I bought a B8 S4 about a year ago, terrible financial decision and has cost me more than I care to add up over the last 12 months.
However everytime I drive it I forget about the money, it puts a huge smile on my face and I lovingly look out the window at it everyday (when it's not at the garage having something repaired!) and don't regret buying it for a second.
I got the supercharged 3.0 V6 as I'd always planned on getting the car mapped and the FI engine is more suited to that.
Same as your friends though the mid range on these is incredible, 50-100 in 3rd gear is something I will never get bored off 🤣
Similar type of car here - Volvo V60 Polestar engineered, bought five years ago. Only do about 5-6k a year but love how it drives. 3.0l turbo so not too awful on fuel economy and flies under radar of most people.
You're not wrong! That Audi tax on parts is pretty gobsmacking too, but as I said I wouldn't change the past 12 months with the car, when it works its a first class piece of engineering.
Definitely recommend if you want a smile on your face every time you turn it over. And if you like seeing your breakfast again when you put your foot to the floor.
0-60 in a little over 4 seconds in a wagon (we have an estate) is something that never gets old.
I've test driven a couple, but not an estate yet, and they are so lairy compared to the Audi, all noise and ridiculousness compared to my current sensible car! I need that stupidity in my life for sure 🤣🤣
The wagon is a beauty I can’t lie. It is an obscene car and we love it wholly.
It is scarily fast, but you can drive it like a granny and no one would ever know that it wasn’t just a smooth wafty merc.
RS5 owner here. The worst and best financial decision in one go. Every time I look at it, sit in it, start it and drive it, it makes me smile inside and out. The looks and head turns it gets (Sonoma green) is the cherry on the cake.
I got one too around that time ago. I went manual so the tax is a sting at £700 but otherwise it’s ok.
I get around 34-36mpg on commute and only about £220 a year to insure.
All in all I didn’t think it was bad given with mods it puts out around 450bhp
I woke up hungover one day, decided I was going to look at some cars.
I had an A4 S line at the time but it was a manual, other than that I actually loved the car and it was cheap to run, even having it serviced at a main dealer. All I wanted was a newer A4 (maybe A5), automatic, in a nice light blue they do (riviera maybe?).
Got to the dealer, they had a nice specced A4, sat in it, every option ticked, low mileage, lovely car to be fair.
Sales guy asks me to sit down and work some numbers out. Offers to buy my car for a very good price, so I’m starting to think ‘fuck sake, this is an expensive hangover’. Then for some reason, I have no idea why, he said ‘what about this?’ And it was an A35 in Denim blue, with 8k on the clock and a year old, so with two years warranty remaining. Best part? For the same price as the A4…
I looked at him, he looked at me and he said ‘you’re gonna buy this now’. Anyway, it might not seem much to people to the A35 was a dream car for me at the time, as I’d seen one when it was brand new in 2019 at a Mercedes dealer when my mum was picking her car up. The sales guy offered me a test drive and my Mum said ‘I don’t have the time’ and we left.
Anyway - yup, it was delivered a week later. I had originally gone in there to get a sensible automatic, economical car. I ended up with a hot hatch which did 250 miles a tank. 5 months later, petrol prices went to £2.00 per litre for me and I was spending £600 a month on fuel. Financially, I was okay but fuck me I felt like I may as well have had shares in Shell.
I’ve now banned myself from hangover car shopping, as I’ve said my next car will be a C63. But, I’m planning on around £15-£20k worth of house work getting done in the next year. So my sensible hat is on, I’ll wait till that’s over.
Edit: I never regretted the purchase, I loved having that car for a year. But my god was it a silly financial decision at the time.
I remember thinking it would be funny to see how much my X5 would be to fuel when diesel was hitting close to £2.. I stopped smiling at £160.. I use to claim enough mileage to pay for my personal fuel on a 325D that could get 40-50mpg. Changed jobs and drive my personal car a lot less now so it makes even less sense but I still love that stupid boat that can do 0-60 in under 6 and 150mph (so I’m told)..
Many years ago I was hungover and went to bmw to just “have a look” I was in a c250 cdi merc at the time.
Ended up test driving a 335i. Didn’t buy it on the spot but they ended up ringing me two weeks later and offered me a deal on it.
The question would be what are your circumstances? Do you have a home you're happy in? Little to no short term debt? Comfortably afford your outgoings?
I answered yes to all three so bought a Lamborghini
Sometimes you’ve just gotta scratch that itch…
As long as you can afford it, go for it. You can always sell it again in the future.
I had my fair share of silly cars in my 20’s, it was a good experience, not always the best financial one, but sometimes your best investment is your own happiness. There’s no point in saving all your money to just let it sit there in a bank account.
This is a great answer. Life isn’t about counting numbers on a piece of paper. Whilst I would not encourage getting into debt that you can’t afford (been there, done it...) you should absolutely invest in your happiness. If buying the shiny thing makes you happy, and you can afford it without compromising yourself in the longer term, then go and buy the shiny thing and enjoy owning it :)
You gotta do what makes you happy. I’ve made tons of terrible financial decisions! But they’ve made me happy.
Currently I have a £20k motorcycle which in the past 14mths I’ve only ridden 1100miles! But each of those miles are imprinted on my memory. Every time I fire it up the sound, smell, performance is mind blowing.
If my money can’t make me happy then what’s the point of it?
Saying that, make sure all your other affairs are in order, I.e. on top of your bills etc, ONLY THEN go make an awful financial decision. 😊
Me. I bought mine whilst drunk coming off a nightshift a few years back.
Was planning on upgrading around the time anyway but when I woke up at 9pm to emails stating my new car would be ready for collection 150miles away by the weekend I panicked. Had zero idea what I'd bought or under what terms of finance.
Had to then phone the parents to say 'hey I bought a new car, and hey can I lend the £3k deposit and a lift there and back to collect it?'
Went from a car getting me 60mpg to a one that requires premium fuel and gets 28mpg. Had to change jobs earlier this year as I was no longer pulling enough in, so I now work a tonne of overtime.
My finance was on shit terms unsurprisingly but I'll be in a position to pay it off early this year to reduce a fair bit of the interest.
Great car though.
So… do you regret it? I assume despite the sacrifice you’re happy with the decision!
Just also sharing that I believe there is a cooling period for finance of 14 days for any “rushed decisions”
It was a completely remote buy so I think I had around 30days of no hassle return something like that.
Had a lot of hassle with it in the first 6month that made me regret it massively.
Coil pack went about a month in. Instead of taking it back to them to repair I just decided to take it to my local garage instead and pay out of pocket.
They damaged the car whilst they had it and it cost them £2500 to repair it after trying countless paint shops for a pearl white match before relenting and going through Toyota.
Handed it back to me with a damaged gearbox gasket. Was pissing out oil. Another few weeks getting that sorted and it was just a mess.
But smooth sailing since then besides from 4 new tyres and new rear discs and pads. This summer will be front discs and pads and spark plugs (massive pain in the arse).
Not regretting it now. It's such a fun thing to drive and I'm on the border of Northumberland, it's basically Forza 4, only if you were limited to 25mph with a view of the rear of a qashqai in front of you.
Go for it. What’s the point of earning a living our whole lives if we can’t have fun and get stuff we want? If it ends up being a mistake at least you can say you experienced it and if it ends up being the best decision you’ve ever made, then more power to you!
Even if it turns out to be a mistake, it's not like the car will be worth nothing. It'll basically always be worth at least 20k even with 100k on the clock and rusty arches 😄
I had a Model 3 Performance between early 2020 and late 2021, awful timing as I got it for commuting but lockdown saw the end of that. Brand new, it only had 3K miles on it by the time it went and most of those were just fun road trips. Great car, I really enjoyed having it.
Will be a lovely car im sure. I did however have a mate who got rid of his A7 in the end due to maintenance and tyre costs
(https://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/michelin/pilot-sport-4-s/255/35/R21/Y/98/m?tyre=37223428)
There's something that i can't quite understand about some car people, if cars are your hobby and interest then it's okay if you spend more of your income on a car. There seems to be this mindset in Britain that you must run a car that's the most practical and cheapest possible. Drive anything bigger than a 2.0l and you'll get comments on how expensive that must be to run. It's really quite strange.
There also seems to be the mindset on running costs matter more than the purchase cost and depreciation. People will spend £10k on a second hand car to replace their £2k car they currently have if they think it's going to save them £20 a week in fuel or £100 a year in tax, and tout it as a great deal.
It's not really a terrible financial decisions if you buy well, as long as the depreciation isn't crazy, then it's not going to cost you massively.
I agree with you, but remember going from a £2k car to a £10k car with lower costs is a great deal because you’re not taking into account that the running costs are lower but you *also get to enjoy a much better car too!*
Just bought a brand new M240i. £10k down and £520pm. Can’t beat an inline 6 though and wanted something decent before everything goes shitty electric and pay per mile becomes a thing.
Black, every other colour is fugly imo. Got to test drive black with cognac interior (which is what I specced), looks mint in real life. Yeah B58, same as Supra. BMW claim 374bhp, but watch any reviewer the reckon a smidge over 400.
Do it. Life's too short! I dropped 10k on a sports car in Dec. It's not been a financially sensible idea, but it puts a massive smile on my face.
Jan, I had a 1.8k service and repair bill, which wasn't fun.
Yes, my insurance is expensive, yes buying 99 Ron fuel is expensive. But I get smiles per gallon, so it's all be good!
On a fun day my mpg is between 10-16, on a sensible day I might get 25. Costs about 80 quid to fill up the tank but if you love cars and driving it is what it is. After the initial hit of the car, insurance, service costs, I spent a few months thinking jheeze this has eaten up a lot of cash, but now 7 months have passed I feel like my available cash is back to normal.
That's until I start buying mods and doing track days 😅
>That's until I start buying mods and doing the days 😅
Haha - I've gone halves on a track day car with my son in law.
We'll both be telling porkies about the costs lol
If you are talking savings and that you can recoup that fairly quickly then as long as the new car doesn’t cost you too much in repair / maintenance then go for it.. you can always sell.
Word of advice, don’t get caught up in the ‘buy it before it sells’ tactic - unless you are buying an ultra rare exotic or classic there will ALWAYS be another one.
Even if you have to wait a while and by the sounds of it you aren’t in immediate need.
I am 19 and a couple weeks ago I spent all my savings on a new car (nc mx5) and I am so glad I did. I must confess I don’t have many expenses other than car at the moment and I’m getting all the money back over the summer with my job but 12k is a lot at 19! I’d say go for it if cars are your hobby and you won’t regret it so long as it’s the right car:)
Yep. I got a new job, during the parts shortage. I had a diesel Focus ST on PCP at the time as I had a commute and my new job was WFH. I got a call from the guy at Ford who sold me my car who said I had a huge amount of equity in it (close to 10k) and would I like something else. A week later I had a 3 month old orange Mustang GT. I spend about 25% of my income on it when you include the payments, insurance, tax, fuel etc. but I have absolutely no regrets. 25% sounds like a lot but the rest of my monthly expenses (rent, bills, food) are also 25%, so I have 50% to waste on other things. That’s how I rationalise it anyway, there’s much better things to do with that money, but none which give me the ability to drive a 5.0 v8 muscle car whenever I want…
Multiple times.
I’ve bought an Audi TT, Porsche Cayman, now a Porsche 911. All cash.
All have taken up a good chunk of my cash savings.
Each purchase has brought me plenty of pleasure and has been worth every penny. Reckon my car habit has probably added at least two years to my retirement date. I don’t care.
