Ideas for a first car?

"Haimatox" (haimatox) 02/09/2014 at 21:52 • Filed to: None

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I'm taking my road test on Thursday. Unless I do something catastrophically stupid, I should pass first time. In theory. Anyways, I was thinking about what I might get as a first car, because I don't want to be stuck driving my dad's hand-me-down Prius, which is boring and always pulls to the right.

There are a few basic criteria it must follow, in no particular order. a) Save the manuals! Three pedals and a movable device in the center of the car are key. b) Fun to drive. c) Tune-able. I might want to get more out of the car at some point. d) Safe(ish). This is my parent's criteria. e) Cheap. Below $20k, but preferably below $15k.

Any ideas from you Opponauts?

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 21:55

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E36

Tim (Fractal Footwork) > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 21:55

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Subi wagon? Subi wagon.

Brian Silvestro > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 21:55

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FIESTA 1.0L!!!!!

I promote this car way too much even though I've never driven it. But it seems perfect. This is only if you can't get an ST.

Somethingwittyer likes noisy > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 21:56

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First gen G35. Get the coupe and you have a 2+2 350 Z.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 21:56

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Two that top my head are the Mazda 3 and Honda Civic.

Thisnewformatisrubbish > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 21:57

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My first car was $400 and had a turbo. Secomd car was 1500 and had a 4 speed 327. Sorry kid, I got no advice besides miata.

N/A POWAAAHH > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 21:58

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Get what I got, a 08+ 2.5i impreza sport. Has the 08-11 WRX body kit minus ths scoop, has heated seats, upgraded stereo etc., and is fast enough to have fun, but slow enough not to get you in trouble. Fairly highly tuneable, although not really in the engine department. Goes for under $15k CDN all day, with mileage in the 60k km (35k ish miles) range.

EDIT: plus AWD, because rally car

Dusty Ventures > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 21:59

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Your parents (and hopefully the insurance company) will never realize it's secretly a more practical WRX

ihm96 > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 21:59

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Used fieSTa? Used outback sport wagon? You can get early 2000s boxsters for around 10k

AM3R > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:01

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135i can be had under $20k. Hear me out, tune it to insane levels, easily found in manual, safe.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:01

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Best first cars:

Second gen Scion tC: much better looking than first, and solid performer

Kia Soul 2.0/6mt: useful and quirky. Also a decent scooter with the 2.0 and a manual

2008-09 Rabbit 2.5: most reliable German car ever made, and useful performance

EP3 Si: Rally shifter and a full tuning market to pick from.

RSX base: EP3 but with a classier look. Same wealth of tuning market.

N/A POWAAAHH > Dusty Ventures 02/09/2014 at 22:01

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Bonus points if he can find a XT sport

Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2 > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:03

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I feel obligated to tell you to think outside of the box. I purchased this car two years ago as my first. It cost $10.3K, is very reliable, easy to work on and modify, manual everything, extremely fun to drive, and surprisingly reliable. Plus cheap ins. since historic tags.

Christopher Keach > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:04

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Jeez...nobody has said Miata yet? Miata.

I take it back, Thisnewformatisrubbish did say Miata, so I'll say Mini Cooper S. I'd go for an 05-06. Definitely fun to drive without any mods. Add non-runflat tires to easily make it more fun. Add a 15% smaller supercharger pulley for a hp boost if you decide it needs it. For an inexperienced driver, I'd recommend against adding any power. In fact, I'd have to drive a base version instead: Drive the wheels off of it without putting yourself or others in any danger. Plus, it's more reliable (i.e. cheaper to maintain - also cheaper to insure) than the S.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:04

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Wait a little bit and get a used Scion FRS. You can have some for around 20K right now. So in a year or so, they should drop below that mark!

