Whats a good first car?

I was just curious of what a youngun like me should look for in a reasonable price range for a good car, any help would be wonderful, thanx.

OK..you have to give more info:
What, to you, is a "reasonable price range"?
What do you intend to do with this car? Drive to work/school, or race, or both, or go off-road?
Do you plan on any modifications to the car?
Will you regularly be carrying 2 or more passengers?
How important is gas mileage to you?
Do you prefer stick or auto tranny?
2 doors or 4?
FWD, AWD, or RWD, or 4WD? What's your preference, and how important?
Is reliability a big factor for you?
Which brand do you prefer?
Is insurance cost important?
Are you concerned about crashworthiness?
Which safety features do you require the car to have? (ABS, dual front airbags, side airbags, traction control, active headrests, seatbelt pretensioners, etc.)
etc...

Hmmmm, you sound like a volkswagen person to me. How about a 1969 VW bug.....paint that bitch yello, add some pin stripes and you'd be the talk of the town.........

Impartial on All Front of Rear wheel drive
something under 8 grand preferably, driving to school, racing in the future when im more experienced, manual, 2 door, 4 is fine, insurance and gas mileage dont matter a whole lot, somewhat reliable, willing to work on it and learn.

i am indeed a vw person, was thinking about a jetta, not sure if its a good idea or not and what year is best.

Originally posted by JustAnuddaYoungun
Impartial on All Front of Rear wheel drive
something under 8 grand preferably, driving to school, racing in the future when im more experienced, manual, 2 door, 4 is fine, insurance and gas mileage dont matter a whole lot, somewhat reliable, willing to work on it and learn.
LOL...that sounds a lil bit like something you would see in a personal add....not what why wrote, just the format that you wrote it in..hahaha. Yea I got a friend who just bought a jetta gls, its not a bad car for the money...

IMO a good first car would be an eclipse gsx. AWD and a turbo 4 banger for starters should be good for you and later you can do some mods since this is a very mod happy car.

Originally posted by JustAnuddaYoungun
Impartial on All Front of Rear wheel drive
something under 8 grand preferably, driving to school, racing in the future when im more experienced, manual, 2 door, 4 is fine, insurance and gas mileage dont matter a whole lot, somewhat reliable, willing to work on it and learn.

OK...there are a LOT of cars to consider in that range...

So, here's what Consumer Reports had to say:
Recommended used cars
LESS THAN $6,000
Ford Escort ?97-98
Geo Metro ?95 ? Prizm ?95-96 ? Tracker ?95
Mazda Protegé ?96
Mercury Tracer ?97-98
Subaru Impreza ?95
Suzuki Sidekick ?95 ? Swift ?95
Toyota Tercel ?95

$6,000?$8,000
Chevrolet Prizm ?98
Ford Escort ?99-00 ? Ranger (2WD) ?95-97
Geo Prizm ?97
Honda Civic ?95-96
Mazda B-Series (2WD) ?95 ? MX-5 Miata ?95 ? Protegé ?97-98
Mercury Tracer ?99
Nissan Altima ?96 ? Sentra ?97
Saturn SL/SW ?98-99
Subaru Impreza ?96 ? Legacy ?95
Toyota Corolla ?95-97 ? Tercel ?96-97

$8,000?$10,000
Buick Century ?98
Chevrolet Prizm ?99-00
Ford Crown Victoria ?97 ? Escort ?01
? Explorer (2WD) ?95-96 ? F-150 (2WD) ?95
? Ranger (2WD) ?98
Honda Accord ?95 ? Civic ?97
Infiniti G20 ?95-96
Lincoln Town Car ?95
Mazda B-Series (2WD) ?96-98 ? MX-5 Miata ?96-97 ? Protegé ?99-00
Nissan Altima ?97-98 ? Maxima ?95-96 ? Pickup ?95-96 ? Sentra ?99
Saturn SL/SW ?01
Subaru Impreza ?97-98
Toyota Avalon ?95 ? Camry ?95-96
?Celica ?95 ? Corolla ?98-99 ? Echo ?00-01
? RAV4 ?96

Reliability risks
These cars have shown several years of much-worse-than-average overall reliability. AWD stands for all-wheel drive; 4WD, for four-wheel drive. Listed alphabetically.
Cadillac Catera
Cadillac Seville
Chevrolet Astro
Chevrolet Blazer
Chrysler New Yorker, LHS
Chrysler Town & Country (AWD)
Dodge Caravan (4-cyl.)
Dodge Dakota (4WD)
Dodge Durango
Dodge Grand Caravan (AWD)
Dodge Neon
Ford Focus
Ford Windstar
GMC Jimmy
GMC Safari
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Lincoln LS
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
Oldsmobile Alero
Oldsmobile Bravada
Oldsmobile Cutlass
Plymouth Grand Voyager
Plymouth Neon
Plymouth/Chrysler Voyager (4-cyl.)
Pontiac Grand Am
Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen New Beetle
Volvo S80

Originally posted by JustAnuddaYoungun
Impartial on All Front of Rear wheel drive
something under 8 grand preferably, driving to school, racing in the future when im more experienced, manual, 2 door, 4 is fine, insurance and gas mileage dont matter a whole lot, somewhat reliable, willing to work on it and learn.

