Purchasing new car

I'm a senior in highschool and after graduating I plan on buying a new car. Using enlistment bonus from the military I'm just going to put a big down payment on a car. I've been searching for new cars and here are my narrowed down choices: RSX Type S, Cobalt SS, Tiburon GT, Sentra Spec V, maybe WRX TR, and Civic Si all 2006's. I dont wanna spend too much but all these cars are under $25,000. I want something thats gonna last a long time, with aftermarket potential, which all of these have. I really like the Tiburon but for some reason most tuners dont like them, why? I think its nice looking and pretty quick stock and low priced, but i dunno if its reliable enough. That and the Civic Si I think is probably the best choice. Any tips or opinions are welcomed.
Also im interested in drifting but id want a not so used 240sx and they stopped making those in 1998. so rwd recommendations would be appreciated.

None of the options you listed are RWD.

Get a Civic SI, learn how to drive, and when you're ready to upgrade, there will be plenty of superchargers and turbochargers on the market for them in the next few months/years.

uhh if your going into the military, dont buy a car for atleast a year, your not gonna get to drive it. Also depending on your position, you more than likely will be shipped overseas. Wait till you have a base and a place to call home before you buy a car.

i kno none of them are rwd but if i buy one itll have to be used because new rwd cars are expensive but i already kno how to drive its just that my 91 escort is a peice of shit

and to Jayson: im joining the Coast Guard so im not worried about waiting and how is your Cobalt i was looking into those as well

I'd recommend the cobalt, the tiburon (great warranty and up and coming aftermarket.... the 01 my girl has is awesome) or the civic si.

but thinking long term reliability, go tiburon... hyundai has come a long way and the warranty itself is a selling point. not to mention they are reliable

As much as I didn't want to like the Tiburon at first, the new ones are actually rather good-looking cars. The new WRX is just plain ugly, in my opinion. But if you want to get into drifting, none of the cars you listed are gonna be much use. For $25,000 you can pick up a Supra TT, 300ZX TT, RX-7 TT, Trans-Am WS6, Corvette, etc., which are all RWD, fast, and sexy. Or you can pick up a cheap RWD car like a 240SX and spend the rest on performance parts.

For $25,000 you can pick up a Supra TT, 300ZX TT, RX-7 TT, Trans-Am WS6, Corvette, etc., which are all RWD, fast, and sexy. Or you can pick up a cheap RWD car like a 240SX and spend the rest on performance parts.

Yeah, for a high-school senior whose previous car was an escort :shakehead:

Yeah, for a high-school senior whose previous car was an escort :shakehead:

yea its a funny car my friends and i named it "white lightning".... cause its a white gt... yes an Escort GT:smokin: and i always try to race any tuner car thats get near me while driving. belive it or not i beat a stock V6 mustang cause while he was busy burning out i was taking the lead and a truck got in front of him. but besides that i think id really rather get into a drifting daily driver. i wanna find a rwd for about $15 grand or less if its used. i have considered 2002+ mustang GTs but that makes me feel like a sell out even though Ken Gushi drives one for Formula D and those can be a lil more expensive but theyre also faster stock '07 300 HP probably at the fly wheel though
also how do yall think i would go about looking for a used rwd ive never really seen any for sell and i feel dumb asking this but are 3000GTs rwd or fwd ive seen a few for sell and my friend has one but i never noticed or asked

3000GT's come in FWD and AWD. Those are also nice cars. Not drift-cars, but they're fast, practicle, and are very stylish.

As for locating a used RWD car, just do some shopping.

3000GT's come in FWD and AWD. Those are also nice cars. Not drift-cars, but they're fast, practicle, and are very stylish.

As for locating a used RWD car, just do some shopping.


i was looking on auto trader... http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=200944965&dealer_id=57790109&car_year=1990&mod_bookmark_id=null&search_type=both&num_records=25&make=NISSAN&distance=75&model=300ZXTURBO&address=29418&certified=&advanced=&max_price=15000&bkms=1155699954380&min_price=1&end_year=2007&start_year=1981&lang=en&cardist=75 does anyone think its worth seems a bit much but it does have a lot of mods, ive heard however purchasing already tuned used cars can be a bad idea but i guess a few test drives might let me know

First you need to learn how to drive a car. You need to get a feeling for handling, acceleration, etc before you should even dream about drifting. Buying 400+ hp car will get you killed very fast. What will you do when you're showing off your car to your friend, and the tail end comes out very fast on you?