BJ > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:04

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First, take your dad's Prius to the dealer and pay for an alignment. Then go buy a simple, reliable small car (for example, a Civic) for less than 10k dollars. Finally, make your way through these two top 10 lists:

Ten Best Auto Upgrades for Under $100

The Best sub-$1000 Upgrades for Your Car

Good luck on your driving test!

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:05

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Look for an SHO Taurus, impress your parents with 4 door sensibility. Of course, what they don't know...

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:06

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My vote goes to the e46 330.

GhostZ > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:09

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Go buy a SHITTY $300 car (some V6 90s sedan) for your first six months. You will almost certainly crash it.

Then buy this:

Is going to be safer than a bottom-market newish hatchback. Full ABS, airbags, etc. Manual, fun, good looking.

miniscus > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:14

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Haven't you learned anything from reading Jalopnik/Oppo.

The answer is always miata. May be a little unsafe, but meets all of the other criteria. Plus with a 15k budget, you could easily get a mazdaspeed or have wads of cash left over to tune it to your desire. I bought mine a week before I turned 16 and haven't regretted it.

BlasterBob > GhostZ 02/09/2014 at 22:18

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You can sell a totaled wreck for more than $300 in scrap. Where is anyone supposed to get something that actually runs for less than $1000?

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:19

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Considering I'm 17 and on my second car, I figure I can provide some insight here:

-Nothing is a bad idea. You can always find something positive in any half-decent car.

-Drive something before you decide for/against it. My first car was a 2002 Dodge Neon ACR, an ex-SCCA racecar that went to National Runoffs prior to being converted back to street use. Still had the cage and the bucket seat, but had a full interior, back seats, turn signals, etc. At first, I was a bit iffy. I was pretty dead-set on an e30 or a 190e cosworth (hence the username), and a Neon is...well, a Neon. FWD, a fairly wheezy N/A I4 good for 150 hp at best, and that's about it. I was so wrong, best car ever. I had more confidence in the handling of that car than I have in anything else, and that includes a fair amount of cars. The suspension was dialed in so perfect, to the point that I could steer the car with the gas; Lift for oversteer, or give it some gas to hang the nose wide.

-Look for the obscure. It's the easiest way to get an amazing car for a low price. I currently DD a 1991 Audi Coupe Quattro with 85,000 miles (insanely low for one of these). Once again, only ~150hp, AWD, handling is decent, but nowhere near my good 'ole Neon. It's a tank, super safe, but does 0-60 in something like 8 seconds due to the fact it weighs roughly 9.5 Metric tons. However, it's gorgeous, makes an amazing noise (the awesome Audi I5), is ultra-reliable (the awesome Audi I5), and gets a ton of attention. None of the people who have flagged me down in traffic for pictures or rolled down windows to chat at a stoplight would have known I could buy more than one for your budget.

Side note: If this car appeals to you, get a low mileage C4 S4/S6. The same engine, except with a turbo. AWD, comfy, and a great tourer, with good reliability and tons of power on top. Makes a good noise too. And for your budget, you could buy the most pristine one in existence.

-Embrace the weird. It's always the strangest stuff that gets to you. It grows on you and festers like a disease. And you can never get rid of it. It's pretty sweet.

Oh, and of course buy used. Way cheaper way to have more fun for your buck.

My Neon:

My Audi:

Casper > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:22

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For that price range there are a lot of great options. Since it's your first car though, I would actually suggest getting something even cheaper and pocketing the extra. Something cheaper and not in perfect condition but with character will teach you more in a year than a newer vehicle in perfect shape will in 10 years, and when you make a mistake with it, you won't be stuck without money to fix it.

