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Old 03-20-2010, 11:13 PM   #1
Bullseye08
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First car!

I am 16 looking for my first car. I currently don't know how to drive a stick but I plan on learning. I actually have the desire to own a car with a manual transmission.

I want something that:
-will be fun to drive
-won't be expensive to insure
-is reliable
-foreign (no domestics for me)
-good on gas
-under $15,000
-has more than 2 seats

Some cars I like:
-Honda Civic Si
-Acura Rsx
-Scion Tc (not so much)
-VW GTI

Car suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot!
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Old 03-22-2010, 02:16 PM   #2
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Re: First car!

Out of the cars you listed, I would definitely go with the GTI. I've always been a big fan.

Another car you should look at is a Saab 9-3 Aero (or Vector, depending on the year). I own a 2003 9-3 and absolutely love it. They're a blast to drive, good looking, more luxurious than the cars on your list and actually cheaper in a lot of cases because they're not in high demand. I picked mine up for only $6000 and it's a great shape. If you have $10-15k to spend on a car then you could probably find a really nice 2005 9-3 Aero. They have 210 hp. You might even find some 2006's in that price range. The '06 Aero's got a new turbocharge V-6 that pumped out 250 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque

They can be hard to come by, but I'd definitely encourage you to look into it. They're the best value on the used car market IMHO.
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Old 03-22-2010, 03:51 PM   #3
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Re: First car!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bullseye08 View Post
I am 16 looking for my first car. I currently don't know how to drive a stick but I plan on learning. I actually have the desire to own a car with a manual transmission.

I want something that:
-will be fun to drive
-won't be expensive to insure
-is reliable
-foreign (no domestics for me)
-good on gas
-under $15,000
-has more than 2 seats

Some cars I like:
-Honda Civic Si
-Acura Rsx
-Scion Tc (not so much)
-VW GTI

Car suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot!
None of them! All too high on insurance. You will find that by going to a midsize sedan, with a larger motor (and often better performance), your insurance will be lower and cost of ownership will be equal if not lower - for a bigger, more powerful car. It sounds backwards but because so many people your age buy GTI's, Civics, RSX's, then crash them into trees and pedestrians, the insurance rates for almost all cars in this class are astronomical.

Consider something like a Nissan Altima SE (with 6-speed manual), Honda Accord SE-V6, VW Jetta GLI, Mazda6 V6 (5-speed manual), or Toyota Camry SE V6 (only auto). The GLI will still run you high on insurance, but trust me - compare the rates of these 'family sedans' and you'll find they are significantly lower. For bang-for-the-buck, I'd recommend the Altima or the Mazda6. Do your own comparisons online, there are several sites that offer free online insurance quote comparisons.


Best of luck!
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Old 06-17-2010, 06:42 PM   #4
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Re: First car!

if you can ditch the insurance, and you can do some hunting, you can find a fairly clean Ferrari Mondial Quattrovalvole (82-85) for about that money. It is not the Mondial 8, so it is after the electrical issues, and it is generally reliable. Believe me, i owned 2 of them

Another good choice is the Jaguar XJR. you could pick up a good, clean 98-03 V8 370Hp version for about $7-12K
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Old 06-17-2010, 07:39 PM   #5
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Re: First car!

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Originally Posted by bullet50000 View Post
if you can ditch the insurance, and you can do some hunting, you can find a fairly clean Ferrari Mondial Quattrovalvole (82-85) for about that money. It is not the Mondial 8, so it is after the electrical issues, and it is generally reliable. Believe me, i owned 2 of them

Another good choice is the Jaguar XJR. you could pick up a good, clean 98-03 V8 370Hp version for about $7-12K
i) ditch insurance? WTF?
ii) your profile says you were born in 1996. Please tell how a 14 year old owns and drives two admittedly cheap Ferrari?

anyway.
a 16 year old isn't likely to get cheap insurance on any of the cars listed in the original post. That doesn't mean you can't buy a good car and have fun with it.
As a starting point, you can't go far wrong with a Ford Focus of any generation (if you ignore the base 1.4 models).
With the Honda Civic, it's a hard call because what you really want is a Type-R and while the EP3 is quite cheap these days 2nd hand, they are still a bitch to insure and being honest about these things, as good as the Si cars are, they aint no Type-R.
That is the same story with the Golfs.
The car you want is the GTi but insurance for a kid is horrid and even if you get a lesser Golf, what you will still want is a GTi and that will gnaw at you.
With that said, if you're not looking at the MK5 cars, then insurance might not be so bad these days. Did the US market ever get the MK4 V5 because that was a cracking engine.

