Once again, another "Which car?" thread

[TXStorm]

Hey guys. I am brand new to this board. I am 15, and I joined the website to learn more about cars and engines in general. I am a pretty big car n00bie right now, but I'm hoping to gain more knowledge about them as this site looks very informative.

Here's the deal. I'm going to be working 3 jobs this summer and I expect to have $15,000 before December when I turn 16. I'm looking for a car that looks nice(duh lol), has a nice looking interior, gets about 25mpg maybe a little less, and I want to also be able to have fun dragging with friends every once in a while.

I won't be racing it seriously so I dont need some turbocharged 300hp RX-7, but I wouldn't mind having one. I also can't stand small cars. I hate being cramped. My friend used to have an Eagle Talon, which I hated. Are those about the same size as Eclipses, 240ZX's, and the like?

Like I said, I don't know much about cars. So I dont want something with 60k+ mile, because I wont be able to fix it myself and then a shop will screw me over. Right now, 2002 Acura RSX's(Type-s in particular) have caught my eye. You can find used ones with less than 20k miles in the 15-16 range. I was just wondering if an RSX would be a wise decision or if there are better things out there for the money.

I'm getting tired and I'm pretty sure thats everything I wanted to say. If theres something else I'll come back and edit. I know this was a fairly long post so thanks for putting up with it and thanks in advance for your advice.

[TexasF355F1]

Hey fellow Texan! Welcome to AF. Now after reading that you said you don't want a small car but will have around $15,000 by December, I see you have your goals set and that's nice to see. As for the RSX, have you ridden in one? It is a small car, but is somewhat roomy, like the Integra. But while they are roomy I still consider them kinda cramped for my standards(I drive a '99 Silverado by the way). I don't know if your into Imports(Honda/Toyota) or Domestics(Chevy/Ford) or if it even matters to you. You can always find used Camaros and Mustangs for around that price and can have an excellent performing car(even more so with the camaro ). And a few mods and you can be running a high to mid 12 second car. Since you say you don't like small cars, what exactly do you consider small cars? I consider Civics, Accords, Eclipse, RSX, etc, small cars. Once I get more info I'd more be more than happy to help you out with idea, and I'm sure others here at AF are ready and willing as well.

[TXStorm]

No, I have never ridden in an RSX. I need to go check one out at a dealership. I like both imports and domestics, but if I do purchase an import it will not have body kits and spoilers and all that ricey stuff. I'm not into that.

I havent ridden in alot of different cars, but I do know that Eagle Talon's are too small for my liking. I think they look about the same size as Eclipses, but I'm not sure because I've never been in an Eclipse. I'm hoping maybe one of you guys could tell me.

I looked through the RSX forum, and saw a thread about some engine problems. Many Type-S RSX's had their engine completely go ka-put and the owner had to pay for the new engine I think it said? They said it was with Type-s's below serial 33,000 but is this something I should be worried about because they said it could be caused by not shifting right into the 6th gear I think?

[1qtrmilekid]

I think you should check out the IS sport design, you have 15 grand so I 'm not sure if you're planning on financing or going to buy outright but if you're going to make payments on a car you'll love the IS. I test drove it the other day and this thing is a masterpiece, it's quick and sporty but it's not like thats all it is. It's very lux and nice at the same time. I found an offer where you can get a free subscription to media week magazine if you test drive the IS, here's the link where I found the offer
http://www.mediaweek.com/mediaweek/index.jsp