Dreaming of pulling up in a Ferrari, Tesla, or Porsche by 35? Good news: you don’t need to win the lottery or have a six-figure salary to afford a luxury car.
With a smart goal-based investment plan, consistent monthly contributions, and an average 10% annual return, your dream ride is completely within reach.
This isn’t about saving pennies—it’s about understanding how to make your money grow. Let’s break it down.
Step 1: Define Your Goal—And Make It Real
Your dream car has a price tag. Let’s call it $250,000.
It’s a big number, but when you shift from saving to investing, the math starts to work in your favor. The long-term average annual return of the S&P 500 is around 10%, meaning your investments can roughly double every 7 years.
Your mission is simple: turn consistent monthly investments into a $250K fund by 35.
Step 2: Set a 10-Year Timeline
Let’s assume you’re 25 years old today and want to buy your luxury car at 35.
That gives you 10 years—a perfect window for growth-oriented investing.
Why 10 years matters:
- It’s long enough for compounding to snowball.
- It’s short enough to stay motivated.
- It’s realistic: 10 years of focused investing can transform your financial life.
The mindset shift? You don’t buy luxury with income—you buy it with time and compound returns.
Step 3: The Math Behind the Dream (10% Return)
Let’s see how much you’d need to invest monthly to reach $250,000 in 10 years at a 10% annual return.
| Monthly Investment | 10-Year Growth @10% | Future Value |
|---|---|---|
| $500/month | ~$103,000 | Down payment on a dream car |
| $1,000/month | ~$206,000 | Almost there |
| $1,200/month | ~$247,000 | Goal achieved |
That’s it—about $1,200/month invested consistently for 10 years can get you to a $250K luxury car fund.
Start earlier, and it gets even easier. Start later, and you’ll need to invest more or postpone your dream.
The secret isn’t timing the market—it’s time in the market.
Step 4: Automate Your Dream Car Fund
The hardest part of investing? Staying consistent. The easiest way to fix that? Automation.
Set up an automatic transfer to your investment account right after every paycheck. This turns saving into a habit you never have to think about. Every time you get a raise or bonus, increase your contribution by 5–10%. You’ll barely feel the difference—but your future car fund will.
Pro Tip: Treat your investment like a car lease payment—only this time, you get the asset at the end.
Step 5: Pick the Right Investment Vehicle (Pun Intended)
You wouldn’t buy a sports car for off-roading, and you shouldn’t use the wrong investment strategy for your timeline.
For a 10-year plan, aim for moderate risk and strong growth potential:
- Index Funds or ETFs: Low-cost, diversified, and historically deliver ~10% returns.
- Robo-Advisors: Hands-off, automatic rebalancing, great for beginners.
- Tax-Advantaged Accounts (TFSA, Roth IRA): Grow your investments tax-free.
Avoid speculation, day trading, or crypto hype. Compounding only works when you stay invested.
Step 6: Cut Impulse Spending (Without Killing Fun)
Most people could afford their dream car—they spend it on small things.
That $200 weekend, $100 takeout habit, or $50 subscription adds up to thousands a year. Redirect that money to your investment plan and watch the magic of compounding kick in.
Try the 48-hour rule: Before buying something you don’t need, wait two days. If you still want it, fine—but most of the time, you’ll pass. Those savings move you closer to your goal.
Step 7: Review and Reinvest Annually
Once a year, review your progress:
- Are your investments growing at the expected rate?
- Can you increase contributions after a raise?
- Is your asset allocation still aligned with your goal?
Even minor adjustments create huge results. For example, increasing your contribution from $1,000 to $1,100 per month adds $25,000 to your 10-year total at a 10% growth rate.
Think of this as your annual tune-up—every great vehicle needs one.
Step 8: Arrive in Style—Financially and Mentally
By 35, whether you decide to buy that $250K car or keep your portfolio growing, you’ll have done something more potent than most people ever will: you built financial control.
