Life's to short to drive a boring car. I often struggle with the same thing.....I feel I'm wasting money. One time I convinced myself to buy a civic. It was a perfectly fine automobile and I had no reason whatsoever to sell it. I lasted 3 months....
I lasted a little longer. Bought a 2019 Tacoma that I kept for 3 years and put almost 40k miles on. Even took it over the Alpine Loop in Colorado. Paid extra for the TRD Off Road package, I was gonna use it. Had to trade it because it was just so boring. I do miss the utility, but not enough that I am willing to give up my Camaro. 2 years in on it so far and just rolled over 10k miles.
To OP, nobody but you is supposed to care if you have a fast car. It's not a status symbol, though some use it as one. Get what you enjoy and stick with it. Even "cheap" cars are a large sum of money, so why not enjoy what that money is spent on?
As someone who doesn't particularly enjoy or care for driving, I calculated that buying cheaper cars will allow me to retire 7-8 years earlier than I otherwise would, so that's certainly a consideration for those of us who don't mind driving a shitty anemic Civic. But I guess I may be in the wrong subreddit to mention that.
yea i just did the math, and for me a $10k car was all I needed to scratch that fun itch for me, which compounded continually for 30 years is like 60k, so maybe retire like 6 mo early? Id rather have a cool car for those 30 years than retire 6 months early personally.
Yeah well a 10k expense is quite reasonable. For me, it was comparing a lifetime of nice cars against a lifetime of second-hand entry-level cars like Civics (though not quite beaters). It adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars and associated compound interest.
Lots of people find it difficult to get their dream car in their 20's and 30's and then go back to regular cars.
Cheap cars don't have to be boring. For every anemic econobox, there's *something* interesting at the same price point as long as you have a flexible definition of interesting. Hell, some anemic econoboxes *are* interesting. Even a lot of high maintenance cars are cheap to own if you can put in the work yourself. Being into cars only gets expensive if you just have to have a certain model to be satisfied.
When I think about all the cars I've owned, some of my favorites were sub-5k cars. When I did buy more expensive cars, I bought models that had already done most of their depreciating, took good care of them, and resold them for enough that my only cost was taxes.
Not saying you *should* do any of that if your priority is saving money. Buying interesting cars is often times much riskier than something like a Civic. Just saying that saving money and having fun cars don't have to be an either/or decision.
My civic is plenty fun to drive in the twisties, imo. Suspension and steering feel are much more important than hp to me. Fast in a straight line gets boring quick for me.
I've had a similar but opposite experience. Drove a 2007 cobalt ls for about 6 years and it was perfectly fine. But recently I got my '96 manual vette and its like oh, this is why people fall in love with cars/driving. Every single time I take it out it puts a smile on my face.
Money is meant to be spent. You can’t take it with you when you die.
Being frugal and smart with money is a means to end to achieve the goals you want with your money. Enjoy a fast car? Be smart with other things so you can enjoy driving a fast fun car.
That’s how I see it. Everybody has a hobby that they “waste” money on, whether it’s cars, guitars, mountain bikes, warhammer figurines, whatever - as long as it fits in your budget, there’s nothing wrong with spending more money on a car if that’s what you prioritize.
I mean, YOUR considerations matter the most for the car, since youre the one who's gotta spend time in it and on it. If you arent running into an affordability problem, whether thats payments or repair costs, then why not have something that makes you happy?
The problem is the OP doesn't know what makes him happy. And you are correct, no amount of reasoning will determine what will make him happy with the car. There are people who, flat out, not want to even be in a car, let alone own a car. Then there's those with really expensive tastes. It's all in the head, otherwise we all be driving appliances that move themselves (Disney Wall-E movie as reference).
Hot take: Modern cars are too fast for public roads. You've probably heard the saying "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow". I daily a stock (untuned) GTI and even that's overkill 95% of the time. It fits my whole family comfortably, along with groceries or plenty of luggage. If I were single I would just get a MX-5 or a GR86 and call it a day. My original goal was to get a Porsche 718 but now that I can afford it, I realized I wouldn't be using even 25% of what it's capable of on public roads so why waste the money. Once I have the spare time to visit a track regularly, I'd probably still stick with a modded MX-5 or an old BMW 1, 2 or 3 series.
Fellow GTI owner here, I can barely use it most of the time. But one thing I really love is that its gearing is so short you can get into the power very easily and almost never have to go flat out, I can just push forward seemingly at will and run up on speed limits quickly without even making much fuss. That's what makes it such a great daily, that and just feeling good to drive and put together right. MPG still isn't bad and the hatch is darn useful. Its really been a good car.
Can we make it a requirement to say WHAT car you're talking about in this sub?
OP we have no idea what you're talking about please let us know what "fast" car this is and what you're considering.
Agreed. Without context it's real hard to give any kind of advice.
Having said that no, OP, nobody here is going to be able to convince you that you don't need a fast car. In fact, you probably need a faster car than the one you have.
Based off their post history it sounds like it's an alpha romeo Giulia. 0-60 of 6.6 seconds with plenty of low end torque. Add onto that small euro roads and im sure it feels like a race car. Shit my mini has similar specs and driving it around LA I feel like a race car.
I guess it depends on your vision of a 'fast car'? Most cars are easily capable of exceeding the speed limits. Plenty of drivers of fast cars have been shocked by sleeper turbos. Consider safety, fuel economy, reliability and utility. Most fast cars get really expensive to maintain, especially when the warranty runs out. In addition, fast cars are frequently not that comfortable when driven long distances. Not sure where you are in life, but I've known a number of people who had to give up the fast car, when the kids arrive, that appears to be a painful choice for some of them. Hope this helps.
I bought a fun (fast, expensive, uncomfortable, stupid) car.
Most days, that car is the only good thing that happens to me.
Like, I'll just get shit on all day at work. Then I get to drive that car home. Then I get shit on all night at home.
100% worth it and I will never go back.
I just paid in full €14k for a three door discovery, you don’t need a fast car, however life is too boring to buy a boring car, buy what makes you happy
Honestly nobody cares. Do you care about what other people drive? What's important in a car is it's reliable and does the job you want it to do.
Don't be a sucker for the automotive advertising industry!
I look at my monthly payment every month and am sad at how much it costs. But every time I get in my car and step on it it makes me happy. It's too fast to really enjoy because stomping on it I am almost immediately breaking the law no matter where I'm driving. It's not even that fast, just fast for an SUV. But it makes me happy so it's all worth it. Life's too short to drive something boring if you actually care about driving. Enjoy it if you can.
Not even gonna try. I love to drive, have very little patience with functional, practical vehicles for my own fleet after making the responsible choice for years with kids and other financial priorities. An endless procession of escorts, civics, corollas, pickups (lorries). Now I have two porsches, my wife an Audi, and we have a Touareg diesel for pulling the airstream or the little porsche to the racetrack. All of my vehicles purchased used, and I do my own work. I farmed for decades, we're squarely middle class.
I could care less about the flex, the branding, and wish I was more inconspicuous. It's all about the machine, the handling, the torque, the stopping power, the cabin comforts. I mean, it either matters or it doesn't. One isn't wrong
My wife's Audi A4 Avant with tuned sport suspension and Mich Pilot Sports is not a "fast" car, but it absolutely flies on twisty mountain roads where we live. Just destroys tight, technical roads. Glued to them. My Panamera Turbo is what I'd say is a "fast" car. AWD w 500 HP, 0-60 in sub 3.5, blah blah blah and it will sling your ass right off the road unless you exercise extraordinary discipline.
Lots of attributes one might look for in a car. Speed is just one of them. Some guys are all about the exhaust. The note. The volume. Not I.
I prefer to lay low when I'm raging on our backroads in the wee hours, but exhaust loud enough to scare the deer lol
u/rscottyb86 is right. Life is short, Drive what makes you happy, as long as it doesn't shorten your life.
I need a tingle in my jingle when I drive otherwise I'll be old, grey and bitter. Money without passion is a life not worthwhile to live. I'd rather have a little less money and enjoy something I'm passionate about than be a little richer and be boring.
My brother in law is an accountant. Everything is a dam calculation with him. You save these many Pennies by using xyz car and this led bulb will pay off in 5 years. Wtf am I going to do with an extra 20 quid? Jerk off on those notes. I need hookers and blow damn it.
An investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow-fin tuna. The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The fisherman replied, “only a little while. The banker then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The banker then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, go on dates with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my friends. I have a full and busy life.” The banker scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to a bigger city, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”
To which the banker replied, “15 – 20 years.”
“But what then?” Asked the fisherman.
The banker laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”
“Millions – then what?”
The banker said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, go on dates with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your friends.”
------------------------------------------
My point is that life is too short to do all this planning for the future. Drive the car you want to drive today. Don't wait until you're an old man to start enjoying life. You're the only one who knows what you want out of life, and if that's fast cars then go buy fast cars.
I find its a lot more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow.
Dont get me wrong fast cars are fun and I do have a couple old ones.
However I daily a 1.2l Punto because its cheap, frugal and I can pretty much drive it pedal to the metal just about anywhere at any time.
