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best car for a 16 year old guy
- Thread starter acebudad
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Sankersizzle
macrumors 6502a
MacHamster68
macrumors 68040
i guess its a bit to fast for a new driver
if it has to be a fast sports car why not that one here
at least they do a learner version of it with only approximately 650 PS (478 kW; 641 bhp)
but i guess that one below is more in his price range
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No it's not. Minus the stupid wing and whatever body kit package it has, my wife had one of those (steel blue) and literally just sold it yesterday. Hers was an '03 regular model, and she sold it to a company for trade-in value (think CarMax or whatever) and even they gave her nearly $12k for it. That's not a cheap car, given its a retractable hardtop.
They don't even sell those in America though.
MacHamster68
macrumors 68040
ok get a Chevrolet Matiz ,as i said i drive one now privately and i could not be more happy , great mpg , servicing cost peanuts compared to other cars , and its predecessor the Daewoo Matiz which looks exactly the same apart from the badge might just fall into your budget just , they are reliable ,they are economical , they are practical , there fits with folded down rear seats even a fridge inside , its a tardis , and the original sound system is really good too
It was designed at Daewoo's Worthing Technical Centre in England and introduced in South Korea in late 2000, and exported from 2001. The front-end structure was modified to accommodate a 4-cylinder engine, although the introduction of this engine, the 1.0-litre S-Tec unit was delayed until after Daewoo's takeover by General Motors in 2002.
it was sold in Mexico under the badge of Pontiac as Matiz and G2
and you get a fair amount of tuning parts for it from simple body kits to engine tuning
It was designed at Daewoo's Worthing Technical Centre in England and introduced in South Korea in late 2000, and exported from 2001. The front-end structure was modified to accommodate a 4-cylinder engine, although the introduction of this engine, the 1.0-litre S-Tec unit was delayed until after Daewoo's takeover by General Motors in 2002.
it was sold in Mexico under the badge of Pontiac as Matiz and G2
and you get a fair amount of tuning parts for it from simple body kits to engine tuning
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Guys, a lot of these cars aren't sold in America.
If it's the size of a tin can, it isn't sold in America.
If it's the size of a tin can, it isn't sold in America.
MacHamster68
macrumors 68040
wow a Brütsch Mopetta they did only build 14 in 3 years, 5 are known to still exist and their value is out of reach for most of us i suppose, as its beyond 50000 euros in driveable condition
but there is a cheaper alternative with 2 seats , so the girlfried can come with you and you might find one for under 40000 euros if you search hard enough
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yes i know why , because the dealers buy them in japan and bring them over to the UK to make big profits like with the Suzuki Cappucino , Honda Beat, Nissan Figaro and the Subaru Sambar and Mitsuoka Viewt
yea you are lucky to live in japan where kei cars are sold ,
i always wondered why somebody would need a bigger and faster car if he has no intention of breaking the speed limits
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I honk gently if someone doesn't move when there's a green light, but only after counting to five. I also honk if I think someone's not paying attention and I think it'll avoid an accident. A similar question is what to do when you're a passenger and it looks like the driver doesn't see something important - I usually tell them, even at the risk of hurting their feelings.
But getting back to the topic a bit, these are things i didn't think about much when I was a teenage driver.
ok so i decided on getting a camaro but im stuck between a 1986 z28 and a 1997 ss which is better??
Sankersizzle
macrumors 6502a
I don't understand how this is even a question in your mind. I'm not sure if you know this, but this is what a '97 SS looks like:
and THIS is what a 1986 Z28 looks like:
You'd have to be blind as a bat to get the '86. I'm a kid too, lets get down to what's important. The 97 SS looks better, no one is going to argue with that. The '97 also has traction control, for when it snows/rains. The '97 is also considerably faster, with a 0-60 of ~5.5 and a 1/4 mile time of 14.9 seconds compared to the '86 Z28's 6.7 seconds to 60 and ~16 seconds in the 1/4 mile. The '97 also handles better and is bigger. It's more fuel efficient as well. It's also significantly newer/more reliable, meaning maintenance costs will be lower.
