Enjoy the Ride: Things to do Before

 What's good, hope you're having a good morning, day or night, whenever you're reading this.

Today is the start of the new blog series I so eloquently hyped up in the new year post. You'll see the motto, Enjoy the Ride, a lot on the blog, so this series is going through exactly how you can do that. 

Here at Up To Fun you can quite easily guess that I enjoy to push my car and enjoy some spirited driving. Guilty as charged, what can I say, however I am a huge advocate for doing this safely and not being a dick when out on the road and endangering any other road users. There are a lots of factors that make for a safe and fun drive, so today we will focus on the factors you can control.

1. Brakes

Brakes are the stopping force of your car, so making sure they are in tip top condition is the only choice you have. Again with brakes, simple things ensure success when it comes to your brakes. Ensuring you have the OEM manufacturer brake pads or a good set of aftermarket pads are a must. Not only do they do most of the stopping if not all, it keeps failures to a minimum and keeps you and other road users safe. Ensuring you have plenty of life left in your pads is also a must and such an easy and quick check. It also helps to have the same pads on each corner for efficient and equal braking force. When it comes to brake discs, it's similar again. The OEM discs are perfect or you can opt for an aftermarket option too. Check your discs for cracks, warping and just general wear before thinking about giving your car a good going.

2. Oil

One of the most common things you can do to keep your engine healthy, an oil change. Performance cars generally tend to use more oil and some can burn through it at an alarmingly quick rate. So it's hugely important to at a minimum, keep an eye on your oil level and top up when required. An oil change will keep your engine running smoothly and helps you avoid anything catastrophic when out on the road. Now you might be thinking what does an oil change have to do with staying safe and enjoying the ride? Well you can't enjoy the ride if you've got no oil in your engine and if that happens in the middle of a spirited drive you could potentially affect another driver on the road. Ensure you have the right oil for your car, upgrade if you really feel the need and just make a habit of staying on top of it.

3. Tyres

The only part of your car that should be touching the floor is your tyres, well unless you have your car slammed on bags or coilovers and want your subframes on the floor too. But for this point, we're talking about tyres. So when it comes to tyres, have a decent set on, no dodgy chinese part worns, and certainly nothing with cracks or cords showing. Also it helps to have all four tyres the same on all corners, just like your brakes. These days there are so many options for decent performance tyres, from the likes of Michelin, Goodyear and so many more. Have a look at reviews and people in the forums can also offer good advice. I do want to make the point of mentioning road legal semi slick tyres, now I am based in the UK so I can't speak for everyone on these, but if you're in the UK you might know there are a few road legal semi-slicks you can use. Now, personally I would only recommend them in the right conditions, if that summer sun is gracing us with it's presence and the temps are right, go ahead and get that extra grip, however, if the rain clouds are looming, be sensible and put something a bit more capable on.

4. Scanning for fault codes

OBD scanning has become much more available to the average car owner, we'd be daft not to take advantage of it. Whether the code pops up whilst out on the road or it's been there ever since you messed around with something you shouldn't have. Now don't get me wrong, dealers and garages have much more in depth tools however to pull an error code to get started on solving a problem, however some basic tools will do the job no issues. So whether you have an engine light on or not, scan your car just to keep tabs on things, you may think you only have an engine light on because of your de-cat, but in the background there may be another issue that would prompt it to light up your dash. Similar to the oil changes this is a preventative measure to ensure your car is in a position to handle a thrashing over some B roads.

5. Suspension

When it comes to suspension, there are a few things we can do to ensure a safe and fun drive out. First things first though, and this may upset some people, it's not all about being super low, having some decent travel in your suspension helps you cope with potholes and rougher driving surfaces. Which let's be honest, is pretty much any road in the UK. Rather than smashing and crashing over them and having to slow down, you can bring your ride height up a little and just enjoy it that bit more. Checking on suspension components such as springs, sway bars, track rod ends and bushes all ensures that your car is running in perfect harmony and that you will be able to feel the road and get the necessary feedback to drive at your best. Another part of suspension is the setup itself, these days a good fast road geometry setup makes for huge improvements on the road and track. But even if you just go and get a standard alignment and make sure everything is straight, it will make a world of difference especially if something was off.