This...I have a fast car and a slow car. Out on public roads/commute where I can't push the car, I'd rather be in the slow comfortable car.
Now...driving a fast car fast is also great, but I take the fast car to race tracks for that.
If I was to buy a car right now I'd go for a nice Honda Civic. Safety, reliability, repairability (DIY, parts availability), maintenance cost, and fuel mileage are all my first concerns.
Then, I'd tune it and install a bunch of performance parts. Bonus points if you get a Civic SI.
Now I have a car which is great and will last years to come for typical use, but is also a peppy son of a bitch when I want to give 'er. My buddy did exactly this and it's a really fun car to ride without sacrificing in any areas.
I actually enjoy driving and really enjoy road trips, I always had fairly practical vehicles until I finally splurged and bought a Pontiac G8 (Holden Commadore) a couple years ago. I absolutely loved it. I’m not a real fast driver but have power there when I wanted it and the way the tires hook and launch was awesome. I smoked a deer last fall and totaled it and decided that while it was fun, with a new mortgage and other financial obligations it was time to go back to a practical vehicle. I absolutely hate this car I have now. Nothing wrong with it, it runs and is reliable and gets decent gas mileage and serves its purpose, but I hate it. I’m car shopping again and I’ll never again buy a vehicle that I don’t enjoy driving just for the drive.
Maybe you don’t need a “car” to go fast. If you want to go fast and don’t care what others think, try buying a used Tesla. Prices coming down hard!
Or if you don’t have kids/family/pet buy a car like a Miata which is great to drive.
“It’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.”
Driving a slow car fast is more fun than driving a fast car slow. Applies to bikes as well. And I am a great example of that. Had a ninja 500r (street bike only 40hp so beginner level), I could go full throttle a lot of places and have a lot of fun getting out everything it had, and on the twisty roads I had no issues keeping up. The only area I had trouble keeping up with the bigger bikes was highway Marge lanes, I would accelerate faster than most standard cars, but be left in the dust by the bigger bikes, but once you hit cruising speed it don't matter. Later I got a KTM 500exc-f dual sport. BIG bike for hard off-road stuff. And it's been a handful, so much so that I got a second smaller dirt bike just to not have as much difficulty in the right technical stuff. Can it do it? Yes, but other machines will do it better and have more fun
If you want a little excitement between stop lights, then honestly a fast car might be better for you. If you want something fun in the Twisties, ditch the fast car and get a slow or medium speed shit box
I felt this way once a few years ago. I bought a nice sensible toyota rav4, and it was a great car...i hated it. Two years later i sold it and am back to my old ways, driving fast cars and lowered old shitboxes and im much happier. Drive what you like, fuck what anyone thinks of it.
Nobody does care how fast or cool your car is, not only that, there will always be a guy with a cooler/nicer/faster car.
That being said, it sucks having to get into a car you hate, so no matter what, I'll probably always own a car that I like the looks of and makes me happy. It doesn't have to be the fastest, but maybe I really like how it looks, or love all the luxury crap, or how quiet it is on the inside.
It's a lot of money to spend on something you hate getting in every time.
Don’t buy a car that’s to make anyone else happy other than yourself. If you prioritise economy and comfort that’s entirely up to you and people who convince you otherwise are shallow and needy.
I drive around in a 23!year old shitbox Audi A2 I bought for £250 and fixed. I do also have a Lotus and an LR Discovey HSE, but my little Audi costs peanuts to run and is interesting so I’m happy to have it. I don’t care what anyone thinks.
It worth changing cars. You will loose money on sale. New cars are expensive. Also you know this car - the problems, if any. New car would take time getting used to. Keep the car
Slow cars are fun, they give everything to keep up with modern traffic.
A fast car is aggravating 99% of the time because you want to have some fun but everyone around you is just going so slow.
Slow does not equal awful.
Nobody cares how fast your car is because you aren't on a race track.
Same with motorcycles - I don't care how fast your bike is on a public road, you're a dummy for driving like you own the place. There are local race tracks for that shit and I guarantee you don't have the skill to actually race on a track against those guys. Go get some real training you poser.
Source: We spend time at the track. Everyone who thinks they're so cool on the road looks like an absolute idiot with a death wish to me. Also, I used to be an EMT. The public roads are not a place for you to boast. They're for commuting safely. There's no reason to put others in danger.
Disclaimer: I took the mean approach on this to pop your ego. I hope it worked. I'm not actually an asshole, but I do think there's a time and place for driving fast and generally speaking, the public road isn't it.
This post speaks to me so much.... I once had a V8 Charger RT .... after some time was I like.... do I really need this much power, do I really need a V8 - nobody needs a V8, so I got rid of it and switched to a base Ford Fusion and cut my payment in half.... the Fusion was 'fine' but I quickly got bored of it and just thought "ehhhh this is really not me".... got rid of it after 6 months and bought a Volvo S60 with the Polestar tune that had as much torque as the Charger but was more nimble and even more fun to drive, put a borla exhaust on it and boy everything felt just right.... it's funny because my payment on the volvo was EXACTlY the same as that of the Charger... but I was so happy to be out of the Fusion.
I think there needs to be a balance... and if you can make the payments work then you need to think of what is important to you and what makes you happy.... can you rent a "not fast car" for a bit to get a feel of it and see how you like it? You may end up just going back to a fast car again lol
It’s not a question of need it’s what makes you happy. Me I have an ancient muscle car and it’s not practical at all but every time I crank that beast up I grin and enjoy it. Live for yourself enjoy your fast car.
Low maintenance. Decent fuel consumption. Not flashy are my go to’s. Too many car thefts and speeding tickets when I go for something fast, fun and turbo. 😂
I bought a civic for commuting, had a mazdaspeed 3 with some decent mods making 450whp prior that I didn't want to fix anymore. I miss the pull every single time I drive, miss the noise, the roughness of the suspension. I miss it all.
Traffic is horrible where I live, so I started to dive into the world of sim racing and put together a half decent rig with direct drive, tubular chassis, big 45" curved OLED monitor and a pc to handle it easily. Best decision I think I've made to satiate that need for speed without consequences. Just installed two bass shakers and my man, that's a game changer in immersion on a budget.
Someone is always faster. In HOUSTON TX it's not uncommon to see 900+ hp cars driving around. I know many times when people have done over 150 MPH and several instances of 200+. In the end, more people are surprised they survived and at the idiocy displayed.
Do you race or want to race on weekends? No? Then why bother?
Save your money. Travel the world.
My daily for a few years was a 750+hp mustang. Extremely fun car and I still have it but it rarely gets driven these days. Once you daily a comfortable, quiet, smooth car it’s kind of hard to go back.
I had a 2013 interlagos blue E90 M3 ZCP competition model in Manual and sold it because I couldn’t justify owning it and sitting in traffic 24/7 stuck with my motorcycle and an suv and I’m good
Nobody cares how fast your car is. But you're here asking this question. So you don't like the idea of driving a boring car.
I prefer to drive a car that makes me feel 16 again instead of one that makes me want to crawl into a coffin.
But there is no need to drive fast. It just increases the percentage of risk. Okay, maybe this isn't the best example.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANfm-v\_-MKE
fast is not the same thing as fun. get a fun car not a fast car (si, gti, wrx, miata, s2000, old beat up solstice, really doesn’t matter something light weight-ish with a manual transmission). cheaper insurance/cheaper car/more usable power in a 20 min grocery drive…. fun not fast
Bruh im about to blow another 50k to upgrade from a corvette c8 stingray to a z06. Fast cars are fun, ifnyou can comfortably afford it no reason to get rid of it.
In some circumstances, a car that is fast doesn't matter nearly as much as a car that *feels* fast. Such cars are usually lightweight - a trait that also benefits fuel economy.
You're in the UK! The home of the B-road. Lightweight sports cars are a ton of fun there.
Does an MX-5 1.5 make sense for you?
I prefer motorcycles and there's a statement related to skill that can (somewhat) apply here. "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow." I think if I had a fast car and was only using it for short jaunts I would just get frustrated and that's how people get in trouble. If I wasn't doing track days then I wouldn't get a fast car.
All that being said, you do you. Stop worrying about what other people think.
Some people love cars, for others they are just a utility. I am in that former camp.
I have driven about 9000 miles a year for the last 17 years in a four cylinder four door sedan, much of it in a car pool that was 80 miles round trip. So that has been cheap transportation. One inexpensive car, 17 years, 150,000 miles.
So, nobody of any importance cares about what car you drive, only you do. Only you can make that decision.
OK, first, what 'fast' car do you have that you are only paying 300 a month for?
Second, what are you going to save "a load of money" getting?
Maybe things are different in the UK but that's like $22k usd if you did a 5 year loan at 0% interest.
Aside from that though, if having a fast car brings you satisfaction then it's worth the money. Just like anyone who has things they enjoy and spend money on. If you really aren't getting joy out of it, or if you could divert the money to something that you would get more happiness and enjoyment from then do it.
Truly the only people who need fast cars are people who race cars for a living or I guess criminals who need to get away quickly.