The '97 is better in literally every single way. I'm honestly very genuinely confused as to how you can be stuck between the two 😕
umm ok if you read some of my early posts you would have saw that i like old school cars better than new cars and you would have saw that i dont want a car that is to powerful because i dont want to get in an accident like most other 16 year olds
Sankersizzle
macrumors 6502a
steviem
macrumors 68020
Umm, the ss looks so much better. It is a 1997, so its no spring chicken. In fact, it isn't much younger than you. It probably has more creature comforts and would be more reliable than the older one. An old school car with real character old be a 69 Camaro, not the 86. How much are 97 SS' going for? I'm looking for a car soon too, lol.
it may be worse for you but i like it and i would rather have a 69 camaro or an old school mustang but i dont have the money for that and yea i know its not "that powerful" but i want to actually learn how to drive a kinda fast car before i get an actual muscle car and i like the 86 because it dosent have abs brakes power steering and all the new stuff because i want to learn how to drive better and learn from my mistakes
trust me i do know how to drive and ive driven cars faster than the 97 camaro and yea i am being responsible and cautious because im buying it with my money unlike most people whos parents buy them a car and they crash it
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yea it looks good but i just want an old car without abs brakes power steering power windows park assist and all that stuff so i can lean how to drive better and i do want a 69 but thats more money than i have right now, i might get one of those when im like 20 or older. ive been looking on craigslist and ebay and stuff because my parent wont finance me a car lol but the GOOD ones ive seen are like 2000+
Sankersizzle
macrumors 6502a
benhollberg
macrumors 68020
MacHamster68
macrumors 68040
the camaro is not ugly but i would not want one really better go straight to a Corvette or if you find one the little european sister of the year around 1968 the OPEL GT
you certainly get the looks on the university car park , i know it was sold in the USA too
it looks good just like a small corvette and they used steel to build it and is sensible motorised with a 1.9L engine its a opel engine and is bullet proof with around the 100BHP mark not overpowered
you certainly get the looks on the university car park , i know it was sold in the USA too
it looks good just like a small corvette and they used steel to build it and is sensible motorised with a 1.9L engine its a opel engine and is bullet proof with around the 100BHP mark not overpowered
steviem
macrumors 68020
I had a Peugeot 205 GTi when I was 18 years old. It had no PAS, a 1.6l engine (don't discount that, it weighed nothing because I think the panels were made of sardine tins so went like stink) and had a short ratio 5 speed manual gearbox, which could keep you in it's powerband around country lanes and then at 70 on the motorway would be spinning the engine at 5000rpm. It had ABS though, but really, not having ABS isn't a good method of becoming a better driver. The other driving aids like Traction Control, maybe will detract from your 'skill'. I bought the little Pug for £300 on eBay and sold it a few months later for £500 (which I regret, but the monthly insurance payments were way too high and it used fuel, which was £1.05/litre at the time, a lot because of my heavy foot...).
Power Steering, or the lack thereof won't change you as a driver. It might mean you get monster Biceps from all of the low speed maneuvers you'll have to make, but won't improve you as a driver when it comes to driving quickly.
I would've suggested a 205 GTi for you, because whilst they aren't super fast, I've seen them lap tracks quicker than rich people in much more powerful cars, they are quick around corners and can keep their momentum up nicely, and if your technique isn't right, let's say mid corner, the lift-off oversteer can punish you. Although, it isn't too taxing to correct it. Alas, I dont think you'll ever be able to find one over here and old Golf (Rabbit) GTIs are a little too heavy to be just like the 205. What about an early 90s Nissan 200sx? 1.8 Turbo engine, can have simple mods performed on it to change it, some are RWD with an LSD. That could do something for you too.
