I’m 21yrs old and I own a £500 Saab 9-3 2.0 Turbo Estate. It’s a 2008 car and I have been saving for the past 3yrs since I started driving and hope to buy a FK8 Honda Civic Type-R in the near future. This whole process has really taught me the value of money Love your podcasts Tony & Sam. I love any video you make also on your main channel
At 28 years now, finally managing to afford my first proper hot hatch. 2017 S3 Stronic. I tel ya, same money as a brand new ST3. It does make you think to look at what you can get "used" for the same money as a new car. Same finance budget ect you be amazed.
@@GazMoby 23 grand with 22.500 miles. 1 owner full Audi history. Insurance at just over 500 fully comp for the year, I mean what's there not to like! It does drink a bit I give it that much but my god what a machine.
@@chrish1734 I went for an M140i, hopefully the fact it's probably gonna be the last 6 cylinder RWD hatchback on the market means I won't lose much or any money on it. Only downside is 180-200 miles to a £75 tank of fuel 🥲 But at the price of a new 1.6 clio or 1.0 fiesta, i'm not complaining!
Sorry sam i really didnt enjoy the fan comments section, im not here to watch random people who mean nothing to me making random points about things im not that interested in. Im here for your opinions and a few of Tonys as i trust they are actually worth listening too.
For once, Tony is talking sense! The fiesta st is far too expensive, as most young drivers want something less than 5 grand, that's reliable with decent mpg and looks decent
The second hand value of the st is ridiculous. I sold mine last September coming up 3 year old, needing a service and MOT with damage to all alloys and 2 nearly illegal front tyres for £15600, bought it new for just over 20k.
My first car was a 1987 Porsche 944. A project that my dad and I got running. Then I moved into a 2007 Golf GTI (DSG) that my parents bought for me to then give to my sister. Then, I bought a 2012 Jetta GLI (Manual) all on my own. Now, a couple months ago just before my 20th birthday, I bought a 2015 Audi S3 Sedan (or Saloon). Love the podcast and I make sure to listen to every episode when it comes out!
There's one car that checks all boxes for me at the moment in this category: BMW F21 116i Cheap insurance, easy maintenance, RWD, turbo, good fuel economy, new enough to have decent tech, old enough to still be a driver's car, MANUAL! Also can easily tuned, parts availability, aftermarket support etc. LE: Pre-facelift, 2012-2015. IMO looks worse but is cheaper to buy. Facelift looks better, has better infotainment but is more expensive
Hi Calin, i think you're talking about pre facelift 136hp version right? i don't think that engine can be reliable for young drivers. I am also a young PH,i've thought to buy this car too many times but i couldn't really convinced myself. Pre facelift (12-15) 136 HP version (if im not wrong its calling as ''Prince engine'') has some issues what i heard from other and i think this engine can't be suit with young lifestyle, like me :) Also buying a BMW is a bit risky, i didn't want to buy a BMW as a first car because it could be a big deal if it doesn't have proper maintenance in the past years but yeah,they are absolutely good machines overall :)
First car I bought myself was a 2017 118i in manual and I think its one of the best all rounders when your young. Feels like it has so much more power than it does and drives so well for the price while being reliably German
I’m 20 years old now and my parents bought me my first car last year. We had this conversation about safety, reliability and “fun”, went and looked at a bunch of cars and ended up in a 2017 Ford Focus 1.5 and I couldn’t be happier and more grateful to my parents. I obviously wanted a Fiesta ST but all the ones in our budget were in pretty bad condition and overall I think the Focus is better, for the money it is bigger, newer and has more safety equipment than any Fiesta we could find and its not too bad to drive either😅
I think you are overlooking something very crucial on the first car buy, and that is: You’re first car gets brought up your whole life, the question what was your first car - If it’s crap it sets the tone, I’d rather have a old mustang on blocks than a ugly fake family car as my first. No one give a shit about your 2nd 3rd etc car - it’s about your first and your current care
I’m 20 and I bought a mk7 fiesta st for £5800 in December 2020 so just before the price of them jumped 2k and I pay £1000 for insurance paid £750 for insurance on it the year before.
Just bought my first car myself (24 year old) - Alfa Romeo Giuletta 1.4 Multi-Air. Great looking hatch, manual, 170BHP, couldn't have more fun and very happy with it! Insureance not too bad either. An easily forgotten car but so so great!
Such an underrated car. I keep dreaming of Giulietta Veloce. My parents bought me a Clio when I turned 18 almost two years ago and from that point I was saving up for the Giulietta. However, prices went trough the roof. In Europe, they are now +3-4k more than they were two years ago which is insane. That means the best alternative I can afford right now is 2012 Kia Proceed GT. Not as interesting, but good value imo.
@@jonaskodis2572 honestly it is so worth it. Hasn’t skipped a beat in the 6 months of ownership. I first saw one and thought I want that at around 18 as well so was great to finally buy one. They drive so nicely
I bought a 2007 Fiesta ST150 when I was 19. I'm 24 now and gave the little pocket rocket to my little brother now. Awesome thing to have some power to be scared of at the beginning and get accustomed to quickly. Was throwing it into corners in the rain and snow learning how to manage understeer. In my opinion a very good 1st own car if you've driven a couple thousand km's in the parents cars.
With the hatchback discussion I can totally agree! I financed an MK 7.5 Golf 1.6 TDI with the R-Line pack and for a student it is the perfect car. There also is a VW Beetle (5C) GSR in my parent's garage and they never use it. That one is even better! However, I don't think that I will ever be able to afford something seriously fast and exclusive like 911 or even a C63/C43 AMG. Car prices and fuel prices are just rising too quickly for that to happen. I will finish my studies this year, hopefully find a job and then I need to save as much money as possible to one day buy a house. The Golf finance deal expires next January and then I need to get something cheap, practical and fun. Something like an E46 for example. But the way things are evolving currently, I don't see much of a great future for being a car guy without going broke
I'm a youth. My first car was fully bought by my dad at 16 for £2500. A 1.2 Renault Clio dynamique 16v 2003 with 30k miles. 11 years later I still drive it because it's been stupidly reliable and I have a drug problem.