With the Focus, well, they're all good and if you can only afford the smaller engines, the only flaw is the lack of power. In all other aspects, the car is brilliant.
And they're cheap.
Seeing as you didn't get the MK1 RS (which you wouldn't get cheap insurance on anyway) the one to look out for is the SVT.
With your budget, you should actually be able to get a tidy MK2 1.6 Focus and maybe stratch to a 1.8.

One more thing to have a look at, check out the prices for a Mazda RX-8.
They are looking like bargains if not cheap to run.
Insurance isn't that bad either.
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Old 06-17-2010, 11:07 PM   #6
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Re: First car!

Quote:
Originally Posted by bullet50000 View Post
if you can ditch the insurance, and you can do some hunting, you can find a fairly clean Ferrari Mondial Quattrovalvole (82-85) for about that money. It is not the Mondial 8, so it is after the electrical issues, and it is generally reliable. Believe me, i owned 2 of them

Another good choice is the Jaguar XJR. you could pick up a good, clean 98-03 V8 370Hp version for about $7-12K
...... ? how does that make any sense? Getting an 80's Ferrari as a first car? and the late 90's Jags are unbelievably expensive to maintain, insure, and weren't very reliable. And Did you really just say ditch insurance? you obviously don't drive

And the drunk beat me to the RX8 suggestion. Fun, not bad running costs, and not bad on insurance.
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Old 06-21-2010, 06:46 PM   #7
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Re: First car!

Quote:
Originally Posted by drunken monkey View Post
i) ditch insurance? WTF?
ii) your profile says you were born in 1996. Please tell how a 14 year old owns and drives two admittedly cheap Ferrari?

anyway.
a 16 year old isn't likely to get cheap insurance on any of the cars listed in the original post. That doesn't mean you can't buy a good car and have fun with it.
As a starting point, you can't go far wrong with a Ford Focus of any generation (if you ignore the base 1.4 models).
With the Honda Civic, it's a hard call because what you really want is a Type-R and while the EP3 is quite cheap these days 2nd hand, they are still a bitch to insure and being honest about these things, as good as the Si cars are, they aint no Type-R.
That is the same story with the Golfs.
The car you want is the GTi but insurance for a kid is horrid and even if you get a lesser Golf, what you will still want is a GTi and that will gnaw at you.
With that said, if you're not looking at the MK5 cars, then insurance might not be so bad these days. Did the US market ever get the MK4 V5 because that was a cracking engine.

With the Focus, well, they're all good and if you can only afford the smaller engines, the only flaw is the lack of power. In all other aspects, the car is brilliant.
And they're cheap.
Seeing as you didn't get the MK1 RS (which you wouldn't get cheap insurance on anyway) the one to look out for is the SVT.
With your budget, you should actually be able to get a tidy MK2 1.6 Focus and maybe stratch to a 1.8.

One more thing to have a look at, check out the prices for a Mazda RX-8.
They are looking like bargains if not cheap to run.
Insurance isn't that bad either.
About ditching insurance, i meant to say ditch the cheap insurance request. And for the Ferraris, i owned 1, than another, then i got the XJR i have now. for the reason i dont have the ferraris anymore, 2 words, tree in the way, and that is why i am putting twice the amount i am putting into gas into insurance. By the way, an RX8 is not cheap for insurance or to run. its group 20 for insurance, its in the 440 pound tax band, and you put as much oil in it as you do petrol
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Old 06-21-2010, 06:49 PM   #8
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Re: First car!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shpuker View Post
...... ? how does that make any sense? Getting an 80's Ferrari as a first car? and the late 90's Jags are unbelievably expensive to maintain, insure, and weren't very reliable. And Did you really just say ditch insurance? you obviously don't drive

And the drunk beat me to the RX8 suggestion. Fun, not bad running costs, and not bad on insurance.
if late 90s jags were unreliable, why were they voted #1 in the top gear survey in 2002?
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Old 06-21-2010, 11:36 PM   #9
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Re: First car!

Quote:
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if late 90s jags were unreliable, why were they voted #1 in the top gear survey in 2002?
Maybe because its a British show/Magazine (don't get me wrong I love Top Gear).

EDIT: And I think its worth pointing out, they get a different car there than we do here
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Old 06-22-2010, 12:53 PM   #10
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Re: First car!

