I would just go on holiday with £1000.
Interested in those who have mentioned classic cars, what are your thoughts on the price direction of a classic fiat 500? or any classic cars under £10k you think would be a good investment?
The same with all classic cars..up! I have owned several and always keep a careful eye on whats happening.
The thing is with the fiat and with all the marques the real money is in the limited edition models, so an abarth is always going to be way more desirable than a standard fiat 500.
For 10K, someone mentioned a GT6 they are starting to climb but you can decent ones under 10K, you *might* get a TR6 under £10K if you are lucky. Other notable triumphs are the dolomite sprint and vitesse convertible which fall within your price range.
Problem is 70s cars are becoming expensive so you might have to look early 80s, something like a BMW 653CSI (highline model if you can get one) or a Capri 2.8 injection. A hot hatch from that era, peugeot 205 gti (1.9 more desirable), mk2 fiesta xr2 (a friend has one that he paid £2500 for 5 years ago, 5-7.5k now). Golf gtis (both tin top and convertibles are climbing too).
Ideally you do need a garage, and more importantly *use the car*, doesn't do them any good holed up for months on end. And buy a car you desire and would enjoy driving, not necessarily the one that has the fastest appreciation. Go long term as well, really need to keep the car 5-10 years for good return, of course you never know the best time to get in and out like any market.
What would I buy now? Probably something that had a limited run production, I actually owned an Impreza WR1 back in 2006, there was only ever 500 made, they hit 10k about a year ago and are starting to climb, with that few around and over the years getting trashed/written off etc. means they could climb high. This is what happened with the RS500 Cosworth, £40k+ for one of those now.
Other than that I would just bust the piggy bank and buy an e-type (not LHD or auto), not much change out of £40K or a jensen interceptor mk3, not much change out of £30k.
What wouldn't I buy? Anything BL; allegro, princess, marina, sorry but those cars were sh*t back in the day and just plain dreadful now.