Do I Regret Spending Money on Cars?

 

I have been driving now for over a decade. It is true what they say, it is one of the best things that you will ever do. When I first turned 17, I actually put off taking my test. At the time I couldn’t afford a car or insurance. Because of that, I thought actually passing my test would taunt me and I would get frustrated that I couldn’t get behind the wheel. Over the years since passing my test, I have been lucky enough to own a fair few cars. I started out in my Fiat 500 and only last year I was driving a new Jaguar F-Pace and this year I upgraded to a new Range Rover. Cars are special to me, and I have always loved them. But it raises a question. Do I regret spending money on cars?

 

My car history.

Before I start out, I want to say that I do recognize that this is hell of a lot of cars over a 10-year period. First, I got my Fiat 500. A car that I adored and never wanted to get rid of. But, I needed 5 doors, so I upgraded to the Nissan Juke. After the Juke, I wanted a reliable car that would stand the test of time, so I went with a Ford Focus. That was a good car, but bloody boring. From there, I then went to a Volkswagen Tiguan. Now the Tiguan I adored and I think I would have kept it longer, but it had an electrical issue and the screen short circuited every time I drove. Which is when I upgraded to my Jaguar F-Pace. From there I got a smaller Mercedes A-Class and now I have the Range Rover Sport.

 

How I’ve been able to afford my car.

When I first passed my test, I couldn’t afford to go out and buy a car. I could either afford a car or insurance, but not the two at the same time. So, I went to a rich uncle and groveled to him. I wanted a £2,000 loan (because I didn’t have a credit rating so I couldn’t put it on a credit card or official loan). To buy a Fiat 500. I broke my back to pay him back as quick as possible. After keeping that car, I then upgraded and got my next car on finance. Over the next few years, I continued to upgrade my car until I reached the point where I am today.

 

What I realised about my cars and why I got rid of my Jaguar.

When I got my Jaguar, I couldn’t believe it. How was somebody whose parents got made bankrupt able to afford something so luxurious? It was a real pinch me moment and I couldn’t believe that I was able to afford it. However, there were certain people in my life that made me feel awful about buying it. Some people thought it was me showing off my wealth and showing off. Even one of my close family members thought that. It hurt. Not only did it hurt, but it also made me embarrassed. It got in my head and made me wonder if I was being a flashy git. So, I got rid of the car. Spending money on cars was something that I never thought twice about up until that moment.

 

Why I now have the car that I do.

After getting rid of the Jaguar, I went ahead and downgraded to a Mercedes A-Class. The car itself was lovely, but rather small in comparison to the Jaguar that I had before. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the Mercedes and monetary-wise, it was pretty similar in value to the Jaguar, but I very quickly realised that I needed a larger car. So now I have a Range Rover Sport. I knew that I wanted to stay on the luxury side of the market and I wanted an SUV so my choice was rather narrowed down. Most people very quickly said if I wanted an all-terrain car that was plenty big enough, to get a Range Rover.

 

How I think the future of my car history will unfold.

When it comes to the cars that I will have moved forward, I am pretty unsure. My life is going to change massively over the next few years. I am very aware of that. It may be that I have to change my car if I get a family. I may need more boot space or room in the backseat. What I do know is that I want comfort, luxury and I won’t allow the opinion of other people to affect me.

 

As always, I hope this post about spending money on cars. I think this is a very relative post and you need to think of it in relation to your income. For me, I understand that over the years I have certainly lost money on cars. But you also can very rarely purchase a car and think about it in terms of investment. Most cars will depreciate, and you need to be prepared for that. I knew that the value of my cars would decrease as soon as I purchased them and I was fine with that decision. For me, spending money on cars is something that I am more than happy with. I love driving. I enjoy being comfortable while driving. Not to mention I like being queen of the road in a big ass car. But I would love to hear from you guys on this!