Hey guys. On the topic of first cars for today’s youth, i’m 18 and my dad got me my first car at 16 and it was a 1972 Fiat 500 because i didn’t want a boring car and my license didn’t allow me to drive anything over 550kg. My second car will probably surprise you because it’s quite fast for an 18-year old. I drive a GR Yaris, because my dad knows that i’m quite a good driver as i’ve driven on track since i was 13.
So I’m 24, had a 2006 1.2 Clio as a first car! Bought a 2010 Audi A3 Sline in Misano red Pearl 2.0 diesel at 19! Had it remapped and put coilovers on it, it was just as fun to drive as an S3. Now I drive a 2016 Audi TT Quattro… waiting to buy a ‘nice car’ is so important when your young!
Cool to have the STG podcast travelling around! And good stuff you get all Behind The Glass members and regular enthusiasts involved, USP of your gentlemens podcast✌
I wanted a fast hot hatch , but simply couldnt afford it so i got a motorbike ( honda cbr500r ). 0-60 in 5 seconds , looks epic and sounds epic and theres a big following for Hondas and lots of meets and ride outs! This will only work if you can fit everything you want in panniers or a rucksack like i can!
For my first car I had a 59 plate fiesta (2016), and wrote it off within 3 weeks. Got another one same age and kept it for 2 years then got a 16 plate fiesta ST when I turned 21. Glad I learned my lesson with the first one, if I had the ST to start with I probably wouldn’t be alive!
Turbo S is currently £40k over (under 1000 miles).Standard Carrera has plenty of standard spec without adding anything. Manual only available on the Carrera S - you can’t ‘option it out’. Perfectly good car 👍🏻
I got my 18 year old (at the time) daughter a new Mini. 5 door (her choice), 3 cylinder engine, mid spec with leather interior upgrade. That thing drives amazing, really good feel and precise steering, good brakes, most safety gizmos and more than enough power. That car teaches her to drive well, because how rewarding it is when you do, not just commute, like with a small SUV.
Best part of the week as ever, with the hatchback talk 2 weeks ago I picked up my 595 Abarth and what a car! Cheap insurance, good on fuel and fast. I’m 19 2 years no claims and pay £950 for insurance. Highly recommend if your looking the car if your looking around that £200-250 monthly figure!
Bought a 2008 Cayman at 19, cost me £550 to insure and pretty much nothing went wrong. Sold it for a profit. Am 20 now and have an e46 m3 which is a bit more to insure (£1000). Quite a good idea to think of the kind of cars you wouldn't normally see a young driver in, as cars typically driven by younger drivers have higher insurance prices as higher accident rates.
You've got an e46 M3 at 20 years old, so a maximum of 3 years no claims and your insurance is less than £1000..... WOW!!! How? You a named driver or something? Is it your own policy?
@@philipgreensmith1694 Yes I have 3 years no claims, I’m the main driver and policy holder but my mum is an additional driver which reduced it by £100. I live in the south of England in a rural area with very little crime which I’m sure also helps
Im 20 and my first car was a fiesta st150 which I bought at 18. I still own it today and do a lot of track days with it. Its got a roll cage in it, some bucket seats and so on. Ive never had an issue with that car, despite driving it very inspiring sometimes. Would definitily recommend that car to other teenagers
@@Ssh52 Not especially cheap, but since I only drive it about 6 months a year it equals out. Also worth saying is that since I live in an apartment the insurance rise, but I pay around 50 euro/month.
Loved this episode! My first car was a 2006 Vauxhall Corsa 1.0. It was quite terrible, but that didn't matter because of the freedom. I'm now 24 and have since owned in order: 2001 Lexus IS200, 2005 Nissan 350z, 2010 Mazda 3MPS, and now a 2012 Mazda MX5. All cars are bought completely outright, cash purchase as I hate owing any sort of money. Plus saving for a house deposit is now taking priority, or else I'd be walking into a 4.2L Jaguar XKR myself
A little story about car values. In 2013 I bought an M635CSi for £10k. It broke down many times, I spent £7k on it and then sold it in 2014 for......£10k. I then see prices going through the roof, even seen one for sale at £130k and regularly at £70k+ (advertised) I was gutted but a few weeks ago my old car came up for sale at auction and went for around £32k inc. fees. The chap that bought it from me spent £4k on it then the next owner £18k. so that's £22k on top of the £10k I sold it for. The moral of the story being if I had kept it I would have made nothing. No one ever considers the costs of running and owning older cars and advertised prices do not equal sold prices either.
just got my first car, a 2009 alfa mito. a slightly shorter punto with essentially a naturally aspirated Abarth engine that makes the same unlock beep as a Ferrari. perfect.
Ive had an Elise & Exige & used to love Lotus. I was so excited about the Emira until i saw it and realised it was nothing more than a re suited Evora really…I understand it’s an in between car….but I’ll wait until the new architecture comes out…currently in a 911 Carrera S….I’ll be surprised if i go away from Porsche to Lotus now🤷♂️
I had a Fiesta Zetec S as my first car, cost me £3500 with 35,000 miles on the clock. Renault Clio next, then a Mk 7 Fiesta St. It wasn’t until I was 24 that I managed to get an M140i! All about progression 🙌🏻 now I’m in a 2000 318i, adulting sucks 🤣
Only learned to drive at 23, despite being a car guy all my life. Bought a Peugeot 107 outright for £1400 for my first car, fixed it up with a few bits (new clutch, fixed the paint etc.) so its pristine - can’t see myself in anything else as a first one now, thought it was shite when i first went for it though. Next jump i’ll be moving over to a 2022 cooper s sport, step below the JCW so saving a murder on insurance
Driving a Volkswagen GTI TCR now for 2 years as a 26 year old. Simply good value for money and get a high mpg when needed. Unfortenately the new golf R is expensive, so waiting for them to settle down.
