Getting the itch for a nice car....need rational advice
Discussion
Hello all,
I got a new job in the motor trade and I now have an MG3 Hybrid as a company car which I genuinely love, I have started thread raving about it as it has 195 bhp, 60 mpg and all the creature comforts you need.
It costs me next to nothing per month without the hassle of maintenance or depreciation so I instantly sold my BMW M240i manual that had been remapped, I loved that car, it was the longest I ever kept a car too but insurance and fuel costs just made it moot.
Fast forward one year since I sold it and I have the itch again and I need help from my fellow pistonheads.
A friend of mine asked me to help sell his C63 AMG, I referred him to a friend in the trade who sells cars on consignment, I saw the car in question today. As soon as I got home, I put youtube onto the tv and started watching AutotopNL video's of various cars being blasted up and down the autobhan which reminded me of my trip to the BMW Welt in Munich.
Now this is where I need advice from people who made sacrifices for their respective futures.
I'm 32, I need a performance car like I need a hole in my head. I am paying roughly 150 a month for my company car and I genuinely enjoy food shopping with the Mrs to find bargains and make savings due to inflation and the cost of living crisis, I have become very frugal however I just have this itch to buy a performance car even though I know I don't need one and that it will cost me a fortune, I have become somewhat tight to the point where the idea of going to the pub and spending £7.25 for a pint makes me feel sick knowing I can buy 18 cans of Coors Light from Tesco's for £10 yet buying another M140i/240i makes perfect sense
How does everyone do it? Do I just wait until I can afford it comfortably or do I just sacrifice something I have a deep passion for and live the rest of my life in resentment. I feel like my life has flashed by and I can't make bad financial decisions anymore, it is daunting
Forgive me as I have had a few beers
I got a new job in the motor trade and I now have an MG3 Hybrid as a company car which I genuinely love, I have started thread raving about it as it has 195 bhp, 60 mpg and all the creature comforts you need.
It costs me next to nothing per month without the hassle of maintenance or depreciation so I instantly sold my BMW M240i manual that had been remapped, I loved that car, it was the longest I ever kept a car too but insurance and fuel costs just made it moot.
Fast forward one year since I sold it and I have the itch again and I need help from my fellow pistonheads.
A friend of mine asked me to help sell his C63 AMG, I referred him to a friend in the trade who sells cars on consignment, I saw the car in question today. As soon as I got home, I put youtube onto the tv and started watching AutotopNL video's of various cars being blasted up and down the autobhan which reminded me of my trip to the BMW Welt in Munich.
Now this is where I need advice from people who made sacrifices for their respective futures.
I'm 32, I need a performance car like I need a hole in my head. I am paying roughly 150 a month for my company car and I genuinely enjoy food shopping with the Mrs to find bargains and make savings due to inflation and the cost of living crisis, I have become very frugal however I just have this itch to buy a performance car even though I know I don't need one and that it will cost me a fortune, I have become somewhat tight to the point where the idea of going to the pub and spending £7.25 for a pint makes me feel sick knowing I can buy 18 cans of Coors Light from Tesco's for £10 yet buying another M140i/240i makes perfect sense
How does everyone do it? Do I just wait until I can afford it comfortably or do I just sacrifice something I have a deep passion for and live the rest of my life in resentment. I feel like my life has flashed by and I can't make bad financial decisions anymore, it is daunting
Forgive me as I have had a few beers
uktrailmonster said:
If you think that your life has flashed by at 32, just wait and see how fast the next few decades go!
As for buying an expensive car. That s entirely down to your own opportunity cost and what you can actually afford.
The car itself isn't necessarily expensive, it is the fuel and insurance costs that are, my M240i cost me £800 to insure in 2021, it went up to £2,000 for the year in 2025 despite no claims or points. As for buying an expensive car. That s entirely down to your own opportunity cost and what you can actually afford.
I could probably just about afford it however that is what bothers me and what I need advice on, I have a completely different perception on spending now and enjoy saving money on lots of things yet here I am willing to render all those savings pointless and blow a load of money on something I don't need!
I need someone to tell me how they made that sacrifice
Chestrockwell said:
Hello all,
I got a new job in the motor trade and I now have an MG3 Hybrid as a company car which I genuinely love, I have started thread raving about it as it has 195 bhp, 60 mpg and all the creature comforts you need.