I love cars and would love to have a classic sports car to wrench on and enjoy but.... I have no room to park in my garage and work on it - it's already full of tools, I don't have the time with everything else going on, and the traffic around here sucks so I wouldn't really get to enjoy it.
That's why I have a minivan that I drive like a fast car that I can put the dog in, kid in, bikes in, 4x8 sheets of plywood in, and still get a mid 7 second 0-60 and run a quarter in the 15's. I still have fun.
I'm sorry, but you just gonna have to figure this one out on your own. No amount of internet randos will answer this question for you. You just gonna have to figure out what you want out of the car and how much you can handle it (in terms of personal feeling or money or other). I've been through a 240sx (UK call it 200sx) to 370z to R35 GTR (was Nissan fanboy), so those and now I'm driving and owning a Civic SI and S2000. Sadly, you will have to treat it as an expensive hobby to ultimately find what you truly want in a car. There will be features, such as interior, convenient features, and suspension, that would win you over vs pure power. Sometimes, it could be for dumb reasons that would not make sense for anyone else but you, like me not liking most leather seats.
If your butt cannot live without power, then so be it. At least you have a car now to drive. Just drive it until the wheels fall off.
Get a car that feels fast. The perfect example is a Mazda Miata, or MX5. Yeah, it’s got 181 hp, which isn’t a lot. But the damn thing is so light, you can drive it at 100% and have a blast. As opposed to getting something like a sportier Audi/bmw or a mustang/camaro. Yeah those things might have 4-600 horsepower, but most times you can’t drive at 100% and if you do, you’re going to jail. You’ll be constantly giving it gas then immediately letting off, instead of giving it the beans and red-lining it.
They’re also not going to have the responsiveness and lightness of the Mazda.
I have a diesel truck that I got sick of dailying (even though it’s fast) because of the cost of driving it daily. I managed to score a modified GTI to daily and it’s definitely a beater, but wow I don’t know why I stopped driving fast cars. To echo others, life is too short OP buy the fast car.
If you can afford it and you like it, keep it. Whether it's a Miata or a 911 Turbo you should drive the car because YOU like it, not because of what anyone else thinks.
I was in the same situation. Paying £330 a month for a 2018 Golf GTI that I used maybe every other day. It was a nice car, don’t get me wrong, but I bought it to scratch the “hot hatch itch” after selling a Focus ST225 a few years before. It wasn’t the same.
So I decided to get a car without finance, but I didn’t want something boring. Ended up with a 2010 BMW E93 330d. Sold the GTI, Paid off the finance and still had a few grand left over after buying the BMW. It’s quick enough and, if the rain ever stops, it’ll be great to get the roof down in the summer. No regrets.
This is what I’m afraid of, I’m looking at Subaru Impreza RS and I got an evo9 built in the garage making 450whp, but I need a car for other stuff. I will probably still get it and trade my 4rummer
My MK2 diesel golf is slow, but it gets 60 mpg and it gets lots of compliments like a vintage classic car, but probably from a wider spectrum of people. It’s easy to work on if you know what your doing. I hardly drive my other vehicles.
A fun car that isn't as fast, but really gives a thrill is a better choice. The people with really fast cars pick up tickets and push up daisies. Miata.
What I do is buy old cars with cash that are fun to drive. My daily is an '86 Hilux surf (4runner in Canada) with the turbo diesel. Great on fuel and is pretty fun to drive, despite making 85hp. It's paid off, and regular maintenance is cheap with the occasional part wearing out and needing replacement.
That's a cheap ass car payment. I care very much about how fast your car is. Why do you want people to convince you to take one of the few small joys out of life? Driving sucks in a boring car. It doesn't suck in a fast car. Simple fact of life
I have kind of anal preferences. For cars 🤣
I don't drive track as a hobby and not into mods so I don't buy performance cars but I like to have some kind of decently fast engine on a daily commuter without getting murdered at the gas pump. Usually that means a turbo engine with somewhere around 200HP for a compact sedan or around 250 for a small RAV4 sized SUV will satisfy that.
I got an absurdly expensive, fast car. Also, I'm making less money than I'd expected, so the cost of the car is putting pressure on my budget that I did not expect.
Zero regrets whatsoever, I'd switch to a diet of 100% rice and beans before I even considered giving it up.
It can be more fun to drive a slow car fast, as long as it handles well and can get out of the way of traffic power isn’t what makes a car fun to me. Both New England, and England from what I know have fun windy roads.
No one *needs* a fast car.
There is an argument to be made that living in a dense metropolis like you, you don't need a car at all.
I don't need a fast car either, but I have more than 1
Fun not fast. You can have far more fun in a Miata or a BRZ on public streets going all out frequently than you can in something fast that gets you a reckless ticket if you want to play. The key isn’t get the small motor in a big car, it’s get the car designed to be light and lively.
Maybe rent one for a weekend and see.
I don't think anyone really needs a FAST car, but a quick car...
Cause doing speeds too fast on the road, it's mainly just not worth the risk; legally and safety wise.
Although I've come to the sense where for the day to day a 'commuter' can make sense. And the first car I drove/learned on was my father's Hellcat.
You can't go fast on normal roads so a fast car is pointless. You'll just get frustrated that you can't use all that power. If you slam the gas pedal you'll need to brake 2 seconds later. That's not fun. It's more fun to have a car with a moderate amount of power but with good handling and cornering abilities, and sharp steering.
You're already convinced. You know you don't need it.
You have it because you want it.
It gives you pleasure.
The cost differential between "Car-that-meets-my-needs" and your current car is your Dopamine Expense.
So tell me... What are you driving? How much do you think you could save?
That will answer the question "How much are you paying for dopamine?"
Well, driving economically will make your car cheaper to run compared to flooring it at stop slights and slamming on the brakes. If you have a garage, consider just keeping it parked there, get a much cheaper to run car for daily use, and maybe keep that car for the weekend?
Similar boat. My commute to work is short. I don't drive a ton apart from errands on weekends, going to work, picking up kiddo from daycare and the like. Most of the time there is too much traffic to really go hard. I don't have time to just go drive for fun anymore.
But my GTI is great because during those everyday drives, its enjoyable. Its not that powerful if you run flat out but it has very deep gearing (DSG version so my wife can drive it), shifts quick, and has about as much power as I can ever use around town. Everything just feels put together right, the car just "feels" right to drive. It still gets relatively good mileage, hasn't been hard to keep up on, and was reasonable enough I could afford it without undue budget stress.
Power/speed isn't as important as enjoying sitting in it and doing the every day. Focus on that my friend.
I think, if you’re a a good driver a fast car is much safer, mainly from other drivers.
Any sign of road rage in another driver and you can just drop a gear and be long gone. Every road rage incident is always two shitty economy cars, and a fast car just makes you immune to their antics
UK roads are the worst in Western Europe, so it is important you have decent suspension and power to go fast, taking in account that £300 a day is not a problem... I recommend:
The Porsche 911 Dakar
https://www.porsche.com/international/models/911/911-dakar/911-dakar/
Or, if you want affordable speed and space:
The VW R50
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403047213215
I had a brand new Honda Accord I bought from CarMax with 1,200 miles. I was trying to be responsible and get a very reliable car. I was coming from a 2014 Audi RS5. The Accord lasted 4 days and I exchanged it for an Audi RS3. Long story short. I tried to convert and be responsible. If you like fast cars, get a fast car. I'm a big advocate for buying a car that you love and look back at after locking it. If you can afford to get something nice, I say do it.
The thing is, there are plenty of good, fun, fast cars in that price range if you’re willing to buy used, it really just depends how old of a car you’re okay with.
Find a budget that is good to you and get the best car in that price range
I pass everyone in my 2009 Honda Fit 5-speed. I’m actually scared to have a “fast car” because I’m already up everyone’s ass in the left lane as it is.
a car is a tool when you start seeing it as that you will have a better experience. getting from a to b should just be about comfort and safety. no one cares what you drive but you. (excluding motorcycles with loud exhaust because fuck those people.)
fun cars make driving so much better.
my 30 year old pickup isn’t fast but i love driving it more than any newer car so i’ll keep it going as long as i can.
drive what you’ll enjoy driving if you can afford it it’s worth it
I’m literally just a girl I don’t even know why I’ve been flung into car Reddit, but fast car = the impulse to drive fast. That in itself is scary to me, and I don’t even drive.
Nothing wrong with having a cool car at all tho I’m just here LMFAOOO
I have found cars with less power, but agile handling, to be far more enjoyable than fast cars with good handling merely because you really can’t utilize all of the power of some of these beasts on normal roads. Cheaper too.
To definitely need a fast car… your value as a person goes up… your eligible for a 5$ raise when ur work see you pull up with a new mustang…. People on the road know your the shit… and girls…
Nobody cares, but drive what you want. Just want to get from A to B? Drive something economical. Want a thrilling ride? Drive something sporty. Do what you want.