6. Interior

When it comes to the interior, this may be an unconscious thing you do already, and it can be a surprising factor you've never thought of. So what is it? Well, take a look and see if you see anything that could come loose or distract you when driving. That could be that plastic bottle in the cupholder or maybe the loose change you have in your dash cubby. Whatever it is, make sure the interior is free of clutter and generally tidy. If that plastic bottle somehow managed to wedge itself under the brake pedal, you're pretty goosed. So keep the interior free of clutter and before any fast road driving, have a quick look around and under seats to make sure you're not gonna get a nasty surprise.

7. You

So you ticked off all of the above, good. Next thing is you. Now this may seem daft but it is hugely overlooked. Now if you've come home from a long day at work and your boss was being annoying as usual, it's quite common to want a release of the built up anger and stress of it. So what do you do? You hop in your car and go out for a drive. See the problem? Well not many would, and it depends on the drive. You could go out to some place scenic and just enjoy the view to clear your head. On the other hand you could hit up the usual spot you like to make the most of your car, and this is the problem. Anger and stress makes us act very differently and you can end up making decisions you wouldn't do. So whether that be braking a bit later into a corner, going for an overtake someplace you wouldn't. It all adds up and increase the chances of an accident. So, if you are wanting to go out on a spirited drive, do it the next day when you have cooled off a bit and obviously don't even consider getting behind the wheel if you have had a drink or a few.

So that's the list, and I know it may seem a bit killjoy and you may think who has the time for it. But I can assure you in the long run things like this make a huge difference and save your ass in more ways than one. My younger self fell for the trap of having a poorly maintained car and even though I never had a crash whilst enjoying some spirited driving, I did end up with 3 points on my license because of my tyres. That's what I mean when I say these tips can help you in more ways than one. So if I could give my younger self any advice, it would be to read this post twice over. (Shameless plug) But in all honesty keep tabs on your car and look after it cause it will look after you.

As always, enjoy the ride.

E.

Join the community

So I was thinking of a way for us to stay connected but also for you guys to show off what you're up to as well.

My first thoughts were some form which you could submit and send it over, however this would involve a bit of leg work from you and me.

So to simplify it, I have created a FaceBook group to make life easier for everyone involved. It's a private group in the hopes of keeping out the riff raff and sticking to the good vibes I promote here at Up To Fun. If you fancy it, the link is below.

Join Here!

Enjoy the ride,

E.

New Year, New Intentions

Hello people! Hope you all had an exciting festive period and that Santa dropped off some fancy car parts for you.

So with it being a new year, I suppose it's that time were we all make this resolutions to go to the gym and get the body of a God, well attempt to do so, but then see how busy the gym is and leave to never return. However, rather than setting a resolution, I'm going with some intentions instead. 

First one being a new blog series added to the mix. This one is going to be a back to basics kind of thing, but you'll see shortly what it will entail.

Second, I plan to make a start with some video content, now there's no promises on when this will be released and what it will be, however I want to ensure it matches the vibe of Up To Fun.

Third, might seem strange, but I want to ensure I keep posting on a regular basis. Now coming up I have a change in job and have another job on the go to keep the bills paid. So in all that hectic chaos there may be some quiet spells but I can assure you I am still here.

Keeping it simple for now with just these three, and things may not go to plan but we will try and that's what counts. For the new year my intention for you is to not be so hard on yourself, and I will try to do the same.

Enjoy the ride, 2025 edition.

E.

Christmas Time

 

Hello people, yes I'm still here, just a hectic time with Christmas and all that goes along with it. So based on that fact, I have decided to take a little break from the blog just until the New Year!

I have a few posts ready to go and a few other ideas in the oven that will hopefully see the light of day eventually. Along with the usual content I do want to see if we can get some video content out for 2025, I'm not quite sure on the specifics yet but that will come in good time.

So until next year, have a good Christmas, enjoy the time and I hope Santa brings them car parts you asked for.

Happy holidays and enjoy the ride,

E.

The stalemate of a project car

Hello people, how are we all? Hope you're having an entertaining week. If not, then this post might make you feel a bit better, so keep reading.

As with all projects and plans, there are things that can happen that are out of our control or just make progress slower than we hoped. This is normal though, right? Well in today's world it may not seem it. We are bombarded with all these incredible projects being built with a seemingly unlimited budget and done on a rather quick turn around. On the surface this may not seem to be a problem or cause one. However I can confidently say that it makes people set an unrealistic target for themselves with what they have going on in their own life.

