My first Car what to buy?

I currently drive around bwtween a 96nissan quest and a 05mazda 6s and my parents are lending me 22G fora car. But I have to follow my parents "restrictions". The car has to be brand new, no used (warrenty issuse), and it has to be automatic (but i'm working on this one.) I narrowed it down to Nissan 05 Spec-v, 05 Subaru impreza, 06 honda civic si. I want something with the potential to beat 70% of the genric car population but something that easy on the gas mileage, and looks count also. I need major help!! I'm buying a car this week.

Dodge Neon SRT-4, Racecar on a budget. Faster then all those cars you mentioned.

Carmax vehicles are new or almost new and most still have a warranty. You can save a little money there. Rushing into a purchase is never a good idea. I think Nissan Maxima is in that price range.

How about a Cobalt SS supercharged? It's faster than all the cars you had listed and still gets 30mpg highway plus they're right around 22k, or if you have to get an automatic you could get a non-supercharged SS.

The new civic's are sweet, in your price range I would easily choose that over any of the others mentioned. Get an Si with Nav and you won't regret it. 8000rpm redline is awesome. The spec-V is ok, definitely more torquey than the Si, but nowhere near as fun to drive and they have that weird Nissan buck tooth grille. Forget the SRT-4, they're built like crap and look absolutely terrible. Si all the way! :thumbsup:

Dodge Neon SRT-4, Racecar on a budget. Faster then all those cars you mentioned.

I agree... and with a little engine work you can make those things pretty fast.

what about a hyundai tiburon?which has lowest insurance civic si, spec-v or the tiburon,

what about a hyundai tiburon?which has lowest insurance civic si, spec-v or the tiburon, out the choices above, which one is the most realiable?

i believe the '06 civic si will be a good choice.

I dont think the Civic Si comes in automatic...so you're definitely going to have to work on them

The Cobalt SS is a very nice choice. I drove one.

The Neon SRT4 is also a decent choice...but I am not sure if they have auto's

I want something with the potential to beat 70% of the genric car population but something that easy on the gas mileage, and looks count also. I need major help!! I'm buying a car this week.
well, 70% of the people who are serious about having a fast car drive a 5/6 speed, the other 30% has a shift kit or an auto made for racing. not to mention that none of those car's will beat 70% of the cars racing around, unless the subaru is a wrx/STI or everyone where you live races ford taurus'. and if you need something good on gas, 5 or 6 speeds are where it's at.


that being said, the Spec-v is one of the biggest let downs as far as sport compact cars go and i'm a nissan guy so i hate to say that. the impreza(assuming it's an RS) is doo-doo slow(worse than the spec-v). so, Get the civic, but as was already said, the Si's don't come automatic.

the impreza(assuming it's an RS) is doo-doo slow(worse than the spec-v). so, Get the civic, but as was already said, the Si's don't come automatic.

The Civic Si isnt all that fast either.

like i said, none of the cars in consideration are all that fast but IMO a 200 hp civic powering 2 wheels and weighing 2700 lbs is definitely faster than a 170 hp impreza powering all 4 wheels and weighing over 3000 lbs, especially on the top end where honda's really excel. i have an 02 RS impreza in my family(my sisters car), and i'd rather drive my other sisters EX civic and it's at a 35 hp defecit. then if you factor in the new looks of the impreza(which i hate) the honda just stands out to me as the obvious choice.

If it were me i'd wait til the new mazda speed6 comes out and at least give one a test drive. 274 hp, 6 speed, AWD, and an MSRP around $28K, seems like a winner to me.

The Civic Si isnt all that fast either.

The brand new '06 one is...it's faster pretty much as fast as the RSX-S.

The brand new '06 one is...it's faster pretty much as fast as the RSX-S.

Not bad, pretty impressive for a civic.

out the choices above, which one is the most realiable?

Well I would say Civic Si, Tiburon and the Sentra Spec-V, but I guess that is just me.http://moddb.com/images/smilie/rolleyes.gif

I know this thread may be dead but what about a Scion TC?

I decided on a Spec-v, but once again life decides to screw with again. The insurance guy who gave a bargain price is on vacation and won't come back unitll the Jan 3, and the nissan $2000 rebate is over this saturday. I don't want to pay close to $20,000 for spec v. I'm now considering a used car. What are some good import cars with power, dependability, and good gas miliage? Life sucks

what about subarau WRX?

The Spec- V is a dissapointment from everything I've heard. Never drove one but from what I hear it is. If you're going used, get a 1998 C5 Corvette, I saw one the other day for $19,800 with 43,000mi. If my parents just decided to give me that kind of money, Id get it.

The Spec- V is a dissapointment from everything I've heard. Never drove one but from what I hear it is. If you're going used, get a 1998 C5 Corvette, I saw one the other day for $19,800 with 43,000mi. If my parents just decided to give me that kind of money, Id get it.

I'd agree that I would get one for that price, but he's lookin for good gas mileage, and a C5 vette won't exacty sip fuel by any means. Just gonna toss a new idea out there, even though they're not an import, how about one of the new Pontiac Solstices?

Oh, I didnt notice gas mileage was a thing. Like I said earlier, what about a Scion TC, then you still have enough to buy the supercharger.

Maybe a new Jetta, I love the way they look. And the solstice is nice, but I'm assuming you want room for passengers. What about a G6 coupe or maybe a used 350Z(no passenger room but nice looking)

i spanked the hell out of a spec v in my 95 maxima. IMO the smart thing to do would be to save yourself $14,000 and go with a nice used 4th gen Maxima, or an H22 prelude or v6 accord or something of that nature. My maxima made 20-25 mpg and was still running strong at 168,000 miles before i sold it for my current maxima. while you are at the nissan lot just go test drive one, i guarantee you'll like the VQ30DE in the maxima better than the QR25 in the Spec V.

