1. The best affordable sports cars in 2025 with the best resale values

2. Japanese sports cars: Reliable and depreciation-friendly

3. Lexus LC500: A luxury option under €80,000

4. German sports cars: Depreciation and value retention

5. Porsche: A reliable choice for resale value

6. Italian and British sports cars: Value and depreciation trends

7. American muscle: Corvette and Mustang

8. Conclusion

The best affordable sports cars in 2025 with the best resale values

If you’re looking to buy a sports car in 2025 without losing a fortune to depreciation, you’re in the right place. Many people associate strong resale values with high-end sports cars like Ferraris and Porsches, but the good news is that you don’t need to spend a small fortune to get your hands on a sports car with great resale potential. In this article, I’ll guide you through the cars you should consider avoiding if you want to keep your resale value intact, and those that should be on your shortlist.

Japanese sports cars: Reliable and depreciation-friendly

We begin with popular Japanese models, starting with one of the most well-known entry-level sports cars, the Mazda Miata. Older generations (NA, NB, and NC) are priced between approximately €9,000 and €13,000. Remarkably, prices for the oldest NA models have been creeping upward, now surpassing the NB generation. Last year, the NA generation saw a price increase of 5.7%. However, be cautious, as there’s considerable variance in the condition of these cars. Meanwhile, the NC generation experienced a depreciation of 7.8%, more than expected.

The ND generation Miata, being the most recent, is priced higher, around €32,000 for a used model. However, depreciation remains relatively controlled, with an average loss of just 5% in the past year.

If you’re willing to stretch your budget to around €35,000, you could consider the Toyota GR86, which saw a slight depreciation of 8.3% last year. However, it’s worth noting that these cars tend to sell quickly, with between 6% and 17% of the market’s supply unsold within three months.

For those with a €40,000 budget, the Toyota Supra 2L is also a great option. It has held its value fairly well, losing only 5.4% in the last year. For a more powerful 3L Supra, the depreciation rate is slightly higher, at 7% or €3,800, but still fairly reasonable.

Lexus LC500: A luxury option under €80,000

If you’re willing to go up to €73,000, you could opt for a Lexus LC500, which, while not strictly a sports car, offers strong resale value. Prices for the older models have been extremely stable in 2024, showing no depreciation at all, which is a remarkable result. In contrast, other cars in this price range have seen sharper declines in value.

German sports cars: Depreciation and value retention

German brands have always been a staple of the sports car market, and we begin with BMW. Models like the F87 M2 are currently priced well below €80,000. The base models have dropped by 7.2% since December 2023, while the competition variants have depreciated by 6.3%.

BMW’s M4, especially the competition models, has seen depreciation of around 10% in the past year. The BMW i8 models, on the other hand, are experiencing rapid depreciation. First-generation i8s have lost 12.2%, while second-generation models dropped by 11.7%.

When it comes to Audi R8s, prices corrected significantly after the pandemic price surge, but they’ve since flattened. The depreciation rate for the facelifted V8 models is around 4.3%, with pre-facelift models at 4.2%. However, these numbers aren’t statistically significant, and market fluctuations could skew results.

In the AMG GT range, base models have experienced a depreciation of 10% in the last year, while the AMG GT S saw a slightly less sharp decline of 5.9%. The newer models in the range are still performing relatively well, but depreciation is still present.

Porsche: A reliable choice for resale value

Porsche is one of the strongest brands when it comes to value retention. Whether it’s the Boxster, Cayman, or 911, Porsche models are generally a safe bet for maintaining strong resale values.

For Cayman models under €80,000, the average depreciation rate has been 0%, with some models even seeing an increase in value. The Boxster follows a similar trend, with the average depreciation rate at -1%. Models like the 981 base Boxster dropped by 7.3%, but overall, these cars offer a solid investment if you’re looking for low depreciation.

The Porsche 911, especially the older generations, also holds up well. Models under €80,000 have experienced very minimal depreciation, with the 997.2 GTS even increasing in value. The 996.2 base model, despite being the worst performer, only lost 3.4%, which is still quite excellent.

Italian and British sports cars: Value and depreciation trends

Looking at Italian sports cars, the Alfa Romeo 4C has seen a decline in value, losing 3% last year after a pandemic-era surge. The Lotus Evora, on the other hand, has been stable since mid-2023, with only a slight decrease of 0.6%.

Jaguar F-Type offers a range of models under €80,000, with V8 models showing moderate depreciation. The facelifted V8 F-Type lost around 7.7%, while the older pre-facelift V8 models saw a steeper decline of 15.7%. The more affordable V6 and 4-cylinder variants also experienced higher depreciation rates.

Aston Martin Vantage models, particularly the 4.3L and 4.7L V8s, have seen much slower depreciation compared to other models in this price bracket.

American muscle: Corvette and Mustang

The Corvette C8 Stingray has seen a significant depreciation of 11.1% for convertibles and 14.1% for coupes from November 2023 to 2024. However, if you prefer the previous C7 generation, the Z06 model has performed much better, with a depreciation of just 2.7%.

Lastly, the Ford Mustang Bullitt and Focus RS have seen more modest depreciation, with the Bullitt losing 1.8% and the Focus RS dropping 2.4%.

Conclusion

When it comes to buying a sports car with low depreciation, you don’t necessarily have to break the bank. Models like the Mazda Miata, Porsche Boxster and Cayman, and the BMW M2 all provide strong resale value for cars under €80,000. Even some older models like the Porsche 911 and Ford Mustang Bullitt hold their value surprisingly well.

To minimize depreciation, it’s best to focus on cars that have already proven their ability to maintain value, such as Porsches and Mazdas. While some cars like the Nissan Z and Corvette C8 might have high initial depreciation, others like the Lexus LC500 and Porsche 911 offer long-term value retention.

Inspired by the analysis of our friend @fourwheeltrader. Make sure you check his other videos https://www.youtube.com/@fourwheeltrader/featured.

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