Now this may not be a problem you have, but it's the struggle of many people all around the world and not just people into cars. Whether you're building your latest PC all the way to building your own house, there will be aspirations that add to the whole process. Sometimes these can be unrealistic but don't seem it to us at the time.

For example, the S3 recently caught a flat tyre, having to get this sorted threw a spanner in the works to a few plans. It meant I had to spend the money on two new tyres when I could of spent that money on some new coilpacks. Things like this are all too common, and for someone who is paid monthly, I now need to wait for the next payday to see if I can spend some money on the S3 or not. On top of that, we have Christmas right around the corner too, so present buying is in full swing. 

There are so many things that as an individual building a car, we just seem to forget with the excitement of getting a new project to work on. I am fully subjected to this and it commonly brings me back to earth pretty hard, and that s**t hurts.

So if you are about to embark on a new project, or undergoing one right now. Don't let the "influencers" fool you with the quick turn around of a build. The slow and steady progress that you make yourself and the things you learn along the way is much better. Remember that when you hit one of these walls and have to spend the money on something other than your car, whether it be an unexpected issue, rent, bills or whatever you gotta pay for. I have faith that you will eventually finish what you started and be more proud than ever that you made it what it is even with all the bumps along the way. 

As with all Up To Fun posts, enjoy the ride, we're not on it forever.

E.

Some little changes...

 Right then, apologies for the delay on this one. These changes happened a few weeks ago however I kept forgetting to take a picture of one of them. Better late than never though, some small changes were made recently to help tidy up the S3 a little bit and just bring it a little bit into the future. 

So the first change, always a controversial one. A rear wiper delete. I know what some of you will be thinking, why do you need to get rid of the rear wiper? Personally, I think it just has a cleaner look to the rear end. What about when it gets dirty? Luckily I can always give the car a quick clean so it's never too much of a bother. Oh and not forgetting the rear wiper which was on the car when I bought it, wasn't even working anyway.

So after a bit of a fight with the stubborn boot trim pieces, the rear wiper was fitted and had the exact outcome that I wanted.

Next up, something to help bring the S3 up to date with the newer Audi vehicles we see, puddle light projectors. Now these are something I have always loved since I first saw them, so I knew I had to sort some for the S3. Initial research I was looking for a genuine set, however as you'd probably expect, they were expensive, like really expensive. So speaking to a friend who retrofitted a set to his Golf, he sent me a link to a store that sells them for much cheaper, but another issue, they were out of stock and had no plan to restock.

Eventually, I decided to bite the bullet and do something I would probably tell a friend is a bad idea. I ordered a set off AliExpress. I could hear your sigh as you read that. But as long as the 'S3' was in English and not Chinese we'd be good right? The wait for them to be delivered was worth it, they look amazing and just give the S3 a bit more of a premium feel, plus they looked just how I imagined, which s always a positive.

What's next then? Well MOT time is coming up and I want to make sure it will pass with flying colours. I'm gonna be doing a few pre-MOT checks and making sure there are no glaringly obvious problems that will cause a fail. I have also got the coil packs and spark plugs to sort soon to keep the momentum of the maintenance going forward.

Until then though, enjoy the ride.

E.

Spruce Up

What's good, hope you're having a good week! Just wanted to drop a quick post to make anyone reading the blog aware of the recent changes and some upcoming ones.

The blog design has been refreshed, and hopefully, it's for the better. I will leave it as is for now. However, if you think any tweaks or improvements would look good, just comment on this post, and I will see what I can do.

Another change is the imagery for the posts, I really enjoyed the outcome of the recent post and just thought it looked like a bit more effort was put in (click here if you haven't seen.) The whole look was a little more refined but not too over the top in my opinion, and after today's blog design changes, it looks even better. So with that, I will continue the style of imagery going into the future posts. 

As always, enjoy the ride,

E.

Something to be proud of

 So I wasn't too sure what to title this post, but I thought I would just go ahead and type it out and see what fits best later on down the line. Oh, also, you'll also notice the edits to the photos, with this kind of post I wanted to add a little bit of character and I will probs do the same for future posts too.

This post is a bit different from what's been posted already however, it never hurts to try something new. With that said, I introduce to you, my girl's 2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Now this wasn't the original car she had in mind to replace the VW Polo she was driving about previously, the plan was to get an M140i. However, after seeing Jeremy Clarkson lose control of it on that one episode of Top Gear, she quickly changed her mind and decided a Golf GTI was the better car for her. A decision I happily embraced. So after a few weeks of looking for a nice spec, we came across the GTI she ended up buying.

