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You win some; you lose some. The buyers of the worst investment cars on this list are probably cursing the day these cars drove into the garage. You won’t find these in any classic car collection, unless you know a very oddball character who is terrible at investing.

The MG TD was the worst investment car in the last 12 months

The MG TD is the worst investment cars from the last year
A 1953 MG TD in yellow | Rust/ullstein bild via Getty Images

According to Classic.com, the 1950 to 1953 MG TD saw a -18% return on investment (ROI) in the last year. According to the sales history over the previous 12 months, 66 MG TDs have sold. The lowest price was $7,600 for a 1953 MG TD 4-Speed. It had 80,000 miles and a banjo-style steering wheel. Plus, it was left-hand drive! The most expensive sale came from a 1952 MG “Cisitalia” Special for $55,000. The MG TD is only one of 75 vehicles that lost value in the last year.

Forbes weighed in on some of the last year’s best and worst investment cars. Many vehicles showed a significant return on investment in the previous 12 months, such as the Mercedes-Benz 300SE-W126, which saw a 95% ROI. Forbes suggests that this huge increase is partially due to online auction sites.

Classic.com uses the sales numbers, price, and other data from the online sales. In the first half of last year, 17,369 vehicles were auctioned off for a total value of $589.4 million. In the same period this year, that number is 28,904 vehicles totaling $920.6 million. Forbes says that is an increase of 50-70%.

The Mercedes-Benz 230SL Pagoda was another one of the worst investment cars

The 1963 to 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230SL Pagoda saw a -16% ROI over the last year. The 230SL Pagoda saw 48 sales in the last year. The lowest sale was for a 1965 Mercedes-Benz 230SL 4-Speed Pagoda project car, which needed some work, but still sold for $20,250. The 1965 Mercedes-Benz 230 SL Convertible With Hardtop was the most expensive sale at $129,572.

For the most part, used car sales have seen an unusual price bump. Juan Diego Calle, the CEO of Classic.com, says there are a few reasons for these wild numbers. With new car prices through the roof, the circumstances are right for niche used car sales. That is coupled with the fact that the semiconductor shortage has slowed the production of new cars. That leaves plenty of people looking for a used car. Unfortunately, the ones on this list just didn’t get the timing right.

The BMW M5 (E39) might be a collector’s car, but it wasn’t a good buy this year

The 1999 to 2003 BMW M5 (E39) saw a -15% ROI in the same period. But boy, being one of the worst investment cars of the year didn’t stop all 119 sales of E39 M5s. The sales prices were all over the place, with the lowest sale for a 2001 BMW M5 coming in at $12,600. The highest sale came in at $125,000 for a similar 2001 BMW M5 with only 4,000. Who knows, maybe the E39 M5 will be on the best investment cars list for 2023.

Classic.com calls these “underperforming,” which roughly translates to the worst investment cars of the year. If you are interested in the best investment cars of the year, check out the list. Have you bought anything worthwhile lately to store in the garage for a few years?

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Staff Writer

Amanda Cline

Amanda Cline is an avid fan of Formula 1 and joined MotorBiscuit in 2021. A Southwest Floridian, she easily and often finds automotive events to attend in the Tampa, Orlando, and Miami areas.
Amanda is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, where she earned a Bachelor’s in English Literature and a Master’s in Technical Communication. Combining her editorial and digital media expertise, Amanda served as a content creator for FanSided and now provides our readers with a variety of automotive subject matter like pickup trucks and SUVs, including valuable consumer advice.

Amanda closely follows many F1 drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. Her all-time favorite author is Shel Silverstein.