well from what i hear here the vw bug plan actually fits in very very well. it is everyone of those things that you named. im talking old bug btw. you can find em forgreat prices do all of your own work. and there are plenty of parts available. i want to own one someday for just driving around. not extremely fast though, but can be made to be like almost every car can. but get a pretty nice one paint it black and put on soem nice wheels clean it up. damn man now i want an old bug... i would lvoe a 50's one but those are hard to come by and cost $$$ aim for 60's-70's

-GTi-VR6_A3

thanx guys, time to go buy myself a jetta or eclipse..i been thinkin maybe both is an idea

A Volks Wagen 1967 bug with a 1600cc engine then bore it out to 2500cc =somting like 200hp and add a torbo with an intake and you will be puting out 500hp you can get a bug for about $1500+ and there stick shift:D

Originally posted by Drfthis
A Volks Wagen 1967 bug with a 1600cc engine then bore it out to 2500cc =somting like 200hp and add a torbo with an intake and you will be puting out 500hp you can get a bug for about $1500+ and there stick shift

riiiight... 500+ hp?!!..u gotta be kiddin' me.. oh and that stick shift... yea.. might as well rip it out before you drive... rather than gettin shafted by 500+hp:D . BTW... that would be SOOO cool!!!

hey a 580hp sand rale with a vw motor is true and so is boring out a 1600cc motor to a 200hp monster is a 100 percent true. no bull

and almost all vw bugs were manual

I would say a good first car is, any car with mileage under 90k, you can afford, you can afford to fix if something breaks, and has some power to get out of its own way. I'm talking at least 150 hp.

hey where does the 240 come in in this equation

Anywhere you find them, TatII. :D

He's got a point. S13 models (1989-1994) can be had for as little as $900. With that, you get a stylish four seat coupe/fastback with a dependable 2.4L SOHC/DOHC Four-cylinder. After a while, you can send overseas for the 202-225 (stock) HP SR20DET 2.0L turbo four, which is mostly a direct bolt-in.

These FR (Front engine, Rear Wheel Drive) gems can be made to do just about anything you ask of them. They excel at autocross, road racing, drifting, drag racing, and high speed cruising. Plus they're easy to work on and have some of the best steering and brake feel of their class and time. (little longish on the clutch takeup, though, and the shift feel can't match the direct grab of the straight cut gears in my MGB GT)

If you can find one, you should certainly buy it and I'm very sure you'll love it. My teammate loved his until an Allied Trucking Mack Truck decided to find out what Nissan coupes taste like. Poor guy, he had to cancel his order for a BlackTop SR20DET. :( :( :(

Originally posted by Octagon

These FR (Front engine, Rear Wheel Drive) g
If you can find one, you should certainly buy it and I'm very sure you'll love it. My teammate loved his until an Allied Trucking Mack Truck decided to find out what Nissan coupes taste like. Poor guy, he had to cancel his order for a BlackTop SR20DET. :( :( :(

And you would be right you can get some serious performance out of an 240 with a sr20 swap but read his post ----first car---- do not recomend a RWD as a first car. first get some good experience driving then you swich to RWD. at 16 you feel like you are invincible and nothing can happen to you. that combined with a very powerful RWD car can be very dangerous

that is true. he woudl have to be really careful in the rain, and can't even drive it in the snow. but me being dumb i drive it anyways, hahah

Originally posted by Neutrino


And you would be right you can get some serious performance out of an 240 with a sr20 swap but read his post ----first car---- do not recomend a RWD as a first car. first get some good experience driving then you swich to RWD. at 16 you feel like you are invincible and nothing can happen to you. that combined with a very powerful RWD car can be very dangerous

Yeah for a first car I would recommend the 1.3 litre engine from a Ford Aspire, swapped into a Volvo. That way you can't possibly exceed the speed limit, and if you run into something you'll fare pretty well.. :D

True though, that RWD should probably be reserved for people with more driving experience who are more familiar with their limits.

Rear wheel drive isn't all that bad people. 500rwhp and I can drive in the snow(don't usually though, but CAN). Just have to be careful. Obviously, if you stomp on the pedal the tires will spin, but it's not like you'll be standing still and sliding around in circles everywhere. I don't think there's anything wrong with a RWD as a first car personally.

Originally posted by Self
Rear wheel drive isn't all that bad people. 500rwhp and I can drive in the snow(don't usually though, but CAN). Just have to be careful. Obviously, if you stomp on the pedal the tires will spin, but it's not like you'll be standing still and sliding around in circles everywhere. I don't think there's anything wrong with a RWD as a first car personally.


Ok mister i own mercedes and camaros----lets see all RWD cars----do i detect a slight bias;) :p

Originally posted by Self
Rear wheel drive isn't all that bad people. 500rwhp and I can drive in the snow(don't usually though, but CAN). ..

