You have just passed your test, can you buy a classic?

Every petrol head recalls the day they finally ditched the L plates and stepped onto the first rung of the car ownership ladder!

I passed my test in 2001 at 17. Getting maximum bang for buck street cred wise was key; insurance vs the price of the car itself, with weekly printed mags hot off the press and hopeful phone calls to insurance companies from my mother’s landline being the norm. I was striving for the 16v over the 8v of late 80’s cars.

20 years on we live in a world where cars and insurance quotes are at our fingertips online, and crucially there are so many great first-time buyer semi-classics around!

If you’ve just passed your test at circa 18, what about a 1995 Golf Gti 16v; Golfs are always a safe bet, accepted everywhere, and the older they get the more the all important street cred kicks in. Perhaps an E36 Bmw 318is of some form from 1998…will it follow in the E30’s footsteps, at least a little bit?

Passed your test a little later on and perhaps you are not starting out with asset ownership in general but being behind the wheel is new to you, how about a silky smooth late model 1995 Jaguar XJS 4 litre? Drop top or coupe, whatever tickles your fancy.

Talking of drops tops, maybe a Mercedes SL from 1995? Regardless of engine, it’s impeccable auto gearbox manners and modern durability in a body design fast gaining classic status might be a great first buy.

A Bmw E39 M5. Mercedes E55 AMG from 1998. If you want fast 4 door bruts and have healthy spending power to keep them at their best and run them.

Whatever you decide let’s embrace the fact that today we have so much to choose from; the cars of the 90’s and early 2000’s are all of a sudden becoming interesting, not simply old…and most are lasting the test of time.

What would you have if you had just started driving today?

We have a very affordable 1990 Peugeot 205 GTi 1.6 that could quite possibly fit the bill for you, click the link and check out the hot-hatch for yourself.