First you need to learn how to drive a car. You need to get a feeling for handling, acceleration, etc before you should even dream about drifting. Buying 400+ hp car will get you killed very fast. What will you do when you're showing off your car to your friend, and the tail end comes out very fast on you?

so u think its too fast too soon. i mean im not gonna try to drift every turn i see, ill prolly just practice in large empty parking lots. my friend has already wrecked his mustang in a new neighborhood that was being developed trying to drift after seeing tokyo drift. he ran into a fence, i was in the car, i know when its time to play and time to be serious, im a safe and good driver not like the stereotypical teen that causes 7 out of 10 wrecks....
besides i wanted to know if anyone thought it was a good deal but thanks for the advice i know racing is dangerous and can have fatal consequences

dude, seriously, what was your last car before deciding on buyin a new car? if it was fwd, i wouldn't recommend any 'fast cars'. serously grab a old civic hatch and learn how to drive. when u feel the time is right, do a motor swap and u'll be pretty quick with good gas milage. if rwd is your choice, y dont u get and underpowerd rwd, such as the 86 corolla, miata, or n/a mr2. all those cars have great handling and are underpowered so u wont kill yourself. take cars one step at a time.

my friend has already wrecked his mustang in a new neighborhood that was being developed trying to drift after seeing tokyo drift.

:spit: :rofl:

dude, seriously, what was your last car before deciding on buyin a new car? if it was fwd, i wouldn't recommend any 'fast cars'. serously grab a old civic hatch and learn how to drive. when u feel the time is right, do a motor swap and u'll be pretty quick with good gas milage. if rwd is your choice, y dont u get and underpowerd rwd, such as the 86 corolla, miata, or n/a mr2. all those cars have great handling and are underpowered so u wont kill yourself. take cars one step at a time.

i dont wanna waste money on buying a car to practice with then buying a better one. im not rich by any means. i am just a street racing enthusiast who wants to spoil himself for once and take an intersest i have to another level. one of the few interests i have thats why im joining the military cause im not really sure what i wanna do and the military is the easy way out.
and now this is turning into a life forum i just want recommendations on cars, not me and my driving skills. i know how to drive and control cars, ima kid ive tried dumb things in cars and learned lessons. i think im a much better driver than probably half the daily drivers out there. i may not know how to drift but thatll just take time and practice on closed courses or empty parking lots

end of discussion. 240sx for you with sr20det swap. should keep ya busy and in the 13s pretty easily. easily upgradeable to make really quick. end of story. now, if your not willing to do that, you're pretty dumb. the whole point of a low hp/tq car in rwd is that the car controls differenly than you think in rain, snow, etc. u have to get used to it, but if u dont want to fine, go ahead. ruin ur brand new car. dont say we diddnt tell you. thats y u swap in engines and ur pretty quick. the whole pint is to get used to the car, not say o wee this is fun, lose traction and crash.

im pretty sure we dont want u doing this with your 'super fast car'
http://videos.streetfire.net/search/ferrari/2/a21bb994-89a2-4199-a7d9-ffc0e2ccf557.htm

I can understand where you're coming from. I've only owned 2 cars in my lifetime. My first car was a '95 Saturn coupe; a feeble N/A 4-banger FWD econo-car (but she was good and loyal/ I kinda miss her). When I turned 20 I bought a 3rd-gen. RX-7; a fast twin-turbo RWD sports-car.... completely different car. But I had researched and studied the car for 2 years before purchasing it, and I had plenty of practive with RWD cars by driving many that belonged to friends/family and those at the dealerships that I had worked at. I don't think you need to buy another cheap/slow car that you don't even want just to practice on, but I would highly recommend that you get some serious practice in a RWD sports-car before buying one; the last thing you want is to fishtail your new investment into something/someone. Just be careful and responsible and avoid making asshole fast&furious moves like your stupid friend. If you want to race/drift, do it at a motorsports event and not on the street.

First of all, I will not even attempt to correct your grammatical mistakes. There are simply too many of them to even start.

i dont wanna waste money on buying a car to practice with then buying a better one. im not rich by any means.