Mazda MX5 is often overlooked as a first car. Front engine, rear wheel drive, prices start from £500, parts are dirt cheap, a lot of them come with LSD’s as standard, and they have massive popularity as track cars for these reasons. They can easily be turned into a more practical caterham 7, but most importantly the insurance is cheap, especially for models over 10 years old with a classic car policy. I had an mx5 as my first car and my insurance was £300 a year!
I bought my MK8 Fiesta ST when I was 19, and my insurance was just under a grand a year. Then upon renewal it dropped to £540, and that was all mods declared (remap, exhaust, Induction kit etc). Now I drive an R56 Cooper S, as was fortunate enough to make money on the Fiesta due to the market being high. But even the Cooper S being a few years older, all mods declared again, is £650 a year, and I'm only 20. It just depends on your personal circumstances, and how much shopping around you want to do.
im 22, first car bought at 20 - Yaris T Sport for £550. had 137k on it, now on 160k, hasnt missed a beat, only had to change oil and replace the battery. a load of fun and very reliable. not flashy but doesnt matter
I’m a 17 year old who passed my test a couple weeks ago, I’m in a Fiat Panda 100HP. It’s ridiculous fun on back roads, fairly efficient on the motorway and purchase cost and insurance combined was £3k. I can’t afford a financed new car but thrashing it down a B road I just don’t care.
Hi Sam, I am 18 so thought I’d add my two pence in about first cars. I didn’t want the usual Corsa/Fiesta/Polo, so when I was 16 I bought myself an Abarth 500 ahead of my 17th birthday. Best decision ever.
My first car was a Ford Focus Estate in a revolting green, interior trim was horrid... but it was £110! A local seller P/Xing it the same morning my parents were moving house, so I bought the car and we used it as a van, and it ran for a year. Next car was a £350 black Honda Accord, it was IMMACULATE. I miss that car, which makes no sense because there is a GR Yaris on my driveway...
For young people I'd look at warm rather than hot hatches. Cars like the Fiat Panda 100HP, the Suzuki Swift Sport or Twingo 133 provide great fun with more than palatable insurance and running costs. All come with an old school handbrake too 👀
16:30 I agree with Sam, if you're 18-22 don't drop a butt load of money on a performance machine, definitely not something brand new. Get something that looks great, with comprehensive service history, has decent enough performance to be able to push it 8/10 on public roads at safe speeds - which essentially means you want something that picks up well and lots of low and mid range torque rather than top end that you'll have no road to exploit the performance 99% of the time. Get a car that gives you the most value for money - performance, practicality and mod cons. Also if it must be a hatch and not a coupe/saloon, then consider a compact estate, they're likely to be better on insurance than the "typical sporty hatchback". And unless ULEZ is an issue, definitely consider a decent turbodiesel. They are under-appreciated in this space. They may not have great top end performance but the low to mid range power and torque are so accessible! Not to mention being able to remap. In an ideal world, it would be amazing to go out and get an FK8 which is pretty much the best hot hatch right now, but it's hardly attainable realistically at that that age.
Hi, im from India. First car was a Polo GT TSI which is the make shift cheap Polo GTI here in India with a 1.2 Turbo and a DSG. Did it upto Stage 2. Sold it and bought a 2011 Skoda Octavia MK2 Facelift and done it up to Stage 2 with 250 horsepower.
I’m a 17 year old who passed my test a couple weeks ago, I’m in a Fiat Panda 100HP. It’s ridiculous fun on back roads, fairly efficient on the motorway and purchase cost and insurance combined was £3k. I can’t afford a financed new car but blasting it down a B road I just don’t care.
I had a Corsa Black Edition (1.4 Turbo) for my first car which was a fantastic little motor. 22 now and have a 7.5 Golf R. Hell of a lot of saving but reasonable insurance for somebody my age.
In my area there are still a lot of kids that can`t afford a car at all or are happy to have a really cheap one. There are of course others with more opportunities but this seems to get more rare now. Cars are also expensive to run. Especially when you can just afford one with does not fulfill the latest emission rules. The best thing you can do is a get a cheap to run car with a lot of spare and tuning parts available. If you can pay it cash do it. Better than financing a car. - It should be always in your financial limits. With the piece of mind you can have a lot of fun with your car and you can still modify it to your liking. - Bonus: Own a classic car and save your money for tax and insurance. Those cars mostly even keep their value even with more miles on it.
To weigh in on this one before I actually watch it. I've got a Megane rs250 2010 plate. It's just fast enough to be fun but not so fast it'll kill me right away. Would recommend to anyone.
I’m 20 years old and I’ve ordered a New Megane RS Phase 2 300 Trophy in Liquid yellow. Finance payments are reasonable, but it’s insurance that is the pill to swallow.. running costs with the mileage I do (12,000) will be reasonable as long as I budget myself. But a new set of front tires every 6k miles or less is a big part to consider. It’s achievable but it’s the unknown costs that can catch you out unless you do a good amount of research or know people in the industry.
I’m 20 years old and live in Sweden. My First car was a Alfa Romeo 2.2jts Ti which i saved up for, then I finished school and got a job and bought a new Amg a45s and now i have a C63s estate. Finance is dangerous😂
I am 23 now. 1st car was a 2009 scirocco 2.0 TSI GT at age 18, which was hilarious(fast and looked cool i thought). A not so new coupe in Swedish winter was not nice, door locks froze, windows froze and heat gun out to go to work so switched to a BMW 116i
I’m 25 now and only now feel like I’m in a position to buy a higher end car. As you say the temptation to splash out on something is always there but I’m glad I put the money into a house instead when I was 21. I never got any money from my parents so started with a 1.0 Suzuki Alto which my first job spent half my earnings on the insurance. Agree with tony on the VW Golf R line etc. I’ve had a Seat Leon for a while now and it’s been perfect, cheap insurance, good on fuel etc
I recently bought a Renault Clio RS 200 EDC as my first car, here in Australia we are limited to power to weight on our provisional license so I couldn’t even get the RS 220 version of my car because the little bit of power pushed it over the power limit.