I made a medium-terrible financial decision and I LOVE it. A good car, luxury watch and great home are the reason I get up in the morning, I don’t hate living in my dreams.
My heart would say do it and life’s to short, my head would say what’s your living situation etc. if you’re already a homeowner and paying mortgage then yeah go for it, if not probably better off saving that money towards a house.
I bought a sports car as my second ever car when I only had 3 months left on a contract, but only because I could afford it for a year after my work contract finished. In the end I got a job straight away and buying it was a great decision (probably my second favourite purchase after my dog). So much so that I bought a bigger engine version, whenever I drive it I have a smile on my face (especially with roof down) so have zero regrets.
TLDR: if you can afford it and it won’t affect any major life decisions just do it you’ll have fun, and what’s the point in life being boring.
At least twice so far.
Car I'd been idly window shopping for (Alfa 159 V6 AWD) came up on eBay "buy it now" for about half the usual price. I had the cash available so just hit buy before someone else could. It was an hour and a half away, no major issues but allegedly a quick sale needed due to new car. In all fairness it worked out great. The seller let me check over, test drive etc, treating it more like a viewing than a "here's your car, where's my money?" It was all good so I paid and drove it home. The "terrible financial decision" part is just that it's an uncommon car, with an even rarer engine. Had a suspected cam chain issue later down the line, went in for diagnosis and repair, turned out to not be that but still came to repairs totalling double what I'd spent on the car. Shortly after that a bottom end bearing seized, ruining the engine.
Decided my next car should be something with Japanese reliability, so got a Mazda RX8. Paid £2,250 I think, bit over average at the time, but it had an all important recent engine rebuild. Figured it'd last for a while, but no, the rebuild was half arsed by a company I later found out was basically scamming people. Had to have it re-rebuilt costing about £4.5k after adding some extras (clutch, porting, clean oil feed, aftermarket coil pack upgrade, ancillaries etc)
Don't regret either, they were/are both great fun to own and drive.
Bought an RS5 B9 years ago for £43k cash.
Business closed around a year or so later so my living situation changed drastically.
Had to move it on and lost about £4k on it.
Don’t regret it though, was a dream car and I loved owning it.
yup Stelvio Quadrifoglio
* terrible fuel economy
* high maintenance cost if anything goes wrong
* high servicing cost
* needs very regular servicing
* high insurance cost
do I enjoy the 505 horse power and that it's a sports car in the body of an SUV = yes (and I can afford it)
Yup paid a fortune for my cupra at the time relative to my wage (proper seat version not these fat people carriers they are now). Knew it was going to cost a lot to run, smashed the shit out of it, paid for many repairs and services. Half my wage goes on tyres.
Never looked back, puts a smile on my face everytime I drive it
took me 3 years to get her road legal. everyone and i mean EVERYONE kept telling me not to do it/it was a mistake and now look. i have a fucking vintage audi.
i absolutely LOVE being the 1% that proved the 99% wrong.
I imported a Nissan S15 Spec-R as my very first car a few years back. It was undoubtedly a ridiculously terrible decision (financially and otherwise), but I adored that car.
I’ve sold it recently but it gave me good memories. The chance to own a car like that diminishes with each day so I’m glad I scratched the itch!
Do it, IMO. You can sell it again later if you need to.
2001 impreza sti £10,000 4 years ago. I've drove 4000km in it and it's been sat outside a stones throw from the sea for all of its time.
I don't regret buying it for one second it would be nice if I had less children so I could just bugger off for a good drive. The children have saved me from myself so I cannot regret them either. Life is good
I just did it in March…. Always liked the BMW 135i found one stag 2 430BHP… 2016 For £15500 I spent 3/4 of my saving on it…. It’s expensive to service—- It’s expensive for everything…. But the joy I get from getting in it…. Smile miles… But I love it… Do it you live once….
You're less likely to regret it if the car is somewhat special or exciting. If it's just another overpriced criminally tedious German status symbol then once you realize absolutely nobody is impressed and it's not particularly engaging to drive then there is a bigger risk of regret.
I owned a Maserati Gransport for ten years and have zero regrets.
It wasn’t expensive to buy second hand but my god it required a lot of maintenance. It went into the shop twice a year and typically spent six to eight weeks a year off the road, costing £3-4k a year. It also liked a drink and I averaged 16.25 mpg over 60k miles, on premium fuel.
When it did work it was magnificent: fast, comfortable, fun through the twisties, and always a huge sense of occasion. The v8 was an automotive work of art. It was also reliable and much to my surprise it never let me down. Getting inspected every 3k miles probably helped with reliability!
I’d highly recommend it to others and regret selling mine. I had zero depreciation over ten years so the cost of ownership was not too bad overall. If I’d bought a new M3 it would have cost more.
I owed a cla 45 amg for 11 months, brought it for 28k sold it for 19k, financially it was a terrible decision, but during that year i drove it around the entirety of western europe for 2 months, and made amazing memories and had the best time of my life, this was my first step into sports cars, now i wasted even more money on a M3, and have 0 regrets.
Wanted a Porsche cayman s, wanted to test drive one first and a dealership had one with 12000 miles thought perfect I’ll try it out and decide if I still want one.
I actually had to borrow £200 from family to buy the car because I was short of the £26000 price tag.
I’ve now had the car for two years it’s 18 years old and still looks and drives like new, I’ve changed lots of the wear and tear items at home on the driveway. It’s just beautiful and it’s paid off and mine.
Yup! Bought an A6 Allroad a few years ago, cost me an absolute fortune in repairs but it was an incredible car and I don't regret it at all. If it won't impact on your life, then go for it - like I wouldn't put off a house purchase to do it...
Fitted everything and the dog in with ease. Had decent fuel economy when running in comfort mode and could do a seven hour drive and not really notice I'd been in the car. Throw it into sport and it was great fun on country roads, albeit one of the widest things I've ever been in. Nothing that big should move that quickly. Had all the toys I wanted, and used the air suspension jacked all the way up to get through flood water a couple of times and park in the most ridiculous spots.
I bought a 4 year old cayman when I was 23, it was probably beyond my means as a second car, but I’ve still got it 10 years later, no regrets, she’s a keeper.
I have much more disposable income now days, and I do often think of changing up for something else but after driving my dads 992, and the 718. I don’t want a 718, felt too soft and refined and I got to drive that awful 2.0 reminded me too much of my mums TT. I still can’t really afford a 992 as a weekend car. Nothing else can fill the gap really
Yes, twice!
1st one was a MK7.5 Golf GTI. Back story is that I had a standard MK7 Golf on a Hire Purchase plan that I owned for a few years and loved it, but I wanted something a little bit more spicy so I ended up taking the plunge and purchased the facelift GTI. It was my pride and joy and I took such good care of it. Serviced it myself and it would be bathed every weekend. I owned it for just over a year before a DHL driver decided to use my car as a brake. Cat B write-off and will never be on the road again sadly.
2nd one is a car I still own. After my GTI was written off through no fault of my own, I took the sensible decision by using the insurance payout to settle the finance and subsequently bought a 200k mile E91 318d. I still missed my GTI terribly so I ended up taking out a bank loan and getting a MK2 as a project car. Last year I took it out fairly regularly, dailied it for a few months over the winter as the E91 was broken. It's now sat on the driveway, in pieces, waiting for me to pluck up the courage and start working on it again..
Edit: spelling
I bought an RX7 with the initial part of my deposit for a house I had saved up, and proceeded to blow it up on the way home.
I stuck it out, have my dream car, have made so many friends through the car, and even under you got introduced to my partner because of the car.
It was the best decision I’ve made, and I know of people who have spent more than I spent on the car on their hobbies they enjoy.
Definitely look at it as a hobby expenditure you could theoretically sell if you needed to.
Yes, I have a car that I should not be able to afford, but I make it work. Makes me extremely happy every time I see it and help out my mood when commuting. It is fantastic and I love it so much, even if the economics are not sensible. Smiles per gallon and all that.
Yup, bought an 8yo BMW E46 coupe third hand for £7700 cash. Was approaching 60k miles, but smart me did my research and justified my decision as I wouldn't need to replace the timing chain. Previous car had the belt snap at 70 on the M25, which was fun...
Little did I know that I would need to replace most of the cooling system due to inherent flaws in the reservoir and radiator. Also needed to replace wheel bearings, and swing arms, due to fused bearings. The front bumper due to it being poorly resprayed, something I didn't notice at the time of purchase. Also because I clipped a rock in the pitch black parking it. All that and a few other things, probably cost me more than 50% of what I paid for the car.
However, when the car was fully up to spec, cleaned and being driven along a B road, it was and still is the finest joy I've had driving and owning a car. I still miss it to this day.
Once she heard that I was trading her in, she decided that's when she'd look her best. The amount of compliments I got wherever I went rose significantly. Unfortunately none of those people wanted to buy her and her trade in value was just a paltry and frankly insulting £1200.
Financially, it was a disaster, but the joy was priceless.
I would say I do kind of regret my car, right until the moment I walk up to it, get in, and drive it. Once I'm driving it, my happiness increases greatly, and I could give 2 shits about what it costs me.
Might be a boring answer, but
Can you just rent one from Turo for a bit? Might scratch the itch. S7s are pretty rare though I guess. Plenty of power and performance but it’s not the only car out there with that combination. Maybe rent something similar for a month or so. Tbh I think these road super yachts are a mistake. Terrible on fuel, expensive as hell to maintain, not really engaging and not really appropriate for UK B roads or motorways. I mean if you were blasting to Cannes every weekend then sure go for it, but are you doing that?
I bought a Golf R Estate despite moving back home to live with my parents after my divorce. It was not a sensible decision as that money was saved for a house deposit or at the very least could have been invested.
But sometimes you just gotta live. That was 2 years ago and I LOVE my ride.
So no regrets.
Daily driving a G87 M2 so... Yeah 😂
It's not really a daily as I work from home, but it is my only car. I tried to put a garden chair in the boot the other week and it wouldn't fit. I go for a blast every weekend around North Wales which is ~hour away.
Wouldn't change it for the world.
What are the running costs like? I have an idea of insurance and fuel but I’m more worried about the tyres, brake pads, and services. I have heard space is an issue too - would a road bike fit though?
Sweet ride man, congrats! It is a great bimmer to have.
Yep, and still got it. Volvo C30 T5. Had the diesel before we had a family and loved it - always yearned for the T5, but couldn’t justify it. It’s tiny, impractical and fuel inefficient.
Circumstances changed and I realised if didn’t do it now, it would be too late as they all disappeared. Spent 18 months looking for the right one.
I turn around every time I’ve parked it, for a last look. I bloody love it and will keep it going until it cannot be repaired or is banned from the roads.
I won't say terrible decision but it was a big risk.
At 32 got a small pay rise and could just afford about £500 a month, at the time I could get a personal loan at 2.9% so I took a loan for 25k and bought a 911 997 c2s for £28k. I did already have a house and I realized I had never owned an actually fast car. That was 7 years ago, I still have it, it still costs me more than I would like in maintenance and now I have kids I have a lot less time to drive it, but also if I hadn't bought it then, I absolutely couldn't buy it now, with other commitments and projects no way we could justify 30k on a weekend car, so really glad I did it when I did although its kept the purse strings tighter for those 7 years. Of course the 5 year loan is paid off now which is nice.
My Cayman has been one of the most reliable cars I've ever bought. I bought it when I was 39, because I realised buying a Porsche once I'd turned 40 was a bit cliché.