The viewing and whole buying process was entertaining, to say the least. Firstly, we thought we were going to look at a 5-door, but clearly, it was a 3-door. The wheels were to be re-diamond cut, but only a few days before collection, they told us they had to be painted instead as they had been refurbed before. Looking on the bright side though, the VW dealer we bought it from made a pretty big mistake. They priced the car on being a 5-door, non-performance pack, and base spec GTI. So this meant we got a big saving in comparison to what the car actually valued at.

After all the faff of the buying stage, she finally got to fully experience the car, and boy did she enjoy it. From proving to her Dad that she could drive just like he could, to showing me that same skill she clearly had handed down to her. I was super proud to see her get the car she wanted, yes there were some rather large speedbumps along the way but she stuck it out and got an amazing car. Some might even say it's the perfect spec too, being a 3-door variant paired with the DSG gearbox and Performance Pack. It also has park assist, something she is yet to use. And of course heated front seats for the lovely UK weather.

The first port of call not too long after purchasing, it went and had an aftermarket immobiliser fitted. Luckily it's never had to serve its purpose but just in case it's nice to have. Shortly after that, the rear wiper was removed in place of a Kill all Wipers delete kit and some paddle shifter extensions were fitted too. Nothing too in-depth, but starting small is the best place to start.

Although a wiper delete and paddle shifters aren't difficult, my girl did them herself, and apart from slicing her finger open when taking the wiper off, she did pretty well to keep on going and finish the job. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto got coded in to help bring it up to speed in terms of tech and just adds a nice feature when the time comes to sell.

Next up for the Golf is a little bit more noise, whether that comes in the form of an intake or exhaust we don't know yet. But for now, the Golf serves as a perfectly good daily that is reliable and can still be thrashed without the worry of something going wrong.

I will probably put an update out down the line on the Golf, and we'll see how much it has changed and if things go to plan or not.

So getting to the end of the post, I feel there's only one title I can give it. Something to be proud of. Because that's what it is, and it's not just the car either. My girl has been through a lot and worked super hard to get this car. Not to mention the work to keep it running exactly as it should. Taking pride in the way it looks and putting a bit of her own personality into it too. All in all, you probably wouldn't expect the car to be owned by a girl and she's had her fair share of people saying it's 'daddy's car'. It honestly couldn't be any more different from her Dad's car. But that doesn't stop her from enjoying it and it certainly doesn't make her want to get rid of the car either. If anything it fuels the fire that she wants to give those people the middle finger by owning a car like this.

As always, I like to impart a bit of knowledge and advice at the end of my posts. With that said, to any girl reading this, or anyone for that matter. Being into cars isn't a guy's thing. It's for everyone. Whether you're the girl who listens to Sabrina Carpenter on repeat and loves a trip to Starbucks. Or maybe you don't have anyone to share the enjoyment with. Sometimes all someone needs is a little push in the right direction to spark the love for everything automotive. I know myself the car scene can be a daunting place, in amongst all the hate and know-it-alls, there are pockets of good people doing good things. So no matter your background you can build something for yourself and have your own thing to be proud of. Just go out there and do it for you.

As always, enjoy the ride.

E.

My Car History | Part Four

So, part four already. Now this installment brings you up to date as of the time I'm typing this and includes a bit of an insight as to what the plans are for the car too. If you haven't already guessed this part is the S3.

So I have only owned the S3 for a few months at this point in time, however, this is a car I have always wanted to own and has been on my hit list for a long time. My older brother had an A3 8P which made me appreciate these way more, and at the same time, one used to drive past me whilst on my way to school. I was lucky enough to get this S3 for an absolute steal as it was set to go to a trade auction, being the low mileage example it was, I couldn't let that happen and snapped it up for myself.

To give a bit more detail about the car, it's a 2010 Audi S3 8P facelift with the CDL 2.0 TFSI. It's a 6-speed manual and 3-door variant, something that made this car perfect to me. It keeps things simple and you can just get in this thing and go. Now since I've only had the car for a few months at the time of typing, I haven't done some crazy build or any modifications at all. Unless you class a wiper delete a mod. Instead, for the initial steps of making this car mine, it has been maintenance and upkeep. All of which will be documented and posted in good time.