Age 21 here, first car was Ford Sport Ka, decided I'd be better off putting my money into a house than nice cars. For cheap hot hatches for young drivers, you really can't go wrong with the Suzuki Swift Sport.
Lotus is owned by Geely, who also own Volvo. Its not a big leap to think Geely will expand their existing Volvo dealer network to sell Lotus in the USA. Lotus have already said their first SUV will be a full size Cayenne rival, fully electric, the next one will be Macan sized. They have been saying this for quite a while.
First car was a Vauxhall Adam, 70% paid by me 30% dad. 8 months later bought a Mini Cooper SD on bank loan. 2 years later I got a m240i on finance. Sold a few months ago after 2 years of ownership for more than what I paid. Free driving for 2 years other than petrol and have put a large chunk of equity into my bank account. Now awaiting delivery date for new i20N
My 1st car was a 1988 Mercedes 200d W124. Bought in 2018 as a "safe" car, because it was slow. Then I went ahead and sold it - now I have old Fords and a NA MX-5 so I do not exactly feel like you will understand me. Truthfully, I am now looking to sell of my Ford collectioj and buy a nice W211 Mercedes for a daily alongside the MX-5. I'll keep either my Sierra or a mk3 Escort. 🙂
My first car was a Corsa, (limited of course) then my gt86 giallo addition that I'm in now that I brought to the rate my ride. And toying up the idea between an emira (regardless how it drives it looks bloody cool) but I'm sure it will be good coming from lotus or a gr supra as you don't see many about. Or even thinking about going wild and getting a design-1 but not sure how they will hold their value
I’m currently 22 and I’ve had my first car (Mk8 Fiesta ST) since 19 from new. All off my own back and have to say they are brilliant cars. Understand they are maybe overpriced but the ST-Line is a cheaper option that will be great option for a first car as well.
I'm 23, had a Toyota IQ for my first car with a 5* star safety rating, £30 to fill and under £500 to insurance, now driving a 2015 Fiesta S 1.0 that Tony was talking about, done 50k miles in 4 years and hasn't skipped a beat and only £250 to insure each year, will sell it soon as still get £5k for it to put into something new.
Your comment is bang on. I have a ‘12 Mazda 3 five door with a manual gearbox and use it as my winter runabout. It is a blast. I don’t drive my ‘18 GT3 too much in the Alberta winter.
As a person of 'youth', my parents got a skoda citigo for my Mum to use and for myself and my brother to use whenever wer're back from Uni. For my first car however, something around the 3-5 grand mark that's got a decent boot space and ideally around 120-150 bhp.
I’m 22 now and first car was a used 1.0 eco boost fiesta. Actually loved that car even with only 100hp. Then for a f32 bmw 430 until somebody wrote it off by crashing into in a car park. Now have a manual lci m140 and love the car. Surprisingly economical and only £650 to insure. Just need to save up for a lsd to complete it.
'09 Fiesta Zetec S as my first car at 19, sold it as it was not suitable for motorway mileage. At 20 I bought a mint '05 SAAB 9-3 aero insured and taxed it, and still had spare change out of the Fiesta 👍🏻 you have to think outside of the box to get access to 200+ horsepower at that age cheaply but it can be done 🤔
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The Suzuki Swift Sport is an underrated shout for a first car
Insurance tripped me up so bad ngl
I’m 21yrs old and I own a £500 Saab 9-3 2.0 Turbo Estate. It’s a 2008 car and I have been saving for the past 3yrs since I started driving and hope to buy a FK8 Honda Civic Type-R in the near future. This whole process has really taught me the value of money
Love your podcasts Tony & Sam. I love any video you make also on your main channel
At 28 years now, finally managing to afford my first proper hot hatch. 2017 S3 Stronic. I tel ya, same money as a brand new ST3. It does make you think to look at what you can get "used" for the same money as a new car. Same finance budget ect you be amazed.
Plus your used S3 won't lose as much £££ as a new car! You are a sensible chap!!
@@GazMoby 23 grand with 22.500 miles. 1 owner full Audi history. Insurance at just over 500 fully comp for the year, I mean what's there not to like! It does drink a bit I give it that much but my god what a machine.
@@chrish1734 I went for an M140i, hopefully the fact it's probably gonna be the last 6 cylinder RWD hatchback on the market means I won't lose much or any money on it. Only downside is 180-200 miles to a £75 tank of fuel 🥲 But at the price of a new 1.6 clio or 1.0 fiesta, i'm not complaining!
@@1993j Amen to that! Lad in work has one lovely cars.
Get a £15k 2003 Bentley continental with 130k miles instead. Ye it has miles , but , Bentley .
Sorry sam i really didnt enjoy the fan comments section, im not here to watch random people who mean nothing to me making random points about things im not that interested in. Im here for your opinions and a few of Tonys as i trust they are actually worth listening too.
Changing gears manually is equivalent to wanting to fall down a flight of stairs - Tony 2022 🤣
Clio 197/200 or a Fiesta ST. Can't go wrong as a first step.
Yes apart from the fact they have all gone up two or three grand in the last 18 months. Not easy for a young petrol head at the minute .
@@GazMoby doesn’t really matter when 80% of cars are on pcp
I went down this exact train of thought. Ended up with the Clio.
Clio 182
@@GazMoby True. I actually have a 197 run around and it's not far off being 'worth' what I paid for it a few years back.
For once, Tony is talking sense! The fiesta st is far too expensive, as most young drivers want something less than 5 grand, that's reliable with decent mpg and looks decent
Tony has a habit of eventually winning me over to his opinion, except when it comes to McLaren, I'm just a fanboy
The second hand value of the st is ridiculous. I sold mine last September coming up 3 year old, needing a service and MOT with damage to all alloys and 2 nearly illegal front tyres for £15600, bought it new for just over 20k.
Always does talk sense.
@@mikaelgaspar9547 Dacia Sandro is a great car
All u need is a Fiesta on some kind for a first car. Fun to drive, sensible to run holds value but not stupid cost to buy.