Buying a cheap car will save you lots of money in the long run. If you get into an accident with an expensive car because you don't know how to drive it will cost you a LOT of money.


and now this is turning into a life forum i just want recommendations on cars, not me and my driving skills. i know how to drive and control cars, ima kid ive tried dumb things in cars and learned lessons.

You need to buy a car based on your driving skill. If the car you buy requires much greater skill than what you have, you will get into trouble with it

i think im a much better driver than probably half the daily drivers out there.

That doesn't say much

i may not know how to drift but thatll just take time and practice on closed courses or empty parking lots

You need to practice on a closed course, not in a Walmart parking lot. Chances are if you do it in a parking lot, sooner or later you'll run into trouble with law enforcement.

I can understand where you're coming from. I've only owned 2 cars in my lifetime. My first car was a '95 Saturn coupe; a feeble N/A 4-banger FWD econo-car (but she was good and loyal/ I kinda miss her). When I turned 20 I bought a 3rd-gen. RX-7; a fast twin-turbo RWD sports-car.... completely different car. But I had researched and studied the car for 2 years before purchasing it, and I had plenty of practive with RWD cars by driving many that belonged to friends/family and those at the dealerships that I had worked at. I don't think you need to buy another cheap/slow car that you don't even want just to practice on, but I would highly recommend that you get some serious practice in a RWD sports-car before buying one; the last thing you want is to fishtail your new investment into something/someone. Just be careful and responsible and avoid making asshole fast&furious moves like your stupid friend. If you want to race/drift, do it at a motorsports event and not on the street.


I agree. You don't necessarily have to own a car with a lot of potential to gain the necessary skills, but an underpowered car is probably a better idea, since you're less likely to get yourself into trouble.

http://www.benmautner.com/widerangle/vwgti.jpg
Mk.V GTI anyone?

Writing grammatically correct takes too much time clawhammer. However, I have thought about it and drifting is for pro racers. I would never be able to get on a good course, they cost too much and I'm sure there isn't any around where I live. Charleston, SC.... not from here. Nor am I interested in being a pro racer, just some underground drag, maybe drag strip on some weekends, and working on cars is my desire. So back to the original post, I have definitely narrowed down my choices to the '06 Tiburon GT or the Civic Si. I am defnitiely more attracted to the Tiburon, I think it looks better and has more HP potential with a V6. However I do not know for sure. Can anyone tell me why most import tuners do not like Tiburons, I have heard in the past they've been unreliable but now they're more efficient supposedly. If they aren't reliable then I am sure with Honda's known reliablity the Civic is a better deal for only $2 grand more.
Any opinions are welcome about the two cars.

Writing grammatically correct takes too much time clawhammer. However, I have thought about it and drifting is for pro racers. I would never be able to get on a good course, they cost too much and I'm sure there isn't any around where I live. Charleston, SC.... not from here. Nor am I interested in being a pro racer, just some underground drag, maybe drag strip on some weekends, and working on cars is my desire. So back to the original post, I have definitely narrowed down my choices to the '06 Tiburon GT or the Civic Si. I am defnitiely more attracted to the Tiburon, I think it looks better and has more HP potential with a V6. However I do not know for sure. Can anyone tell me why most import tuners do not like Tiburons, I have heard in the past they've been unreliable but now they're more efficient supposedly. If they aren't reliable then I am sure with Honda's known reliablity the Civic is a better deal for only $2 grand more.
Any opinions are welcome about the two cars.

whoever said the tiburon's were not reliable doesn't own one. we've got a 2001 and have only had to replace the radiator cap. I think we need tires now too... but seriously... 5 almost 6 years old without any problems? cmon.

*knocks on wood before continuing*
civic's are nice, however i'm not convinced that the internal speedo on those civics are reliable... digital dash's are a very iffy thing. i'd feel more comfortable if the lights went out on an analog since there's still something there moving to tell you what it is... the lights go out on your digital? your boned.