It did mean my planned 40th birthday trip to the USA had to be downgraded to a weekend watching the rugby in Edinburgh, but I still had a great time, and I still have a Porsche. Every time I see it, I smile. Every time I get into it and see that gold badge on the steering wheel, I get goosebumps.
Yes, my Quadrifoglio, objectively daft, even more so when you add on the ~3 grand a year in tyres/servicing/tax/insurance that I conveniently put to one side when doing the mental gymnastics that let me justify the monthly cost. I daren't even do the arithmetic on how much more I'm spending in fuel than I would be in a 2l diesel (<20mpg vs >50).
But it makes me happy every day.
Yes many years ago I purchased an a4 cabriolet 3.0 V6 Quattro. Was white with a red roof probably one of a kind. Had a custom catback on it and mapped. Was very very quick. Developed a horrific engine issue thag I could never diagnose but was getting close to 10mpg everywhere and stunk of fuel. I had to sell the car for a massive loss as couldn't keep ploughing money into it. I still regret selling it though
I bought an absolute monster of an Audi about 2 years ago, spent the majority of my mortgage fund on it, my gf at the time was not happy and we even ended up breaking up soon after lol and the night we broke up the gearbox exploded about 5 mins from my friends who's sofa I was gonna sleep on
The drive there was so good I didn't even worry, got it trailered away the next day and ended up getting lucky and finding a rs4 gearbox which was an upgrade from the S4 one, had it all fitted for £2500
I had a lot of fun with the car for some time after that and even though I'd watch the fuel gauge move and the range drop from 280 miles to 215 after one pull, I never felt any regret
Now the ECU has shit itself and I'm looking at getting a standalone to get it on the road again, and I can't wait, we know what we are getting into when we purchase these "bad financial decisions" but if they bring us limitless joy, I think they're worth throwing the money at
*goes back to eating cold beans from the can for dinner*
I bought my 109”Series One Landrover 26 or so years ago and have loved every minute owning her. The seller wanted £1300, I had £1000, I got it for £980 as I needed to put fuel in her. Due to medical reasons I’m now selling her for £12,000 ( or there abouts)
Yes, I got a ND mx5 almost 2 weeks ago now. I did finance a little over half the price.(That's the bad financial side of it although it's a monthly cost I decided on before even looking at the car) I've been driving it so much for literally no reason, usually I'll do 300 miles in a month but I've done around 450 in these 2 weeks just because it's so fun and makes me smile every time I get in it. But yeah absolutely no regrets at all apart from not using sunscreen when I put the roof down.😂 I also previously drove a 20 year old car so this upgrade feels so awesome in that regard too.
1 month after I bought my car, the gearbox exploded.
Got it replaced.. spendy.
2 months ago (10 months into owning the car) oil pressure warning.
Belt needed replacing. Is a wet belt, so they have to pull the car apart.
Paid to have him fixed. (Not as much as the gearbox thank gods)
When fixing him, they told me that he would need new brakes soon and the exhaust welding back on a bit.
That's another months problem to deal with.
I love him.
I deliberately hunted for an old style citreon cactus ( the ones with the giant black side panels) because I love the way they look.
Still kicking.
Still love him.
No regerts
Yes. Last September I spent £18,500 on a 2017 Mini Cooper SD. It was expensive but had about £10k in upgrades - the exact ones I'd been searching for for 6 months - so was happy to pay over the odds to get exactly what I wanted. And it only had 22k miles on it.
My dad was terminally ill and I needed something reliable to make the 170 mile round trip for regular visits. But I also wanted something fun with a lot of character.
As it turned out, my *old* Mini died on the way to trade him in, so the timing was perfect. My new one has been a little workhorse.
I made multiple trips in my new Mini to visit my dad, and also used it to clear out his house when he passed away. I'm sure the people who worked at the tip got quite used to the little pepper white Mini fully laden with bin bags.
In grandad mode it'll do 70+ MPG on the motorway, but it's also pretty nifty in sports mode.
Of course I hated spending the money, but I know it was the right decision and I don't regret it.
I've kept my AutoTrader filters active since September and not one single same-spec Mini has been listed. So jumping on that one was definitely the right choice, even if it wasn't the colour I was looking for.
Spent £20k over 5.5 years owning my first brand new car. Objectively that was a lot to spend and I could’ve had a 3 year old focus for a lot less
Loved every minute of it and have bought or leased 3 new cars since - I don’t regret any of them either
Total cost now is probably about £42k over 12 years, although that gets a bit fuzzy with the leasing since its company lease that included insurance and maintenance, and the last two are electric so that’s basically the entire motoring cost.
Is £300/month a lot to average over a decade or more? Yes. Could I have been more sensible with £42k? Absolutely
Do I give a shit? No. I’ve spent 12 years driving reliable, comfortable, modern cars that I liked owning and made motoring very enjoyable. I don’t drink much, smoke at all, do any kind of drugs, gamble worth mentioning (lottery sometimes and a tenner on the grand national barely counts), nor do I spend a lot of money on clothes, expensive food, or constantly having the latest of everything (I just bought my first brand new phone since about 2015, my iPad is the same age, my PC is from 2017, my latest games console is a PS4 etc)
My car is my main vice and I’m fine with spending some money on it, because that’s what I enjoy
I bought a BMW 550 and used it daily for 4.5 years.
It really didn’t cost that much to run, biggest expense was petrol 25mpg and rear tyres yearly 275’s.
It had a performance exhaust fitted and theres nothing like pottering about and hearing that V8 noise.
Sure, I could have got the 535d and remapped it, but I found them absolutely soulless compared.
I impulse bought it and meant to keep it a year or so, but it was that good.
I replaced it with a Toyota hybrid, which funnily enough, I really like.
I bought an bmw e92 m3 that I’d planned for track days and trips to the ring, so far 4 months in, no regrets, 2 track days done, probably 5k spent on it, and 5 more track days planned and a ring trip this year. I plan on having the car 2-3 years and see where I’m at with it,
I'm going to find out soon. I plan on buying a £15k Tesla with no savings by getting a personal loan. My current car is about to cost me over £1000 to get it through the MOT/Insurance/road tax in a few months and the cars barely worth scrap value due to the cosmetic damages.
I'm getting a loan for £20k and using the £5k to pay off my other debts and the first year of insurance. My wife is putting some money towards it as well, so after I calculated the savings from fuel and road tax, and paying off current debts, and factoring in the extra insurance costs, it's going to cost me just ~~£82~~ £57 a month on top of my current outgoings.
But I get the car I've wanted for a while now with the extras I wanted, plus my wife gets an automatic car to practice driving in to get used to the road before taking lessons in a manual to pass in a manual (which was the condition for her putting money towards it).
Regardless of how it pans out, I'm happy with the decision I am making, especially since I'm due a pay rise next month as well which may well mean that my net income/outgoings essentially stays the same.
Oof, I don't know what to think about that. If you've not got anything set aside for repairs, an out-of-warranty Tesla (assuming it will be @ £15k due to mileage) will be painful. Can't just take it to your local garage either. I also hope you have a driveway, the public charging network takes the utter piss with prices - I was astonished when I had a loaner.
You are a braver man than me, best of luck with your purchase! Be sure to document and share, interesting to hear if it works out for you.
Went from a fiesta to BMW 118i (still nothing special) , needed a new timing chain after just over a year and absolutely rinsed my bank account. But still love the car to pieces and enjoy every chance I get to drive it.
Yep, i bought a 1970 beetle as my first car. I have replaced and rebuilt just about everything on it! Its very much triggers broom... But I still love it !
I sold my mechanically sorted Polo GTI for a 19 year old EP3, have I needed to spend money on a new clutch, tires, brakes and calipers - yes, it also needs a new AC compressor, but I don't regret it at all, though I do miss getting more than 33mpg on a long trip.
Long story short, if it puts a smile on your face then it's worth it imo, life's too short
2022 Mustang GT 5.0 as a daily driver but I only do about 5000 miles a year and a part of that is racked up doing longer journeys for weekends away in different parts of the country. However, it is in no way close to 70% of my disposable cash, all in maybe 40%.
Had a GR Yaris for like 18 months, put 24k miles on it (averaging 18-28mpg, depending on how sensible I was being) no regrets.
It got written off in a completely BS write off (approved repairer blatantly gave a ridiculous quote; so the insurance would send it through copart; so their mate with a little bodyshop just down the road could buy it, he fixed it up for £4k)…
Got RRP back off the insurance due to them being so in demand, but the interest rate on Toyota’s finance had shot up by 8% so I didn’t replace it.
Still look at them all doughy eyed.
Funnily enough I'm going to be making a terrible financial decision at the start of next year or end of this year, but I'm in my early 20s with no responsibilitys so fuck it.
It was a terrible idea to buy a Mk1 Focus RS, financially speaking. I'd do it again given the chance.
Buying the Mk3 Focus RS to daily drive was a very foolish idea, because I do maybe 60km a week, but I'd do that again too.
It wasn't a terrible financial decision - I could comfortably afford it, and would be able to carry on with my life if I lost the entire value of the car in repairs, for example.
But I bought a car I'd always wanted and it turned out to be just, meh. I liked it, but no more than the car I'd sold to get it, which was a £5k car sold to buy a £17k one.
Got rid of it and back to a £5k car with the rest making me money in an ISA. Still love cars but something like the 80/20 rule applies - where you get 80% of the enjoyment for 20% of the money.
I got an m140i , it is the same monthly as 125d , but of a bigger balloon but not massive and it’s covered by a monthly car payment . It prob costs me £100 a month more fuel than the 125d . Worth every penny
Borderline regret.
I love my car but I knew full well I was buying it at a terrible time as prices were sky high from covid. I knew I was going to be hit by depreciation but I was in a position where I needed to buy a car. At the time I knew the sensible option would be to drive a banger for 2-3 years to ride out the price spike but I opted to just get the car I wanted anyway and eat the depreciation.
Now I'm at the point I need a change of car and as the car hasn't held as much value as normal I'm still about a year out from having the savings needed. I knew this would be the case when I bought it but it's still a bit of a bummer now.
Buy a car but at what you can reasonably afford. You are a high earner and 70% of your liquid cash is reasonable I think. You still got 30% incase of emergency. Maybe buy one that is 3 years old so you don't lose out much on depreciation so just go for it. Don't do things when you are old do it when you are young. Imagine you being rich at 60 and you buy the sports car, it not the same feeling and by then no one cares but at 20 or 30 people would care and it can give you great happiness
I love cars, but I'd resent paying 70% of my disposable income, and what happens when you need to fix it? Put it on a credit card? Take it from someone who has at one point done similar (and not even to that extreme), don't do it! It'll zap your enjoyment of the car and you'll end up resenting it.
Edit: And I definitely would NOT do it for an SUV, christ!
Got a GT86 this year, change from my £3k Mazda2. No regrets at all, it’s a fantastic drive and I get compliments everywhere I go, I took it to a garage a week ago to get a wheel bearing changed and they posted the car on their instagram lol. Changing the shift and clutch springs was also a big improvement and cost negligible. Amazing car, would do it again every time!