My first car was a 1987 Porsche 944. A project that my dad and I got running. Then I moved into a 2007 Golf GTI (DSG) that my parents bought for me to then give to my sister. Then, I bought a 2012 Jetta GLI (Manual) all on my own. Now, a couple months ago just before my 20th birthday, I bought a 2015 Audi S3 Sedan (or Saloon). Love the podcast and I make sure to listen to every episode when it comes out!
There's one car that checks all boxes for me at the moment in this category: BMW F21 116i
Cheap insurance, easy maintenance, RWD, turbo, good fuel economy, new enough to have decent tech, old enough to still be a driver's car, MANUAL!
Also can easily tuned, parts availability, aftermarket support etc.
LE: Pre-facelift, 2012-2015. IMO looks worse but is cheaper to buy. Facelift looks better, has better infotainment but is more expensive
Hi Calin, i think you're talking about pre facelift 136hp version right? i don't think that engine can be reliable for young drivers. I am also a young PH,i've thought to buy this car too many times but i couldn't really convinced myself. Pre facelift (12-15) 136 HP version (if im not wrong its calling as ''Prince engine'') has some issues what i heard from other and i think this engine can't be suit with young lifestyle, like me :)
Also buying a BMW is a bit risky, i didn't want to buy a BMW as a first car because it could be a big deal if it doesn't have proper maintenance in the past years but yeah,they are absolutely good machines overall :)
First car I bought myself was a 2017 118i in manual and I think its one of the best all rounders when your young. Feels like it has so much more power than it does and drives so well for the price while being reliably German
I’m 20 years old now and my parents bought me my first car last year. We had this conversation about safety, reliability and “fun”, went and looked at a bunch of cars and ended up in a 2017 Ford Focus 1.5 and I couldn’t be happier and more grateful to my parents. I obviously wanted a Fiesta ST but all the ones in our budget were in pretty bad condition and overall I think the Focus is better, for the money it is bigger, newer and has more safety equipment than any Fiesta we could find and its not too bad to drive either😅
I think you are overlooking something very crucial on the first car buy, and that is: You’re first car gets brought up your whole life, the question what was your first car - If it’s crap it sets the tone, I’d rather have a old mustang on blocks than a ugly fake family car as my first. No one give a shit about your 2nd 3rd etc car - it’s about your first and your current care
I’m 20 and I bought a mk7 fiesta st for £5800 in December 2020 so just before the price of them jumped 2k and I pay £1000 for insurance paid £750 for insurance on it the year before.
Just bought my first car myself (24 year old) - Alfa Romeo Giuletta 1.4 Multi-Air. Great looking hatch, manual, 170BHP, couldn't have more fun and very happy with it! Insureance not too bad either. An easily forgotten car but so so great!
Such an underrated car. I keep dreaming of Giulietta Veloce. My parents bought me a Clio when I turned 18 almost two years ago and from that point I was saving up for the Giulietta. However, prices went trough the roof. In Europe, they are now +3-4k more than they were two years ago which is insane. That means the best alternative I can afford right now is 2012 Kia Proceed GT. Not as interesting, but good value imo.
@@jonaskodis2572 honestly it is so worth it. Hasn’t skipped a beat in the 6 months of ownership. I first saw one and thought I want that at around 18 as well so was great to finally buy one. They drive so nicely
I’m 20 and I’ve had my 2016 MINI JCW for about 15 months.
Started with a 2008 Mazda 3 that had a dent on every panel!
Not everyone buys more and more expensive cars as they get older as Tony says. I had a M4 CP until switching to a Sandero Stepway recently.
I bought a 2007 Fiesta ST150 when I was 19. I'm 24 now and gave the little pocket rocket to my little brother now. Awesome thing to have some power to be scared of at the beginning and get accustomed to quickly. Was throwing it into corners in the rain and snow learning how to manage understeer. In my opinion a very good 1st own car if you've driven a couple thousand km's in the parents cars.
They're are really great cars. Ive done maybe 30 track days with mine and the thing just keeps going, never any issues with it.
With the hatchback discussion I can totally agree! I financed an MK 7.5 Golf 1.6 TDI with the R-Line pack and for a student it is the perfect car. There also is a VW Beetle (5C) GSR in my parent's garage and they never use it. That one is even better! However, I don't think that I will ever be able to afford something seriously fast and exclusive like 911 or even a C63/C43 AMG. Car prices and fuel prices are just rising too quickly for that to happen. I will finish my studies this year, hopefully find a job and then I need to save as much money as possible to one day buy a house. The Golf finance deal expires next January and then I need to get something cheap, practical and fun. Something like an E46 for example. But the way things are evolving currently, I don't see much of a great future for being a car guy without going broke
I'm a youth. My first car was fully bought by my dad at 16 for £2500. A 1.2 Renault Clio dynamique 16v 2003 with 30k miles.
11 years later I still drive it because it's been stupidly reliable and I have a drug problem.
Hey guys. On the topic of first cars for today’s youth, i’m 18 and my dad got me my first car at 16 and it was a 1972 Fiat 500 because i didn’t want a boring car and my license didn’t allow me to drive anything over 550kg. My second car will probably surprise you because it’s quite fast for an 18-year old. I drive a GR Yaris, because my dad knows that i’m quite a good driver as i’ve driven on track since i was 13.
I’m 19, and first car is a 2014 Fiesta Zetec ecoboost as Tony mentioned. Reliable thing with decent power for a first car
So I’m 24, had a 2006 1.2 Clio as a first car! Bought a 2010 Audi A3 Sline in Misano red Pearl 2.0 diesel at 19! Had it remapped and put coilovers on it, it was just as fun to drive as an S3. Now I drive a 2016 Audi TT Quattro… waiting to buy a ‘nice car’ is so important when your young!
I’m 19, first car was a 2015 polo 1.2, and quickly upgraded to a gla220
Cool to have the STG podcast travelling around! And good stuff you get all Behind The Glass members and regular enthusiasts involved, USP of your gentlemens podcast✌
I wanted a fast hot hatch , but simply couldnt afford it so i got a motorbike ( honda cbr500r ). 0-60 in 5 seconds , looks epic and sounds epic and theres a big following for Hondas and lots of meets and ride outs! This will only work if you can fit everything you want in panniers or a rucksack like i can!
