What is the perfect car for a teen.

"Bryce H(Wants an M coupe)" (brycehimelrick) 01/21/2016 at 16:27 • Filed to: None

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I always wonder about this because I don’t want the boring stuff like a civic but don’t want something that will kill me.

Requirements, it has to be sorta safe, cheaper than $18,000, and I dont plan on keeping it long as I am saving for an m3 or Elise and plan on getting them a few years later.

jkm7680 > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:29

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E46 3-Series.

jjhats > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:31

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focus st or gti

HammerheadFistpunch > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:31

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something that costs $5000.

You’ll learn to fix it, you wont feel bad about it and you’ll save money for the car you want.

Your first car should be something to upgrade from.

Blondude > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:32

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The answer is always Land Cruiser . Because Land Cruiser.

Azrek > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:32

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Volvo C30 is pretty awesome. Small, safe and decently fast.

CB > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:33

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Perfect car for a teen? Used Civic, as much as you don’t like it. Probably the best starter car, because:

-Cheap

-Reliable, and parts are easy to find

-Good on gas (see: cheap)

-Not something you can get into a terrible amount of trouble in.

If you want more power, get a V6 Accord.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:34

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A beater civic

SteveLehto > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:35

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You are the teen in this equation? There are two routes to go (pick one).

1) Buy a large, clunky vehicle that is not likely to see you die if you are in an accident and will not tempt you to speed etc. Like an SUV or somesuch. Many young drivers have a few minor fender-benders while they iron out the first few years of driving. In an SUV, the fenders being bent belong to the other cars.

-OR-

2) Buy a cheap hotrod. Something that might have a ton of miles on it and get horrific gas mileage, but will let you test the limits of physics and the edges of sanity. I had a 1969 Dodge Charger in highschool. I bought it for $300, got all kinds of tickets in it, poured all my disposable income into fuel, and came close to dying several times (but never did!)

I’d suggest you try #1. But so as to not be a hypocrite I’ll admit: #2 will be better for you if you survive. You’ll also enjoy it more and have better stories to tell later.

Rainbow > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:35

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Something underpowered. I currently have a car with 88 horses, and it’s more than enough to have fun, but not enough to be stupid. And you won’t think you’re being stupid until you’re upside-down in a creek, so that’s kind of an important thing to prevent.

pjhusa > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:36

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E90

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:37

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I’m sorry to say this but the perfect car for a teen is in fact a Civic.

RallyWrench > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:37

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Volvo 240, 740, or 940.

aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:39

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A v12 jaguar

Jarrett - [BRZ Boi] > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:40

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I can’t reply to this without appearing biased.

(Edit: I’d pick the Mazda 3 over a Civic.)

HammerheadFistpunch > Rainbow 01/21/2016 at 16:40

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Yeah, something you can ring the ever loving crap out of at legal speeds is always a good choice.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:46

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Six cylinder first gen Mustang stick. Not the safest thing in the world, but not overpowered, can do just about anything, and body panels/consumables/etc. are quite amazingly cheap.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:46

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Rule #1 - don’t spend 18k on a first car.

What environment do you live in?

Mountains of Colorado? Florida? These things have impact.

Textured Soy Protein > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:48

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Based on my own experience of once being an idiot teenager who was shitty at driving, and now old enough to realize how much of an idiot and shitty driver I was as a teenager, you should totally get something cheap and boring.

You don’t need to spend $18,000. That’s way too much for a kid’s first car, because when you will inevitably fuck it up. That’s what teenagers do to cars.

A Civic would be a thoroughly excellent choice. Preferably one with low miles that you bought off some little old lady.

duurtlang > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:50

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A disposable beater. Preferably one with not too much power, not too much weight and communicative handling. It’ll teach you a lot, won’t get you in trouble too easily and when you do have an incident it’s disposable.

$18k is far too much money for a first car.

Conan > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:51

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Honestly depends on the kind of teen you are. Coolest two cars that I see in our student lot to me are a Hilux Turbo Diesel and an E34 M5. They fit their owners, though I’m not sure that my students think those are the two coolest cars in the lot. You could probably nab a decent m3 but the insurance will be pretty insane pre 24. Then again it’ll be insane on anything for you. I’d suggest a non M manual (learn if you haven’t) E46 and then make sure you get the air bags fixed.

Nibby > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:55

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Ford Tempo

d15b > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:56

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Toyota Solara, V6

MonkeePuzzle > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 16:56

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boring stuff like a civic

:( oww, my feelings

FWD, manual, small. If you get a wagon or a van, 20 of your mates will attempt to pile in to go to lunch. If you have a small car, you avoid that nonsense.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > SteveLehto 01/21/2016 at 17:03

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I like the balanced approach in this answer.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 17:05

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You're gonna crash it, FYI. So that plus mountains = mid 00s Subaru.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 17:09

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I’d stick with something that’s relatively low power - all you need right now, despite the fact that you’re the best driver in the world, is to get into good driving habits. You might call the Civic boring but there’s a reason why it’s so popular. If you don’t want a typical Civic, look out for the SiR (I think they might’ve just been Si in the States) since these were based on the hot hatch version and built in England, instead of the typical Si coupe.

Basically, for a beginner, I'd say FWD and no more power than you need. If you're just a teen, you'll want to save that extra money for schooling or starting a business or whatever else you want to do in the future (unless that future involves becoming a BMW mechanic or something, in which case you may as well go for the E46 that was suggested).