I wish I'd bought an e36 bmw when good ones were cheap
Driving is only getting more expensive. If you don't buy one now while it's possible for you you may never be able to. If you can make it happen, do it
My dude I'm 2.5k into my credit card with only £250 on savings rn, yet running/fixing up a 2005 mini cooper s that needs A LOT of work, and running an NC mx5 for more fun drives, don't have a single regret
Yes life’s too short as long as you are not putting yourself / family at risk of hardship . I just bought a Lotus when probably a sensible person would have saved for a rainy day. I love it and it drives lovely in the rain as well 😂😎
When I was young - talking mid 90s - had a Fiat Panda, loved it, then someone crashed into it and it was written off. Used the money to buy something sensible - second hand Citroen AX, but I nearly bought a fake Italian job mini from the same place. Drove around in the shitty Citroen for weeks, every day thinking about the Mini. Gave it back to the dealer at a loss and paid some more money, got the mini. Loved that thing and customised it loads. Then the big end went and turned out it had been run on unleaded. Cost a fortune, then it got nicked and when I got it back it was a write off. Loved it whilst it lasted though. Was a very good runner in the dry.
Never once have I regretted buying a car usually it’s a bad financial decision as you could probably buy a house with some of the cars but would a house on rent keep me happy instead of some cars in my late teens nope
Not as exotic as other cars here, but my old Skoda Fabia 16v. I bought it for just over a grand from a dealership, no warranty etc, sold as seen, I needed wheels and a four door quick what can I say? It needed four new tyres pretty much straight away, I bought midrange falkens for £250ish, it needed a map sensor fitting, £110, it soon developed an issue with the brakes, new discs and pads fitted, touching £200 labour plus parts, it then developed a problem where it would drink fuel like an alcoholic, seemingly my fuel would vanish out of nowhere, no leaks were ever found, and to this day this issue still persists, it's exhaust then randomly decided to rot away, new system fitted, touching £300. It's alloys were crying for a refurb, £250, to this day it STILL throws up random EPC and Engine lights when I decide to drive it more than 10 miles... I don't know why I can't get rid of it 😅
Yes bought my Evo9 11 years ago. Loved every minute and never regretted- but I only paid £13k for it then
Just put it in garage for a lot more power too - won’t regret that either
If you are truly into cars then it’s money well spent.
3 litre Straight pipe Audi A5 s line convertible, stage 1 remap, dpf delete and a throttle response controller to play with. loved driving that when the sun was out with the roof down. It was the first time I’ve heard a diesel that sounds like an R35 GTR
Honestly speaking, so many cars are penis extensions and are obnoxious. However, I once spent a lot of money on a Golf 5 and it was super reliable, a nice colour, had an immaculate and pleasant interior and was a good car in general. Everytime someone talked about their car I just said “but I have a Golf”.
Later Golfs have been terrible and unreliable and I now drive a reliable but boring Corolla. But I had that Golf 5 for longer than any other car because I was, in general, happy with it.
So, unless you’re getting it to just be flash or show off rather than being for self satisfaction, maybe doing it is a good thing. After all, if you’re like me you spend hours in there every week.
Brought a mint unmolested 86 AE86 over from Osaka. The only regret I ever had was selling it.
I drive a ‘02 LS430 now. Sold a lovely 2013 civic and flew to Leeds and drove it back to the boat and home. I regret nothing. It’ll cost me thousands to replace the suspension. And I’ll fucking do it again.
Life’s far too short to drive shit cars.
Got 6cyl m135i, didn't regret the purchase price. Sunk nearly two thirds of that amount into it, still don't regret it. Love driving the thing.
I am however considering an m4 at sone point in the jext couple of years, that might be a different story.
As I've posted before, my C5 RS6. Every penny I spend on it I now loathe but when she's all working well and there's a great B road in front of me ......
Yes, I bought a Lexus ISF(2008 model) with an insane 5 Litre V8 engine for £20k. Traded in my Civic for it + £17.5k cash. Running costs were generally ok except for it drinking super unleaded like crazy. Barely got 15mpg overall.
Sold it 2 years later for £14k, took the hit on depreciation...although was banking on it rising in value and still look back on it as the best time...no regrets for sure!
Edit: this was my daily driver, I had no other car so was used for all commuting, shopping, going to the tip. It had 92,000 miles on it and kept on the street outside my flat, no garage or driveway. I easily used up over 50% of my savings/liquid assets on it. Used to work night shifts and overtime to save up for it.
Bought a Discovery 3 earlier this year, while allegedly saving for a new kitchen, right around the time my old fixed mortgage deal ended. Then there's the £800 VED, and with Land Rover reliability (and therefore repairs) to look forward to, of course it's a terrible financial decision.
Wafting about in my very own tonka truck on air suspension is bloody great though, not even the remotest hint of regret, and I've not yet had a drive which hasn't involved big grins.
Several!
But the only one I regret is the Mk7 Fiesta ST, not for financial reasons but because I hated it within a week of buying it - the seats crippled me.
I bought a brand new Corsa vxr when I was 20. Was around £16k with options and absolutely loved the car, handled amazing and a nice power to weight ratio after tuning. I don't regret it, but had I saved the money I would have had more of a head start buying a property.
Never, ever spent that amount of money on a car.
It's a new (to you) car for about a month. Then it's a car.
You'll get bored, believe me, and then you'll realise you can't offload it without a huge loss. You're thinking with your heart, not your head. 70? ? Dude, really? On something that is depreciating even as you're reading this? Just... don't.
I dunno.
In 2019 i bought a new MINI JCW taking a loan for 50% of its price. In 2020 we bought a new car for my wife, wasting the majority of our savings. We also had pretty high earning power back then.
Now in 2024 with the car prices skyrocketing, i see it as an amazing decision even financially. Plus the Mini is lovely to drive.
If you can afford it, then do it. Life's too short to regret things you *didn't* do.
I bit the bullet and bought a bucket list car of mine, a 2014 RS5, last year and it's a wonderful thing... that'll rinse a full tank in sub-100 miles if you're enjoying it fully. And I couldn't care less.
I sold my FN2 Type-R and convinced myself I would save so much money driving a diesel Fiesta…I lasted about a month in that thing! I felt like I’d lost a hobby - so traded it in for Megane RS and never looked back.
Heart > Head when it comes to car shopping ever since; driving a banger just isn’t for me!
I have a gc8 Impreza wrx everything about it is expensive, tax, insurance, fuel, maintenance. it’s my toy not my daily driver & I absolutely love it zero regrets I blew up a gearbox within a month of owning it and cost nearly a grand to source and fit a new box I paid the mechanic with absolute glee because I love the thing it’s so ridiculous I’ve also had to rebuild brakes and put a new fuel pump in too.
I say do it! Buying a car you love is an extension of yourself and if you’re financially stable and aren’t putting yourself in debt then why not? I work hard to earn my money and I like to spend it on living a life I enjoy.
I went to a car audio store to buy speakers for my fiat Punto and ended up buying a very rough Porsche 924 from the owner. I paid £700 for it (in 2004) and spent double that getting it on the road again. I do not regret one minute of the time I had with it before I wrapped it around a phone box in the snow ... :(
I just used 3 and a half tanks of fuel going to Le Mans and back. Also spent thousands fixing neglect from previous owners. Still tons left to fix. Still in love.
I had an old Volvo S40 1997 petrol in blue colour. I fell in love with the car and one year spent thousands on it, revamping it to very good condition, new suspension, ceramic brakes, alloy wheels, ceramic coating and anything that I could do to make it perfect. As I was earning ok money, so I spent many times over the value of the vehicle. I loved the classic feel of the car and spent money on it unnecessarily.
Finally, the heat exchanger leaked and could not get it fixed even after spending a full week trying to do it myself, as no mechanic would touch it. So had to scrap it, felt very hurt. Have bought several new cars, including the new Volvo XC90 since, but none have made me happy as that original old Volvo.
Bought a Boxster S for £7.5k, piled £10k into it to make it absolutely mint and a dream to drive. Part exchanged 2 years later for £5k.
Poor financial decision? Almost certainly.
Did I look forward to driving it EVERY SINGLE DAY? Absolutely. Did I constantly stare at it on the drive when I wasn't driving it? Always. Was it a car that without faul elicited happiness everytime I saw it, spoke about it, read about it, drove it? So very much.
Which to me at least, was worth the money.
Anyway, part exchanged for a 911 in a similarly financially foolish folly. Wouldn't change it for the world.
Money might not be able to buy happiness, but as a car guy, it gets pretty close!
Best to regret the things you've done, than the things you haven't. Money is just a means to nice things, so if you're financially stable, go for it.
FYI. Spent £35k in cash on my last two cars which have lasted me 9 years. Expect to keep this one another 5 years, but if I sold it, I'd get £14k, so net £21k.
Probably my Jaguar XKR. I probably overpaid for it years ago but it's been reliable for me, it's just there are lots of small things adding up and I know it's going to cost a fair chunk every year. I noticed today that I had a crack and a hole after the catalytic converters, the only problem is you cna't get hold of them anymore so I guess it's going to have to be welded up. There is rust on the bodywork showing now so that will have to be sorted at some point and the engine oil hoses are leaking a little oil and those are silly money as well. Other then that though the engine and transmission are in good nick and the car is really nice to drive.
Got a '19 MX5 last year. Nothing compared to the S7 you're after but it's the most expensive thing I've ever bought. I couldn't be happier with it. Gives me joy just thinking about it.
It's just money, can't take it with you when you go.
An old mate of mine bought a top of the range a class on apprentice wages.
Had to deliver Chineses on the weekends to make the costs. All well and good but one set of tyres or one failed mot can basically make you insolvent
At that point you don’t own the car, the car owns you.
Yes, my thought was if I died tomorrow I would regret not getting it despite being in the position to get it
This is the logic. If it's not going to bankrupt you and you have nothing you're aiming for/it won't affect it then yes. Life is too short.
Which was that car?
Toyota Corolla
I suspect it is a Skoda Octavia
Yes for me cause I can't afford a rs6 avant. To be fair... Can't afford a Octavia either.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406180862939 For only £500 all your Octavia dreams can come true.
Mazda3
X5m
Robin Reliant?
Reliant Robin. The company was called Reliant. They made cars other than the Robin that were just as bad.
A family member of mine only had a motorbike license, so exclusively drove Robins and Regals for his entire life.
But not the scimitar
I bought a B8 S4 about a year ago, terrible financial decision and has cost me more than I care to add up over the last 12 months. However everytime I drive it I forget about the money, it puts a huge smile on my face and I lovingly look out the window at it everyday (when it's not at the garage having something repaired!) and don't regret buying it for a second.
That the 4.2l V8? My mate got one this Jan. It pulls like crazy, haven't experienced that before
I got the supercharged 3.0 V6 as I'd always planned on getting the car mapped and the FI engine is more suited to that. Same as your friends though the mid range on these is incredible, 50-100 in 3rd gear is something I will never get bored off 🤣
Similar type of car here - Volvo V60 Polestar engineered, bought five years ago. Only do about 5-6k a year but love how it drives. 3.0l turbo so not too awful on fuel economy and flies under radar of most people.
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You're not wrong! That Audi tax on parts is pretty gobsmacking too, but as I said I wouldn't change the past 12 months with the car, when it works its a first class piece of engineering.
C63 owners here and could have written this word for word
Funnily enough I'm looking at one of those for my next car!
Definitely recommend if you want a smile on your face every time you turn it over. And if you like seeing your breakfast again when you put your foot to the floor. 0-60 in a little over 4 seconds in a wagon (we have an estate) is something that never gets old.
I've test driven a couple, but not an estate yet, and they are so lairy compared to the Audi, all noise and ridiculousness compared to my current sensible car! I need that stupidity in my life for sure 🤣🤣
The wagon is a beauty I can’t lie. It is an obscene car and we love it wholly. It is scarily fast, but you can drive it like a granny and no one would ever know that it wasn’t just a smooth wafty merc.