What are the plans for the future? For now, getting it running with a bit more power reliably. Along with the supporting mods like bigger brakes, better cooling, and better handling. I want to keep the OEM feel as to me this car already is perfection in terms of looks and I don't want to mess with it. There are a few bits of paintwork that need addressing as well as a couple of dents too, but for the age of the car, it has been well looked after by the previous owners.

As always, plans can change. So if they do, they will be posted here and I guess we will see if my plans remain or if they go in a completely different direction in the end.

So stay tuned for the upcoming content on the S3 as there is bound to be some coming shortly. 

As always, enjoy the ride,

E.

My Car History | Part Three

So if you read the last car history post, you'll know this one is gonna be a little different. There are a few cars I had for a short space of time which I just have to mention, most of these were to see me through times when the Cupra was under the knife in a garage or just off the road awaiting work to be done.

So, let's start with a guilty pleasure of mine. The Lupo/Arosa platform. These are such a cool car and my first one was a MK1 Seat Arosa, it certainly wasn't quick with the 1.0l engine but it just had an aura about it. It turned heads (probably for the wrong reason) and was just a fun car to be behind the wheel of. I only had this a short period and it held me over for a month or so, and in the end, I sold it straight back to the mate I bought it from.

Following the Arosa, I secured a Lupo I wish I never sold. This beauty was a 1.4 16v but the 100bhp version. A rare car these days and that's partly the reason I wish I never got rid, also the fact that fetch quite the price if you do manage to find one. Again this was a car to hold me over for a short period and it did just that. It was loud and obnoxious with a straight-through exhaust but before I could fix that, I ended up selling as I needed the money at the time. 

What came next, well not another Lupo/Arosa. Instead, a 9n Polo. I was expecting to own this for a bit longer than I did however it was a cool car for what it was and I enjoyed owning it and tidying it up. When I bought it, it was clearly neglected as the guy took it as a part ex for a car he was selling. It came modified, as most of my cars seem to do. With a silly loud exhaust, set of alloys and lowered on some eBay special coilovers, it made for a fun drive but with it only having 70bhp, it left a lot to be desired. I treated the car to a new set of headlights to replace the faded and broken ones, gave it some new fluids, and then not long after that, it was time to sell as I had made the next purchase.

With all of the above, it reinforced the fact you don't have to spend crazy money to have and enjoy a car. Sometimes the most fun you can have is in a sub £1,000 car that you don't have to worry too much about the bodywork and paint. As long as it turns over on the key and has fuel, you're good to go. I love to see these kinds of cars being enjoyed as it takes away from the super serious nature the car scene seems to have at the moment. When behind the wheel of your car, you should be smiling ear to ear and enjoying it. Unless of course, something is going wrong. But we all suffer that fate at some point, don't stress, been there, done that. 

I guess the moral of the story is to enjoy what you got, and don't worry about what other people got.

Remember, enjoy the ride,

E.

My Car History | Part Two

 Part two, and this has to be the car that had the biggest impact! This was my 2014 Seat Ibiza Cupra, it had the 1.4 twin-charged engine paired to a 7-speed DSG gearbox. Stock they run about 180bhp which is a respectful figure, however I couldn't just leave it at that.

The Cupra was on my hitlist after the Polo had been written off, mainly due to the fact I wanted something quicker, something I could modify more extensively and I wanted something a bit different. I had a mate who had a Bocanegra (a special edition) which definitely made it easier to know that this was the car for me. After a few weeks of searching, I found a nice example not too far from me. After a viewing and test drive, I knew it was the car for me. The following week I picked the car up and got straight to enjoying it and getting used to having an automatic. 

From purchase, the car had been tinkered with but I was limited on what had been done. I eventually got in contact with the previous owner and he ran through everything he had done with the car. From a full gearbox rebuild to each modification that was on the car. The only thing that had changed was that the remap he had, was taken off more than likely down to the ECU being reset at some point between the ownership change. 

Once I learned about the map being taken off, I got into researching who to go to for getting a remap done to take advantage of the upgraded exhaust, intercooler and intake. It was at this time I came across RTMG. If you know the Ibiza Cupra platform, you probably know these guys. If not, they do a whole host of tuning and parts for a wide range of cars however they have unmatched knowledge when it comes to the 1.4 EA111 engine in the Cupra. They hold the record (at the time of typing) for the fastest EA111, which is fitted into an Ibiza of course. Running 650hp it's certainly no slouch.