It costs me next to nothing per month without the hassle of maintenance or depreciation so I instantly sold my BMW M240i manual that had been remapped, I loved that car, it was the longest I ever kept a car too but insurance and fuel costs just made it moot.
Fast forward one year since I sold it and I have the itch again and I need help from my fellow pistonheads.
A friend of mine asked me to help sell his C63 AMG, I referred him to a friend in the trade who sells cars on consignment, I saw the car in question today. As soon as I got home, I put youtube onto the tv and started watching AutotopNL video's of various cars being blasted up and down the autobhan which reminded me of my trip to the BMW Welt in Munich.
Now this is where I need advice from people who made sacrifices for their respective futures.
I'm 32, I need a performance car like I need a hole in my head. I am paying roughly 150 a month for my company car and I genuinely enjoy food shopping with the Mrs to find bargains and make savings due to inflation and the cost of living crisis, I have become very frugal however I just have this itch to buy a performance car even though I know I don't need one and that it will cost me a fortune, I have become somewhat tight to the point where the idea of going to the pub and spending £7.25 for a pint makes me feel sick knowing I can buy 18 cans of Coors Light from Tesco's for £10 yet buying another M140i/240i makes perfect sense
How does everyone do it? Do I just wait until I can afford it comfortably or do I just sacrifice something I have a deep passion for and live the rest of my life in resentment. I feel like my life has flashed by and I can't make bad financial decisions anymore, it is daunting
Forgive me as I have had a few beers
Plenty of performance cars available for cheap that are cheap to run especially if you spanner. I got a new job in the motor trade and I now have an MG3 Hybrid as a company car which I genuinely love, I have started thread raving about it as it has 195 bhp, 60 mpg and all the creature comforts you need.
It costs me next to nothing per month without the hassle of maintenance or depreciation so I instantly sold my BMW M240i manual that had been remapped, I loved that car, it was the longest I ever kept a car too but insurance and fuel costs just made it moot.
Fast forward one year since I sold it and I have the itch again and I need help from my fellow pistonheads.
A friend of mine asked me to help sell his C63 AMG, I referred him to a friend in the trade who sells cars on consignment, I saw the car in question today. As soon as I got home, I put youtube onto the tv and started watching AutotopNL video's of various cars being blasted up and down the autobhan which reminded me of my trip to the BMW Welt in Munich.
Now this is where I need advice from people who made sacrifices for their respective futures.
I'm 32, I need a performance car like I need a hole in my head. I am paying roughly 150 a month for my company car and I genuinely enjoy food shopping with the Mrs to find bargains and make savings due to inflation and the cost of living crisis, I have become very frugal however I just have this itch to buy a performance car even though I know I don't need one and that it will cost me a fortune, I have become somewhat tight to the point where the idea of going to the pub and spending £7.25 for a pint makes me feel sick knowing I can buy 18 cans of Coors Light from Tesco's for £10 yet buying another M140i/240i makes perfect sense
How does everyone do it? Do I just wait until I can afford it comfortably or do I just sacrifice something I have a deep passion for and live the rest of my life in resentment. I feel like my life has flashed by and I can't make bad financial decisions anymore, it is daunting
Forgive me as I have had a few beers
I had a lovely z4 3.0i 2004 it cost 2k 80k miles had it a year and made a bit of profit when came to sell it. You don’t need to spend a fortune or have a m140i to scratch the itch.
It s not a sacrifice as such if you save up / have a monthly amount of money you can spare and agree to spend it on a car you want.
I think the key is to do it that way round and stick to your budget.
However, to be honest I m not the best example because I went a bit down that road then stopped. I ended up with a Focus ST, great car with the Recaro seats and the 2.3 turbo through the front wheels was fun.
However, even though I could afford it I came to resent the monthly payments and once Covid sent values silly I got out of the PCP rather than staying in for another 3 years or whatever. I was 30 then so I suppose similar to yourself.
Not sure if that s helpful!
I think the key is to do it that way round and stick to your budget.
However, to be honest I m not the best example because I went a bit down that road then stopped. I ended up with a Focus ST, great car with the Recaro seats and the 2.3 turbo through the front wheels was fun.
However, even though I could afford it I came to resent the monthly payments and once Covid sent values silly I got out of the PCP rather than staying in for another 3 years or whatever. I was 30 then so I suppose similar to yourself.
Not sure if that s helpful!
To me it would depend on your overall financial situation and what you intend to do as a couple over the coming years.
A happy life is much more important than any box on wheels.