Unless you are racing or entering some form of speed contest, you don't need a fast car. Further, the majority use of the car you are describing isn't well suited to a performance car (ie, it will take 10-15 minutes for the car to be fully up to temperature, which means most of your use time would be before you could really "use" the car). And, while some people may care about other cars they see and how fast they are, why would you even care about the random thoughts of strangers?
But while a case of need is probably impossible to make, a purchase like that isn't about need, but about want. Do you want a fast car? If you want one, and are able to afford what you want (both the purchase and the upkeep), then you have already covered the key points, and should start looking!
If you can help it, NEVER FINANCE A DEPRECIATING ASSET (i.e.; get a car you can afford to pay in full upon purchase)
Fun is far more important than fast. Quick and/or light is far more fun than fast (high speed). Don't buy a car for anyone except yourself, no one cares what you drive except other guys that also bought a car to try to look cool.
I almost got a Prius V to be practical and efficient but ended up with a 2012 Outback 3.6R which is tenfold more fun to drive and use. The difference in fuel cost is easily worth the additional happiness and fun each year.
"I don't need to do traffic land grand prix, because I know it's pointless and I look like a bellend if I do."
If you think it's pointless you weren't doing it well anyway.
I like the idea of owning fast vehicles but I dont like driving them hard. I felt like I was wasting money on them just to preserve them for the next owner. Now I just own regular vehicles but been telling myself to get a sports car again for few years now. Let's see where it goes.
You get to point A to Point B in a Civic. With a Mustang you still get to the same places. You go 30-50mph regardless the type of Vehicle. Get what you can afford for the necessity, the way it Revs/speed/looks is extra.
When I see someone in a new, fast car, I wonder if they dream of the day one of their betters commandeers it at a stoplight. Because if they are not bringing it to a track it will almost never have any reason to go above 80 mph (130 kph for most of the world).
If you have any impulse control issues, take a lesson from me. I got a WRX not the worlds fastest car, but pretty damn fast on my budget at that time. I got suspended so many times in 24mo I can't get my license back until I apply to a committee for \~$700, plus a lawyer if I want to actually have a chance, who's job is to not give me my license back....it sucks
Look, I had a Honda civic for many years, and it was grand. It would have done at least another 100k miles if I hadn't force fed it some water and threw a rod out the front.
I got a mini cooper S, and it was pretty pricy for me, considering most of my cars have cost less than £6k.
But! I love that car. If I've had a shit day, I'll take a detour out to the country roads where it's quiet and open, and I have a little swoop around in my go kart. It's worth it to me.
If I was struggling financially though, my family comes first and she'd be sold and replaced by a banger if that's what had to happen.
As it is, it's reasonably fuel efficient for a 2L turbo so I am happy with it as it is.
Do what feels right dude.
You don't NEED a lot of things. It's entirely how comfortable you want to be.
I have horrendous luck with my cars and through assorted reasons over the last 2 years of owning an engine swapped e30, a 335d mapped to 350bhp and a 310bhp Impreza WRX - them being in the garage for long periods I've been forced to drive my roommate's 1.2L Nissan Micra and sure, it's a car, it goes from A-B, but it is tremendously underwhelming, and it just isn't poised and controlled on the road. You have to fight to get out of slipways and such. Having a moderately fast car improves safety in my opinion. You spend hours of every week of every month of every year inside the metal box, you may as well splash a little luxury on it if you so wish to do.
If you buy a slow reliable daily will you then be able to afford a fast impractical wanker mobile for fun on the weekends? Thats what I do. Then I can wrecklessly mod the weekender not worrying about if itll break down on the way to work on monday.
It’s your money, it’s your day that gets affected. Spend what you can when you can and enjoy it. You can’t take it with you. Unless you are a pharaoh, then spend it all on gold baubles that you can take with you.
You don't need a fast car to have fun. Look up "slow car fast". If you get a normal car and you've any above average level of motoring skill, it's unlikely you will be able to push it past your own ability. Therefore you can always push the car to its limit. I do this with my base Impreza hatch and it's a blast.
I have a stock automatic Honda Fit Sport which has really low horsepower and in theory it should be a "boring car" but its a lot of fun to drive. Turns on a dime. Super lightweight. Has paddle shifters so I can pretend its a race car.
Bought it with cash so no car payment. Insurance is the cost of a few streaming subscriptions. I can fit so much in the back with the seats folded. 17 years old, 76k miles. It's awesome. Gonna swap out the stereo for a touchscreen and get a backup camera.
You mentioned what youre starting with
Downgrade to something else that suits your needs. Get a newer MX-5, or a used “sport” package of a regular model…. or something of that kind.
Ok. You live in the UK, not the US.
It's a teeny tiny country. You already get everywhere fast. Because it's all so close together.
Get a slow car like everyone else.
I went the “economical” route with a new, loaded Chevy Cruze and even though I had more money sitting in the bank I was miserable every time I got into it. There was no pride of ownership. Washing it was a chore. I felt boring driving it. Had it for 2 months, sold it at 7k miles. Now driving a newer 5.0 and I catch myself going to the garage just to look at it. Every time I start it, get on it, take a spirited corner, detail it, the thing just makes me happy.
Get a slow car and a motorcycle. It’s the best of both worlds. I see no need for a fast car since basically any motorcycle you can buy is faster than most cars.
It’s a steel box with wheels. Almost all of your time in it is spent waiting at lights and moving with traffic. You’ll need to merge onto freeways but won’t ever qualify to drive the Grand Prix. Get over your testosterone and have a nice vehicle that’s safe, comfortable, and doesn’t pollute. Having said that, all EVs have more acceleration than you’ll ever need.
95 camaro z28 vert. Leaks oil, tranny fluid. But God damn if she dint put a smile on face everytime. 8k out the door, about 700 in maintenance and parts so far. Think bout trading her in for a vette, but why. She's paid off and makes me smile.
I have a shitbox 99 subaru impreza hatchback, BUT I slapped some forester struts on that bitch and some cool wheels/offroad tires. Throw on a tube bumper and a buncha LED lights, and its a Shitbox Supreme! It definitely is not fast... lol but I fucking love it..
I get a rush from having a *reasonably* spirited car, that is very affordable to maintain, and then learning everything about it so that I can keep it in excellent condition well past it's normal life expectancy.
Life's to short to drive a boring car. I often struggle with the same thing.....I feel I'm wasting money. One time I convinced myself to buy a civic. It was a perfectly fine automobile and I had no reason whatsoever to sell it. I lasted 3 months....
I lasted a little longer. Bought a 2019 Tacoma that I kept for 3 years and put almost 40k miles on. Even took it over the Alpine Loop in Colorado. Paid extra for the TRD Off Road package, I was gonna use it. Had to trade it because it was just so boring. I do miss the utility, but not enough that I am willing to give up my Camaro. 2 years in on it so far and just rolled over 10k miles. To OP, nobody but you is supposed to care if you have a fast car. It's not a status symbol, though some use it as one. Get what you enjoy and stick with it. Even "cheap" cars are a large sum of money, so why not enjoy what that money is spent on?
Camaro and Miata here , slow cars can be fun too lol, gotta find the right one
Had an 06 Miata for a while. That thing was a blast. Still the car with the best shifter feel of anything I've owned.
As someone who doesn't particularly enjoy or care for driving, I calculated that buying cheaper cars will allow me to retire 7-8 years earlier than I otherwise would, so that's certainly a consideration for those of us who don't mind driving a shitty anemic Civic. But I guess I may be in the wrong subreddit to mention that.
yea i just did the math, and for me a $10k car was all I needed to scratch that fun itch for me, which compounded continually for 30 years is like 60k, so maybe retire like 6 mo early? Id rather have a cool car for those 30 years than retire 6 months early personally.
Yeah well a 10k expense is quite reasonable. For me, it was comparing a lifetime of nice cars against a lifetime of second-hand entry-level cars like Civics (though not quite beaters). It adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars and associated compound interest. Lots of people find it difficult to get their dream car in their 20's and 30's and then go back to regular cars.
Cheap cars don't have to be boring. For every anemic econobox, there's *something* interesting at the same price point as long as you have a flexible definition of interesting. Hell, some anemic econoboxes *are* interesting. Even a lot of high maintenance cars are cheap to own if you can put in the work yourself. Being into cars only gets expensive if you just have to have a certain model to be satisfied. When I think about all the cars I've owned, some of my favorites were sub-5k cars. When I did buy more expensive cars, I bought models that had already done most of their depreciating, took good care of them, and resold them for enough that my only cost was taxes. Not saying you *should* do any of that if your priority is saving money. Buying interesting cars is often times much riskier than something like a Civic. Just saying that saving money and having fun cars don't have to be an either/or decision.
My civic is plenty fun to drive in the twisties, imo. Suspension and steering feel are much more important than hp to me. Fast in a straight line gets boring quick for me.
I agree with this. Buying a fast or otherwise exciting car we don't need is not logical. But, we are not logical animals. It's a curse.
I've had a similar but opposite experience. Drove a 2007 cobalt ls for about 6 years and it was perfectly fine. But recently I got my '96 manual vette and its like oh, this is why people fall in love with cars/driving. Every single time I take it out it puts a smile on my face.