For my first car I had a 59 plate fiesta (2016), and wrote it off within 3 weeks. Got another one same age and kept it for 2 years then got a 16 plate fiesta ST when I turned 21. Glad I learned my lesson with the first one, if I had the ST to start with I probably wouldn’t be alive!
Turbo S is currently £40k over (under 1000 miles).Standard Carrera has plenty of standard spec without adding anything. Manual only available on the Carrera S - you can’t ‘option it out’. Perfectly good car 👍🏻
R53 Cooper S is a good shout!
I’m 20. I bought a mighty 1.6 diesel automatic kia cee’d 2010 facelift when I was 19. Unbelievable car.
I got my 18 year old (at the time) daughter a new Mini. 5 door (her choice), 3 cylinder engine, mid spec with leather interior upgrade. That thing drives amazing, really good feel and precise steering, good brakes, most safety gizmos and more than enough power. That car teaches her to drive well, because how rewarding it is when you do, not just commute, like with a small SUV.
Best part of the week as ever, with the hatchback talk 2 weeks ago I picked up my 595 Abarth and what a car! Cheap insurance, good on fuel and fast. I’m 19 2 years no claims and pay £950 for insurance. Highly recommend if your looking the car if your looking around that £200-250 monthly figure!
First car was an Up, am now in an Up GTI. Cheap to run and insure and so much fun to drive with an amount of power you can actually use on the road!
Bought a 2008 Cayman at 19, cost me £550 to insure and pretty much nothing went wrong. Sold it for a profit. Am 20 now and have an e46 m3 which is a bit more to insure (£1000). Quite a good idea to think of the kind of cars you wouldn't normally see a young driver in, as cars typically driven by younger drivers have higher insurance prices as higher accident rates.
You've got an e46 M3 at 20 years old, so a maximum of 3 years no claims and your insurance is less than £1000..... WOW!!! How? You a named driver or something? Is it your own policy?
@@philipgreensmith1694 Yes I have 3 years no claims, I’m the main driver and policy holder but my mum is an additional driver which reduced it by £100. I live in the south of England in a rural area with very little crime which I’m sure also helps
Yes I'm sure it does. I'm amazed it's so cheap on such a powerful car at such a young age 👍
Im 20 and my first car was a fiesta st150 which I bought at 18. I still own it today and do a lot of track days with it. Its got a roll cage in it, some bucket seats and so on. Ive never had an issue with that car, despite driving it very inspiring sometimes. Would definitily recommend that car to other teenagers
what was insurance like?
@@Ssh52 Not especially cheap, but since I only drive it about 6 months a year it equals out. Also worth saying is that since I live in an apartment the insurance rise, but I pay around 50 euro/month.
Loved this episode! My first car was a 2006 Vauxhall Corsa 1.0. It was quite terrible, but that didn't matter because of the freedom. I'm now 24 and have since owned in order: 2001 Lexus IS200, 2005 Nissan 350z, 2010 Mazda 3MPS, and now a 2012 Mazda MX5. All cars are bought completely outright, cash purchase as I hate owing any sort of money. Plus saving for a house deposit is now taking priority, or else I'd be walking into a 4.2L Jaguar XKR myself
A little story about car values. In 2013 I bought an M635CSi for £10k. It broke down many times, I spent £7k on it and then sold it in 2014 for......£10k. I then see prices going through the roof, even seen one for sale at £130k and regularly at £70k+ (advertised) I was gutted but a few weeks ago my old car came up for sale at auction and went for around £32k inc. fees. The chap that bought it from me spent £4k on it then the next owner £18k. so that's £22k on top of the £10k I sold it for. The moral of the story being if I had kept it I would have made nothing. No one ever considers the costs of running and owning older cars and advertised prices do not equal sold prices either.
just got my first car, a 2009 alfa mito. a slightly shorter punto with essentially a naturally aspirated Abarth engine that makes the same unlock beep as a Ferrari. perfect.
Got a 2016 Polo GTI at 21. Wasn't that expensive to run and definitely quick enough as my first 'fast' car. Loved it
Ive had an Elise & Exige & used to love Lotus. I was so excited about the Emira until i saw it and realised it was nothing more than a re suited Evora really…I understand it’s an in between car….but I’ll wait until the new architecture comes out…currently in a 911 Carrera S….I’ll be surprised if i go away from Porsche to Lotus now🤷♂️
I just find Porsche to be.....lacking soul. I am considering a supercharged s2 Elise or late year Esprit.
I had a Fiesta Zetec S as my first car, cost me £3500 with 35,000 miles on the clock. Renault Clio next, then a Mk 7 Fiesta St. It wasn’t until I was 24 that I managed to get an M140i! All about progression 🙌🏻 now I’m in a 2000 318i, adulting sucks 🤣
This is why the 600LT is the best car McL's ever made, because it's not about speed as much as feel.
Tony - I think us podcast listeners have all worked out that you have a Pista - nice choice old boy. I have a ‘standard’ 488 GTB - brilliant car.
Only learned to drive at 23, despite being a car guy all my life. Bought a Peugeot 107 outright for £1400 for my first car, fixed it up with a few bits (new clutch, fixed the paint etc.) so its pristine - can’t see myself in anything else as a first one now, thought it was shite when i first went for it though. Next jump i’ll be moving over to a 2022 cooper s sport, step below the JCW so saving a murder on insurance
Driving a Volkswagen GTI TCR now for 2 years as a 26 year old. Simply good value for money and get a high mpg when needed. Unfortenately the new golf R is expensive, so waiting for them to settle down.
Fiesta ST with Moutune! Glorious !
Mazda MX5 is often overlooked as a first car. Front engine, rear wheel drive, prices start from £500, parts are dirt cheap, a lot of them come with LSD’s as standard, and they have massive popularity as track cars for these reasons. They can easily be turned into a more practical caterham 7, but most importantly the insurance is cheap, especially for models over 10 years old with a classic car policy. I had an mx5 as my first car and my insurance was £300 a year!