AM3R shamefully returns > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 17:12

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E92 328i.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 17:14

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Your first car should be dirt cheap. $3000, maybe stretching to $4000 for a real gem. If you can get one for $2000, do it. It should take you a while to find the right one. Aim under ~10 years old and reasonable mileage for the age. Don’t worry about perfection with the body, as long as it is intact - parking lot rash and scratches are fine. In all likelihood, you’ll bump stuff, curb wheels, miss and slide off a road, learn about tree sap, etc, so perfection of the body doesn’t matter at all.

A nice/expensive car will cost a lot to insure, especially when young, and it’s better if you don’t dwell too long on your screwups. In a near-20k car, you’ll dwell. In a $3000 car, you’ll realize you screwed up but it’ll teach you instead of leaving you with thousands of dollars of repairs.

Also compare insurance rates - the lower they are, the better the car is for a new driver.

Your boy, BJR > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 17:14

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A stock final gen (1992-1996) Bronco Eddie Bauer. A bit of a gas hog, but gas is cheap these days. Reliable enough, harder to find unrusted but you shouldn’t have any issue with your budget, plus they have that timeless cool-but-not-white-trash vibe that the Grand Wagoneers have. That was my first vehicle, and I'm really missing it these days.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 17:15

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Used Mazda 3 hatchback with a manual.

smobgirl > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 17:36

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I picked out a V6 accord coupe for my brother when he was 16, for about $3,000. It never broke down, it was cheap to maintain, saved his neck in the inevitable accident (which was also cheap to repair), and it was plenty of fun to drive but not crazy enough to rack up speeding tickets. He wasn’t interested in doing a lot of work on it himself, though.

RazoE > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 17:39

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You’re a teenager. You need something slow, boring, and reliable.

Funktheduck > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 17:49

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The perfect car for a teen is never a car a teen wants. Generally speaking, most cars in the compact or mid sized category are best. And out of those, the non performance versions.

So: civic, Corolla, Mazda 3, Elantra, etc.

my vote would be for the 3 because those still focus on being fun to drive and there’s an aftermarket for them for customization/upgrades.

Insurance for teens is expensive.

Teens are never as good at driving as they think they are.

Save the good cars for when you have more experience and can afford them and are less likely to destroy them.

Underpowered (relatively speaking) cars are more fun. They're easier to learn how to push limits and are less likely to kill you when you do. The limits of a focus are much lower than a 325 so you're much slower going all out.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 18:26

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a REALLY SHITTY car will teach you more about cars than the internet and tuner magazines ever could. Its good practice, and good to learn this stuff when you’re young and can get away with having a funky beater.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 18:28

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You’re sending mixed signals here. You say you want something safe, cheap, that won’t kill you, but you keep posting BMWs which don’t meet at least one of those criteria.

Pick something bulletproof, that you aren’t tempted to drive fast (because it can’t), and increases your chances of a self-rescue when you put it in the ditch. Someone suggested a Jeep and I think that is an excellent suggestion. I’d steer you toward a small truck, but I’ll admit I am biased.

As a dad, I would steer you toward these:

AWD and a manual:

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/5361198181…

A couple of Jeeps:

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/5383312418…
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/5413571398…

jariten1781 > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 18:34

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Accord/Mazda6 with a stick. Not joking. Aim for one with around 40k to ballance depreciation and wear. That’ll last you through college age when you’ll have a better grasp of what your adult finances will start at.

Mr Parker > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 18:51

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Just get an E46 BMW if you dont really want an econobox. You can fix it yourself when it breaks down. Good condition E46 is around $5000.

Just keep the change and buy a brand new M3 when you’re ready.

Chasaboo > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 19:14

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Volvo with old tires wrapped around it. My father threatened to do that with me and my brother.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 20:02

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Nissan Versa. Slow enough to not kill you, quick enough not to be boring. They’re also reliable and pretty cheap. Decent on gas as well. Also pretty safe so the parents should like it. I’ve enjoyed mine for the past 7k miles.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Rainbow 01/21/2016 at 20:06

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My 122 hp car has definitely saved me from doing some stupid stuff before. As much as I wanted more power, I’m definitely glad I have what I have.

marshknute > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 20:06

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Two suggestions. Both are plentiful, affordable, reliable, tough as nails and cheap to maintain.

First is the WRX. It may be a fast hoonigans’ car, but it’s so safe and predictable thanks to the AWD, that you really can’t get yourself into trouble. And engine aside, it’s a practical, AWD, 5-seater.

My other choice falls into the category of “such a bad idea that it may actually be a good idea.”

C5 Corvette. Yes, it’s too powerful. Yes, it’s completely impractical. Yes, you will get stranded in the snow. And yes, you may even crash it. But there’s something to be said for running before you can walk. The first day you own it, you’ll spin the rear tires when you aren’t expecting it. Probably while turning out of a driveway in damp conditions. It humbles you really damn quickly, and forces you to accept that you’re not God. And that’s the most important lesson for any gearhead teen driver.

But if you develop a healthy fear of the power/torque, you’ll be a better driver once you step up to something more sophisticated like an M3 or Elise.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/21/2016 at 20:32

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Boom. Safer than a Miata, under budget, and a ton of fun.

911e46z06 > Bryce H(Wants an M coupe) 01/22/2016 at 00:10

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My e39 was perfect for me. Cool, comfortable, fun, cheap to run, and the ladies love it. Also, I once wrapped one around a tree at 80 and walked away with nothing but an airbag burn on my arm. I can’t recommend it highly enough.