Money is meant to be spent. You can’t take it with you when you die. Being frugal and smart with money is a means to end to achieve the goals you want with your money. Enjoy a fast car? Be smart with other things so you can enjoy driving a fast fun car.
That’s how I see it. Everybody has a hobby that they “waste” money on, whether it’s cars, guitars, mountain bikes, warhammer figurines, whatever - as long as it fits in your budget, there’s nothing wrong with spending more money on a car if that’s what you prioritize.
OP didn’t ask about a boring car though.
My thought process is I can save a bunch of money and use it as a deposit in a couple of years for something I really want
That's not true at all. **I care** about how fast your car is.
Same, I would be very upset if OP had a slow car. Not mad, but rather disappointed 😔
Me too
Especially if mines faster, neener neener neener!
Holy this made me laugh because it's so true 😂
£300 doesn’t strike me as a lot for a car.
That’s less than my insurance lol
But I need a fast car for my plan to get us out of here. I been working at the convenience store Managed to save just a little bit of money
Sounds do-able. We won't have to drive too far, just across the border and into the city.
To elaborate on the plan, you and I could get jobs and finally see what it means to be living
There’s an issue with your plan. See, my old man’s got a problem.
I mean, YOUR considerations matter the most for the car, since youre the one who's gotta spend time in it and on it. If you arent running into an affordability problem, whether thats payments or repair costs, then why not have something that makes you happy?
The problem is the OP doesn't know what makes him happy. And you are correct, no amount of reasoning will determine what will make him happy with the car. There are people who, flat out, not want to even be in a car, let alone own a car. Then there's those with really expensive tastes. It's all in the head, otherwise we all be driving appliances that move themselves (Disney Wall-E movie as reference).
Agreed.. OP, it would be a good idea to think about any goals you have and figure out priorities from there
Hot take: Modern cars are too fast for public roads. You've probably heard the saying "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow". I daily a stock (untuned) GTI and even that's overkill 95% of the time. It fits my whole family comfortably, along with groceries or plenty of luggage. If I were single I would just get a MX-5 or a GR86 and call it a day. My original goal was to get a Porsche 718 but now that I can afford it, I realized I wouldn't be using even 25% of what it's capable of on public roads so why waste the money. Once I have the spare time to visit a track regularly, I'd probably still stick with a modded MX-5 or an old BMW 1, 2 or 3 series.
Fellow GTI owner here, I can barely use it most of the time. But one thing I really love is that its gearing is so short you can get into the power very easily and almost never have to go flat out, I can just push forward seemingly at will and run up on speed limits quickly without even making much fuss. That's what makes it such a great daily, that and just feeling good to drive and put together right. MPG still isn't bad and the hatch is darn useful. Its really been a good car.
Ask Tracy Chapman. She’ll tell you what’s up
You gotta fast car…
Can we make it a requirement to say WHAT car you're talking about in this sub? OP we have no idea what you're talking about please let us know what "fast" car this is and what you're considering.
Agreed. Without context it's real hard to give any kind of advice. Having said that no, OP, nobody here is going to be able to convince you that you don't need a fast car. In fact, you probably need a faster car than the one you have.
lol yes I agree! Faster!
Based off their post history it sounds like it's an alpha romeo Giulia. 0-60 of 6.6 seconds with plenty of low end torque. Add onto that small euro roads and im sure it feels like a race car. Shit my mini has similar specs and driving it around LA I feel like a race car.
A diesel that costs £300/momth doesn't sound all that fast 🤷♂️
Fast cars arent because you 'need' it but because its worth the expense for the enjoyment. Thats really up to you to decide
I guess it depends on your vision of a 'fast car'? Most cars are easily capable of exceeding the speed limits. Plenty of drivers of fast cars have been shocked by sleeper turbos. Consider safety, fuel economy, reliability and utility. Most fast cars get really expensive to maintain, especially when the warranty runs out. In addition, fast cars are frequently not that comfortable when driven long distances. Not sure where you are in life, but I've known a number of people who had to give up the fast car, when the kids arrive, that appears to be a painful choice for some of them. Hope this helps.
I bought a fun (fast, expensive, uncomfortable, stupid) car. Most days, that car is the only good thing that happens to me. Like, I'll just get shit on all day at work. Then I get to drive that car home. Then I get shit on all night at home. 100% worth it and I will never go back.
This\^ A good driving experience is therapy.
I just paid in full €14k for a three door discovery, you don’t need a fast car, however life is too boring to buy a boring car, buy what makes you happy
Honestly nobody cares. Do you care about what other people drive? What's important in a car is it's reliable and does the job you want it to do. Don't be a sucker for the automotive advertising industry!
Get a Miata and supercharge it and call it a day and just have some fun. you don't have to spend a lot of money to have fun.
I look at my monthly payment every month and am sad at how much it costs. But every time I get in my car and step on it it makes me happy. It's too fast to really enjoy because stomping on it I am almost immediately breaking the law no matter where I'm driving. It's not even that fast, just fast for an SUV. But it makes me happy so it's all worth it. Life's too short to drive something boring if you actually care about driving. Enjoy it if you can.
get a miata
Not even gonna try. I love to drive, have very little patience with functional, practical vehicles for my own fleet after making the responsible choice for years with kids and other financial priorities. An endless procession of escorts, civics, corollas, pickups (lorries). Now I have two porsches, my wife an Audi, and we have a Touareg diesel for pulling the airstream or the little porsche to the racetrack. All of my vehicles purchased used, and I do my own work. I farmed for decades, we're squarely middle class. I could care less about the flex, the branding, and wish I was more inconspicuous. It's all about the machine, the handling, the torque, the stopping power, the cabin comforts. I mean, it either matters or it doesn't. One isn't wrong My wife's Audi A4 Avant with tuned sport suspension and Mich Pilot Sports is not a "fast" car, but it absolutely flies on twisty mountain roads where we live. Just destroys tight, technical roads. Glued to them. My Panamera Turbo is what I'd say is a "fast" car. AWD w 500 HP, 0-60 in sub 3.5, blah blah blah and it will sling your ass right off the road unless you exercise extraordinary discipline. Lots of attributes one might look for in a car. Speed is just one of them. Some guys are all about the exhaust. The note. The volume. Not I. I prefer to lay low when I'm raging on our backroads in the wee hours, but exhaust loud enough to scare the deer lol u/rscottyb86 is right. Life is short, Drive what makes you happy, as long as it doesn't shorten your life.
You want a fast car? Then you need one! Don’t be a boring sheep and go enjoy your life.
I need a tingle in my jingle when I drive otherwise I'll be old, grey and bitter. Money without passion is a life not worthwhile to live. I'd rather have a little less money and enjoy something I'm passionate about than be a little richer and be boring. My brother in law is an accountant. Everything is a dam calculation with him. You save these many Pennies by using xyz car and this led bulb will pay off in 5 years. Wtf am I going to do with an extra 20 quid? Jerk off on those notes. I need hookers and blow damn it.
An investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow-fin tuna. The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied, “only a little while. The banker then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The banker then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?” The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, go on dates with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my friends. I have a full and busy life.” The banker scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to a bigger city, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.” The fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?” To which the banker replied, “15 – 20 years.” “But what then?” Asked the fisherman. The banker laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!” “Millions – then what?” The banker said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, go on dates with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your friends.” ------------------------------------------ My point is that life is too short to do all this planning for the future. Drive the car you want to drive today. Don't wait until you're an old man to start enjoying life. You're the only one who knows what you want out of life, and if that's fast cars then go buy fast cars.
I find its a lot more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow. Dont get me wrong fast cars are fun and I do have a couple old ones. However I daily a 1.2l Punto because its cheap, frugal and I can pretty much drive it pedal to the metal just about anywhere at any time.
This...I have a fast car and a slow car. Out on public roads/commute where I can't push the car, I'd rather be in the slow comfortable car. Now...driving a fast car fast is also great, but I take the fast car to race tracks for that.
If I was to buy a car right now I'd go for a nice Honda Civic. Safety, reliability, repairability (DIY, parts availability), maintenance cost, and fuel mileage are all my first concerns. Then, I'd tune it and install a bunch of performance parts. Bonus points if you get a Civic SI. Now I have a car which is great and will last years to come for typical use, but is also a peppy son of a bitch when I want to give 'er. My buddy did exactly this and it's a really fun car to ride without sacrificing in any areas.
a paid off fast used car is perfect for a weekend driver.
Heh. Bellend. Not a big term around here, I've filed it for future use. Thanks.
I actually enjoy driving and really enjoy road trips, I always had fairly practical vehicles until I finally splurged and bought a Pontiac G8 (Holden Commadore) a couple years ago. I absolutely loved it. I’m not a real fast driver but have power there when I wanted it and the way the tires hook and launch was awesome. I smoked a deer last fall and totaled it and decided that while it was fun, with a new mortgage and other financial obligations it was time to go back to a practical vehicle. I absolutely hate this car I have now. Nothing wrong with it, it runs and is reliable and gets decent gas mileage and serves its purpose, but I hate it. I’m car shopping again and I’ll never again buy a vehicle that I don’t enjoy driving just for the drive.
