Considering a lease, to keep myself out of trouble for a few years...
A Polo GTI 1.8 TSI DSG for 180~ a month with 1800~ down for 3 years, 10,000 miles a year sounds tempting.
Would it feel like I'm driving someone elses car though? I'm not sure how I feel about it.
You don't strike me as someone who would benefit from being locked into a car purchase for 3 years. Being young, you might find the monthly payment holds you back as life can change a lot in 3 years. Leasing is very limiting and of course not always as cheap as they seem. 8k over 3 years seems a lot tbh. You could have a 2-3k car and 5k+ in the bank instead if you buy the right car. You might end up keeping that car for three years but you have all the freedoms a young person wants with the added value that in 3 years time, a 2-3k car doesn't matter if it has added bumps and scratches becasue it'll be worth sod all anyway.
I've had my Type-S GT 4 years, it's got 133k and aside from consumables (two sets of £70 a corner tyres and ~£130 every year for full service parts) it's cost me just over £300 extra to fix the air con and replace my front shocks & bump stops myself. It's got auto lights, wipers, cruise control and being a 1.8 petrol goes well. It's a manual though, the auto is not worth looking at. Sure the interior has its issues after so many miles and the ride is a bit hard (17s help this, mine has 18s). When you want it to move it revs high and goes well enough. It's no Type-R which is what I owned in the past, but it's a great compromise for a daily driver. It's had a very hard life with me, done lots of miles over the last few years. It's also greatly practical, great boot space esp with seats folded down. It was a 6k car when I bought it over 4 years ago, but all in its probably cost me closer to 8k in total so far. They're around 3k now so you could save an easy 3k and have it to sell at the end.
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