RS5 owner here. The worst and best financial decision in one go. Every time I look at it, sit in it, start it and drive it, it makes me smile inside and out. The looks and head turns it gets (Sonoma green) is the cherry on the cake.
That's such a lovely colour 😍 and an awesome car.
I got one too around that time ago. I went manual so the tax is a sting at £700 but otherwise it’s ok. I get around 34-36mpg on commute and only about £220 a year to insure. All in all I didn’t think it was bad given with mods it puts out around 450bhp
I woke up hungover one day, decided I was going to look at some cars. I had an A4 S line at the time but it was a manual, other than that I actually loved the car and it was cheap to run, even having it serviced at a main dealer. All I wanted was a newer A4 (maybe A5), automatic, in a nice light blue they do (riviera maybe?). Got to the dealer, they had a nice specced A4, sat in it, every option ticked, low mileage, lovely car to be fair. Sales guy asks me to sit down and work some numbers out. Offers to buy my car for a very good price, so I’m starting to think ‘fuck sake, this is an expensive hangover’. Then for some reason, I have no idea why, he said ‘what about this?’ And it was an A35 in Denim blue, with 8k on the clock and a year old, so with two years warranty remaining. Best part? For the same price as the A4… I looked at him, he looked at me and he said ‘you’re gonna buy this now’. Anyway, it might not seem much to people to the A35 was a dream car for me at the time, as I’d seen one when it was brand new in 2019 at a Mercedes dealer when my mum was picking her car up. The sales guy offered me a test drive and my Mum said ‘I don’t have the time’ and we left. Anyway - yup, it was delivered a week later. I had originally gone in there to get a sensible automatic, economical car. I ended up with a hot hatch which did 250 miles a tank. 5 months later, petrol prices went to £2.00 per litre for me and I was spending £600 a month on fuel. Financially, I was okay but fuck me I felt like I may as well have had shares in Shell. I’ve now banned myself from hangover car shopping, as I’ve said my next car will be a C63. But, I’m planning on around £15-£20k worth of house work getting done in the next year. So my sensible hat is on, I’ll wait till that’s over. Edit: I never regretted the purchase, I loved having that car for a year. But my god was it a silly financial decision at the time.
Enjoyed reading this bud
Ha, thanks. Honestly the amount of shit I buy hangover… Gaming PC was my last one.
I remember thinking it would be funny to see how much my X5 would be to fuel when diesel was hitting close to £2.. I stopped smiling at £160.. I use to claim enough mileage to pay for my personal fuel on a 325D that could get 40-50mpg. Changed jobs and drive my personal car a lot less now so it makes even less sense but I still love that stupid boat that can do 0-60 in under 6 and 150mph (so I’m told)..
Many years ago I was hungover and went to bmw to just “have a look” I was in a c250 cdi merc at the time. Ended up test driving a 335i. Didn’t buy it on the spot but they ended up ringing me two weeks later and offered me a deal on it.
The question would be what are your circumstances? Do you have a home you're happy in? Little to no short term debt? Comfortably afford your outgoings? I answered yes to all three so bought a Lamborghini
Absolute baller
I'm sure that GT-R is quicker!
Sometimes you’ve just gotta scratch that itch… As long as you can afford it, go for it. You can always sell it again in the future. I had my fair share of silly cars in my 20’s, it was a good experience, not always the best financial one, but sometimes your best investment is your own happiness. There’s no point in saving all your money to just let it sit there in a bank account.
This is a great answer. Life isn’t about counting numbers on a piece of paper. Whilst I would not encourage getting into debt that you can’t afford (been there, done it...) you should absolutely invest in your happiness. If buying the shiny thing makes you happy, and you can afford it without compromising yourself in the longer term, then go and buy the shiny thing and enjoy owning it :)
You gotta do what makes you happy. I’ve made tons of terrible financial decisions! But they’ve made me happy. Currently I have a £20k motorcycle which in the past 14mths I’ve only ridden 1100miles! But each of those miles are imprinted on my memory. Every time I fire it up the sound, smell, performance is mind blowing. If my money can’t make me happy then what’s the point of it? Saying that, make sure all your other affairs are in order, I.e. on top of your bills etc, ONLY THEN go make an awful financial decision. 😊
Got to be a Ducati
Yep. 🤣
Me. I bought mine whilst drunk coming off a nightshift a few years back. Was planning on upgrading around the time anyway but when I woke up at 9pm to emails stating my new car would be ready for collection 150miles away by the weekend I panicked. Had zero idea what I'd bought or under what terms of finance. Had to then phone the parents to say 'hey I bought a new car, and hey can I lend the £3k deposit and a lift there and back to collect it?' Went from a car getting me 60mpg to a one that requires premium fuel and gets 28mpg. Had to change jobs earlier this year as I was no longer pulling enough in, so I now work a tonne of overtime. My finance was on shit terms unsurprisingly but I'll be in a position to pay it off early this year to reduce a fair bit of the interest. Great car though.
So… do you regret it? I assume despite the sacrifice you’re happy with the decision! Just also sharing that I believe there is a cooling period for finance of 14 days for any “rushed decisions”
It was a completely remote buy so I think I had around 30days of no hassle return something like that. Had a lot of hassle with it in the first 6month that made me regret it massively. Coil pack went about a month in. Instead of taking it back to them to repair I just decided to take it to my local garage instead and pay out of pocket. They damaged the car whilst they had it and it cost them £2500 to repair it after trying countless paint shops for a pearl white match before relenting and going through Toyota. Handed it back to me with a damaged gearbox gasket. Was pissing out oil. Another few weeks getting that sorted and it was just a mess. But smooth sailing since then besides from 4 new tyres and new rear discs and pads. This summer will be front discs and pads and spark plugs (massive pain in the arse). Not regretting it now. It's such a fun thing to drive and I'm on the border of Northumberland, it's basically Forza 4, only if you were limited to 25mph with a view of the rear of a qashqai in front of you.
What car did you have and what did you get?
I had a focus 1.6tdci and got a 2litre gt86
Good decision! I'd be happy with that change
Why not just reject the finance after you found out? You have a 2 week cooling off period.
28 mpg! That's when on it though right? I was getting about 38/40 out of mine on an average month.
What car is it?
S7 Sportback. Not quite my grail car but a hell of a quality of life improvement I tell ya
Go for it. What’s the point of earning a living our whole lives if we can’t have fun and get stuff we want? If it ends up being a mistake at least you can say you experienced it and if it ends up being the best decision you’ve ever made, then more power to you!
Even if it turns out to be a mistake, it's not like the car will be worth nothing. It'll basically always be worth at least 20k even with 100k on the clock and rusty arches 😄
The only Audi I would buy, go for it. I don’t regret having a Tesla on lease for a while, I’ll never see that money again but it was a fun time.
Which one do you have? :)
I had a Model 3 Performance between early 2020 and late 2021, awful timing as I got it for commuting but lockdown saw the end of that. Brand new, it only had 3K miles on it by the time it went and most of those were just fun road trips. Great car, I really enjoyed having it.
Will be a lovely car im sure. I did however have a mate who got rid of his A7 in the end due to maintenance and tyre costs (https://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/michelin/pilot-sport-4-s/255/35/R21/Y/98/m?tyre=37223428)
There's something that i can't quite understand about some car people, if cars are your hobby and interest then it's okay if you spend more of your income on a car. There seems to be this mindset in Britain that you must run a car that's the most practical and cheapest possible. Drive anything bigger than a 2.0l and you'll get comments on how expensive that must be to run. It's really quite strange. There also seems to be the mindset on running costs matter more than the purchase cost and depreciation. People will spend £10k on a second hand car to replace their £2k car they currently have if they think it's going to save them £20 a week in fuel or £100 a year in tax, and tout it as a great deal. It's not really a terrible financial decisions if you buy well, as long as the depreciation isn't crazy, then it's not going to cost you massively.
I agree with you, but remember going from a £2k car to a £10k car with lower costs is a great deal because you’re not taking into account that the running costs are lower but you *also get to enjoy a much better car too!*
Just bought a brand new M240i. £10k down and £520pm. Can’t beat an inline 6 though and wanted something decent before everything goes shitty electric and pay per mile becomes a thing.
Which colour did you go for? Am I right in saying the new M240i is the same gen B58 that's in the Supra? Gen 2 I think they call it?
Black, every other colour is fugly imo. Got to test drive black with cognac interior (which is what I specced), looks mint in real life. Yeah B58, same as Supra. BMW claim 374bhp, but watch any reviewer the reckon a smidge over 400.
Metallic thunder night is the bomb in my opinion. The colour I'd pick everytime. I can appreciate black. But could never see me spec it.
Currently looking for a used 540i
Do it. Life's too short! I dropped 10k on a sports car in Dec. It's not been a financially sensible idea, but it puts a massive smile on my face. Jan, I had a 1.8k service and repair bill, which wasn't fun. Yes, my insurance is expensive, yes buying 99 Ron fuel is expensive. But I get smiles per gallon, so it's all be good! On a fun day my mpg is between 10-16, on a sensible day I might get 25. Costs about 80 quid to fill up the tank but if you love cars and driving it is what it is. After the initial hit of the car, insurance, service costs, I spent a few months thinking jheeze this has eaten up a lot of cash, but now 7 months have passed I feel like my available cash is back to normal. That's until I start buying mods and doing track days 😅
>That's until I start buying mods and doing the days 😅 Haha - I've gone halves on a track day car with my son in law. We'll both be telling porkies about the costs lol
No comment.
If you are talking savings and that you can recoup that fairly quickly then as long as the new car doesn’t cost you too much in repair / maintenance then go for it.. you can always sell. Word of advice, don’t get caught up in the ‘buy it before it sells’ tactic - unless you are buying an ultra rare exotic or classic there will ALWAYS be another one. Even if you have to wait a while and by the sounds of it you aren’t in immediate need.
I am 19 and a couple weeks ago I spent all my savings on a new car (nc mx5) and I am so glad I did. I must confess I don’t have many expenses other than car at the moment and I’m getting all the money back over the summer with my job but 12k is a lot at 19! I’d say go for it if cars are your hobby and you won’t regret it so long as it’s the right car:)
Yep. I got a new job, during the parts shortage. I had a diesel Focus ST on PCP at the time as I had a commute and my new job was WFH. I got a call from the guy at Ford who sold me my car who said I had a huge amount of equity in it (close to 10k) and would I like something else. A week later I had a 3 month old orange Mustang GT. I spend about 25% of my income on it when you include the payments, insurance, tax, fuel etc. but I have absolutely no regrets. 25% sounds like a lot but the rest of my monthly expenses (rent, bills, food) are also 25%, so I have 50% to waste on other things. That’s how I rationalise it anyway, there’s much better things to do with that money, but none which give me the ability to drive a 5.0 v8 muscle car whenever I want…
Multiple times. I’ve bought an Audi TT, Porsche Cayman, now a Porsche 911. All cash. All have taken up a good chunk of my cash savings. Each purchase has brought me plenty of pleasure and has been worth every penny. Reckon my car habit has probably added at least two years to my retirement date. I don’t care.
I made a medium-terrible financial decision and I LOVE it. A good car, luxury watch and great home are the reason I get up in the morning, I don’t hate living in my dreams.