Gas mileage will be better in your civic, but not much when you get the si. The tiburon has a longer warranty and imo a better style (i like the 2nd gens better, but i'm warming up to the 3rd gens) they handle better than the si (test drove both the 06 tib gt and the 06 civic si) and imo have more possibilities and are just overall a cooler car to have, especially if you are wanting to mod one up... millions of kids have a civic that's "modded" (fart can, etc) but how many tibs do you see? exactly.
I'm no way in any shape or form telling you to go out and "drift" because drifting is dangerous not only to you but to other people. same with street racing.... it's dangerous and if you are not smart behind the wheel, people die. It's that simple. Drifting looks cool on tv (and is fun in real life....) but it's not for everyone. i've been driving rwd cars all my life and it's still hard for me behind the wheel because of all the responsiabilty in my head. i wouldn't recommend parking lots due to cops, and seriously who wants to spend 25k on a car to get it quickly taken away due to wreckless behavior?

Buy a 5k mustang fox body, build up that 302 and have some fun... if you wreck a fox body... parts are plentiful and it's built more hardcore to where you'll survive... unlike the cars of today where a small bump could crumple your car.

by 5 k i mean spend 500 on the car and 4,500 in mods.. you'd hit 12's easy.

Buy the foxbody as a fun car and get a econobox for daily driving.... that's the smart thing to do... shoot, buy a cobalt or tib for 20k spend the rest on the stang.

My :2cents:

but do Tiburons have a lot of aftermarket products, civic obviously does. i may want more than an intake and exhaust system. only one or two supercharges and turbos. by the way a dumb question u may think, but by looking at them i can tell the difference but exactly what is the difference between super and turbo chargers. does one last longer or safer than the other?

there is aftermarket for the 3rd gens as well as 2nd gens.... check the tiburon forums, there's a whole plether of aftermarket sites.

Turbo provides more power, while superchargers require less maintenance.

but boost is boost is boost

hahaha

I love these threads

everyone recommends their fav car

and the person asking always wants to be able to mod something very shit to become the drag/drift king

My first car was a 1997 Hyundai Excel, 4cyl, 12valves. I raced an M3 cabriolet in it when I was 19...up a hill - true story.

You should get similar.

Dude, I live in SC and my wife and I went down to the Charleston area on Memorial Day weekend to explore some backroads. We spent the day north of Charleston and there are tons of crazy back roads that nobody ever uses where you can practice car control.

My suggestion is if you don't have a bunch of money to spend every month on payments plus insurance plus servicing then you should probably steer clear of any expensive new cars. But I must admit that Hyundai seems like a good idea because of their warranty. Anyway, you can buy a civic already modded for cheap and thrash it and learn how to enhance your skills. I'm not talking about fart cans and intakes... more like engine swaps or internally upgraded to put the car in a seemingly different class than econobox status. A high 14 second civic is a decent learner IMO...

by all means i am not stating the fox body is my favorite car, i just know a good deal about the 302 and they are cheap and very easy to mod up to a quick car. Not a pretty car in the least, but a quick car.

imo if i had 25k to spend on a car, i'd pick up a gto.... 25k cash i'm sure they'd sell it to me with no payments (heh)

Get a used Honda S2000. It's rear wheel drive. When your ready for more torque just pop on a supercharger. Problem solved.

The other cars you mentioned are alright. Amongst them i'd only look at the Nissan 240SX. I like the way TatII has his car setup. Take a gander at it, and maybe you'll see some potential for something in the future.

Tat's got a very long and impressive mod list though. but yeah, after looking at his, you'll see potential in the "outdated" car

awww how sweet, my car is mentioned in this thread. thanks guys. i dno't see anything wrong with this guy jumping straight to a twin turbo car. i mean this is not his first car so i don't see why not?

also that pic of the 300ZX " Twin Turbo" i question if that car was a twin turbo. he has the non turbo wheels on, and he shows no engine shots. kinda fishy. i know he has hte wing and the black glass that says twin turbo. but the wheels really throws it off , and no engine shots.

also my car may be outdated but shes still a looker and better then most new cars out today in my opinion and can hang with the big boys.

nothing beats being able to put 17x9 and 17x10 wheels in such a small car. my front wheels are wider then the back wheels of most cars. even the GTO's.

http://nissaninfiniticlub.net/photopost/data/500/775DSC05237-med.JPG

http://nissaninfiniticlub.net/photopost/data/500/775cropsm.jpg

You guys keep mentioning the warranty on the Hyundais. Keep in mind that as soon as you start modding the car, the warranty will be void.

Buying an old car and fixing it up/upgrading it is not for everyone, and it's certainly not for me. I want a car that will start 10 times out of 10, one that I can drive on the weekends instead of having to work on. That's why I got a loan, and bought an S2000.

