lighter or nimbler ever again.

At the high end of collectible cars that are sure to remain solid investments comes the Ferrari 360 Modena. With smooth styling and a level of analog driving that has largely vaporized from Ferrari's lineup, the 360 Modena hails from the best era in automotive history: when computers had begun to help cars but hadn't yet started to hinder their enjoyability.

NEXT: 10 Fast Sports Cars That Handle Very Well (And 5 That Dont)

Sources: Classic Driver, Car and Driver, and Jalopnik.

Next 12 Facts About The Station Wagon From National Lampoons Vacation

View post:
These Old Sports Cars Are Great Investments Today (Even If Theyre A Little Expensive) - TheThings