first car ideas?

im 16 years old and lookin to buy my first car. i live in michigan, my budget is about $5000. im lookin for more of a tuner car. i would pefer it to be american, rwd, 4door, and manual. i know that it is kind of specific so if its got most of them thats good enough. i was lookin at a neon or a escort but they are fwd. so if u could through out some cars i might like and where i could find them that would be great. thanks

Tuner type car , American made , 4 doors , manual transmission , and RWD ? Can't think of anything right off hand to fit that description ? You might check out some of the " Tuner " magazines and see if you spot anything suitable . There might be cars , such as the Cadillac CTS , that might fit the profile but probably not the budget .Good luck and keep us updated on your choice .

im 16 years old and lookin to buy my first car. i live in michigan, my budget is about $5000. im lookin for more of a tuner car. i would pefer it to be american, rwd, 4door, and manual. i know that it is kind of specific so if its got most of them thats good enough. i was lookin at a neon or a escort but they are fwd. so if u could through out some cars i might like and where i could find them that would be great. thanks

Wow that's tall order. How old of a vehicle were you thinking of? The big sticking point is RWD. By the late 1980s most American car manufacturers had abandoned that platform in favor of FWD.Some full sized cars survived beyond that with 4 doors butvery few had a manual tranny, unless it was a custom job aftermaket or special ordered from the factory. If you went with a 2 door, the search might be easier as you have the Ford Mustang, and Chevy Camaro for starters.

iwas lookin at a 1995 plymoth neon on craigs list http://detroit.craigslist.org/cto/1220529939.html
but when i found out it was fwd id rater not get it b/c u really cant do anything fun with a fwdcar or can u still drift and burn out with fwd cars.

No , unfortunately " Drifters " have to have RWD !

Here is a novel idea, change your criteria. Buying a "tuner" thats american made with your criteria on your budget is literally impossible. America doesnt make a sport compact thats RWD and 4 doors. Instead of scouring the earth for a car that cheap with those needs, find your priorities within that list and see what you come up with.

ok then american, manual, 4door, tuner type car

ok then american, manual, 4door, tuner type car

Well for your budget I'd suggest a Dodge neon, maybe even a Saturn.
To be honest your really looking at a family sedan. It would be too easy to find something that wasnt 4 doors. Thats whats holding you back as far as your options go.

well right now i drive my dad 2000 lincoln ls which is a 4 door and i really like it b/c i have a lot of ppl gettin in and out of my car and its a real pain if i have a 2 door b/c when i drive my moms car which is a 2 door its really hard to get ppl in and out.

well right now i drive my dad 2000 lincoln ls which is a 4 door and i really like it b/c i have a lot of ppl gettin in and out of my car and its a real pain if i have a 2 door b/c when i drive my moms car which is a 2 door its really hard to get ppl in and out.

what it sounds like man is that you really dont need a sport compact. If its safe to assume that you are only using this vehicle for recreation and to get back and forth between work/school ect. then perhaps you should just get a 4dr sedan. I recommend a Ford Taurus, Honda Accord, keep that in mind when you make your decision and remember that a car that suits your needs is better than a car that makes heads turn.

ok then american, manual, 4door, tuner type car

Since you dropped the RWD from your list , that opens up the field a bit. I might suggest vehicles like the Pontiac Grand Prix, and other 4 door W body cars like the Buick Regal. These cars have a 4 door option and some came with a manual. Not sure how far back in model years you'd have to go to reach your ideal price range. Also there are aftermarket items available for both the engine and exterior .We have a very active Pontiac Grand Prix forum on this site and you might want to check it out if you have any questions.
EDIT: Another suggestion for a 4 dr car with your criteria is the early models of the Chevrolet Aveo. Their pricing has just entered your budget range.

i only can use my parents cars like once a week and i hang with my freinds everydat so i want a car they can easily get into but still can be upgraded i was thinking about gettin a neon

i hang with my freinds everydat so i want a car they can easily get into but still can be upgraded
That Aveo I mentioned in my edited post above your last one might fit that bill. I remember seeing commercials for that car when they first came on the market with 5 basketball players getting into and out of that car fairly easily.

