New car

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tensors22288

New member
hey guys im 17 and im turning 18 in february. since i've been doing well in school my parents agreed to match whatever i pay for my car, ex if i put in 5k, they will put in 5k and i can get a 10k car. which leaves me with several options. i have a total of 12k in the bank and 3k in my current car (97 pathfinder) which i plan to sell for 5-6k. now i've been looking at used cars and i really like the 3000GT, lancer evo and tegs. now my parents dont support me buying a car thats not "safe". in your opinions which cars, that have that sporty look that is seen in the 3 cars i mentioned, are relatively safe and in the price range of 8k-15k used?
 
a used 2003-2004 srt-4 is in that price range. And as for their safety, though the car was never crash tested (instead used the ratings of the regular neon) mine held up really well when I wrecked it. I ended up rolling the car over 4 times and I ended up with a cut on my head (and black eyes from the airbags, but that'll happen in any car), that's it.
 
You could pick up an extremely nice F-body (Camaro or Firebird) with those funds.



Insurance would be insane for a 17 year old, though. That won't change with any sporty car, unfortunately. Make sure you have enough left over to cover that.
 
Look at the new Subaru Legacy GT.





Its a more restrictive STi engine that puts out 250hp. It gets to 60 in a touch over 5 seconds and runs a high 13 1/4 mile. With a couple simple mods, you are deep in the 13s and under 5 to 60. With all of this, its also AWD, stealthy (nobody knows its potential, well almost nobody), and all in all looks great.
 
well insurance ALMOST already killed me with my pathy. got pulled over doing 50 in a 25 (4 points) but i did a little sob story and got it down to 39 in a 25 which is 2 points. unfortunatly if insurance found out i got 2 points (im not allowed ANY on restricted liscense), my insurance would double so i had to pay freaking 440 bucks to pay off the points in court :( so yea insurance sucks for a 17 yrs old, especially in jersey.



i didnt even think about the srt 4. that things pretty quick isnt it? as in below 6sec 0-60? see i want a car that i can still afford to mod out abit. tint, wheels, intake and exhaust to start.



only thing i have against camaro is that i see soo many on the road. and i love the rsx but i cant afford an 06. im hoping to spend about 6k-8k out my account and it will add up to a 12k-16k car.



thanx for all the comments, keep them coming, i need all the advice i can get
 
depends if u like nice or rice. :usa based on what u like i can probably tell u wont agree with me. but I can't wait til i save up that much cuz im getting an 02 ws6 trans-am 350 crank hp, = low 13's... 11's with boltons.



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2000firebird said:
depends if u like nice or rice. :usa based on what u like i can probably tell u wont agree with me. but I can't wait til i save up that much cuz im getting an 02 ws6 trans-am 350 crank hp, = low 13's... 11's with boltons.



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if that ride in the pic is a firebird, i've always liked those cars. im really up for anything and id deff consider a firebird or camaro, im just having trouble finding one that fits everything i need
 
yeah that would be a firebird trans-am (v8).. (firebird is the slow v6)

u have to shop around a little bit but they can be had for 15k. most people try to get 20k but they were around 32k-35k brand new.
 
2000firebird said:
yeah that would be a firebird trans-am (v8).. (firebird is the slow v6)

u have to shop around a little bit but they can be had for 15k. most people try to get 20k but they were around 32k-35k brand new.
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Shoot, with gas prices now you can get one even cheaper, like $12K for a 99-02 with low (under 50K) miles. And BTW they get good gas mileage, like 20 town and 26 highway (not 100% sure about those #s), have good size trunks and are relaible, oh ya and very easy to make fast. And of course they look bad a$$!
 
No offense to any of the suggestions, but we're recommending powerful cars to (though no fault of your own, of course) someone who doesn't have that much experience behind the wheel and already has a significant ticket :)



I know you want a cool car that drives nice and looks nice, but you also don't want all your money going to the car (and insurance, gas). The Legacy (recently redesigned) is a cool car with potential and pretty safe, but Subaru paint is crap (thin, for one). That said, I've got a WRX wagon and love it. Whichever cars you narrow it down to, do some research - I know the early EVOs had some problems plaguing them (don't know if they've been fixed) as did some of the early WRX and STI... I'm sure even the SRT has had some issues. Of course, for under $20k you could get a used S2000, but I wouldn't recommend it until you've been driving more :D



Of course, I'm just an old guy with safety for young drivers (and the rest of the folks on the road) high on my list...



But if I were to spend under $20k on a new (or recent used) car I'd look at the RSX, new Civic Si, and the tC seems like a great buy. I'd also be tempted to look at the new Charger (tho a little more expensive) :)
 
No question in my mind - BMW 3 series. You should be able to find lots in your price range with some leftover for repairs and mods. I'd suggest a 98 or 99 e36 body 328i coupe if you can find it.



