8 Awesome Cars I Could Buy With My Massive Student Loan Debt

University. It’s a time for staying up late, making new friends, and occasionally learning some education-type things. In this day and age, having a degree often isn’t particularly useful, and when you learn that the average student debt in the UK is around £40,000 you can see why so many people skip university and head straight out into the workplace.

Despite this, there are many people who go the traditional route, me included, and spend three years falling out of taxis in the early hours and racking up monstrous debt. But what if, instead of going to university, you simply spent that money on a car? Here are eight awesome rides I could buy if I hadn’t done educated myself:

1. TVR Tuscan

Yes, it’s a TVR, so it’ll have astronomical running costs. But who cares? Just look at it. Hidden beneath those voluptuous curves will be a straight-six engine that was offered in various states of tune from 350bhp to 440bhp. Sometimes that engine actually works! On days when it does bother to fire into life, you’re looking at 0-62mph in under four seconds, and handling most politely described as ‘frisky’.

2. BMW E90 M3

As you may well know, we’ve got a bit of an M3 overload at CT Towers, with both Adnan and John both owning an E46 M3. For the price of a student loan, however, you could make the leap to an E90 M3 and still have some change. Beneath the bonnet bulge sits a 4.0-litre V8 making 414bhp and producing that signature rasp. This is the king of understated performance.

3. BMW 1M Coupe

M3 a little too predictable for you? Why not give the 1M a go? Size-wise, this is closer to the original E30 M3 than any of the modern M3s could ever hope to be, and that makes it much more relevant as a fast road car. With 350bhp it might be well down on the E90 in the power stakes, but out in the real world it’s an absolute weapon. It’s far from a cakewalk to drive, either.

4. Nissan GT-R

Yep, for the cost of partying for three years and being allowed to sleep until midday without feeling guilty, you could have yourself an R35 Nissan GT-R. Sure, it’s the ‘common’ supercar, but that doesn’t make its performance any less blistering. It’s fast but approachable, and for that it deserves respect.

5. Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

This is mind-blowing proof that incredible cars like this are dirt cheap in America. The Dodge Challenger Hellcat costs about $60,000, which translates to almost exactly £40,000. If your debt is just above the average you could’ve bought one of these 697bhp weapons and paid for import costs for the price of your education.

6. Audi RS6

There’s nothing cooler than a fast wagon. Fact. Arguably the coolest of all the fast wagons is the Audi RS6, thanks to its no fuss all-wheel drive traction and ridiculous V10 lump slung out front making 571bhp in a car so practical you could take your dogs to the park with space to spare.

7. Noble M12

All of these manufacturers are rather mainstream. If you like your cars with that built-in-a-shed charm that all the coolest enthusiasts swear by, may we point you towards the epic Noble M12. There’s nothing exotic about these cars - they’re powered by a Ford Duratec V6 engine and have fibreglass bodies - but they’re about as raw a driving experience as you could ever hope for.

8. Nissan Silvia x3

My attainable dream car is the S15. For the money I pay on student loans, I could easily buy three Silvias and have money left over for modifying them. A track day car, a drift car, and a street car.

I shouldn’t have gone to university…