RX-8 are not (UK) Group 20 for insurance.
The tax is also dependent on the year of registration so yes for £435 but also yes for £235 pa.
Bear in mind that road tax in the UK for the XJR you're talking about is £205.


i) So once again, how does a 14 year old drive?

ii) the XJR you're talking about gets pretty much the same real world mpg as the RX-8 so er, what's the point you're trying to make?
Yes, the RX-8 needs a top up of oil every year when serviced but not as bad as a 1980s Ferrari. If you indeed did used to own and run Modials then you'd know that it is recommended that you have a complete oil change every year. That's 10 (and a bit) litres of possibly the most expensive oil on the shelf at £10+ a litre.
An RX-8 doesn't drink 10 litres of oil in a year.

iii) why is a guy in america giving me UK numbers for the car? surely you know what you're paying for your cars.

iv) seeing as I'm getting quotes of £1100-£1400 to insure an XJR for me, I'd love to know what you, a 14 year old, is paying.
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Old 06-22-2010, 04:59 PM   #11
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Re: First car!

Quote:
Originally Posted by drunken monkey View Post
RX-8 are not (UK) Group 20 for insurance.
The tax is also dependent on the year of registration so yes for £435 but also yes for £235 pa.
Bear in mind that road tax in the UK for the XJR you're talking about is £205.


i) So once again, how does a 14 year old drive?

ii) the XJR you're talking about gets pretty much the same real world mpg as the RX-8 so er, what's the point you're trying to make?
Yes, the RX-8 needs a top up of oil every year when serviced but not as bad as a 1980s Ferrari. If you indeed did used to own and run Modials then you'd know that it is recommended that you have a complete oil change every year. That's 10 (and a bit) litres of possibly the most expensive oil on the shelf at £10+ a litre.
An RX-8 doesn't drink 10 litres of oil in a year.

iii) why is a guy in america giving me UK numbers for the car? surely you know what you're paying for your cars.

iv) seeing as I'm getting quotes of £1100-£1400 to insure an XJR for me, I'd love to know what you, a 14 year old, is paying.
i) i have my learners permit

ii) I never said the Ferrari was cheaper to maintain than the RX8 (although the Jag is), i just said the RX8 was expensive to maintain, which it is

iii) i know i might sound ignorent, but it was so you could understand it better, sorry about that

iv) like i said, i am paying crazy amounts for insurance, around $4500 per year.
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Old 06-22-2010, 11:35 PM   #12
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Re: First car!

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i) i have my learners permit

ii) I never said the Ferrari was cheaper to maintain than the RX8 (although the Jag is), i just said the RX8 was expensive to maintain, which it is

iii) i know i might sound ignorent, but it was so you could understand it better, sorry about that

iv) like i said, i am paying crazy amounts for insurance, around $4500 per year.
So you know nothing

Stop lashing out at a mod and give numbers of the right country at least

You, aren't paying shit for insurance. your 14..... hell how does a 14 year old have a learners permit?
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Old 06-23-2010, 07:49 AM   #13
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Re: First car!

Apparently you can get a learner's permit in Kansas when you hit 14.
That still means you need a person over 21 next to you in order for you to drive though.

My initial thought was that if you can afford $4500 a year just on insurance why aren't you driving something infinitely better like an Exige S?
This is where we do the usual bit of asking for a photo of your car with a nice hand written sign next to it with "this is my car you dirty piece of smeg" to prove you aren't talking out of your arse but y'know what, I can't be bothered.
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Old 06-23-2010, 11:25 PM   #14
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Re: First car!

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Apparently you can get a learner's permit in Kansas when you hit 14.
That still means you need a person over 21 next to you in order for you to drive though.

My initial thought was that if you can afford $4500 a year just on insurance why aren't you driving something infinitely better like an Exige S?
This is where we do the usual bit of asking for a photo of your car with a nice hand written sign next to it with "this is my car you dirty piece of smeg" to prove you aren't talking out of your arse but y'know what, I can't be bothered.
i will give you a reason for not getting an Exige, i payed $5000 for the Jag, the cheapest Exige i can find was $30,000, and it would have cost even more for insurance.
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Old 06-25-2010, 03:05 AM   #15
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Re: First car!

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i will give you a reason for not getting an Exige, i payed $5000 for the Jag, the cheapest Exige i can find was $30,000, and it would have cost even more for insurance.
Correction. (if you even have it) your parents payed $5,000 for the Jag, and the insurance.

Ohh, just throwin this out there. The RX-8 would be WAY cheaper to maintain than ANY Jag
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