It is the ultimate pub question among car lovers: if money were no object, what supercar would you buy? A 253mph, 987bhp Bugatti Veyron, maybe, or perhaps a Ferrari Enzo, named after old man Enzo himself?

The question is not entirely whimsical. Pick the right piece of exotic metal and you have made an investment that could outperform anything on either the stock market or the housing market. According to dealers, the supercar market is booming and values of rare vehicles are rising after prolonged decline. Chief among them is the Enzo, which has almost doubled in price on the second-hand market since its 2002 launch. The Ferrari F40 and Pagani Zonda have also seen steep rises.

Not all six-figure supercars are a decent investment, though: the Bugatti has fallen in value as the French factory has continued to build new ones and the number of buyers prepared to pay the £1m showroom price has dwindled. Others, such as the Mercedes SLR (originally £330,000), have fallen victim to supercar cognoscenti snobbery: no supercar should have a regular automatic gearbox.

So which supercars do you consider if you want to make a profit? We asked three leading supercar dealers — Clive Sutton, William Loughran and Tom Hartley — for their opinions of the good, the bad and the just plain silly. Remember, though: even if you pick a winner, there are additional costs to bear in mind with ownership of a 200mph rocket ship. If your car manages less than 10mpg, you’ll be making frequent and expensive trips to the fuel pumps; kerb a wheel and you will be looking at several thousand pounds to replace it; and servicing the machine can run into tens of thousands.

Still, what you spend on running costs could be more than repaid in the long run, and there’s no doubting that an Enzo is more fun to own than an Isa.

FERRARI ENZO

Desirability

There is no greater name in supercars than Ferrari, and no greater modern Ferrari than the Enzo. It was launched in 2002 and just 399 were built, ensuring a level of exclusivity that makes getting hold of one near-impossible.

On the road

The Enzo is close to driving perfection: it has been engineered to reward the enthusiastic driver. At 1,365kg, it weighs as much as a hatchback, but its 6-litre V12 engine churns out 651bhp, giving a top speed of 218mph.

Worth buying?

Its exclusivity, allied to its unrivalled pedigree, means that values have surged. Today, a typical Enzo with several thousand miles will sell for about £700,000 — a 55% return on the original £450,000 cost. The annual service averages £3,600. The biggest expense tends to be the clutch, which needs to be replaced every 6,000 miles, at a cost of £4,500.

Cost at launch £450,000 (2002)

Value today £700,000 (+55%)

Engine 6-litre V12, 651bhp

Performance Top speed: 218mph; 0-60mph: 3.5sec

Verdict

Clive Sutton The car looks sensational and has road presence like no other. The ultimate performance machine.

Tom Hartley This car is a blue-chip investment.

William Loughran I have a one-owner, low-mileage example going for €1m (£847,000) — a brilliant return.

PAGANI ZONDA C12 S

Desirability

No other car here turns more heads than the Zonda, the supercar from the young upstart Pagani. Despite being a newcomer to the club, Pagani has proved it can go toe to toe with the big beasts of the supercar world.

On the road

With its beautiful looks, exhilarating performance and outstanding roadholding, the Pagani Zonda C12 S is a riot. Better still, its 7-litre V12 engine sounds fantastic but needs comparatively little maintenance.

Worth buying?

As Pagani’s reputation goes from strength to strength, but numbers of cars remain strictly limited, values of used examples are on the rise.

Cost at launch £320,000 (2001)

Value today £375,000 (+17%)

Engine 7-litre V12, 542bhp

Performance Top speed: 220mph; 0-60mph: 3.7sec

Verdict

Sutton I like Pagani’s approach, It’s a bit like buying a Sunseeker and choosing which diesel engines you’ll have.

Hartley Pagani is now a thoroughbred manufacturer, competing against the likes of Ferrari.

Loughran I used to see these parked in Monaco Square and thought they were for hairdressers, but I now appreciate they are stunning to drive.

BUGATTI VEYRON 16.4

Desirability

Built on the orders of Ferdinand Piëch, Volkswagen group chairman, it stands as the ultimate engineering accomplishment in the world of supercars.

On the road

Despite its four turbochargers, W16 engine and 253mph top speed, the Veyron is as happy cruising through town as it is on a racetrack. For some, such an approach will be welcome, but those who want the raw shot of adrenaline that owning a supercar promises will be disappointed.

Worth buying?

Used Veyrons are changing hands for considerably less than they cost new, even though Bugatti will make only 300 of them. The first service costs £13,645 and the price increases as the mileage climbs. Tyres need replacing every 2,500 miles and they cost £6,325 each.