Otherwise
Mousse
macrumors 601
Take it from a guy who learned to drive in a car with no power steering. You DO NOT want to learn how to drive in a car with no power steering. It won't make you a better driver. You'll spend all you time wishing for power steering instead of paying attention to your driving.
Years ago...
Me: Ugghhh... The wheel is stuck. It won't turn.
Dad: Sure it will son, just use both hand and really force it.
Me: How about I drive the El Camino. It has power steering.
Dad: Power steering is overrated, son. You'll get use to it.
Me: ... 🙄
Synchromesh
macrumors 6502a
In retrospect I'm very happy that my first car was old and slow. It saved me from a lot of trouble. But not enough - I wrecked it twice, totaling it second time around. Either way, I would avoid powerful sporty cars for now. I would also try to find something relatively safe (because while it's not 100% chances are you'll get into some sort of accident with it) and with some safety features. ABS in my winter car saved my butt plenty of times and I'm glad the car has it.
After you drive this thing for a couple of years and get comfortable with the road and the rules THEN you can look for a more sporting ride. It will make your (and other drivers') life far easier even if it's not the coolest thing to do because when you drive a sporty car people will expect you to act like it and you will most likely do something stupid at one point or another due to lack of experience.
As for power steering, I would just take a car that has it for now. Later on you can buy a car without it - it really does provide a much better road feel. My summer car has no ps and it's awesome. But you need to concentrate on driving itself for now, not necessarily esoterics of it so much.
Despite what I said earlier against Camaros I don't hate them at all. They're good cars for what they are. But I would stay away at least until you learn how to drive well. A buddy of mine had an '87 when he was about your age many years ago. He flipped it one winter. He walked away unscathed but not everybody is so lucky. And I would choose an '87 one over the '97 one in a heartbeat also. Or better yet a '67.
Btw, power is definitely not all be all in fun. I have a 128hp Miata and it is far more fun than several much more powerful cars I test drove including S2000 and 350Z. A wise man once said: it's much more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. 😉
After you drive this thing for a couple of years and get comfortable with the road and the rules THEN you can look for a more sporting ride. It will make your (and other drivers') life far easier even if it's not the coolest thing to do because when you drive a sporty car people will expect you to act like it and you will most likely do something stupid at one point or another due to lack of experience.
As for power steering, I would just take a car that has it for now. Later on you can buy a car without it - it really does provide a much better road feel. My summer car has no ps and it's awesome. But you need to concentrate on driving itself for now, not necessarily esoterics of it so much.
Despite what I said earlier against Camaros I don't hate them at all. They're good cars for what they are. But I would stay away at least until you learn how to drive well. A buddy of mine had an '87 when he was about your age many years ago. He flipped it one winter. He walked away unscathed but not everybody is so lucky. And I would choose an '87 one over the '97 one in a heartbeat also. Or better yet a '67.
Btw, power is definitely not all be all in fun. I have a 128hp Miata and it is far more fun than several much more powerful cars I test drove including S2000 and 350Z. A wise man once said: it's much more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. 😉
Fourth gen Camaros ('93-'02, split by the '98 refresh) look like total and utter ass. All plastic bathtub, no styling whatsoever, worse interior than 3rd gens.
Fourth gens, particularly the '93-'97 cars, with their salad shooter wheels, etc., look like crap by comparison to crisp, steel-bodied lines of the thirdgens. The profile of the fourth gen has no style at all, unlike the wheel-well flares of the thirdgens and soft contours of the B-pillar, the nose is very stubby for a pony car which traditionally should have a long nose and a short decklid, and half of the engine is under the windshield, making them nightmares to work on. The opti-spark is a known common problem on early 4th gens. Not to mention, 4th gen body panels are made almost entirely out of plastic, except the rear quarter panels. Fourth gens have a styleless, cheap look to them on the outside, even if they are faster. Step inside, and it's gaudy bulky GM plastic, in true GM fashion. Thirdgens may have a cheap interior too, but it wasn't gaudy and bulky--it was simple and neat.