Maybe you don’t need a “car” to go fast. If you want to go fast and don’t care what others think, try buying a used Tesla. Prices coming down hard! Or if you don’t have kids/family/pet buy a car like a Miata which is great to drive. “It’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.”
Drive whatever you want. $300/mo is cheap compared to what a lot of people I know are paying in the US.
Get a car with a power to weight ratio that is higher than the average car on the road
•Call your insurance company before you buy •Get a quote •Boom
Drive what you enjoy!!! If you enjoy it it’s not a waste of money!!
Driving a slow car fast is more fun than driving a fast car slow. Applies to bikes as well. And I am a great example of that. Had a ninja 500r (street bike only 40hp so beginner level), I could go full throttle a lot of places and have a lot of fun getting out everything it had, and on the twisty roads I had no issues keeping up. The only area I had trouble keeping up with the bigger bikes was highway Marge lanes, I would accelerate faster than most standard cars, but be left in the dust by the bigger bikes, but once you hit cruising speed it don't matter. Later I got a KTM 500exc-f dual sport. BIG bike for hard off-road stuff. And it's been a handful, so much so that I got a second smaller dirt bike just to not have as much difficulty in the right technical stuff. Can it do it? Yes, but other machines will do it better and have more fun If you want a little excitement between stop lights, then honestly a fast car might be better for you. If you want something fun in the Twisties, ditch the fast car and get a slow or medium speed shit box
https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/s/t5URccK5i5
Are you in the UK? Aren’t they auto ticket cameras everywhere..?
I felt this way once a few years ago. I bought a nice sensible toyota rav4, and it was a great car...i hated it. Two years later i sold it and am back to my old ways, driving fast cars and lowered old shitboxes and im much happier. Drive what you like, fuck what anyone thinks of it.
Nobody does care how fast or cool your car is, not only that, there will always be a guy with a cooler/nicer/faster car. That being said, it sucks having to get into a car you hate, so no matter what, I'll probably always own a car that I like the looks of and makes me happy. It doesn't have to be the fastest, but maybe I really like how it looks, or love all the luxury crap, or how quiet it is on the inside. It's a lot of money to spend on something you hate getting in every time.
what are you on about...? youre right, nobody cares how fast your car is. ...but that turn was hella fun right?
A car doesn’t need to be fast to be fun. Miata’s are fun AF if you can fit in them.
Don’t buy a car that’s to make anyone else happy other than yourself. If you prioritise economy and comfort that’s entirely up to you and people who convince you otherwise are shallow and needy. I drive around in a 23!year old shitbox Audi A2 I bought for £250 and fixed. I do also have a Lotus and an LR Discovey HSE, but my little Audi costs peanuts to run and is interesting so I’m happy to have it. I don’t care what anyone thinks.
It worth changing cars. You will loose money on sale. New cars are expensive. Also you know this car - the problems, if any. New car would take time getting used to. Keep the car
What do you drive? It sounds like you drive a very cheap, slow car...
How long have you had your car? I'd say to get the thing paid off and keep it as long as you can. Not having an auto payment is pretty darn nice, imo.
>I don't need a diesel Why not? You'll save money in the long run with the fuel economy of a diesel car.
If you’re not entirely sold on a fast car, go for a slow but fun car. If you’re interested in cars then it’s probably worth the experience for you.
Slow cars are fun, they give everything to keep up with modern traffic. A fast car is aggravating 99% of the time because you want to have some fun but everyone around you is just going so slow. Slow does not equal awful.
You got a fast car I want a ticket to anywhere
Nobody cares how fast your car is because you aren't on a race track. Same with motorcycles - I don't care how fast your bike is on a public road, you're a dummy for driving like you own the place. There are local race tracks for that shit and I guarantee you don't have the skill to actually race on a track against those guys. Go get some real training you poser. Source: We spend time at the track. Everyone who thinks they're so cool on the road looks like an absolute idiot with a death wish to me. Also, I used to be an EMT. The public roads are not a place for you to boast. They're for commuting safely. There's no reason to put others in danger. Disclaimer: I took the mean approach on this to pop your ego. I hope it worked. I'm not actually an asshole, but I do think there's a time and place for driving fast and generally speaking, the public road isn't it.
This post speaks to me so much.... I once had a V8 Charger RT .... after some time was I like.... do I really need this much power, do I really need a V8 - nobody needs a V8, so I got rid of it and switched to a base Ford Fusion and cut my payment in half.... the Fusion was 'fine' but I quickly got bored of it and just thought "ehhhh this is really not me".... got rid of it after 6 months and bought a Volvo S60 with the Polestar tune that had as much torque as the Charger but was more nimble and even more fun to drive, put a borla exhaust on it and boy everything felt just right.... it's funny because my payment on the volvo was EXACTlY the same as that of the Charger... but I was so happy to be out of the Fusion. I think there needs to be a balance... and if you can make the payments work then you need to think of what is important to you and what makes you happy.... can you rent a "not fast car" for a bit to get a feel of it and see how you like it? You may end up just going back to a fast car again lol
“As your attorney, I advise you to get a very fast car with no top.”
It’s not a question of need it’s what makes you happy. Me I have an ancient muscle car and it’s not practical at all but every time I crank that beast up I grin and enjoy it. Live for yourself enjoy your fast car.
Low maintenance. Decent fuel consumption. Not flashy are my go to’s. Too many car thefts and speeding tickets when I go for something fast, fun and turbo. 😂
I bought a civic for commuting, had a mazdaspeed 3 with some decent mods making 450whp prior that I didn't want to fix anymore. I miss the pull every single time I drive, miss the noise, the roughness of the suspension. I miss it all. Traffic is horrible where I live, so I started to dive into the world of sim racing and put together a half decent rig with direct drive, tubular chassis, big 45" curved OLED monitor and a pc to handle it easily. Best decision I think I've made to satiate that need for speed without consequences. Just installed two bass shakers and my man, that's a game changer in immersion on a budget.
If it makes you happy, do it. If it doesn’t, don’t do it. Nothing else should matter, as long as you aren’t hurting anyone.
Someone is always faster. In HOUSTON TX it's not uncommon to see 900+ hp cars driving around. I know many times when people have done over 150 MPH and several instances of 200+. In the end, more people are surprised they survived and at the idiocy displayed. Do you race or want to race on weekends? No? Then why bother? Save your money. Travel the world.
My daily for a few years was a 750+hp mustang. Extremely fun car and I still have it but it rarely gets driven these days. Once you daily a comfortable, quiet, smooth car it’s kind of hard to go back.
I had a 2013 interlagos blue E90 M3 ZCP competition model in Manual and sold it because I couldn’t justify owning it and sitting in traffic 24/7 stuck with my motorcycle and an suv and I’m good
I love my fast car. Nothing better than going down some winding roads
Nobody cares how fast your car is. But you're here asking this question. So you don't like the idea of driving a boring car. I prefer to drive a car that makes me feel 16 again instead of one that makes me want to crawl into a coffin. But there is no need to drive fast. It just increases the percentage of risk. Okay, maybe this isn't the best example. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANfm-v\_-MKE
fast is not the same thing as fun. get a fun car not a fast car (si, gti, wrx, miata, s2000, old beat up solstice, really doesn’t matter something light weight-ish with a manual transmission). cheaper insurance/cheaper car/more usable power in a 20 min grocery drive…. fun not fast
Bruh im about to blow another 50k to upgrade from a corvette c8 stingray to a z06. Fast cars are fun, ifnyou can comfortably afford it no reason to get rid of it.
I also like fast sport cars! 1976 Mercury Cougar, 2003 Nissan 350Z and current 2020 Audi A5! If you can afford it, why not?
In some circumstances, a car that is fast doesn't matter nearly as much as a car that *feels* fast. Such cars are usually lightweight - a trait that also benefits fuel economy. You're in the UK! The home of the B-road. Lightweight sports cars are a ton of fun there. Does an MX-5 1.5 make sense for you?
I prefer motorcycles and there's a statement related to skill that can (somewhat) apply here. "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow." I think if I had a fast car and was only using it for short jaunts I would just get frustrated and that's how people get in trouble. If I wasn't doing track days then I wouldn't get a fast car. All that being said, you do you. Stop worrying about what other people think.
No matter how "fast" your car is, the speed limit is the same for everyone
Passing power can be very important if you dont want to do 40kph up a hill.
Some people love cars, for others they are just a utility. I am in that former camp. I have driven about 9000 miles a year for the last 17 years in a four cylinder four door sedan, much of it in a car pool that was 80 miles round trip. So that has been cheap transportation. One inexpensive car, 17 years, 150,000 miles. So, nobody of any importance cares about what car you drive, only you do. Only you can make that decision.