I bought my MK8 Fiesta ST when I was 19, and my insurance was just under a grand a year. Then upon renewal it dropped to £540, and that was all mods declared (remap, exhaust, Induction kit etc). Now I drive an R56 Cooper S, as was fortunate enough to make money on the Fiesta due to the market being high. But even the Cooper S being a few years older, all mods declared again, is £650 a year, and I'm only 20. It just depends on your personal circumstances, and how much shopping around you want to do.
im 22, first car bought at 20 - Yaris T Sport for £550. had 137k on it, now on 160k, hasnt missed a beat, only had to change oil and replace the battery. a load of fun and very reliable. not flashy but doesnt matter
BMW 118i E87 as a first car, bought it last year with only 40.000 KM on the clock :D it still looks brand new
I’m a 17 year old who passed my test a couple weeks ago, I’m in a Fiat Panda 100HP. It’s ridiculous fun on back roads, fairly efficient on the motorway and purchase cost and insurance combined was £3k. I can’t afford a financed new car but thrashing it down a B road I just don’t care.
Honda CRZ was the first car I bought. It's not actually sporty, but it looks great, definitely 'feels' sporty, and is cheap to run.
As a 20 year-old whose parents can't afford to buy (or finance) anything new, all I'm looking forward to is a Twingo RS
Good choice!
Hi Sam, I am 18 so thought I’d add my two pence in about first cars.
I didn’t want the usual Corsa/Fiesta/Polo, so when I was 16 I bought myself an Abarth 500 ahead of my 17th birthday.
Best decision ever.
My first car was an Opel Meriva, but the first car I paid(lease) myself is a Mazda 3 21'
2018 pugeot 208 , reliable, safe and cheap to run. Very lucky to have this as a first car.
My first car was a Ford Focus Estate in a revolting green, interior trim was horrid... but it was £110! A local seller P/Xing it the same morning my parents were moving house, so I bought the car and we used it as a van, and it ran for a year. Next car was a £350 black Honda Accord, it was IMMACULATE. I miss that car, which makes no sense because there is a GR Yaris on my driveway...
For young people I'd look at warm rather than hot hatches. Cars like the Fiat Panda 100HP, the Suzuki Swift Sport or Twingo 133 provide great fun with more than palatable insurance and running costs. All come with an old school handbrake too 👀
16:30 I agree with Sam, if you're 18-22 don't drop a butt load of money on a performance machine, definitely not something brand new. Get something that looks great, with comprehensive service history, has decent enough performance to be able to push it 8/10 on public roads at safe speeds - which essentially means you want something that picks up well and lots of low and mid range torque rather than top end that you'll have no road to exploit the performance 99% of the time. Get a car that gives you the most value for money - performance, practicality and mod cons. Also if it must be a hatch and not a coupe/saloon, then consider a compact estate, they're likely to be better on insurance than the "typical sporty hatchback". And unless ULEZ is an issue, definitely consider a decent turbodiesel. They are under-appreciated in this space. They may not have great top end performance but the low to mid range power and torque are so accessible! Not to mention being able to remap. In an ideal world, it would be amazing to go out and get an FK8 which is pretty much the best hot hatch right now, but it's hardly attainable realistically at that that age.
Hi, im from India. First car was a Polo GT TSI which is the make shift cheap Polo GTI here in India with a 1.2 Turbo and a DSG. Did it upto Stage 2. Sold it and bought a 2011 Skoda Octavia MK2 Facelift and done it up to Stage 2 with 250 horsepower.
I’m a 17 year old who passed my test a couple weeks ago, I’m in a Fiat Panda 100HP. It’s ridiculous fun on back roads, fairly efficient on the motorway and purchase cost and insurance combined was £3k. I can’t afford a financed new car but blasting it down a B road I just don’t care.
I had a Corsa Black Edition (1.4 Turbo) for my first car which was a fantastic little motor. 22 now and have a 7.5 Golf R. Hell of a lot of saving but reasonable insurance for somebody my age.
In my area there are still a lot of kids that can`t afford a car at all or are happy to have a really cheap one. There are of course others with more opportunities but this seems to get more rare now. Cars are also expensive to run. Especially when you can just afford one with does not fulfill the latest emission rules. The best thing you can do is a get a cheap to run car with a lot of spare and tuning parts available. If you can pay it cash do it. Better than financing a car. - It should be always in your financial limits. With the piece of mind you can have a lot of fun with your car and you can still modify it to your liking. - Bonus: Own a classic car and save your money for tax and insurance. Those cars mostly even keep their value even with more miles on it.
Had a fiesta when I passed for 2 months then used it as a deposit on a merc cla and now looking at a 140 in the next couple months at 19
My brothers first car is a 2016 mini clubman Cooper S with 85k miles. Manual transmission and 4wd as well.
I’m 24 now, my first car my mum bought me for £500 was a V reg corsa, loved it
My first car was a Mk2 XR2 fiesta. Paid £550 for it ! 24 years ago ! Now have a B5 RS4 and a Renaultsport R26. Next is a mk7 clubsport
First car at 21yrs old, 2010 mini cooper s - love it to pieces
Green lambo with gold wheels was pretty unique to be fair
To weigh in on this one before I actually watch it. I've got a Megane rs250 2010 plate. It's just fast enough to be fun but not so fast it'll kill me right away. Would recommend to anyone.
My parents bought me a 2012 1.6L MINI Cooper, had it for about 2 and a half years now.
2012 Audi A3 Cabriolet manual, fun little thing to zip around in
What about a special rate my ride episode rating everyone’s FIRST car?
Great idea
I’m 20 years old and I’ve ordered a New Megane RS Phase 2 300 Trophy in Liquid yellow. Finance payments are reasonable, but it’s insurance that is the pill to swallow.. running costs with the mileage I do (12,000) will be reasonable as long as I budget myself. But a new set of front tires every 6k miles or less is a big part to consider. It’s achievable but it’s the unknown costs that can catch you out unless you do a good amount of research or know people in the industry.