Insurance will be less and gas mialege will be good. Plus you'll have a great handling car that's reasonably fast and looks good.



Oh, and did I mention thtat girls love BMWs? :)
 
Don't buy a Lexus SC300/400.



:p Actually, if you wanted one, buy it now. Once the 3rd Fast and Furious comes out, the prices will sky rocket much like they with the Supra.



Avoid the high perfomance Mitsus. The common joke for the 3000GT is "We drive the most unreliable car since... wait... we set the standard!"
 
animes2k said:
No offense to any of the suggestions, but we're recommending powerful cars to (though no fault of your own, of course) someone who doesn't have that much experience behind the wheel and already has a significant ticket :)



I know you want a cool car that drives nice and looks nice, but you also don't want all your money going to the car (and insurance, gas). The Legacy (recently redesigned) is a cool car with potential and pretty safe, but Subaru paint is crap (thin, for one). That said, I've got a WRX wagon and love it. Whichever cars you narrow it down to, do some research - I know the early EVOs had some problems plaguing them (don't know if they've been fixed) as did some of the early WRX and STI... I'm sure even the SRT has had some issues. Of course, for under $20k you could get a used S2000, but I wouldn't recommend it until you've been driving more :D



Of course, I'm just an old guy with safety for young drivers (and the rest of the folks on the road) high on my list...



But if I were to spend under $20k on a new (or recent used) car I'd look at the RSX, new Civic Si, and the tC seems like a great buy. I'd also be tempted to look at the new Charger (tho a little more expensive) :)
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i agree with everything u said. truth is u can speed in any car. my pathy weighs more than 3500 pounds with only 168 hp and i can still get it moving. but im not a reckless driver. i've seen enough idiots on the road an learned enough with my parents when i had my permit, and i never want to be the one to cause an accident. in my year and a half of driving i'd had no accidents and hope to keep it that way. i guess rsx is worth considering.
 
You should take all of these suggestions and shop insurance on them before you buy. And really, for a 17 year old kid, you need something inexpensive and slow, because you're probably going to wreck it. I personally think evey driver under about 20 should drive a full sized 1989-1993 GM B-body(think Caprice or Roadmaster) Maybe you should look at a third generation Camaro or Firebird, they're pretty cheap, and if you want a car to mod, they're very easy to mod, but not too wicked fast, like some of the other cars you (and others) have mentioned. Plus, all of these cars are American cars that are cheap to fix when you decide to do something stupid to them.



However, these cars are way below your pricerange, so maybe your SES demands you drive something a little more elegant, like a 2000 or so Monte Carlo. (LS, not SS).
 
tensors I hear what you're saying and it's not really so much about speeding, but about power and handling. And it's not just about you. It's about young drivers in general. If people were suggesting large top-heavy SUVs, I'd be equally concerned. I'd consider your pathfinder a mid-size SUV and not crazy big like some of these parents throw their kids into.



Most sports cars are more powerful, more responsive and less forgiving than your average car so that they require much more experience and skill to handle well, especially in emergency situations.



For example, I've heard of many many people wrecking their S2000's when they first came out because the suspension setup was prone to cause spins, especially in the rain. People didn't know the car and inexperienced drivers didn't know its limits. Insurance was super-high. There's a reason insurance is super-high for young drivers and sports/muscle cars. :)



I think the 3-series recommendation is a good one, as well. Fun car to drive without being overly crazy (but expensive to modify). Whatever you decide on, I wish you luck with it. We've all been in your shoes (to some extent) and experience comes with time behind the wheel and miles on the road. Whatever car you do end up getting, I think it'd be good for you to check out a High Performance Drivers Education event (HPDE) through a local car club or race track. It will teach you a LOT about driving in general and about your car's capabilities and limits and help you to be a better driver overall. Plus they're a ton of fun and let you get any driving agression out in a controlled envionment - as a bonus it tends to slow you down on the roads because you realize just how crazy it is. :)



Again, good luck with your search!
 
arite thanx anime, im glad i got opinions from an "old guy" as u referred to yourself. i think i get caught up talking with my friends about cars so much that i need an opinion from a mature adult to bring me back down to reality, so thanx for that, and no offense meant towards the old guy reference. im going off to college in a yr or so, so maybe i can just keep what i have know an get more experience before i take the plunge. thanx everyone for the feedback. heres some pics of the pathy as it is now. of course i couldnt leave it looking like when my dad had it so i added some necessities. rims, taillights, intake, headunit, clears, and some other minor stuff. im soo limited performance upgrade wise and at this point an exhaust isnt even worth it. i know it isnt some of your "tastes" but i like it so its all good.



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