And that’s the real luxury. The car is just a bonus.
Ranking of Top Stock Newsletters Based on Last 3 Years of Stock Picks as of September 27, 2025
We are paid subscribers to dozens of stock and option newsletters. We actively track every recommendation from all of these services, calculate performance, and share our results of the top performing stock newsletters whose subscriptions fees are under $500. The main metric to look for is "Return vs S&P500" which is their return above that of the S&P500. So, based on September 27, 2025 prices:
Best Stock Newsletters
| Rank | Stock Newsletter | Picks Return | Return vs S&P500 | Picks w Profit | Max % Return | Current Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Alpha Picks | 90.5% | 65.0% | 76% | 1,478% | October, 2025 Promotion: Save $50 |
| Summary: 2 picks/month based on Seeking Alpha's Quant Rating; Retail Price is $499/yr. See complete details and analysis in our Alpha Picks Review. | ||||||
| 2. |  Moby.co | 52.4% | 16.5% | 74% | 2,412% | October, 2025 Promotion: Next pick free! |
| Summary: 60-150 stock picks per year, segmented by industry; Retail Price is $199/yr. Read our Moby Review. | ||||||
| 3. |  Zacks Top 10 | 35.3% | 16.4% | 76% | 170% | October, 2025 Promotion: $1, then $495/yr |
| Summary: 10 stock picks per year on January 1st based on Zacks' Quant Rating; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Zacks Review. | ||||||
| 4. |  TipRanks SmartInvestor | 20.8% | 9.4% | 63% | 430% | Current Promotion: Save $180 |
| Summary: About 1 pick/week focusing on short term trades; Lifetime average return of 355% vs S&P500's 149% since 2015. Retail Price is $379/yr. Read our TipRanks Review. | ||||||
| 5. |  Stock Advisor | 46.0% | 7.6% | 74% | 330% | October, 2025 Promotion: Get $100 Off Get 3 Picks Free |
| Summary: 2 picks/month and 2 Best Buy Stocks lists focusing on high growth potential stocks over 5 years; Retail Price is $199/yr. Read our Motley Fool Review. | ||||||
| 6. |  Action Alerts Plus | 26.2% | 4.9% | 65% | 208% | Current Promotion: None |
| Summary: 100-150 trades per year, lots of buying and selling and short-term trades. Read our Jim Cramer Review. | ||||||
| 7. | Zacks Home Run Investor | 5.1% | 0.1% | 46% | 299% | October, 2025 Promotion: $1, then $495/yr |
| Summary: 40-50 stock picks per year based on Zacks' Quant Rating; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Zacks Review. | ||||||
| 8. | IBD Leaderboard ETF | 11.4% | -1.8% | n/a | n/a | October, 2025 Promotion: None |
| Summary: Maintains top 50 stocks to invest in based on IBD algorithm; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Investors Business Daily. | ||||||
| 9. | Zacks Under $10 | 2.0% | -2.1% | 38% | 263% | October, 2025 Promotion: $1, then $495/yr |
| Summary: 40-50 stock picks per year based on Zacks' Quant Rating; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Zacks Review. | ||||||
| 10. | Hidden Gems | 35.6% | -3.1% | 69% | 240% | Current Promotion: Save $200 |
| Summary: 5 picks/month focusing on disruptive technology and business models; Lifetime average return of 355% vs S&P500's 149% since 2005; Now part of Motley Fool Epic. Read our Motley Fool Epic Review. | ||||||
| Top Ranking Stock Newsletters based on their last 3 years of stock picks covering 2025, 2024, 2023, part of 2022 performance as compared to S&P500. S&P500's return is based on average return of S&P500 from date each stock pick is released. NOTE: To get these results you must buy equal dollar amounts of each pick on the date the stock pick is released. Investor Business Daily Top 50 based on performance of FFTY ETF. Performance as of September 27, 2025. | ||||||