Super Nintendo Chalmers > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:23

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1999 or 2000 BMW Z3 M Coupe - Watch the smiles and value rise!

jariten1781 > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:25

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Something with a decent sized cargo box. Forester or Ranger are great choices. You'll want to be able to take all your shit to and from school and doing that in a little coupe is a pain in the ass. And if you don't have rich generous parents who are going to pay for your gas and insurance all the way through college you'll want to pick something with decent gas mileage and low insurance costs as well.

twinturbobmw > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:30

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Quite a few possibilities:
Acura RSX Type S
Mini Cooper S (would be my choice)
BMW E36 328is/M3 (If you're ok with spending a bit more for repairs)
BMW E46 (See above)

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:32

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Also, another side note: I think Fiat Abarths are hovering around $17k now for a lightly used one, so...that could be cool.

707Miata > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:33

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GhostZ > BlasterBob 02/09/2014 at 22:37

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When your criteria is "runs", it's not difficult, ebay and craigslist are your friends.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:38

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Used Civic SI (slap a supercharger on it for $4,500 and you have a mean machine)
MK5 GTi (was what I was gonna get, before I saw the fiST. APR 2.5" downpipe, Tune, and a few other mods equals a cool, fast, safe german rocket)
WRX wagon (It meets all of the criteria, look to COBB for moar power)
E90 335i (yes, I have seen these twin turbo beasts for under $20K! if you can handle 350hp, go for it!)
Foci/Fiesta ST (cheap, cheap, cheap! I've found Foci ST's for $19.5K her in the seattle area!)
Abarth 500 ( this comes to mind. New school Italy!)
Mustang GT (2010 and newer has the 420 horse monster under the hood!)
B5 S4/anything with the audi 2.7TT(If you can afford the maintenance costs, the 2.7TT engine cars are BEASTS. friend has an allroad with that engine and it pulls !!!)
MS3/MS6/MSM (mazdaspeed all the mazdas! if you like torque in your steer, go for an MS3. if you like high maintenance costs, go for the MS6. if you want us to pick, you're getting the MSMiata, no questions!)
V70/S60 (Turbo 5-pot family sleepers! Fast, cool, safer than most, and did I mention fast?)

These are the cars I recommend due to your criteria. there are probably many I've missed, but these are the ones I'd look at personally

GeorgeyBoy > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:41

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$15k for first car

Bandit > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 22:43

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My first car: $2500 bought about two years ago. I have put several thousands into it though.

Thisnewformatisrubbish > GhostZ 02/09/2014 at 23:01

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Sounds like someone else is footing the bill. But this being a first car will get beat to hell. Kiss that money goodbye.

revrseat70 > BJ 02/09/2014 at 23:02

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This is actually a pretty good call. Not only will you learn how to wrench doing these upgrades, but you will learn how different parts work together to make your car what the engineers had in mind in the first place. That, and when you have pride in your car, you drive it better. Good 10k options could be e36's, some Subaru's, 944's, Miata's, Mustangs, MR2's, The best conditioned Civic SI's or integra's... If you shop well, and shop with what you want out of the car in mind, you could come out pretty strong. An alternative to the above and the obvious would be a Lexus IS300. I had one for almost ten years, and look back and seriously consider it a fantastic compromise between comfort, sport, safety, parent appeal, and the ability to mod.

Thisnewformatisrubbish > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 02/09/2014 at 23:03

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420 hp mustang for a first time driver.....

revrseat70 > revrseat70 02/09/2014 at 23:06

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Or you could go ahead and get good at driving something your generation will see more and more... http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/cto/432424…

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Thisnewformatisrubbish 02/09/2014 at 23:07

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Agreed, but I just put it in there since it meets the criteria!
He didn't say it needs to be a logical choice...

Grindintosecond > Haimatox 02/09/2014 at 23:12

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Honestly a $15k first car......tis a waste of money! A $2500 car is perfect. It matters not how much power or handling it has, I about wrapped my old 79 Volvo around multiple trees in ditches and it handled awful and had 109 hp. I was lucky in the end. I was threatened with a trip straight to jail at one point. so it maters not what car it is or how much of what it has. You will bend your first car a little bit. suspension or wheel or whatever and people will be mad but I'd rather do that with a cheap car than something expensive with payments and now less resale value.

