Why Your First Car Should Not Be Rear-Wheel Drive

If you’ve spent any time on Discuss recently, you may have noticed a growing number of posts along the lines of ‘Should I get a [330ci/Supra/MX5/S2000] for my first car?’ And why not? There are plenty of great rear-driven cars available on the used market right now for great prices, and rear-wheel drive is fun, right? So why have I got such a downer on the idea? Allow me to explain…

You’ve just passed your test. So you know how to drive, but the real learning starts once you’re behind the wheel, flying solo. Anyone who’s been through this will remember just how scary it is going it alone for the first time…

So where does rear-wheel drive come into all of this? That’s simple: rear-wheel drive cars are spikey. They demand respect, concentration and require driving experience, which is something you don’t have a lot of yet. It’s very easy to think that you won’t have any problems driving something as simple as a small naturally-aspirated four-cylinder car after seeing people tearing it up in LS-swapped Silvias, but the reality is that it’s very easy to get it wrong in a rear-driven car, even with as little as 100bhp.

The problem with owning a rear-wheel drive car is that at every corner you come to, that voice in the back of your head will be urging you to stamp on the throttle for sideways action. As much fun as it seems, however, there is little place for oversteer on the public highway. As a novice, but enthusiastic driver, there will come a time where you give into that temptation and decide to push the car. At that moment, it’s up to Lady Luck to decide whether you and your car come out at the other side unscathed.

The truth is that your first car is going to be subjected to your mistakes - and trust me, as a new driver, you’re going to make many mistakes. Gears will grind, bumpers will be bumped and clutches will be punished.

So where should you start? A small displacement, front-wheel drive car is ideal for a number of reasons. To start with, you’re a lot less likely to get yourself into trouble while driving, the main challenges being controllable understeer, not dangerous oversteer that could spit you and your car into a hedge.

The second reason to start with a FWD ride is that they can be driven at the limit fairly easily. If driving a 1.0-litre Micra for a couple of years taught me anything, it was that you need to go flat out everywhere to get anywhere at a reasonable speed, so as a result, you find yourself threading the car through corners efficiently and quickly. It’s exactly these experiences that prepare you for more involving cars later down the line.

You may remember James May explaining why he loved the Fiat Panda for the same reason, and Fiat clearly recognises the idea of less being more with the Panda 100 horsepower, a small, light hatchback with modest grunt and thin tyres.

The unfortunate truth is that your first car may not satisfy you to begin with, but the more you get to know it, learn its behaviours and the roads around you, the more you’ll begin to enjoy and appreciate its charms.

Sure there will be times where you’ll lament its lack of power or its soft appearance, but this car will teach you many important lessons about driving and will prepare you for the journey ahead - see it as a baptism by fire.