You guys keep mentioning the warranty on the Hyundais. Keep in mind that as soon as you start modding the car, the warranty will be void.

Buying an old car and fixing it up/upgrading it is not for everyone, and it's certainly not for me. I want a car that will start 10 times out of 10, one that I can drive on the weekends instead of having to work on. That's why I got a loan, and bought an S2000.

that's not true

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=312914

check that out before you assume modding will void your warranty.

Bottom line is its his car and he can do what he wants period.


Back to the question at hand. Out of the ones you said I would say the WRX TR would be my first choice because it has good after market support and its AWD which makes it good at everything except drifting. My second choice would be the Cobalt SS Supercharge. I recently got a chance to drive one and had a blast. FWD isn’t really my cup of tea, but its good for what it is.

Now as for the cars you didn’t say...
Theirs tons. I mean with 20grand you can pretty much get anything from the 90s and back. 240sx, GT0-VR4, Supra, RX-7, M3 etc...

I think you should tell us a little more what you like and want you want to do. You talk about drifting but list all FWD and one AWD?

In the end though its your money get what you want. Test drive a bunch of new and used cars and just figure out what’s you.

I haven't had a chance to read through this entire thread, but IMO you should get a z31 300zx turbo model, or possibly an older mr2/rx7 turbo... (I would say supra, but supposidly they're overpriced).

Stock, those cars are for the most part 15 second cars, with tons of potential, and they're RWD. So you can get used to the RWD with them, and than when you want, you can mod the hell out of them for decently cheap. Now, with the z31 300zx's, the turbos can be had for about 3-4 grand, and with about 5g's in mods you can have 500+RWHP...

So in advance, if anyone has already stated these options, sorry, but I'm doing a quick post before work.

I just find it humorous that 999 of every 1,000 teenagers that come on here and ask what car they should buy say almost these exact same things:

i know when its time to play and time to be serious, im a safe and good driver not like the stereotypical teen that causes 7 out of 10 wrecks....



i know how to drive and control cars, ima kid ive tried dumb things in cars and learned lessons. i think im a much better driver than probably half the daily drivers out there. i may not know how to drift but thatll just take time and practice on closed courses or empty parking lots


You wanna know why we keep telling you not to get an overpowered car? Because more than half the teenagers come back and report how they crashed their new 300hp car into a fence, pole, car, garage, whatever at 100+mph, and it's totaled. I just read a thread where a poor guy crashed his car and one passenger went into a coma.

Bottom line, when I got my 320hp car, I spun it at 100+mph the first week of owning it, and I can honestly say, had I not had experience and a bit of luck on my side, the vr4 would have been totaled.

i dont wanna waste money on buying a car to practice with then buying a better one.......and now this is turning into a life forum i just want recommendations on cars, not me and my driving skills.

Trust us, it's alot bigger waste of money, totalling a brand new $25k car. It's your money, your life, but you asked us our opinions, and that is what you are getting. Believe us, jumping up to a 200hp car from your escort will be a noticeable improvement.

Of the list you mentioned, I think the wrxs are the route I'd go, nice aftermarket potential. AWD will make it safer, however their trannys aren't the strongest thing. I personally think the '06s are ugly and would aim for a '03-'05.

Hondas last forever, I used to own one, many of my friends have, I don't know much about the new SI except I think they finally got it up to 200hp. Their recent 6 cylinder Accords have shown more issues than I originally expected, but judging by their track record, I still think it's a safe bet.

The rsx is nice, I have 2 friends with them, nice quick cars, fun to drive. This would probably be my 2nd choice.

The newer Tibs I've never been a fan of. Don't know anyone who owns them, so I can't really give much in the way of personal experience. I drove quite a few at the dealership I used to work at, but rarely took them very far. Some like the styling, some don't. I just personally didn't think there was much special about hte car. However, somebody kept praising the warranty, and they are starting to come out with more aftermarket...so...it might be worth considering.

As far as why it has less aftermarket than Hondas, well the new Tib has only been out for what 2 years? Aftermarket companies need time and demand for them to make parts. Obviously 1 or the other, or both were lacking. They were starting to show more dealership add-ons aroudn the time I quit that job...so I don't know, maybe there is more demand now.

Turbo vs. Supercharger (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=201348)