32 isn't that old. I'd suggest that you do something very old fashioned and start saving. Car crushes will come and go as your savings accumulate.
A happy life is much more important than any box on wheels.
32 isn't that old. I'd suggest that you do something very old fashioned and start saving. Car crushes will come and go as your savings accumulate.
I would echo that 32 really isn't that old and you should have plenty of time to be 'selfish' and get something fun later on, so maybe whilst you have your frugal head on (which I get completely) then it could be time to make some savings.
Might not be what you wanted to hear, and I guess if it's not then it means you should just go for it!
Might not be what you wanted to hear, and I guess if it's not then it means you should just go for it!
I was reading the op post and thinking this sounds a lot like me, I like getting yellow ticket bargains in the supermarket, I don't go pubs and have cheapish cars the the last 12 years,
Current motor = caddy maxi life 7 seater.
Previous honda civic 1.8, Skoda yeti, honda accord TDI.
But in my mind 20"s I had some fun cars, honda crx 1.6 VTEC, fiat coupe turbo, MR2 MK3, MR2 MK1.
My wife has a mk3 TT 1.8, I love driving it even though most will think it's a girl spec. It's mad me want to buy a hot hatch at the age of 42.
I can get good money for my caddy as the mileage is extremely low, and looking at what I can get for 20k, but I still want to get 40mpg on the motorway, so probably looking at a polo GTi 2.0.
Is there a middle ground ? Do you need fast or like me ( the feel of the drive)
Current motor = caddy maxi life 7 seater.
Previous honda civic 1.8, Skoda yeti, honda accord TDI.
But in my mind 20"s I had some fun cars, honda crx 1.6 VTEC, fiat coupe turbo, MR2 MK3, MR2 MK1.
My wife has a mk3 TT 1.8, I love driving it even though most will think it's a girl spec. It's mad me want to buy a hot hatch at the age of 42.
I can get good money for my caddy as the mileage is extremely low, and looking at what I can get for 20k, but I still want to get 40mpg on the motorway, so probably looking at a polo GTi 2.0.
Is there a middle ground ? Do you need fast or like me ( the feel of the drive)
I suppose the insurance and running costs would put most off, that`s the only bonus about becoming an old fart seeing insurance go down.
Enjoy life while you can would be my answer, I don`t smoke, drink or go out for fancy meals that often so its easier for me really.
I have difficulty convincing the missus its a good idea to get another car and that`s an even bigger challenge.
Enjoy life while you can would be my answer, I don`t smoke, drink or go out for fancy meals that often so its easier for me really.
I have difficulty convincing the missus its a good idea to get another car and that`s an even bigger challenge.
I was in a similar boat, since hybrid work has become a thing i had a very short commute a couple of days a week.
5 years ago I bought an M140i and I havent looked back. I love driving it every single time I get in the car.
My wife has a hybrid car.
Does it make sense in terms of money? No.
But the enjoyment i get is worth every penny, hearing that B58 is pure joy.
Go and get one!
5 years ago I bought an M140i and I havent looked back. I love driving it every single time I get in the car.
My wife has a hybrid car.
Does it make sense in terms of money? No.
But the enjoyment i get is worth every penny, hearing that B58 is pure joy.
Go and get one!
I prefer to think of getting a nice car in terms of "joy per mile"
The normal stuff applies; if getting a performance car is going to impact your ability to pay the bills, rent/mortgage/deal with emergency bills, then the answer is probably no.
If it's a case of getting a performance car now means you would be reducing monthly contributions into pension/investments etc, then that's your call.
Exchanging short term reward for long term benefit, that's a very personal decision.
The normal stuff applies; if getting a performance car is going to impact your ability to pay the bills, rent/mortgage/deal with emergency bills, then the answer is probably no.
If it's a case of getting a performance car now means you would be reducing monthly contributions into pension/investments etc, then that's your call.
Exchanging short term reward for long term benefit, that's a very personal decision.
One way to be rational is to think about how often you'd actually get to use the good car.
Driving to work (5 or 6? days a week) - company car
Going somewhere immediately before or after work - company car
Going to a shopping centre with a carpark where there are likely to be door swinging mouth breathers damaging your car - company car
Roads have been salted - company car
Nice sunny day when travelling down some good country roads to visit a friend - good car
Going for a drive for driving's sake - good car
If you don't really want to pay the cost of a second interesting car, your first thought after this will be "I won't really use it".
If you do, the first thought will be "That means I can buy something less practical/older than I first thought.