Cost at launch £975,000 (2005)

Value today £875,000 (-11%)

Engine 8-litre four-turbo W16, 987bhp

Performance Top speed: 253mph; 0-62mph: 2.5sec

VERDICT

Sutton I don’t think this is an investment car; it is a statement car that flaunts how much spare cash you have.

Hartley Bugatti hasn’t done a good job at protecting the market. Very low-mileage Veyrons are available for some £300,000 off today’s new price.

Loughran It will become a collector’s car of the future.

KOENIGSEGG CCR

Desirability

None of our experts was able to get excited about the CCR, and Koenigsegg’s youth — it is less than 20 years old — counts against the car.

Driving experience

It may not have its rivals’ aura but it does have their performance. With its 242mph top speed, the CCR was briefly the world’s fastest production car, until the Veyron came along. Its Ford 4.7-litre V8 has two superchargers to boost power to 806bhp.

Worth buying?

Depreciation is the word: the CCR has lost more than half its value since launch. A yearly service costs from £6,000, and tales of costly repairs to early cars are horror stories (one owner had a £1,247 bill for a change of battery). Of late the new price has shot up — in the UK it is now £1.3m.

Cost at launch £407,000 (2004)

Value today £195,000 (-48%)

Engine 4.7-litre twin-supercharger V8, 806bhp

Performance Top speed: 242mph; 0-60mph: 3.2sec

VERDICT

Sutton There is no brand or heritage. It’s not a must-have car in anyone’s collection.

Hartley Bottom of the pile as far as I’m concerned. Been around a while but doesn’t look as if it is gaining a following.

Loughran I’m not convinced by it — it has no pedigree.

PORSCHE CARRERA GT

Desirability

This is the fastest, most powerful roadgoing Porsche in the world. It looks like a racing car that has somehow burst out of the pit lane and onto the public highway. Just over 1,000 were built, and the GT propelled the manufacturer — which, let’s not forget, also makes the £30,000 Boxster — into a completely different league.

On the road

The V10 dominates the Carrera GT’s driving experience and is widely considered a masterpiece: the sound is stunning and the performance jaw-dropping. In fact some believe the car is too good for most drivers: you need to be confident to take the GT to its limit and keep it there.

Worth buying

Values have fallen: a Porsche GT with 2,000 miles on the clock recently sold for £280,000 — a fall of £50,000. But running costs are surprisingly low (if you discount petrol).

Cost at launch £330,000 (2004)

Value today £250,000 (-24%)

Engine 5.7-litre V10, 603bhp

Performance Top speed: 205mph; 0-60mph: 3.8sec

VERDICT

Sutton Prices seem to have stabilised but there are some real bargains to be had in America. It’s the ultimate Porsche.

Hartley With Porsche quality I expect this car to be a good long-term buy.

Loughran Without doubt a real bargain at this price.

MERCEDES-BENZ SLR McLAREN

Desirability

Billed as the supercar you could use every day, the SLR looks striking with its scissor doors and huge sculptured bonnet. However, more than 3,000 SLRs have been built, making them the most common in the test.

On the road

With an automatic gearbox, the heavy SLR never appealed to driving purists. Performance is in the supercar league and so is the price of £330,000, but the suspicion remains that the SLR is more of a grand tourer than an out-and-out supercar.

Worth buying?

Servicing is expensive. The first scheduled pit stop costs £2,100. The big one is every four years and costs £6,500. Second-hand values have plummeted.

Cost at launch £313,465 (2003)

Value today £150,000 (-52%)

Engine 5.4-litre V8, 626bhp

Performance Top speed: 208mph; 0-60mph: 3.7sec

VERDICT

Sutton The cabin is small, and, to drive, it’s neither one thing nor another. Why not buy an SL 65 AMG?

Hartley The SLR is fantastic value, a great way to join the supercar club. You can buy a good example for £150,000.

Loughran A lot of people in the collecting world wouldn’t see them as a collector’s car.

THE COLLECTOR

Paul Bailey has been steadily building his collection over the past decade, and his garage now looks like a Park Lane showroom. Lamborghinis rub wing mirrors with Bentleys and Mercedes, but pride of place goes to his Ferrari Enzo, Porsche Carrera GT and Koenigsegg.

“I don’t have anything like a Ferrari GTO worth £10m,” he says modestly, “but I do have what I think is one of the best modern supercar collections in the UK.

“My wife and I put around 60,000 miles on all the cars last year — we use them as everyday cars as well as on the track, as they’re meant to be used.”

The collection has been a decent investment for Bailey, the chairman of a telecoms firm. He bought his Enzo three years ago for £540,000, and he reckons it’s now worth £850,000-£900,000. His next-best performer is a Ferrari F40 bought last year for £100,000 and now worth £245,000.

“I don’t intend to sell them — that’s not the reason I have them — but it is nice knowing that they are increasing in value,” he says.

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