First car

[t.del]

At this point this is all more hypothetical than anything else, seeing as I wont be buying my first car for at least 10 months or so. I will be getting my license sometime within the next two months (Ill be nearly 17 by then), and being a guy I have thought pretty hard about what to get. I have a steady part time job currently, so I can conservatively estimate a 5k budget. I have been eying late 1980's Alfa Romeo Spiders, although I know that getting one could easily be like gambling all of my money... I do have a mechanically oriented mind (come from a family of mechanical engineers), and I have also started teaching myself car mechanics specifically, spending considerable time under the hood of my family's car to familiarize myself with the parts. I learn this stuff pretty fast, and with a year to learn it I should be relatively comfortable with the subject matter. I can't really think of a clear-cut question here, its more like I am just looking for advice, but here are a couple general ones: With 5k dollars is it reasonable to expect to be able to buy a Spider that will run well enough to last me a few years of very light driving (doubt it would be more than 3k miles/ year) with minimal maintenance? If there is maintenance would It be maintenance that I could do at home (i.e. without lots of equipment)? I understand that the answers to these questions all depend on the state of the car. I will try to be as careful as possible in choosing the car to make sure that something major isn't due to break (like the timechain or something). My last question is, if this is a terrible idea, does anyone have any suggestions of other cars that would be in the same price range (fun to drive, manual trans as well)?

[syrne]

Buying any used car is a gamble. The best way to increase your odds is to feel out the person you are buying it from. Like, look at the other car they brought to drive home in, or if you are meeting them at their place check out their house and how the yard is maintained etc. That should give you an idea about how they care for their things.

As far as your choice of first car, a very nice car indeed, but the insurance is going to drain you. For maintenance, I don't know of many jobs that can't be done at home with some know-how and maybe a couple trips to the machine shop. It's a matter of how valuable your time is to you. I'm sure there are hundreds of cars with a more forgiving maintenance schedule than an Alfa though. I'm not trying to stomp on your dreams or anything but I'm not sure a late 80's somewhat exotic car is the best choice for a first car/daily driver.

[t.del]

Yes I have been rethinking my choice, and I think that I may hold off on getting an Alfa, at least for now. Are there make names that you know of who make cars which have a good balance between longevity and being fun to drive?

[syrne]

According to KBB for around $7,000 you can get a used RSX around the Seattle area. They are pretty fun to drive, my ex had a Type-S but the base model probably isn't too bad. Small and sporty, rock solid, not too difficult to work on. The insurance wasn't the best though. If that is not an option maybe go for a Honda Civic, maybe not the most fun thing to drive but they still handle well enough. Maybe a Mazda Miata? Has a chick car stigma but they are really fun to drive. No space at all though. I have a Jetta that I had all through college, it's alright as far as fun to drive but the upkeep is a pain in my ass. Everything costs way too much and everytime I fix something another thing decides to go on me. And if you aren't totally opposed to trucks my first car was a '95 Ford Ranger. I still have it for moving and hauling. 170k on it and it has been hassle free except for a new starter. Different kind of fun to drive, taking it off road through some puddles and dirt. Just a few to think about, I haven't been in the market for cars for a long while so I am not sure what is out there now. Most of my experience is from late '90s makes/models. Hope you can find something you love though, just get out there and start test driving cars.

[t.del]

Ok, I will look around. Thanks for the suggestions!