1g subaru legacy 2.2, will last you until you turn 65 if you take care of it.

BlasterBob > GhostZ 02/09/2014 at 23:24

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I'll believe that when I see it (I never have. Maybe it's just my area.) Why would anyone sell a car, running or not, for $300 when they could get more from the scrapper?

Team6.1 > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 02/09/2014 at 23:45

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2010 GT have the new body but the old engine. 5.0 isn't till model year 2011+ if it says GT on the front fenders it is a 2010. Also he will crash it. It's a lot of car

marshknute > Haimatox 02/10/2014 at 00:18

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"Cheap. Below $20k, but preferably below $15k."

Where the fuck did you get $20,000 dollars to blow on a first car?

The word "cheap" refers to POS beaters that you can buy with a summer's worth of income from bagging groceries or caddying at the local country club. A cheap car is an NA Miata with quarter panel rust, or a 150K mile Impreza with a blown head gasket, or a fox-body 'Stang with a pandora's box of half-assed mods.

If that money is your parents', stop wasting your time. As a newly licensed high school student, I got full reign of my dad Audi A4 3.0 manual. At the time, that A4 felt like my first car. Two years later, though, I bought my first car for real, with my own money earned from my minimum wage summer job. Once you spend your own hard-earned money into a cheap beater and invest even more in the inevitable maintenance, THEN you learn to appreciate it as your first car. Furthermore, serving your time in a first car beater is a critical component of Jalophood.

However, if the $15-20K is yours, not your parents' money: get a 3rd-gen Impreza WRX, or a B7 A4 2.0T. Both are fun, practical, safe, extremely tuneable, and definitely within your budget.

911e46z06 > Haimatox 02/10/2014 at 01:45

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Damn dude. 20 grand budget means endless possibilities. I would start out with something fun to drive, but not necessarily fast. You could get an e46 M3 within your budget, but you would crash it almost instantly. So get something fun and interesting that you will be stoked to look at every time you see it in the driveway and will teach you to drive properly without getting you into trouble. So light weight, responsive, minimal computers, rwd. And you may want to take something or someone with you at some point, so Miata is out. Sounds like you may want to check out the e30. Like a really, really good low-mileage one. E46 330 would also be a good option if you want to go slightly more modern.

GhostZ > BlasterBob 02/10/2014 at 01:55

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Depends on how far away from a junkyard you are, and whether or not they will accept the cars. In many cases, it can cost MORE to come get the car, put it on a trailer, clean it out, and start tearing it down than its worth. Also, not all sellers are aware that they can sell it for scrap either, and will do whatever it takes it get it off the lawn.

Volksandmopar > Haimatox 02/10/2014 at 04:26

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You could get a very nice VW Beetle. Or a fully 1000 prepped baja for that...

Thisnewformatisrubbish > Team6.1 02/10/2014 at 08:45

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My brother went from a 91 5.0 to a '11 5.0. Man, what a difference.

Thisnewformatisrubbish > marshknute 02/10/2014 at 08:46

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Millenials are the hardest working generation.... or so they like to boast.

Piero Giorgi > Haimatox 02/10/2014 at 15:29

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Go for a used VW Rabbit (Golf) MK5 2.5 - 5 Cyl with a MANUAL transmission.
Stable, glued to the road, FUN TO DRIVE... and reliable as a John Deere tractor.
A VERY good 2007/2008 can be obtained for rougnly $8/9000 at a dealer, with 50/80 KMiles.
Engine is known to go over 500K

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > Haimatox 02/11/2014 at 12:26

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Look for a Mercury Capri. The european one of course.

The fox body one is acceptable in a pinch, but both of them are getting hard to find now. There was a european Capri go through eBay not too long ago for 5k, running driving and in damn nice shape. my answer will always be Capri.

willkinton247 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 02/25/2014 at 10:07

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Well, for one thing, the Neon does not meet his parent's "safe" criteria.