Advice on first car.

[I 7V F I 7V I T Y]

Hey, I had a massive post written up. But apparently it logged me out and I lost all of it. So I'll give you a rundown. I'm turning 16 in a few months. I feel like I'm responsible, but I bet every kid does. I have a perfect 4.0 GPA and take all honors classes. I live in a snowy/ hilly area. I'll being paying for a good portion of my car. I like sports cars but I understand the insurance costs on them. Here are my requirements. Let me know if they're unrealistic.

Preferably can drive in the snow, although I can drive my parents SUV if need be.
Some sporty, that can either be upgraded as I get experiance or has a good amount of raw power.
Preferably something not terribly common.
Used and under 20k.
Safety ( so either past 10 years or a restored classic)
20+ mpg. But that's negotiable.
I'll be driving less than 10miles a day. But around 200 miles on the weekends.

Here are few cars that atleast somewhat fit the bill

Lancer evo- lots of aftermarket. A car I can see myself working on and having for several years to come. Maybe not a great first car. Perhaps a good second car.

Infiniti 35g- In the budget, but maybe overkill for a first car?

Restored '69 cutlass- not exactly what I need. But I'd love to have and there's one for sale near here.

Let me know if you want/need to know anything else. Also, tell me if I'm being unrealistic or just plain stupid.

[I 7V F I 7V I T Y]

I'm looking for something that I'll be able to use on the highway and especially around town. Preferably AWD. Something that I can either work on and upgrade in coming years, or something I won't need to work on.

[oldblu65]

Acura RSX

[Shpuker]

Helluva budget for a first car, might wanna save some of the money you would be spending now and save it up, but thats completely up to you.

In the 20k range you could get quite a lot of 2nd or 3rd hand SUVs, not gonna fill the sporty column though, you could go for a small sports car, but thats not going to be very safe and your probably gonna end up getting into some trouble to be honest. You could go for a Mini and get economical, sporty, and decent on insurance and such, but its not exactly the safest car in the world. Could go for something like an AWD Charger V8 but thats gonna eat through the gas (maybe 20mpg mostly highway depending on how you drive it, with the HEMI in it I'd assume quickly) and insurance would be no fun. But a restored classic really doesn't tick any box, its not safe, its not gonna get 20mpg or very close to, its not gonna be able to do really anything in the snow, it may have a 400ci engine in it and it still wont be very quick to be honest, BUT I see where your goin with it, the classic muscle is always bad ass.

Best thing I can come up with is either an 01ish Subaru Legacy GT (around 10k in great shape) or a newer (06ish maybe) Legacy GT Spec B (about 20k with higher mileage), the older one is gonna be cheaper upfront, and cheaper to insure, the Spec B is pretty sick though, get all the WRX fun without the D-bag trademark or the completely screwed insurance rates.

Long story short, I'd say an 01 Legacy GT for around 8-10k

[I 7V F I 7V I T Y]

Hey, Thanks for the replies. I didn't quite mean first car. But first car when i actually get some basic driving experiance. so im looking about a year into the future and just looking around right now. Ill take a look at those cars you suggested.

Btw, yeah, classic muscle is badass, if not really feasible.

[I 7V F I 7V I T Y]

My family has had bad experiances with subaru's, so i can't say im too excited about getting one. I do love Mini's, ( $199 lease too ), but simply can't be safe.

[Shpuker]

Originally Posted by I 7V F I 7V I T Y

My family has had bad experiances with subaru's, so i can't say im too excited about getting one. I do love Mini's, ( $199 lease too ), but simply can't be safe.

Yea I've heard some really good experiences and some bad, they usually tend to build up a pattern though lol.
pretty much with the minis

I dunno maybe a mid range AWD Lancer?

[I 7V F I 7V I T Y]

yeah, i like the lancers. especially seeing as theyre all wheel drive. IF I were to buy used, is there a specific year that stands out?

Thanks