I’m 20 years old and live in Sweden. My First car was a Alfa Romeo 2.2jts Ti which i saved up for, then I finished school and got a job and bought a new Amg a45s and now i have a C63s estate. Finance is dangerous😂
I am 23 now. 1st car was a 2009 scirocco 2.0 TSI GT at age 18, which was hilarious(fast and looked cool i thought). A not so new coupe in Swedish winter was not nice, door locks froze, windows froze and heat gun out to go to work so switched to a BMW 116i
I’m 25 now and only now feel like I’m in a position to buy a higher end car. As you say the temptation to splash out on something is always there but I’m glad I put the money into a house instead when I was 21. I never got any money from my parents so started with a 1.0 Suzuki Alto which my first job spent half my earnings on the insurance. Agree with tony on the VW Golf R line etc. I’ve had a Seat Leon for a while now and it’s been perfect, cheap insurance, good on fuel etc
I recently bought a Renault Clio RS 200 EDC as my first car, here in Australia we are limited to power to weight on our provisional license so I couldn’t even get the RS 220 version of my car because the little bit of power pushed it over the power limit.
Age 21 here, first car was Ford Sport Ka, decided I'd be better off putting my money into a house than nice cars.
For cheap hot hatches for young drivers, you really can't go wrong with the Suzuki Swift Sport.
Lotus is owned by Geely, who also own Volvo. Its not a big leap to think Geely will expand their existing Volvo dealer network to sell Lotus in the USA. Lotus have already said their first SUV will be a full size Cayenne rival, fully electric, the next one will be Macan sized. They have been saying this for quite a while.
That Enzo story explains a lot why there was a crash in the Netherlands. Slight damp road, pretty angry gear change and a tree.
Once you’re old enough that insurance ain’t too bad, Mk5 Golf GTI. Nothing else for sub-£5k comes close as an all-rounder
First car was a Vauxhall Adam, 70% paid by me 30% dad. 8 months later bought a Mini Cooper SD on bank loan. 2 years later I got a m240i on finance. Sold a few months ago after 2 years of ownership for more than what I paid. Free driving for 2 years other than petrol and have put a large chunk of equity into my bank account. Now awaiting delivery date for new i20N
First car was a Vauxhall Astra! (Absolute animal). Now I’m 27 and work for toyota so have a Corolla excel 2 litre as a demo and bought a gr Yaris
Interesting topic. Should be good as usual.
My 1st car was a 1988 Mercedes 200d W124. Bought in 2018 as a "safe" car, because it was slow. Then I went ahead and sold it - now I have old Fords and a NA MX-5 so I do not exactly feel like you will understand me. Truthfully, I am now looking to sell of my Ford collectioj and buy a nice W211 Mercedes for a daily alongside the MX-5. I'll keep either my Sierra or a mk3 Escort. 🙂
These brands have got to consider the total experience of their cars including from showroom to service centre
First car was a mk2 fiesta with XR2 wheels! No airbags, no abs, biscuit tin doors, lol!
My first car was a Corsa, (limited of course) then my gt86 giallo addition that I'm in now that I brought to the rate my ride. And toying up the idea between an emira (regardless how it drives it looks bloody cool) but I'm sure it will be good coming from lotus or a gr supra as you don't see many about. Or even thinking about going wild and getting a design-1 but not sure how they will hold their value
I’m currently 22 and I’ve had my first car (Mk8 Fiesta ST) since 19 from new. All off my own back and have to say they are brilliant cars. Understand they are maybe overpriced but the ST-Line is a cheaper option that will be great option for a first car as well.
Minute 41:15. Tony's personal car: The 991 GT2 RS.
I'm 23, had a Toyota IQ for my first car with a 5* star safety rating, £30 to fill and under £500 to insurance, now driving a 2015 Fiesta S 1.0 that Tony was talking about, done 50k miles in 4 years and hasn't skipped a beat and only £250 to insure each year, will sell it soon as still get £5k for it to put into something new.
Bro.. the MAZDA 3 MPS is a hidden ge no one talks about & its amazing
Your comment is bang on. I have a ‘12 Mazda 3 five door with a manual gearbox and use it as my winter runabout. It is a blast. I don’t drive my ‘18 GT3 too much in the Alberta winter.
I asked the hot hatch question and I had a fiat 500 pop as a first car cheap in every way was brand new and now have an abarth 124 spider
As a person of 'youth', my parents got a skoda citigo for my Mum to use and for myself and my brother to use whenever wer're back from Uni. For my first car however, something around the 3-5 grand mark that's got a decent boot space and ideally around 120-150 bhp.
I’m 22 now and first car was a used 1.0 eco boost fiesta. Actually loved that car even with only 100hp. Then for a f32 bmw 430 until somebody wrote it off by crashing into in a car park. Now have a manual lci m140 and love the car. Surprisingly economical and only £650 to insure. Just need to save up for a lsd to complete it.
Currently driving a 08 BMW 118i e81. It's owned by my dad. fantastic car. (Norway)
I had an I30n at 20 and the costs weren’t awful at all. Insurance was so much cheaper than the gti, RS, type R etc
Fairly new car isn’t it, so not much data around thefts, crashes, accidents etc
You guys should do a UK Tour! Would be great to have you up in Scotland.
For a hot hatch I would buy a cheap old Nissan Leaf and put the 220hp 340Nm inverter on it.
My first car was a 04 Opel Corsa GSI but I wanted a Polo 1.9 tdi highline
I'm sure Sam will talk about this off-roader version of the Lambo Hurrican on Autocar.
'09 Fiesta Zetec S as my first car at 19, sold it as it was not suitable for motorway mileage. At 20 I bought a mint '05 SAAB 9-3 aero insured and taxed it, and still had spare change out of the Fiesta 👍🏻 you have to think outside of the box to get access to 200+ horsepower at that age cheaply but it can be done 🤔