Personally if in that situation, I'd struggle to justify buying something like a fast Golf as it does basically the same job as the company car but a bit better and costs money. However, I'd see it more as an opportunity to be able to have an Elise, MX5 etc without needing to personally own and maintain two cars.
Driving to work (5 or 6? days a week) - company car
Going somewhere immediately before or after work - company car
Going to a shopping centre with a carpark where there are likely to be door swinging mouth breathers damaging your car - company car
Roads have been salted - company car
Nice sunny day when travelling down some good country roads to visit a friend - good car
Going for a drive for driving's sake - good car
If you don't really want to pay the cost of a second interesting car, your first thought after this will be "I won't really use it".
If you do, the first thought will be "That means I can buy something less practical/older than I first thought.
Personally if in that situation, I'd struggle to justify buying something like a fast Golf as it does basically the same job as the company car but a bit better and costs money. However, I'd see it more as an opportunity to be able to have an Elise, MX5 etc without needing to personally own and maintain two cars.
Ian_SW said:
One way to be rational is to think about how often you'd actually get to use the good car.
Driving to work (5 or 6? days a week) - company car
Going somewhere immediately before or after work - company car
Going to a shopping centre with a carpark where there are likely to be door swinging mouth breathers damaging your car - company car
Roads have been salted - company car
Nice sunny day when travelling down some good country roads to visit a friend - good car
Going for a drive for driving's sake - good car
If you don't really want to pay the cost of a second interesting car, your first thought after this will be "I won't really use it".
This. Driving to work (5 or 6? days a week) - company car
Going somewhere immediately before or after work - company car
Going to a shopping centre with a carpark where there are likely to be door swinging mouth breathers damaging your car - company car
Roads have been salted - company car
Nice sunny day when travelling down some good country roads to visit a friend - good car
Going for a drive for driving's sake - good car
If you don't really want to pay the cost of a second interesting car, your first thought after this will be "I won't really use it".
I have 4 kids, with a family 7 seater, and also have a "site" car/truck. Guess how often I drive my "fun" car? (Note: No kids seats fit in it - you can't deactivate the front airbag and the rear seats are just divvots in the body shell. It sits on trickle charge for about 360 days/year.)
If you can afford it without getting a load of debt, have it now.
Motoring is only going one way in this country.
More traffic, worse roads, more speed cameras and I can see all cars being fitted with GPS to replace the VED which will give the ability to monitor your speed at all times.
Motoring is only going one way in this country.
More traffic, worse roads, more speed cameras and I can see all cars being fitted with GPS to replace the VED which will give the ability to monitor your speed at all times.
You're still young but you are getting older and your priorities and interests change. That's why you'd rather have several cans of virgins piss at home than a pint down the pub.
Anyway, cars.
Only you know your financial income and outgoings. Knowing you'll be able to afford your future life plans is important. But it's also important to enjoy the here and now. And if you can afford to do it then why not.
I say this as a fellow tight arse. You can own silly cars without financially ruining yourself. Buy something that's a bit older but well cared for. Don't go daft modding a car, view driving it as your treat, learn to do a bit of spannering and it can work out as a pretty cheap hobby.
Anyway, cars.
Only you know your financial income and outgoings. Knowing you'll be able to afford your future life plans is important. But it's also important to enjoy the here and now. And if you can afford to do it then why not.
I say this as a fellow tight arse. You can own silly cars without financially ruining yourself. Buy something that's a bit older but well cared for. Don't go daft modding a car, view driving it as your treat, learn to do a bit of spannering and it can work out as a pretty cheap hobby.
50 in less than a month and in the last 20 years I've had numerous nice cars, S2000, 996.2, Golf R, and now a v6 petrol Macan S.
I've also had many more motorbikes probably 15 to 20 normally keeping 2-3 at a time, 4 at the moment but one is up for sale.
How ?
No kids, a low maintenance wife and I spent 18 months in a well paid job doing silly hours to kill the mortgage.
Justifying anything nice be it a big TV or an expensive car / motorbike is a personal choice........ However you cant take the money with you and if I make it past my late 70's I'll have some good memories.
Also how long before there is a gestapo camera on every road and driving spiritedly becomes a hate crime ?
I for one am getting my jollies in whilst I can
I've also had many more motorbikes probably 15 to 20 normally keeping 2-3 at a time, 4 at the moment but one is up for sale.
How ?