I agree, good suggestion. I however would not suggest a pontiac. Generally speaking the Grand prix were decent cars but tend to have electrical problems and will often burn oil at a greater rate than most other options you might have. I know from personal experiance I will never own a FWD pontiac ever again.

That Aveo I mentioned in my edited post above your last one might fit that bill. I remember seeing commercials for that car when they first came on the market with 5 basketball players getting into and out of that car fairly easily.

Fairly easy getting in out ?

Mr moderator, surely I hope we are not talking NBA

Fairly easy getting in out ?

Mr moderator, surely I hope we are not talking NBA
I don't remember as I believe it was the first year the car came out. I tried looking on Youtube but all they had were commercials from 2006 and later. I do remember they were 5 of them and they appeared to be NBA players. The point I think Chevy was trying to say was "don't judge the car by how small it looks on the outside," or something similar.

I don't remember as I believe it was the first year the car came out. I tried looking on Youtube but all they had were commercials from 2006 and later. I do remember they were 5 of them and they appeared to be NBA players. The point I think Chevy was trying to say was "don't judge the car by how small it looks on the outside," or something similar.

Mr moderator, you really do answer any Q in a proper manner, and I respect to date all your answers as I thinks they are excellent,,, I know I was just trying to add a little humor, hope you took it in the right direction.

True story?

1st off, at 16, your parents should be limiting the # of people they allow to ride with you. It is proven that distractions from multiple passengers is the #1 cause of accidents in drivers 16-18.

2ndly, you don't have the experience to be thinking about drifts and burnouts. You will end up destroying your car by either smashing into something or breaking parts.

Lastly, as stated before, finding a rear drive 4-door tuner car is virtually impossible without going foreign made, and those offered are going to cost way over your budget.

That being said and you saying a FWD would be acceptable, your choices are pretty much limited to the Dodge/Plymouth Neon, Ford Focus and Chevy Cavalier/ Pontiac Sunfire without going foreign. The Grand Prix's mentioned by Tom ('97ventureowner) had a very limited number of manual trans versions produced (the Regal never offered a manual trans), and were only available from 88-96 with the 3.1 and 3.4 6-cylinder engines. The 3.1 isnt very tuneable, and the 3.4 DOHC V-6 is a piece of crap boat anchor. The DOHC Neons are quick and fun to drive, and fairly reliable. The Focus is offered in SVT varients which are peppy and tuneable and you can get a 4-dr hatchback. Lastly, the Cavalier/Sunfire's with the 2.4 DOHC are also peppy, but reliability on that engine is iffy at best. The newer ones that came with the 2.2 Ecotec DOHC engine are also tuneable and much more reliable, but most likely out of your price range..

Ford Escort... /end thread

the Cavalier/Sunfire's with the 2.4 DOHC are also peppy, but reliability on that engine is iffy at best. The newer ones that came with the 2.2 Ecotec DOHC engine are also tuneable and much more reliable, but most likely out of your price range..
That reminds me, we have an extensive forum here with great participation geared toward the Cavalier found at this link: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=110 . Within that forum is a subforum specializing in Performance of these cars and that is found here:http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1502 . There are also pictures by members of their setups and mods.

wut do u guys think of this http://detroit.craigslist.org/cto/1220529939.html
how much would it cost to get the clutch cable to be fixied>

I thought this thread ended with the Ford Escort being the only choice, did i look at something wrong? :lol:

That ad doesn't state if it's a SOHC or DOHC engine. The DOHC is the higher performance version and is much more tuneable. The SOHC is a base motor and not performance oriented or very tuneable. The LF fender appears to be in primer, so the car may have been in an accident and have more problems/damage that you cannot see or want to deal with. Before I bought it, I'd have it inspected on a rack.

i have found some more neons on craigs list that ive really liked but is there anything that neons are known for causing problems?