Last year while I was living at home, at one point I had my Mk3 16v, had spent about a grand on it since buying 6months before and had a Mk2 16v on the drive waiting to be put into action.
Then I moved to London, had to sell the Mk3 cos it was costing too much, and then the Mk2 had to go cos I had gone from paying £100 per month rent to £400.
If you can spare the cash, then why not spend it on a car, money is only fleeting, it's not going to last so you might as well enjoy it.