No kids, a low maintenance wife and I spent 18 months in a well paid job doing silly hours to kill the mortgage.
Justifying anything nice be it a big TV or an expensive car / motorbike is a personal choice........ However you cant take the money with you and if I make it past my late 70's I'll have some good memories.
Also how long before there is a gestapo camera on every road and driving spiritedly becomes a hate crime ?
I for one am getting my jollies in whilst I can
It s a tough call because your 30s are a prime period for making some headway in pensions and savings and, if you ve no children yet, getting away and travelling to some interesting places.
If you put £400 a month away into your pension (which might only cost you about £250 if you re a higher rate tax payer) for the next ten years until you hit 42 you d have £73k stashed away at 8% returns. Even if you didn t add another penny from age 42 and let it grow until 67 you d have over £530k in your retirement pot.
Looking at it on a purely financial basis it would be best to leave the performance cars well alone! But then life is for living, and it can be very short!
If you re putting 1/3 of your salary away into savings and pensions I d say go for it. Otherwise don t. Personally I set aside about £12k a year to just lose on cars - crazy really because if I put that in an ISA it would be over £500k when I retire in 20 years. I probably need to stop doing that ..
And if I could go back ten years to 32 I d be travelling with friends and family to cool places, not buying performance cars.
Edit: My actual view is that you should live life doing what makes you happy and if that means driving performance cars then do it!
If you put £400 a month away into your pension (which might only cost you about £250 if you re a higher rate tax payer) for the next ten years until you hit 42 you d have £73k stashed away at 8% returns. Even if you didn t add another penny from age 42 and let it grow until 67 you d have over £530k in your retirement pot.
Looking at it on a purely financial basis it would be best to leave the performance cars well alone! But then life is for living, and it can be very short!
If you re putting 1/3 of your salary away into savings and pensions I d say go for it. Otherwise don t. Personally I set aside about £12k a year to just lose on cars - crazy really because if I put that in an ISA it would be over £500k when I retire in 20 years. I probably need to stop doing that ..
And if I could go back ten years to 32 I d be travelling with friends and family to cool places, not buying performance cars.
Edit: My actual view is that you should live life doing what makes you happy and if that means driving performance cars then do it!
Rational advice if that's really what you want.
Absolutely do not buy a car , you already have one .
Look at the news think a bit about the future and other people, not just your own immediate wants.
You will not have a state pension when you are elderly. You should be paying into a SIPP now substantially.
Absolutely do not buy a car , you already have one .
Look at the news think a bit about the future and other people, not just your own immediate wants.
You will not have a state pension when you are elderly. You should be paying into a SIPP now substantially.
k all "fun" money. Do it.
Don't bankrupt yourself to do it, obviously, but if you can then you should. Owning and running performance cars is getting more difficult here year on year, and it's only going to get far worse. I genuinely think we're in the twilight years, and depending on which government we get next things are only going to get worse faster.
Potholes, speed cameras, lower limits, dashcams, fuel crises, general attitudes shifting, taxes...it's all going the wrong way for us petrolheads. I've been making the most of fun cars as much as I can for the last few years, and even in that time it's got materially more difficult. I'm now in the headspace that at least I can look back and remember the fun I had when I was able to.
Sorry, that comes across as a bit miserable, but I got one of my cars out of storage last night to have a quick evening drive whilst the sun was out. All great, until I hit an unavoidable pothole the other side of a blind crest. Old Ferrari's aren't exactly renowned for their wheel robustness, so no doubt a large bill is coming soon. How glad I was to receive the tax reminder at £790 for the year...
Don't bankrupt yourself to do it, obviously, but if you can then you should. Owning and running performance cars is getting more difficult here year on year, and it's only going to get far worse. I genuinely think we're in the twilight years, and depending on which government we get next things are only going to get worse faster.
Potholes, speed cameras, lower limits, dashcams, fuel crises, general attitudes shifting, taxes...it's all going the wrong way for us petrolheads. I've been making the most of fun cars as much as I can for the last few years, and even in that time it's got materially more difficult. I'm now in the headspace that at least I can look back and remember the fun I had when I was able to.
Sorry, that comes across as a bit miserable, but I got one of my cars out of storage last night to have a quick evening drive whilst the sun was out. All great, until I hit an unavoidable pothole the other side of a blind crest. Old Ferrari's aren't exactly renowned for their wheel robustness, so no doubt a large bill is coming soon. How glad I was to receive the tax reminder at £790 for the year...
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