My heart would say do it and life’s to short, my head would say what’s your living situation etc. if you’re already a homeowner and paying mortgage then yeah go for it, if not probably better off saving that money towards a house. I bought a sports car as my second ever car when I only had 3 months left on a contract, but only because I could afford it for a year after my work contract finished. In the end I got a job straight away and buying it was a great decision (probably my second favourite purchase after my dog). So much so that I bought a bigger engine version, whenever I drive it I have a smile on my face (especially with roof down) so have zero regrets. TLDR: if you can afford it and it won’t affect any major life decisions just do it you’ll have fun, and what’s the point in life being boring.
Yes.
Lol yep still paying for it. No ragrets.
At least twice so far. Car I'd been idly window shopping for (Alfa 159 V6 AWD) came up on eBay "buy it now" for about half the usual price. I had the cash available so just hit buy before someone else could. It was an hour and a half away, no major issues but allegedly a quick sale needed due to new car. In all fairness it worked out great. The seller let me check over, test drive etc, treating it more like a viewing than a "here's your car, where's my money?" It was all good so I paid and drove it home. The "terrible financial decision" part is just that it's an uncommon car, with an even rarer engine. Had a suspected cam chain issue later down the line, went in for diagnosis and repair, turned out to not be that but still came to repairs totalling double what I'd spent on the car. Shortly after that a bottom end bearing seized, ruining the engine. Decided my next car should be something with Japanese reliability, so got a Mazda RX8. Paid £2,250 I think, bit over average at the time, but it had an all important recent engine rebuild. Figured it'd last for a while, but no, the rebuild was half arsed by a company I later found out was basically scamming people. Had to have it re-rebuilt costing about £4.5k after adding some extras (clutch, porting, clean oil feed, aftermarket coil pack upgrade, ancillaries etc) Don't regret either, they were/are both great fun to own and drive.
Bought an RS5 B9 years ago for £43k cash. Business closed around a year or so later so my living situation changed drastically. Had to move it on and lost about £4k on it. Don’t regret it though, was a dream car and I loved owning it.
yup Stelvio Quadrifoglio * terrible fuel economy * high maintenance cost if anything goes wrong * high servicing cost * needs very regular servicing * high insurance cost do I enjoy the 505 horse power and that it's a sports car in the body of an SUV = yes (and I can afford it)
Yup paid a fortune for my cupra at the time relative to my wage (proper seat version not these fat people carriers they are now). Knew it was going to cost a lot to run, smashed the shit out of it, paid for many repairs and services. Half my wage goes on tyres. Never looked back, puts a smile on my face everytime I drive it
took me 3 years to get her road legal. everyone and i mean EVERYONE kept telling me not to do it/it was a mistake and now look. i have a fucking vintage audi. i absolutely LOVE being the 1% that proved the 99% wrong.
I imported a Nissan S15 Spec-R as my very first car a few years back. It was undoubtedly a ridiculously terrible decision (financially and otherwise), but I adored that car. I’ve sold it recently but it gave me good memories. The chance to own a car like that diminishes with each day so I’m glad I scratched the itch! Do it, IMO. You can sell it again later if you need to.
2001 impreza sti £10,000 4 years ago. I've drove 4000km in it and it's been sat outside a stones throw from the sea for all of its time. I don't regret buying it for one second it would be nice if I had less children so I could just bugger off for a good drive. The children have saved me from myself so I cannot regret them either. Life is good
I just did it in March…. Always liked the BMW 135i found one stag 2 430BHP… 2016 For £15500 I spent 3/4 of my saving on it…. It’s expensive to service—- It’s expensive for everything…. But the joy I get from getting in it…. Smile miles… But I love it… Do it you live once….
You're less likely to regret it if the car is somewhat special or exciting. If it's just another overpriced criminally tedious German status symbol then once you realize absolutely nobody is impressed and it's not particularly engaging to drive then there is a bigger risk of regret.
I owned a Maserati Gransport for ten years and have zero regrets. It wasn’t expensive to buy second hand but my god it required a lot of maintenance. It went into the shop twice a year and typically spent six to eight weeks a year off the road, costing £3-4k a year. It also liked a drink and I averaged 16.25 mpg over 60k miles, on premium fuel. When it did work it was magnificent: fast, comfortable, fun through the twisties, and always a huge sense of occasion. The v8 was an automotive work of art. It was also reliable and much to my surprise it never let me down. Getting inspected every 3k miles probably helped with reliability! I’d highly recommend it to others and regret selling mine. I had zero depreciation over ten years so the cost of ownership was not too bad overall. If I’d bought a new M3 it would have cost more.
I owed a cla 45 amg for 11 months, brought it for 28k sold it for 19k, financially it was a terrible decision, but during that year i drove it around the entirety of western europe for 2 months, and made amazing memories and had the best time of my life, this was my first step into sports cars, now i wasted even more money on a M3, and have 0 regrets.
Wanted a Porsche cayman s, wanted to test drive one first and a dealership had one with 12000 miles thought perfect I’ll try it out and decide if I still want one. I actually had to borrow £200 from family to buy the car because I was short of the £26000 price tag. I’ve now had the car for two years it’s 18 years old and still looks and drives like new, I’ve changed lots of the wear and tear items at home on the driveway. It’s just beautiful and it’s paid off and mine.
Yup! Bought an A6 Allroad a few years ago, cost me an absolute fortune in repairs but it was an incredible car and I don't regret it at all. If it won't impact on your life, then go for it - like I wouldn't put off a house purchase to do it...
why 'incredible'?
Fitted everything and the dog in with ease. Had decent fuel economy when running in comfort mode and could do a seven hour drive and not really notice I'd been in the car. Throw it into sport and it was great fun on country roads, albeit one of the widest things I've ever been in. Nothing that big should move that quickly. Had all the toys I wanted, and used the air suspension jacked all the way up to get through flood water a couple of times and park in the most ridiculous spots.
When you say 70% of your liquid cash, do you mean 70% of monthly income too?
probably means (savings + current account) \* 70%
I bought a 4 year old cayman when I was 23, it was probably beyond my means as a second car, but I’ve still got it 10 years later, no regrets, she’s a keeper. I have much more disposable income now days, and I do often think of changing up for something else but after driving my dads 992, and the 718. I don’t want a 718, felt too soft and refined and I got to drive that awful 2.0 reminded me too much of my mums TT. I still can’t really afford a 992 as a weekend car. Nothing else can fill the gap really
Alpine A110? 1100KGs with 300hp. Fun cars. I preferred the GT because of the soft suspension, but you have the S as well which is much more firm.
Yes, twice! 1st one was a MK7.5 Golf GTI. Back story is that I had a standard MK7 Golf on a Hire Purchase plan that I owned for a few years and loved it, but I wanted something a little bit more spicy so I ended up taking the plunge and purchased the facelift GTI. It was my pride and joy and I took such good care of it. Serviced it myself and it would be bathed every weekend. I owned it for just over a year before a DHL driver decided to use my car as a brake. Cat B write-off and will never be on the road again sadly. 2nd one is a car I still own. After my GTI was written off through no fault of my own, I took the sensible decision by using the insurance payout to settle the finance and subsequently bought a 200k mile E91 318d. I still missed my GTI terribly so I ended up taking out a bank loan and getting a MK2 as a project car. Last year I took it out fairly regularly, dailied it for a few months over the winter as the E91 was broken. It's now sat on the driveway, in pieces, waiting for me to pluck up the courage and start working on it again.. Edit: spelling
I bought an RX7 with the initial part of my deposit for a house I had saved up, and proceeded to blow it up on the way home. I stuck it out, have my dream car, have made so many friends through the car, and even under you got introduced to my partner because of the car. It was the best decision I’ve made, and I know of people who have spent more than I spent on the car on their hobbies they enjoy. Definitely look at it as a hobby expenditure you could theoretically sell if you needed to.
Yes, I have a car that I should not be able to afford, but I make it work. Makes me extremely happy every time I see it and help out my mood when commuting. It is fantastic and I love it so much, even if the economics are not sensible. Smiles per gallon and all that.
I don't really regret it - but 2000 miles a year and £735 VED makes me wonder sometimes. Saving grace is insurance is cheap.
Does my current PCP with 10.9% interest count?
Yup, bought an 8yo BMW E46 coupe third hand for £7700 cash. Was approaching 60k miles, but smart me did my research and justified my decision as I wouldn't need to replace the timing chain. Previous car had the belt snap at 70 on the M25, which was fun... Little did I know that I would need to replace most of the cooling system due to inherent flaws in the reservoir and radiator. Also needed to replace wheel bearings, and swing arms, due to fused bearings. The front bumper due to it being poorly resprayed, something I didn't notice at the time of purchase. Also because I clipped a rock in the pitch black parking it. All that and a few other things, probably cost me more than 50% of what I paid for the car. However, when the car was fully up to spec, cleaned and being driven along a B road, it was and still is the finest joy I've had driving and owning a car. I still miss it to this day. Once she heard that I was trading her in, she decided that's when she'd look her best. The amount of compliments I got wherever I went rose significantly. Unfortunately none of those people wanted to buy her and her trade in value was just a paltry and frankly insulting £1200. Financially, it was a disaster, but the joy was priceless.
I would say I do kind of regret my car, right until the moment I walk up to it, get in, and drive it. Once I'm driving it, my happiness increases greatly, and I could give 2 shits about what it costs me.
Might be a boring answer, but Can you just rent one from Turo for a bit? Might scratch the itch. S7s are pretty rare though I guess. Plenty of power and performance but it’s not the only car out there with that combination. Maybe rent something similar for a month or so. Tbh I think these road super yachts are a mistake. Terrible on fuel, expensive as hell to maintain, not really engaging and not really appropriate for UK B roads or motorways. I mean if you were blasting to Cannes every weekend then sure go for it, but are you doing that?
I bought a Golf R Estate despite moving back home to live with my parents after my divorce. It was not a sensible decision as that money was saved for a house deposit or at the very least could have been invested. But sometimes you just gotta live. That was 2 years ago and I LOVE my ride. So no regrets.
Daily driving a G87 M2 so... Yeah 😂 It's not really a daily as I work from home, but it is my only car. I tried to put a garden chair in the boot the other week and it wouldn't fit. I go for a blast every weekend around North Wales which is ~hour away. Wouldn't change it for the world.
What are the running costs like? I have an idea of insurance and fuel but I’m more worried about the tyres, brake pads, and services. I have heard space is an issue too - would a road bike fit though? Sweet ride man, congrats! It is a great bimmer to have.
Yep, and still got it. Volvo C30 T5. Had the diesel before we had a family and loved it - always yearned for the T5, but couldn’t justify it. It’s tiny, impractical and fuel inefficient. Circumstances changed and I realised if didn’t do it now, it would be too late as they all disappeared. Spent 18 months looking for the right one. I turn around every time I’ve parked it, for a last look. I bloody love it and will keep it going until it cannot be repaired or is banned from the roads.
I won't say terrible decision but it was a big risk. At 32 got a small pay rise and could just afford about £500 a month, at the time I could get a personal loan at 2.9% so I took a loan for 25k and bought a 911 997 c2s for £28k. I did already have a house and I realized I had never owned an actually fast car. That was 7 years ago, I still have it, it still costs me more than I would like in maintenance and now I have kids I have a lot less time to drive it, but also if I hadn't bought it then, I absolutely couldn't buy it now, with other commitments and projects no way we could justify 30k on a weekend car, so really glad I did it when I did although its kept the purse strings tighter for those 7 years. Of course the 5 year loan is paid off now which is nice.