Oh, not saying RWD is impossible, it's just that a new driver has so many things that they have to remember (or should at least TRY to remember) and they don't have the experience to handle the car at its limits, and most likely they will take some ridiculous chances, and they'd be better off in something slower as opposed to a speed demon car. Look at www.crashtest.com. Lots of sporty fast cars have really good crash tests, but really BAD death rates. Not because they're bad cars, but because they enable inexperienced and stupid people to drive past their limits.

Since RWD adds some more factors to worry about, like less control in snow/rain/gravel, that's just a few more things for a new driver to worry about. I would suggest they get a slower car, and work on learning to signal (trust me, a LOT of people need to work on this!), judging distance/speed, etc., then when they're more experienced they can work on the challenges of additional speed and RWD.

Originally posted by boingo82


Oh, not saying RWD is impossible, it's just that a new driver has so many things that they have to remember (or should at least TRY to remember) and they don't have the experience to handle the car at its limits, and most likely they will take some ridiculous chances, and they'd be better off in something slower as opposed to a speed demon car. Look at www.crashtest.com. Lots of sporty fast cars have really good crash tests, but really BAD death rates. Not because they're bad cars, but because they enable inexperienced and stupid people to drive past their limits.

Since RWD adds some more factors to worry about, like less control in snow/rain/gravel, that's just a few more things for a new driver to worry about. I would suggest they get a slower car, and work on learning to signal (trust me, a LOT of people need to work on this!), judging distance/speed, etc., then when they're more experienced they can work on the challenges of additional speed and RWD.


agreed

Originally posted by Neutrino



Ok mister i own mercedes and camaros----lets see all RWD cars----do i detect a slight bias;) :p

Shuttup you:p I am completely and utterly unbiased in all aspects:D


Originally posted by boingo82


Oh, not saying RWD is impossible, it's just that a new driver has so many things that they have to remember (or should at least TRY to remember) and they don't have the experience to handle the car at its limits, and most likely they will take some ridiculous chances, and they'd be better off in something slower as opposed to a speed demon car. Look at www.crashtest.com. Lots of sporty fast cars have really good crash tests, but really BAD death rates. Not because they're bad cars, but because they enable inexperienced and stupid people to drive past their limits.

Since RWD adds some more factors to worry about, like less control in snow/rain/gravel, that's just a few more things for a new driver to worry about. I would suggest they get a slower car, and work on learning to signal (trust me, a LOT of people need to work on this!), judging distance/speed, etc., then when they're more experienced they can work on the challenges of additional speed and RWD.

Yea, I know what you mean. You're 100% correct actually.

you should get a honda civic as a first car and then when you get better at drivin get a nicer car

Since you might not have much money to spend on parts and this is just a beginner car, i'd buy a peice or trash civic or teg with high miles for like 200 bucks and save up like hell for the next year or so. Since insurance isnt that bad on those and gas mileage is astounding, that would be your best bet. But its all your choice of course....

Im 16, my first car is a 89 240sx and I dont have any trouble with it being RWD and im just learning to drift, great fun car :)

I'd have to agree that high-powered RWD cars aren't good for beginners.

But a KA24 powered S13, particularly the SOHC model, is FAR from high-powered, or torquey. They're pretty stable and sound, with enough understeer dialed into the chassis to keep newbies out of trouble.

In that sense, they're just as sensible a choice as, say, a 1st gen MR2, a Hachi-Roku/AE86/Corolla GT-S, a Chevette (don't laugh, these things autocross like nobody's business), or any number of small English sportscars.

Have to plug my end of the spectrum, as a combination of low cost, plentiful parts support, lovely styling, bullet-proof (when PROPERLY MAINTAINED!!!!!!) mechanicals, good gas mileage, and ultra-girn inducing performance makes me willing to suggest small British sportscars from the 60's and 70's any day of the week. For less than $5000, you can pick up a solid running MGB, Triumph Spitfire, Triumph TR6-7 or even the rare TR8 (Rover 3.5L aluminum V-8 powered TR7), Austin-Healey Sprite, or MG Midget. Or, if you're a bit more continental, you can expand the list to include Fiat X1/9's and 124's, Alfa GTV's and Spyders, Porsche 914's, Saab Sonnets, Volvo P1900 (the car Roger Moore drove as The Saint ) and even Japanese classics like the Datsun 510, early RX-7's and RX-3's, Datsun Z cars, and early Celicas.

It's a fair list, and these cars are often finicky little beasts if they haven't been maintained. Be prepared to roll your sleeves up, and to experience some mild quirks (like, for example, the change in camber in a Spitfire's rear wheels as the transverse leaf spring IRS goes through its travel arc) when driving, but you'll love your car fully for its character, life, and soul.

Plus it's great to see the looks on ricer's faces when they hear that their "advanced technology" lost to an iron block pushrod four.

the 510 is such an awesome car... ii's just so freaking hard finding one that won't need at least 5 grand of stuff to get her in good decent shape..

well, hmm i got a '89 s15 sonoma 4.3L, it's in perfect condition.. not a thing wrong wit the truck.. altho the interior is kinda..ugly..hah, is it an alright truck? it was nice and cheap so i thought id snag it. could this truck ever be fast? ive heard of other models wit awd that are quick with turbo and stuff, but i really dunno.