I need some advice on what to buy.

[lukee_gf8]

This gonna be a lengthy one so buckle up.

I'm facing quite a first World problem right now and I feel a dick for asking but and I don't really know what to do. Im turning 21 in March and want to buy myself a turbo wagon. I've checked multiple comparison sites and if the insurance is anywhere near what they're saying, I'll be more than able to pay for it as me as my parents have sat down and done rigorous math to figure out if I can own one so young. It helps as I'm fortunate enough to have no overheads like a house, kids, etc. So all the money I earn from my job is straight in my pocket pretty much bar my Spotify and stuff which is like 60 pounds a month out of my 850. I'm on around £4000 as of last payday and I'll have around £7500 to £8000 by March 2022 for my birthday, so I can buy myself a really top notch  version 5 or 6 turbo uk2000 wagon, and have a few grand left over for mods immediately. 

Here's the issue though. My dad threw a spanner in the works....

He has a 2006 STi spec D, and he's always complaining about fuel cost, and clutch stiffness, and stuff like that even though he paid for full engine forging and remapping to 340bhp. He said that he will do me a mental deal for £6500 just to keep it in the family because he bought it with the money he got when my grandad passed and he doesn't want to see it go out the family just yet as it holds special value to him. I checked a few nights ago and once I turn 21, the insurance with all the stuff declared came back as just £200 more than it was for the UK car, at £3200 annually which doesn't really add up for me.... 
However if this is true, then a no brainer option would be to take the STi, as again my mum and I sat down and did some calculations and I can afford to run the STi as well so all is well in that regard. 

I've always wanted the practicality of a wagon, with the cool factor of a fast wagon, not to mention half the road tax being 2.0 as opposed to 2.5 for the STi. I would love to modify a wagon and turn it into my dream show/go car, and a classic wagon just seems so unbelievably cool to me, always has. I would need to 6 speed swap, and basically everything my dad had done I want doing to mine later down the line because I would want more power (about 350 to 400hp) as safely as possible.

Obviously, the STi has all that done, but without all the stuff I want (practicality, no rear wiper which is basically a death sentence in the uk, 2.5 so big tax bracket, etc.) BUT I can then say I own an special edition STi at 21, and the basis is there if I want to chase more power once I get more experienced in a car as powerful as that. I just won't be able to modify it as much as I want to preserve it for value, and to me it looks quite bland in my opinion. Champagne grey, basic sti bbs wheels, carbon spoiler and that's about it as far as mods go, beside power mods anyway. 

Buying the STI makes more financial sense, as I'm getting basically a 15k car for 6.5k, that's ready for me and plenty powerful and safe enough for me to be content with. Not to mention, can be sold in a few years for big money once I want change and then I can have my dream wagon then, with ALL the stuff done to it pretty much as I buy it... 
But buying the wagon first would allow me to not worry as much about preserving value, and I can modify it the way I see fit, and at the end of the day, it will get more looks and be more appealing visually to me than the STI could be.

So essentially do I buy:

2006 STi Spec D
Enthusiast owned (my dad) 
340bhp, 475lb-ft
Fully forged
6 speed DCCD
82k miles
For 6.5k
'Bragging rights' as its an STi
Special edition, less than 300 in the world
But can't modify it how I want

OR:

1999-2000 uk2000 Wagon
280bhp (remapped), about 320lb-ft
5 speed
Non built engine
Between 80k and 100k miles
Hugely practical
Cheaper tax
For a similar price, 6.5k
Massive customising potential
Pretty much my achievable dream car, and will bring me a different kind of happiness
and take the hit having to spend thousands down the line to achieve the same performance and reliability as the STi

If you guys were in my position, what would you guys do cause I'm soooo torn at this point...?
Thank you all for listening to me ramble on lol

[Judd]

My suggestion.

Cheapest car in the best overall condition you can find that suits you, try and stay out of the highest VED band, though anything could happen with taxes as the present govt seeks to claw back some of the £billions its (so far) wasted over the current flu scam, and we haven't even got started yet on the climate change £cam.

Fuel is a big consideration with any petrol turbo Subaru, if you've got power and use it, they only place that power comes from is the fuel tank, and petrol prices and the taxes on it are rising rapidly and i think will do continually from now on as they try to force people to transfer onto Battery cars.

Diesel at motorway service areas is currently working out around £7.12 per imperial gallon with petrol only about 15/20p lower, remember its easy to get thse trubo Subarus below 20 to the gallon if you use them hard, even driven gently you'll be doing well to see 30 from one.

Serously, no one can really advise you because its such a personal choice what we want balanced against the practicalities we know of and those yet to be thrust upon us.

Converted cars you don't get your money back unless you happen upon a buyer who wants the same as you, unlikely, so all mods are moeny you will never see back.

Take a tip from an old hand, before you spend that money whichever way you choose, withdraw it in cash form to pay for the car, when those £thousands are in your hand the reality of the graft you've done to take that money home after the taxman and everyone else has filched so much of if hits home, do not do bank transfer or pay by card, it's just figures and decimal points.

You probably didn't want this reply, but when you've been around as long as me an dmade as many mistakes as we all do, you sometimes want to pass a little of that hard won experience on.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Personally, in your shoes i'd find a Suzuki Swift Sport.

 

[Judd]

One other thing.

If you buy a car with top rate VED, make sure its cheap as chips because it will be almost impossible to sell on as it ages and the VED becomes an ever higher proportion of its value, when you have to pay out the lions share of a normal weeks wages just to tax the thing for a year to say it annoys is an understatment.

If you want a 2.5T after regd  after March 2006, best find an import, as a bonus if its a recent import it won't have been ssubject to umpteen UK salty winters so you have a rust free example to start with.

[lukee_gf8]

3 minutes ago, Judd said:

One other thing.

If you buy a car with top rate VED, make sure its cheap as chips because it will be almost impossible to sell on as it ages and the VED becomes an ever higher proportion of its value, when you have to pay out the lions share of a normal weeks wages just to tax the thing for a year to say it annoys is an understatment.

If you want a 2.5T after regd  after March 2006, best find an import, as a bonus if its a recent import it won't have been ssubject to umpteen UK salty winters so you have a rust free example to start with.

Valuable advice, thank you. No I definitely needed to hear it, I want replies like these from people that have more experience than me. Usually they bang on about how I'm going to crash it violently that I'm irresponsible, so thank you for giving me actually decent advice without berating me. Thank you! 

[Judd]

Most welcome mate.