Once I learned about them I didn't hesitate to get the Cupra booked in, and sooner than later it had been mapped. I was lucky enough to meet Chris, who other than being a god amongst men was the one who mapped the car and made sure it was running perfectly and I was happy with it before I left. What was an amazing day did take a turn whilst on the way home though. Whilst heading home the waterpump decided to give up and threw all the coolant out. So what had already been an expensive day, turned into an even more expensive day. 

 

After the mapping, the car pretty much stayed the same. Apart from stripping out the majority of the interior to help with the weight and the usual servicing and maintenance. I felt the car was perfect, the power was useable and at around 240bhp, it wasn't the most powerful but it handled incredibly well and surprised a lot of people.

 

But I had an itch that needed to be scratched. Ever since I first started looking at Cupras, I always preferred the look of the pre-facelift, I'm not 100% sure what it is about them but I just think they looked better. So with this in mind, I began seeing if anyone had 'de-facelifted' an Ibiza. From all my research, I couldn't find much, people had spoken about doing it but no one seemed to have actually completed or even started to do it. So, what better way to be the guinea pig and have a go myself.

After a lengthy time of sourcing the right parts, I had a genuine Ibiza Cupra front bumper, the even harder-to-find pre-facelift xenon Cupra headlights as well as the bonnet. And that's all that was needed to make the change. Once I got it all together, I was buzzing, even though none of it was paint-matched just yet, I knew it wouldn't be long before I could finish what I had started. 

Little did I know though, this would be the end of the journey with the Cupra, it had developed the infamous mechatronic failure which is super common with these, and due to a bunch of personal circumstances at the same time, it was time to let it go. Something I wish I never had to do but it was the right thing to do.

Only recently did I notice the car up for sale on Facebook Marketplace and it was great to see the car in its former glory and the pre-facelift swap complete and all colour matched. At the time I had literally just purchased the S3, otherwise, I would probably have the Cupra sat on the drive at home instead of the S3. 

When it comes to the Cupras, I very much have unfinished business with them and likely I will own another in the future. However, for now, I am onto bigger and better things with the S3. The lesson learnt with the Cupra is sometimes you have to cut your losses with a car to get into a better situation. If I had kept it, who knows when it would've been fixed up and on the road the way I wanted it to be. If you have found yourself in a similar position, don't let your pride get in the way. Cars are replaceable but time isn't, focus on the important things in life and you'll find everything else just falls into place.

Part three is gonna be a bit different from the past car history posts, again with some more life advice if ever you should need it. 

As always, enjoy the ride,

E.

My Car History | Part One

 Like anyone in life, I have had my fair share of influences that change my opinion on certain things. If you read the very first blog post you will know that my love for cars started many years ago. More specifically when I used to watch my older brother play Need for Speed Underground. By the time I had my first car, the 'car scene' had drastically changed, and so had my life. 

As you can probably see, my first car was a 2016 Volkswagen Polo. It was an R-Line with a great spec, from the rare Night Pack to the winter pack and electronic climate control. It was a good car however there was one catch.

So with the Polo, I made a big mistake, I got in over my head with a silly finance deal, and it may not have been expensive for some people but for my situation at the time I could have got a similar car for much less. However, we live and we learn. The Polo was such a nice car and it really made me appreciate and understand about looking after a car. However, since I was shelling out so much money on the finance deal, I never had the money to modify or make any changes. Not long into ownership, I ended up being involved in an accident which in turn meant the Polo was written off by the insurer. Some would say this was unlucky however it got me out of the expensive finance deal I signed my life away to and left me with a clean slate to start again.

 

The Polo was a short-lived car however I still really love these cars and the 6r/6c Polo is the best-looking one, especially in comparison to the newer models. 

Just going back to the car finance side of things, if there's any life advice I can give you, do your research before signing anything. A lot of people talk about finance and make it out to be this big bad thing you shouldn't do, but for the right person, it can work. Just make sure you can afford all the other things that go with owning a car, like the tax, fuel, and maintenance costs. I fell into that trap and it can put you in a difficult financial spot pretty quickly! If you own your car outright, that's great. If it's on finance, that's great too. Don't let the naysayers make you feel bad if you own your car or not. 

So next time you hear someone making fun of finance, just leave them be, the car scene is full of haters, maybe that's why it feels like it's dying. But there is still good in this world of cars so let's focus on that.

Enjoy the ride,

E.