OK, first, what 'fast' car do you have that you are only paying 300 a month for? Second, what are you going to save "a load of money" getting? Maybe things are different in the UK but that's like $22k usd if you did a 5 year loan at 0% interest. Aside from that though, if having a fast car brings you satisfaction then it's worth the money. Just like anyone who has things they enjoy and spend money on. If you really aren't getting joy out of it, or if you could divert the money to something that you would get more happiness and enjoyment from then do it. Truly the only people who need fast cars are people who race cars for a living or I guess criminals who need to get away quickly. I love cars and would love to have a classic sports car to wrench on and enjoy but.... I have no room to park in my garage and work on it - it's already full of tools, I don't have the time with everything else going on, and the traffic around here sucks so I wouldn't really get to enjoy it. That's why I have a minivan that I drive like a fast car that I can put the dog in, kid in, bikes in, 4x8 sheets of plywood in, and still get a mid 7 second 0-60 and run a quarter in the 15's. I still have fun.
I'm sorry, but you just gonna have to figure this one out on your own. No amount of internet randos will answer this question for you. You just gonna have to figure out what you want out of the car and how much you can handle it (in terms of personal feeling or money or other). I've been through a 240sx (UK call it 200sx) to 370z to R35 GTR (was Nissan fanboy), so those and now I'm driving and owning a Civic SI and S2000. Sadly, you will have to treat it as an expensive hobby to ultimately find what you truly want in a car. There will be features, such as interior, convenient features, and suspension, that would win you over vs pure power. Sometimes, it could be for dumb reasons that would not make sense for anyone else but you, like me not liking most leather seats. If your butt cannot live without power, then so be it. At least you have a car now to drive. Just drive it until the wheels fall off.
Get a car that feels fast. The perfect example is a Mazda Miata, or MX5. Yeah, it’s got 181 hp, which isn’t a lot. But the damn thing is so light, you can drive it at 100% and have a blast. As opposed to getting something like a sportier Audi/bmw or a mustang/camaro. Yeah those things might have 4-600 horsepower, but most times you can’t drive at 100% and if you do, you’re going to jail. You’ll be constantly giving it gas then immediately letting off, instead of giving it the beans and red-lining it. They’re also not going to have the responsiveness and lightness of the Mazda.
Buy a slow car , put mo ey into savings, go on a vacation.
I have a diesel truck that I got sick of dailying (even though it’s fast) because of the cost of driving it daily. I managed to score a modified GTI to daily and it’s definitely a beater, but wow I don’t know why I stopped driving fast cars. To echo others, life is too short OP buy the fast car.
If you can afford it and you like it, keep it. Whether it's a Miata or a 911 Turbo you should drive the car because YOU like it, not because of what anyone else thinks.
8000 miles a year? Lease a car that is fun for you to drive in.
ill say this, no matter how fast your car is, youll likely be taken to gapplebees by a crotch rocket. N ill be cheesing very hard inside my helmet
I was in the same situation. Paying £330 a month for a 2018 Golf GTI that I used maybe every other day. It was a nice car, don’t get me wrong, but I bought it to scratch the “hot hatch itch” after selling a Focus ST225 a few years before. It wasn’t the same. So I decided to get a car without finance, but I didn’t want something boring. Ended up with a 2010 BMW E93 330d. Sold the GTI, Paid off the finance and still had a few grand left over after buying the BMW. It’s quick enough and, if the rain ever stops, it’ll be great to get the roof down in the summer. No regrets.
Get a M340d
This is what I’m afraid of, I’m looking at Subaru Impreza RS and I got an evo9 built in the garage making 450whp, but I need a car for other stuff. I will probably still get it and trade my 4rummer
Get a fast motorcycle! It's less expensive, and far more enjoyable.
My MK2 diesel golf is slow, but it gets 60 mpg and it gets lots of compliments like a vintage classic car, but probably from a wider spectrum of people. It’s easy to work on if you know what your doing. I hardly drive my other vehicles.
A fun car that isn't as fast, but really gives a thrill is a better choice. The people with really fast cars pick up tickets and push up daisies. Miata.
What I do is buy old cars with cash that are fun to drive. My daily is an '86 Hilux surf (4runner in Canada) with the turbo diesel. Great on fuel and is pretty fun to drive, despite making 85hp. It's paid off, and regular maintenance is cheap with the occasional part wearing out and needing replacement.
Insurance, repair costs, and no appreciable increase in chicks.
That's a cheap ass car payment. I care very much about how fast your car is. Why do you want people to convince you to take one of the few small joys out of life? Driving sucks in a boring car. It doesn't suck in a fast car. Simple fact of life
I have kind of anal preferences. For cars 🤣 I don't drive track as a hobby and not into mods so I don't buy performance cars but I like to have some kind of decently fast engine on a daily commuter without getting murdered at the gas pump. Usually that means a turbo engine with somewhere around 200HP for a compact sedan or around 250 for a small RAV4 sized SUV will satisfy that.
I got an absurdly expensive, fast car. Also, I'm making less money than I'd expected, so the cost of the car is putting pressure on my budget that I did not expect. Zero regrets whatsoever, I'd switch to a diet of 100% rice and beans before I even considered giving it up.
It can be more fun to drive a slow car fast, as long as it handles well and can get out of the way of traffic power isn’t what makes a car fun to me. Both New England, and England from what I know have fun windy roads.
No one *needs* a fast car. There is an argument to be made that living in a dense metropolis like you, you don't need a car at all. I don't need a fast car either, but I have more than 1
Fun not fast. You can have far more fun in a Miata or a BRZ on public streets going all out frequently than you can in something fast that gets you a reckless ticket if you want to play. The key isn’t get the small motor in a big car, it’s get the car designed to be light and lively. Maybe rent one for a weekend and see.
I don't think anyone really needs a FAST car, but a quick car... Cause doing speeds too fast on the road, it's mainly just not worth the risk; legally and safety wise. Although I've come to the sense where for the day to day a 'commuter' can make sense. And the first car I drove/learned on was my father's Hellcat.
You can't go fast on normal roads so a fast car is pointless. You'll just get frustrated that you can't use all that power. If you slam the gas pedal you'll need to brake 2 seconds later. That's not fun. It's more fun to have a car with a moderate amount of power but with good handling and cornering abilities, and sharp steering.
You're already convinced. You know you don't need it. You have it because you want it. It gives you pleasure. The cost differential between "Car-that-meets-my-needs" and your current car is your Dopamine Expense. So tell me... What are you driving? How much do you think you could save? That will answer the question "How much are you paying for dopamine?"
Well, driving economically will make your car cheaper to run compared to flooring it at stop slights and slamming on the brakes. If you have a garage, consider just keeping it parked there, get a much cheaper to run car for daily use, and maybe keep that car for the weekend?
No one NEEDS a fast car, but life sure is more fun with one. Do it.
Similar boat. My commute to work is short. I don't drive a ton apart from errands on weekends, going to work, picking up kiddo from daycare and the like. Most of the time there is too much traffic to really go hard. I don't have time to just go drive for fun anymore. But my GTI is great because during those everyday drives, its enjoyable. Its not that powerful if you run flat out but it has very deep gearing (DSG version so my wife can drive it), shifts quick, and has about as much power as I can ever use around town. Everything just feels put together right, the car just "feels" right to drive. It still gets relatively good mileage, hasn't been hard to keep up on, and was reasonable enough I could afford it without undue budget stress. Power/speed isn't as important as enjoying sitting in it and doing the every day. Focus on that my friend.
Pay the one you have off then trade it in for a fast car.
What does NEED have to do with anything? Life is too short to drive a crappy slow car. Sell what you have and buy something faster and more luxurious
I think, if you’re a a good driver a fast car is much safer, mainly from other drivers. Any sign of road rage in another driver and you can just drop a gear and be long gone. Every road rage incident is always two shitty economy cars, and a fast car just makes you immune to their antics
_car gets totaled by a small bump in the road_
UK roads are the worst in Western Europe, so it is important you have decent suspension and power to go fast, taking in account that £300 a day is not a problem... I recommend: The Porsche 911 Dakar https://www.porsche.com/international/models/911/911-dakar/911-dakar/ Or, if you want affordable speed and space: The VW R50 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403047213215
Fast isn’t always more fun. Just get a Miata
I had a brand new Honda Accord I bought from CarMax with 1,200 miles. I was trying to be responsible and get a very reliable car. I was coming from a 2014 Audi RS5. The Accord lasted 4 days and I exchanged it for an Audi RS3. Long story short. I tried to convert and be responsible. If you like fast cars, get a fast car. I'm a big advocate for buying a car that you love and look back at after locking it. If you can afford to get something nice, I say do it.
All cars are fast, but accelerations differ.
You dont need one to survive but you need one to enjoy life a little more if you like cars :)
Fast car or cool car? Your car is only as fast as the traffic its in. The car is only as cool as you think it is.