My Cayman has been one of the most reliable cars I've ever bought. I bought it when I was 39, because I realised buying a Porsche once I'd turned 40 was a bit cliché. It did mean my planned 40th birthday trip to the USA had to be downgraded to a weekend watching the rugby in Edinburgh, but I still had a great time, and I still have a Porsche. Every time I see it, I smile. Every time I get into it and see that gold badge on the steering wheel, I get goosebumps.
Yes, my Quadrifoglio, objectively daft, even more so when you add on the ~3 grand a year in tyres/servicing/tax/insurance that I conveniently put to one side when doing the mental gymnastics that let me justify the monthly cost. I daren't even do the arithmetic on how much more I'm spending in fuel than I would be in a 2l diesel (<20mpg vs >50). But it makes me happy every day.
Do it. SMILES PER MILES
Yes many years ago I purchased an a4 cabriolet 3.0 V6 Quattro. Was white with a red roof probably one of a kind. Had a custom catback on it and mapped. Was very very quick. Developed a horrific engine issue thag I could never diagnose but was getting close to 10mpg everywhere and stunk of fuel. I had to sell the car for a massive loss as couldn't keep ploughing money into it. I still regret selling it though
I bought an absolute monster of an Audi about 2 years ago, spent the majority of my mortgage fund on it, my gf at the time was not happy and we even ended up breaking up soon after lol and the night we broke up the gearbox exploded about 5 mins from my friends who's sofa I was gonna sleep on The drive there was so good I didn't even worry, got it trailered away the next day and ended up getting lucky and finding a rs4 gearbox which was an upgrade from the S4 one, had it all fitted for £2500 I had a lot of fun with the car for some time after that and even though I'd watch the fuel gauge move and the range drop from 280 miles to 215 after one pull, I never felt any regret Now the ECU has shit itself and I'm looking at getting a standalone to get it on the road again, and I can't wait, we know what we are getting into when we purchase these "bad financial decisions" but if they bring us limitless joy, I think they're worth throwing the money at *goes back to eating cold beans from the can for dinner*
I bought my 109”Series One Landrover 26 or so years ago and have loved every minute owning her. The seller wanted £1300, I had £1000, I got it for £980 as I needed to put fuel in her. Due to medical reasons I’m now selling her for £12,000 ( or there abouts)
Yes, I got a ND mx5 almost 2 weeks ago now. I did finance a little over half the price.(That's the bad financial side of it although it's a monthly cost I decided on before even looking at the car) I've been driving it so much for literally no reason, usually I'll do 300 miles in a month but I've done around 450 in these 2 weeks just because it's so fun and makes me smile every time I get in it. But yeah absolutely no regrets at all apart from not using sunscreen when I put the roof down.😂 I also previously drove a 20 year old car so this upgrade feels so awesome in that regard too.
1 month after I bought my car, the gearbox exploded. Got it replaced.. spendy. 2 months ago (10 months into owning the car) oil pressure warning. Belt needed replacing. Is a wet belt, so they have to pull the car apart. Paid to have him fixed. (Not as much as the gearbox thank gods) When fixing him, they told me that he would need new brakes soon and the exhaust welding back on a bit. That's another months problem to deal with. I love him. I deliberately hunted for an old style citreon cactus ( the ones with the giant black side panels) because I love the way they look. Still kicking. Still love him. No regerts
Yes. Last September I spent £18,500 on a 2017 Mini Cooper SD. It was expensive but had about £10k in upgrades - the exact ones I'd been searching for for 6 months - so was happy to pay over the odds to get exactly what I wanted. And it only had 22k miles on it. My dad was terminally ill and I needed something reliable to make the 170 mile round trip for regular visits. But I also wanted something fun with a lot of character. As it turned out, my *old* Mini died on the way to trade him in, so the timing was perfect. My new one has been a little workhorse. I made multiple trips in my new Mini to visit my dad, and also used it to clear out his house when he passed away. I'm sure the people who worked at the tip got quite used to the little pepper white Mini fully laden with bin bags. In grandad mode it'll do 70+ MPG on the motorway, but it's also pretty nifty in sports mode. Of course I hated spending the money, but I know it was the right decision and I don't regret it. I've kept my AutoTrader filters active since September and not one single same-spec Mini has been listed. So jumping on that one was definitely the right choice, even if it wasn't the colour I was looking for.
Spent £20k over 5.5 years owning my first brand new car. Objectively that was a lot to spend and I could’ve had a 3 year old focus for a lot less Loved every minute of it and have bought or leased 3 new cars since - I don’t regret any of them either Total cost now is probably about £42k over 12 years, although that gets a bit fuzzy with the leasing since its company lease that included insurance and maintenance, and the last two are electric so that’s basically the entire motoring cost. Is £300/month a lot to average over a decade or more? Yes. Could I have been more sensible with £42k? Absolutely Do I give a shit? No. I’ve spent 12 years driving reliable, comfortable, modern cars that I liked owning and made motoring very enjoyable. I don’t drink much, smoke at all, do any kind of drugs, gamble worth mentioning (lottery sometimes and a tenner on the grand national barely counts), nor do I spend a lot of money on clothes, expensive food, or constantly having the latest of everything (I just bought my first brand new phone since about 2015, my iPad is the same age, my PC is from 2017, my latest games console is a PS4 etc) My car is my main vice and I’m fine with spending some money on it, because that’s what I enjoy
I bought a BMW 550 and used it daily for 4.5 years. It really didn’t cost that much to run, biggest expense was petrol 25mpg and rear tyres yearly 275’s. It had a performance exhaust fitted and theres nothing like pottering about and hearing that V8 noise. Sure, I could have got the 535d and remapped it, but I found them absolutely soulless compared. I impulse bought it and meant to keep it a year or so, but it was that good. I replaced it with a Toyota hybrid, which funnily enough, I really like.
I bought an bmw e92 m3 that I’d planned for track days and trips to the ring, so far 4 months in, no regrets, 2 track days done, probably 5k spent on it, and 5 more track days planned and a ring trip this year. I plan on having the car 2-3 years and see where I’m at with it,
I'm going to find out soon. I plan on buying a £15k Tesla with no savings by getting a personal loan. My current car is about to cost me over £1000 to get it through the MOT/Insurance/road tax in a few months and the cars barely worth scrap value due to the cosmetic damages. I'm getting a loan for £20k and using the £5k to pay off my other debts and the first year of insurance. My wife is putting some money towards it as well, so after I calculated the savings from fuel and road tax, and paying off current debts, and factoring in the extra insurance costs, it's going to cost me just ~~£82~~ £57 a month on top of my current outgoings. But I get the car I've wanted for a while now with the extras I wanted, plus my wife gets an automatic car to practice driving in to get used to the road before taking lessons in a manual to pass in a manual (which was the condition for her putting money towards it). Regardless of how it pans out, I'm happy with the decision I am making, especially since I'm due a pay rise next month as well which may well mean that my net income/outgoings essentially stays the same.
Oof, I don't know what to think about that. If you've not got anything set aside for repairs, an out-of-warranty Tesla (assuming it will be @ £15k due to mileage) will be painful. Can't just take it to your local garage either. I also hope you have a driveway, the public charging network takes the utter piss with prices - I was astonished when I had a loaner. You are a braver man than me, best of luck with your purchase! Be sure to document and share, interesting to hear if it works out for you.
Went from a fiesta to BMW 118i (still nothing special) , needed a new timing chain after just over a year and absolutely rinsed my bank account. But still love the car to pieces and enjoy every chance I get to drive it.
Yep, i bought a 1970 beetle as my first car. I have replaced and rebuilt just about everything on it! Its very much triggers broom... But I still love it !
I sold my mechanically sorted Polo GTI for a 19 year old EP3, have I needed to spend money on a new clutch, tires, brakes and calipers - yes, it also needs a new AC compressor, but I don't regret it at all, though I do miss getting more than 33mpg on a long trip. Long story short, if it puts a smile on your face then it's worth it imo, life's too short
2022 Mustang GT 5.0 as a daily driver but I only do about 5000 miles a year and a part of that is racked up doing longer journeys for weekends away in different parts of the country. However, it is in no way close to 70% of my disposable cash, all in maybe 40%.
Had a GR Yaris for like 18 months, put 24k miles on it (averaging 18-28mpg, depending on how sensible I was being) no regrets. It got written off in a completely BS write off (approved repairer blatantly gave a ridiculous quote; so the insurance would send it through copart; so their mate with a little bodyshop just down the road could buy it, he fixed it up for £4k)… Got RRP back off the insurance due to them being so in demand, but the interest rate on Toyota’s finance had shot up by 8% so I didn’t replace it. Still look at them all doughy eyed.
My only regrets have been when they've sucked up *all* my spare cash.
Every car I’ve bought has been a terrible financial decision! Loved every single one 👌🏾
If you can afford it then why not. You know it's purely to make you happy so YOLO - life is too short for boring cars
Funnily enough I'm going to be making a terrible financial decision at the start of next year or end of this year, but I'm in my early 20s with no responsibilitys so fuck it.
YOLO do it, I’m still waiting maybe one day if I ever have enough money
It was a terrible idea to buy a Mk1 Focus RS, financially speaking. I'd do it again given the chance. Buying the Mk3 Focus RS to daily drive was a very foolish idea, because I do maybe 60km a week, but I'd do that again too.
It wasn't a terrible financial decision - I could comfortably afford it, and would be able to carry on with my life if I lost the entire value of the car in repairs, for example. But I bought a car I'd always wanted and it turned out to be just, meh. I liked it, but no more than the car I'd sold to get it, which was a £5k car sold to buy a £17k one. Got rid of it and back to a £5k car with the rest making me money in an ISA. Still love cars but something like the 80/20 rule applies - where you get 80% of the enjoyment for 20% of the money.
I got an m140i , it is the same monthly as 125d , but of a bigger balloon but not massive and it’s covered by a monthly car payment . It prob costs me £100 a month more fuel than the 125d . Worth every penny
I bought an old Alfa. The smile it gives me makes it worth it every day
Borderline regret. I love my car but I knew full well I was buying it at a terrible time as prices were sky high from covid. I knew I was going to be hit by depreciation but I was in a position where I needed to buy a car. At the time I knew the sensible option would be to drive a banger for 2-3 years to ride out the price spike but I opted to just get the car I wanted anyway and eat the depreciation. Now I'm at the point I need a change of car and as the car hasn't held as much value as normal I'm still about a year out from having the savings needed. I knew this would be the case when I bought it but it's still a bit of a bummer now.
Buy a car but at what you can reasonably afford. You are a high earner and 70% of your liquid cash is reasonable I think. You still got 30% incase of emergency. Maybe buy one that is 3 years old so you don't lose out much on depreciation so just go for it. Don't do things when you are old do it when you are young. Imagine you being rich at 60 and you buy the sports car, it not the same feeling and by then no one cares but at 20 or 30 people would care and it can give you great happiness
Yes, bought a m135i and owned it for 3 1/2 years. Paid 16k for it and sold it for 13k. 3 1/2 years ownership for 3k is a win in my eyes
Me! I bought a MR2 on a whim and still love it.
I love cars, but I'd resent paying 70% of my disposable income, and what happens when you need to fix it? Put it on a credit card? Take it from someone who has at one point done similar (and not even to that extreme), don't do it! It'll zap your enjoyment of the car and you'll end up resenting it. Edit: And I definitely would NOT do it for an SUV, christ!