I think an H22 prelude or a Scion tC would be a good bet. H22's are simply awesome in the handling department, and the tC's are actually supposed to handle pretty well too, even though I haven't driven one. Come to think of it, a tC with an S/C would be a damn fun little car I bet, especially with a 5 speed (if you could talk your parents into it)

C5 gets bad mileage?? Since when was 28mpg on the highway considered bad? I guess it's bad if you're shopping for a VW deisel or a Prius, but it's not too shabby for a car that makes 350hp. Anyway, I agree that the Spec V is a disappointment. A coworker of mine has one and I make fun of it every day. He tried to tell me he got a "sports car". Since when is a FWD 4dr sedan with 170hp considered a sports car? Having said that, you still should look for something with 4 seats and a trunk. Maybe a used 3 series BMW? Maybe a used Evo? Maybe a used WRX? Personally I'd go for the Evo. All the practicality you'll need, great in bad weather, loads of power.

What about insurance? I remember the author stating that was one of the issues and if so the EVO is pretty much out of the question.

I'm thinking about spending about 12G and saving the rest. So i'm thinking about a nissan 300zx(n/a) ,prelude, or is it possible to buy a supra for 12G? what are the insurance like on those three? But i conviced my parents to let me buy a mannual and had my first mannual lesson, and i sukced balls.

300ZX and supra will be high and even higher if they come with the stock turbos. The Prelude will be pretty high because Hondas(especially Civic and Accord) have the highest theft rate in America. And you probably dont want a RWD, manual, with 200+ HP to learn how to drive stick on. Those dont really sound like practical choices when you could be getting a brand new car. And I thought they were giving you 22G for a CAR, not just giving you 22G for whatever. If you spend 12G on the car, then thats probably all they're going to give you.

We can suggest cars all day long, but I personally don't agree that a 16yr old should have a fast car. The only reason a 16yr old should have an expensive car is for reliability, not for speed. I can remember getting a Z28 when I was 18, and even though I was far more responsible than my friends I nearly killed myself and many others in that car. Personally, I think he should get something that's well designed and not very fast, like a good used RSX. Something like a Supra turbo should be out of the question.

I'm not 16, i'm 19 and i found a 1993 toyota supra n/a with 89,000 miles on it for $14,000. But i have to convince my parents that its a reliable car and the private seller that's selling the car didn't tamper with the car. Any suggestion on how to persuade them?

convince?
you have to convince?
persuade?
are you saying that you want to tell them something that may not be true?
mate, you're going to have to get the car insured and i hope to god you're going to have someone who knows about cars to check on it before you even think of buying.
if the car is sound, why would you need to convince about its reliability?

in anycase, i personally wouldn't go for a n/a supra.

I'm not 16, i'm 19 and i found a 1993 toyota supra n/a with 89,000 miles on it for $14,000. But i have to convince my parents that its a reliable car and the private seller that's selling the car didn't tamper with the car. Any suggestion on how to persuade them?

Its not that reliable so you'd be lying to your parents. If I'm not mistaken, the heads go on them easily but it may be the 1st gen. Go with new, not 13 years old and 89,000mi on it.

Of couse i'm going to have the car checked out by a professional mechanic before i think about buying. What a Supra not reliable? thier engines are bulletproof and they can go 200,000 easily with only minor maintenance.

I'd be concerned about any sports car that old, even an MK4 Supra. And even then, I don't think it's worth $14,000, not even close. Go with a 300ZX. They are half the cost (mainly because they didn't appear in The Fast And The Furious), quite a bit more common, and not any slower (I'm talking N/As here).

did you guys ever get the fiat coupe in the US?
these days, you can pick up a very good condition 2.0 turbo model for around £2000.
it's only two litres and its fwd but it can still do a sub 7 sec 0-60 and it's chassis is more than up for the job of hurtling around corners in an amusing manner.....

did you guys ever get the fiat coupe in the US?
these days, you can pick up a very good condition 2.0 turbo model for around £2000.
it's only two litres and its fwd but it can still do a sub 7 sec 0-60 and it's chassis is more than up for the job of hurtling around corners in an amusing manner.....

NO, I've been investigating that for a while. I've wanted one of those so bad for a while and I just cant seem to find a way to get one in the US

I'm assuming the new VW Golf GTI is a little more than 22k over there? Because there's no better all-round car for the money than the GTI.

I'm assuming the new VW Golf GTI is a little more than 22k over there? Because there's no better all-round car for the money than the GTI.

Actually, we do NOT have the new Golf yet. I can't believe it! The body style is nearly 2 years old and it still hasn't hit the states! We've got the new Jetta and new Passat (the dropped the Passat deisel in the states because of European demand) but they're still selling the old body style Golf. It seems like the US market is becoming less of a priority, or maybe they're having trouble keeping up with production? I don't know.

I'd be concerned about any sports car that old, even an MK4 Supra. And even then, I don't think it's worth $14,000, not even close. Go with a 300ZX. They are half the cost (mainly because they didn't appear in The Fast And The Furious), quite a bit more common, and not any slower (I'm talking N/As here).

It's annoying to me how much the MK4 Supra costs. I honestly believe that if it weren't for "The Fast and the Furious" you'd be able to pick one up for about $8000, which I'd actually consider one at that price. The 300zx tt is honestly just as much car for less money, and the 300zx will beat a new 350z as was proven on Top Gear. But, back to sounding like a parent. Kids shouldn't have fast cars as their first car, period.