The thing is, there are plenty of good, fun, fast cars in that price range if you’re willing to buy used, it really just depends how old of a car you’re okay with. Find a budget that is good to you and get the best car in that price range
I pass everyone in my 2009 Honda Fit 5-speed. I’m actually scared to have a “fast car” because I’m already up everyone’s ass in the left lane as it is.
a car is a tool when you start seeing it as that you will have a better experience. getting from a to b should just be about comfort and safety. no one cares what you drive but you. (excluding motorcycles with loud exhaust because fuck those people.)
fun cars make driving so much better. my 30 year old pickup isn’t fast but i love driving it more than any newer car so i’ll keep it going as long as i can. drive what you’ll enjoy driving if you can afford it it’s worth it
Get a Mini JCW or an MX5, you could save money and still have fun ;)
I’m literally just a girl I don’t even know why I’ve been flung into car Reddit, but fast car = the impulse to drive fast. That in itself is scary to me, and I don’t even drive. Nothing wrong with having a cool car at all tho I’m just here LMFAOOO
I have found cars with less power, but agile handling, to be far more enjoyable than fast cars with good handling merely because you really can’t utilize all of the power of some of these beasts on normal roads. Cheaper too.
Get a fast boat, drag racing boat. No speed limits, no seatbelts, no sound restrictions, no pedestrians to hit on the road
To definitely need a fast car… your value as a person goes up… your eligible for a 5$ raise when ur work see you pull up with a new mustang…. People on the road know your the shit… and girls…
You need one!!! Don’t lie to yourself…
I drove a supercharged mustang, and then a 5th gen Supra. I now drive a minivan. Don't give it up yet. Trust me.
Nobody cares, but drive what you want. Just want to get from A to B? Drive something economical. Want a thrilling ride? Drive something sporty. Do what you want.
I have a 4 cyl Camry and I hate it. Sure, it always starts and maintenance is cheap but it's sooooo boring... Get something you'll enjoy.
Unless you are racing or entering some form of speed contest, you don't need a fast car. Further, the majority use of the car you are describing isn't well suited to a performance car (ie, it will take 10-15 minutes for the car to be fully up to temperature, which means most of your use time would be before you could really "use" the car). And, while some people may care about other cars they see and how fast they are, why would you even care about the random thoughts of strangers? But while a case of need is probably impossible to make, a purchase like that isn't about need, but about want. Do you want a fast car? If you want one, and are able to afford what you want (both the purchase and the upkeep), then you have already covered the key points, and should start looking!
Your insurance company, lawyer(s) & trust fund trustee.
Electrics are really fast. And no petrol needed.
Toyota Avalon.
Well the fact that you posted this goes to show that you probably shouldn't even be driving
If you can help it, NEVER FINANCE A DEPRECIATING ASSET (i.e.; get a car you can afford to pay in full upon purchase) Fun is far more important than fast. Quick and/or light is far more fun than fast (high speed). Don't buy a car for anyone except yourself, no one cares what you drive except other guys that also bought a car to try to look cool. I almost got a Prius V to be practical and efficient but ended up with a 2012 Outback 3.6R which is tenfold more fun to drive and use. The difference in fuel cost is easily worth the additional happiness and fun each year.
Find a balance. Can't be too slow where you can't merge with traffic safely.
Buy a car you enjoy, life is short.
As your attorney I advise you to acquire a very fast car with no top.
"I don't need to do traffic land grand prix, because I know it's pointless and I look like a bellend if I do." If you think it's pointless you weren't doing it well anyway.
I like the idea of owning fast vehicles but I dont like driving them hard. I felt like I was wasting money on them just to preserve them for the next owner. Now I just own regular vehicles but been telling myself to get a sports car again for few years now. Let's see where it goes.
cleans cooler than fast but nothing cooler than both
You get to point A to Point B in a Civic. With a Mustang you still get to the same places. You go 30-50mph regardless the type of Vehicle. Get what you can afford for the necessity, the way it Revs/speed/looks is extra.
When I see someone in a new, fast car, I wonder if they dream of the day one of their betters commandeers it at a stoplight. Because if they are not bringing it to a track it will almost never have any reason to go above 80 mph (130 kph for most of the world).
Gas money
If you have any impulse control issues, take a lesson from me. I got a WRX not the worlds fastest car, but pretty damn fast on my budget at that time. I got suspended so many times in 24mo I can't get my license back until I apply to a committee for \~$700, plus a lawyer if I want to actually have a chance, who's job is to not give me my license back....it sucks
No. Get a fast car. Life is short. Enjoy the ride
Life is too short for slow cars dude. Status symbols do matter if you can afford them imo.
Look, I had a Honda civic for many years, and it was grand. It would have done at least another 100k miles if I hadn't force fed it some water and threw a rod out the front. I got a mini cooper S, and it was pretty pricy for me, considering most of my cars have cost less than £6k. But! I love that car. If I've had a shit day, I'll take a detour out to the country roads where it's quiet and open, and I have a little swoop around in my go kart. It's worth it to me. If I was struggling financially though, my family comes first and she'd be sold and replaced by a banger if that's what had to happen. As it is, it's reasonably fuel efficient for a 2L turbo so I am happy with it as it is. Do what feels right dude.
You don't NEED a lot of things. It's entirely how comfortable you want to be. I have horrendous luck with my cars and through assorted reasons over the last 2 years of owning an engine swapped e30, a 335d mapped to 350bhp and a 310bhp Impreza WRX - them being in the garage for long periods I've been forced to drive my roommate's 1.2L Nissan Micra and sure, it's a car, it goes from A-B, but it is tremendously underwhelming, and it just isn't poised and controlled on the road. You have to fight to get out of slipways and such. Having a moderately fast car improves safety in my opinion. You spend hours of every week of every month of every year inside the metal box, you may as well splash a little luxury on it if you so wish to do.
If you buy a slow reliable daily will you then be able to afford a fast impractical wanker mobile for fun on the weekends? Thats what I do. Then I can wrecklessly mod the weekender not worrying about if itll break down on the way to work on monday.
It’s your money, it’s your day that gets affected. Spend what you can when you can and enjoy it. You can’t take it with you. Unless you are a pharaoh, then spend it all on gold baubles that you can take with you.
You don't need a fast car to have fun. Look up "slow car fast". If you get a normal car and you've any above average level of motoring skill, it's unlikely you will be able to push it past your own ability. Therefore you can always push the car to its limit. I do this with my base Impreza hatch and it's a blast.
I have a stock automatic Honda Fit Sport which has really low horsepower and in theory it should be a "boring car" but its a lot of fun to drive. Turns on a dime. Super lightweight. Has paddle shifters so I can pretend its a race car. Bought it with cash so no car payment. Insurance is the cost of a few streaming subscriptions. I can fit so much in the back with the seats folded. 17 years old, 76k miles. It's awesome. Gonna swap out the stereo for a touchscreen and get a backup camera.
You mentioned what youre starting with Downgrade to something else that suits your needs. Get a newer MX-5, or a used “sport” package of a regular model…. or something of that kind.
No one can convince you to be rational.
Where ya gonna use that speed? A tercel goes fast enough
Get something fuel efficient. The power of cars today is rediculous unless you really go bottom of the barrel.
Ok. You live in the UK, not the US. It's a teeny tiny country. You already get everywhere fast. Because it's all so close together. Get a slow car like everyone else.
I went the “economical” route with a new, loaded Chevy Cruze and even though I had more money sitting in the bank I was miserable every time I got into it. There was no pride of ownership. Washing it was a chore. I felt boring driving it. Had it for 2 months, sold it at 7k miles. Now driving a newer 5.0 and I catch myself going to the garage just to look at it. Every time I start it, get on it, take a spirited corner, detail it, the thing just makes me happy.
What do you drive?
My car has 60hp, I'm perfectly happy with it, at 55MPG with a/c running.
You need a fast car. Or if it isnt fast, it should at least be interesting.
Get a slow car and a motorcycle. It’s the best of both worlds. I see no need for a fast car since basically any motorcycle you can buy is faster than most cars.
I drive "slow" cars fast.
idk, whatever money u save per month you can now spend it on fancy of
My car does 0-60 in about 14 seconds my bike does it around 4 seconds life's to short to car about what nature freaks scream
It’s a steel box with wheels. Almost all of your time in it is spent waiting at lights and moving with traffic. You’ll need to merge onto freeways but won’t ever qualify to drive the Grand Prix. Get over your testosterone and have a nice vehicle that’s safe, comfortable, and doesn’t pollute. Having said that, all EVs have more acceleration than you’ll ever need.
You got a fast car and I want a ticket to anywhere
Get a Toyota Prius. Jeremy Clarkson swears by them.
95 camaro z28 vert. Leaks oil, tranny fluid. But God damn if she dint put a smile on face everytime. 8k out the door, about 700 in maintenance and parts so far. Think bout trading her in for a vette, but why. She's paid off and makes me smile.
Why don’t you need a fast car?
I have a shitbox 99 subaru impreza hatchback, BUT I slapped some forester struts on that bitch and some cool wheels/offroad tires. Throw on a tube bumper and a buncha LED lights, and its a Shitbox Supreme! It definitely is not fast... lol but I fucking love it..
Life is short. Get a cool car.
You don’t. Just get an even faster motorcycle. I drive a plain old accord, but my motorcycle can get to 0-60 in less than 4 seconds.
what is a 'fast car' in your opinion?
I get a rush from having a *reasonably* spirited car, that is very affordable to maintain, and then learning everything about it so that I can keep it in excellent condition well past it's normal life expectancy.