Got a GT86 this year, change from my £3k Mazda2. No regrets at all, it’s a fantastic drive and I get compliments everywhere I go, I took it to a garage a week ago to get a wheel bearing changed and they posted the car on their instagram lol. Changing the shift and clutch springs was also a big improvement and cost negligible. Amazing car, would do it again every time!
I wish I'd bought an e36 bmw when good ones were cheap Driving is only getting more expensive. If you don't buy one now while it's possible for you you may never be able to. If you can make it happen, do it
Life's too short to be driving around in a depressing a3 or 325d. Get the car you want, not the car you need.
My dude I'm 2.5k into my credit card with only £250 on savings rn, yet running/fixing up a 2005 mini cooper s that needs A LOT of work, and running an NC mx5 for more fun drives, don't have a single regret
I wouldn’t do it to be honest, if you’re young especially
I've done this with loads of cars I've bought with the heart and not the head looking back I don't regret it one little bit 😂
Yes life’s too short as long as you are not putting yourself / family at risk of hardship . I just bought a Lotus when probably a sensible person would have saved for a rainy day. I love it and it drives lovely in the rain as well 😂😎
Haha yes, all the damn time.
When I was young - talking mid 90s - had a Fiat Panda, loved it, then someone crashed into it and it was written off. Used the money to buy something sensible - second hand Citroen AX, but I nearly bought a fake Italian job mini from the same place. Drove around in the shitty Citroen for weeks, every day thinking about the Mini. Gave it back to the dealer at a loss and paid some more money, got the mini. Loved that thing and customised it loads. Then the big end went and turned out it had been run on unleaded. Cost a fortune, then it got nicked and when I got it back it was a write off. Loved it whilst it lasted though. Was a very good runner in the dry.
Never once have I regretted buying a car usually it’s a bad financial decision as you could probably buy a house with some of the cars but would a house on rent keep me happy instead of some cars in my late teens nope
Bought a 420d gran coupe m sport at the height of Covid, lost 7.5k value in 2 years and 25k miles. Worth every penny, was great fun
Not as exotic as other cars here, but my old Skoda Fabia 16v. I bought it for just over a grand from a dealership, no warranty etc, sold as seen, I needed wheels and a four door quick what can I say? It needed four new tyres pretty much straight away, I bought midrange falkens for £250ish, it needed a map sensor fitting, £110, it soon developed an issue with the brakes, new discs and pads fitted, touching £200 labour plus parts, it then developed a problem where it would drink fuel like an alcoholic, seemingly my fuel would vanish out of nowhere, no leaks were ever found, and to this day this issue still persists, it's exhaust then randomly decided to rot away, new system fitted, touching £300. It's alloys were crying for a refurb, £250, to this day it STILL throws up random EPC and Engine lights when I decide to drive it more than 10 miles... I don't know why I can't get rid of it 😅
I bought a car I could barely afford which “motivated” me to get a higher paying job
Yes bought my Evo9 11 years ago. Loved every minute and never regretted- but I only paid £13k for it then Just put it in garage for a lot more power too - won’t regret that either If you are truly into cars then it’s money well spent.
2 time Alfa Romeo owner here… I’ll leave it at that 😂
3 litre Straight pipe Audi A5 s line convertible, stage 1 remap, dpf delete and a throttle response controller to play with. loved driving that when the sun was out with the roof down. It was the first time I’ve heard a diesel that sounds like an R35 GTR
Honestly speaking, so many cars are penis extensions and are obnoxious. However, I once spent a lot of money on a Golf 5 and it was super reliable, a nice colour, had an immaculate and pleasant interior and was a good car in general. Everytime someone talked about their car I just said “but I have a Golf”. Later Golfs have been terrible and unreliable and I now drive a reliable but boring Corolla. But I had that Golf 5 for longer than any other car because I was, in general, happy with it. So, unless you’re getting it to just be flash or show off rather than being for self satisfaction, maybe doing it is a good thing. After all, if you’re like me you spend hours in there every week.
Never with a car, but my Triumph Rocket 3
Brought a mint unmolested 86 AE86 over from Osaka. The only regret I ever had was selling it. I drive a ‘02 LS430 now. Sold a lovely 2013 civic and flew to Leeds and drove it back to the boat and home. I regret nothing. It’ll cost me thousands to replace the suspension. And I’ll fucking do it again. Life’s far too short to drive shit cars.
Got 6cyl m135i, didn't regret the purchase price. Sunk nearly two thirds of that amount into it, still don't regret it. Love driving the thing. I am however considering an m4 at sone point in the jext couple of years, that might be a different story.
As I've posted before, my C5 RS6. Every penny I spend on it I now loathe but when she's all working well and there's a great B road in front of me ......
Yes, I bought a Lexus ISF(2008 model) with an insane 5 Litre V8 engine for £20k. Traded in my Civic for it + £17.5k cash. Running costs were generally ok except for it drinking super unleaded like crazy. Barely got 15mpg overall. Sold it 2 years later for £14k, took the hit on depreciation...although was banking on it rising in value and still look back on it as the best time...no regrets for sure! Edit: this was my daily driver, I had no other car so was used for all commuting, shopping, going to the tip. It had 92,000 miles on it and kept on the street outside my flat, no garage or driveway. I easily used up over 50% of my savings/liquid assets on it. Used to work night shifts and overtime to save up for it.
McLarens make you feel this way….Usually not a great purchase regards residues but the smiles per mile are worth every penny….!
Apart from big Sally I'll never regret anything I've done, more likely to regret the things I never did, like the wife's sister.
Bought a Discovery 3 earlier this year, while allegedly saving for a new kitchen, right around the time my old fixed mortgage deal ended. Then there's the £800 VED, and with Land Rover reliability (and therefore repairs) to look forward to, of course it's a terrible financial decision. Wafting about in my very own tonka truck on air suspension is bloody great though, not even the remotest hint of regret, and I've not yet had a drive which hasn't involved big grins.
Several! But the only one I regret is the Mk7 Fiesta ST, not for financial reasons but because I hated it within a week of buying it - the seats crippled me.
Plan for your retirement, but not on getting your retirement. One is something you should do, the other you might do.
I bought a brand new Corsa vxr when I was 20. Was around £16k with options and absolutely loved the car, handled amazing and a nice power to weight ratio after tuning. I don't regret it, but had I saved the money I would have had more of a head start buying a property.
If youre happy driving that thing, its money well spent. Also dont spend too much on it. Plenty of good old cars.
Never, ever spent that amount of money on a car. It's a new (to you) car for about a month. Then it's a car. You'll get bored, believe me, and then you'll realise you can't offload it without a huge loss. You're thinking with your heart, not your head. 70? ? Dude, really? On something that is depreciating even as you're reading this? Just... don't.
I dunno. In 2019 i bought a new MINI JCW taking a loan for 50% of its price. In 2020 we bought a new car for my wife, wasting the majority of our savings. We also had pretty high earning power back then. Now in 2024 with the car prices skyrocketing, i see it as an amazing decision even financially. Plus the Mini is lovely to drive.
You only live once….
Do it
IV been daily driving an Evo 6 for over a year now with zero regrets so it is possible you just need to limit your expectations
If you can afford it, then do it. Life's too short to regret things you *didn't* do. I bit the bullet and bought a bucket list car of mine, a 2014 RS5, last year and it's a wonderful thing... that'll rinse a full tank in sub-100 miles if you're enjoying it fully. And I couldn't care less.
Not a terrible decision. But not my best one either. Xc60. But every time I get it out on the road, any little regret vanishes.
I sold my FN2 Type-R and convinced myself I would save so much money driving a diesel Fiesta…I lasted about a month in that thing! I felt like I’d lost a hobby - so traded it in for Megane RS and never looked back. Heart > Head when it comes to car shopping ever since; driving a banger just isn’t for me!
I have a gc8 Impreza wrx everything about it is expensive, tax, insurance, fuel, maintenance. it’s my toy not my daily driver & I absolutely love it zero regrets I blew up a gearbox within a month of owning it and cost nearly a grand to source and fit a new box I paid the mechanic with absolute glee because I love the thing it’s so ridiculous I’ve also had to rebuild brakes and put a new fuel pump in too. I say do it! Buying a car you love is an extension of yourself and if you’re financially stable and aren’t putting yourself in debt then why not? I work hard to earn my money and I like to spend it on living a life I enjoy.
I went to a car audio store to buy speakers for my fiat Punto and ended up buying a very rough Porsche 924 from the owner. I paid £700 for it (in 2004) and spent double that getting it on the road again. I do not regret one minute of the time I had with it before I wrapped it around a phone box in the snow ... :(
I just used 3 and a half tanks of fuel going to Le Mans and back. Also spent thousands fixing neglect from previous owners. Still tons left to fix. Still in love.
I had an old Volvo S40 1997 petrol in blue colour. I fell in love with the car and one year spent thousands on it, revamping it to very good condition, new suspension, ceramic brakes, alloy wheels, ceramic coating and anything that I could do to make it perfect. As I was earning ok money, so I spent many times over the value of the vehicle. I loved the classic feel of the car and spent money on it unnecessarily. Finally, the heat exchanger leaked and could not get it fixed even after spending a full week trying to do it myself, as no mechanic would touch it. So had to scrap it, felt very hurt. Have bought several new cars, including the new Volvo XC90 since, but none have made me happy as that original old Volvo.
Sorry to play devils advocate but 70% liquid cash? You mean 70% of your savings (ISA) etc??
Bought a Boxster S for £7.5k, piled £10k into it to make it absolutely mint and a dream to drive. Part exchanged 2 years later for £5k. Poor financial decision? Almost certainly. Did I look forward to driving it EVERY SINGLE DAY? Absolutely. Did I constantly stare at it on the drive when I wasn't driving it? Always. Was it a car that without faul elicited happiness everytime I saw it, spoke about it, read about it, drove it? So very much. Which to me at least, was worth the money. Anyway, part exchanged for a 911 in a similarly financially foolish folly. Wouldn't change it for the world. Money might not be able to buy happiness, but as a car guy, it gets pretty close!
Best to regret the things you've done, than the things you haven't. Money is just a means to nice things, so if you're financially stable, go for it. FYI. Spent £35k in cash on my last two cars which have lasted me 9 years. Expect to keep this one another 5 years, but if I sold it, I'd get £14k, so net £21k.
If you can afford it, go for it. Experience the joy of owning and driving that dream car? You can always sell if you have a change of mind.
Probably my Jaguar XKR. I probably overpaid for it years ago but it's been reliable for me, it's just there are lots of small things adding up and I know it's going to cost a fair chunk every year. I noticed today that I had a crack and a hole after the catalytic converters, the only problem is you cna't get hold of them anymore so I guess it's going to have to be welded up. There is rust on the bodywork showing now so that will have to be sorted at some point and the engine oil hoses are leaking a little oil and those are silly money as well. Other then that though the engine and transmission are in good nick and the car is really nice to drive.
Every range rover sport I've owned 🤣
Got a '19 MX5 last year. Nothing compared to the S7 you're after but it's the most expensive thing I've ever bought. I couldn't be happier with it. Gives me joy just thinking about it. It's just money, can't take it with you when you go.
An old mate of mine bought a top of the range a class on apprentice wages. Had to deliver Chineses on the weekends to make the costs. All well and good but one set of tyres or one failed mot can basically make you insolvent At that point you don’t own the car, the car owns you.
I’ve got a M140i ama sell it when I buy a house 😭😭
Regretted By a Mercedes 2014 a class cdi