I agree with your last point. I do think that the term investment applies even when you're investing to gain something (utility) rather than $. I do agree that

I agree with your last point. I do think that the term investment applies even when you're investing to gain something (utility) rather than $. I do agree that if you're buying a car because you think it will be a collectible, or you will use it to drive Uber and make more money, it's an investment. My point is that most people who buy cars do NOT buy then with a plan to make money off of them, but still casually refer to investing in an asset, which isn't appropriate.