Sorry, but IMO, speed doesn't make up for the fact it's a styleless, disproportionate bathtub going down the road. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, surely, but there are pros and cons to each car or body style. Many an enthusiast wouldn't take a 4th gen over a 3rd gen, as evidenced by a thirdgen that sold at Barrett Jackson this year for $59k, and the numerous other low-mileage originals that go for $20k+ nowadays.
Also, OP, why are you hung on an '86? It was the sole year that had a big ugly hump on the rear windshield for the third brakelight, and '86 cars for some unknown reason were castrated compared to other years.
Also the OP can forget about finding first gen Camaros for $2k. Rotted shells with no engine, transmission, and holes in the trunk/floor/framerails cost a lot more than that. Muscle cars are way, way, way out of the OP's price range. For that matter, so is a '97 SS/Z28, or any really clean '86. Also Sankersizzle, if someone can't get better than a 14.9 in an LT1, they have no idea what they are doing. Many LT1s run around 14.0, or high 13s bone stock. And an LT1 car is going to be more expensive to fix/repair/diagnose than an older, traditional smallblock Chevy car with plenty of room in the engine bay to work. Optispark alone costs around $600 when it goes (not if). If anything the OP would be better off with the older car because they are old enough to have surely needed literally everything by now no matter how long the owner wanted to put it off, whereas there are a lot of early 4th gens limping around town on their last legs, in need of virtually everything.
Honestly OP, for $2k, I would just forget about any Camaro/fun car and just get a dead-reliable Japanese car.
Fourth gens, particularly the '93-'97 cars, with their salad shooter wheels, etc., look like crap by comparison to crisp, steel-bodied lines of the thirdgens. The profile of the fourth gen has no style at all, unlike the wheel-well flares of the thirdgens and soft contours of the B-pillar, the nose is very stubby for a pony car which traditionally should have a long nose and a short decklid, and half of the engine is under the windshield, making them nightmares to work on. The opti-spark is a known common problem on early 4th gens. Not to mention, 4th gen body panels are made almost entirely out of plastic, except the rear quarter panels. Fourth gens have a styleless, cheap look to them on the outside, even if they are faster. Step inside, and it's gaudy bulky GM plastic, in true GM fashion. Thirdgens may have a cheap interior too, but it wasn't gaudy and bulky--it was simple and neat.
Sorry, but IMO, speed doesn't make up for the fact it's a styleless, disproportionate bathtub going down the road. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, surely, but there are pros and cons to each car or body style. Many an enthusiast wouldn't take a 4th gen over a 3rd gen, as evidenced by a thirdgen that sold at Barrett Jackson this year for $59k, and the numerous other low-mileage originals that go for $20k+ nowadays.
Also, OP, why are you hung on an '86? It was the sole year that had a big ugly hump on the rear windshield for the third brakelight, and '86 cars for some unknown reason were castrated compared to other years.
Also the OP can forget about finding first gen Camaros for $2k. Rotted shells with no engine, transmission, and holes in the trunk/floor/framerails cost a lot more than that. Muscle cars are way, way, way out of the OP's price range. For that matter, so is a '97 SS/Z28, or any really clean '86. Also Sankersizzle, if someone can't get better than a 14.9 in an LT1, they have no idea what they are doing. Many LT1s run around 14.0, or high 13s bone stock. And an LT1 car is going to be more expensive to fix/repair/diagnose than an older, traditional smallblock Chevy car with plenty of room in the engine bay to work. Optispark alone costs around $600 when it goes (not if). If anything the OP would be better off with the older car because they are old enough to have surely needed literally everything by now no matter how long the owner wanted to put it off, whereas there are a lot of early 4th gens limping around town on their last legs, in need of virtually everything.
Honestly OP, for $2k, I would just forget about any Camaro/fun car and just get a dead-reliable Japanese car.
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Never drive anything below a German luxury car if you value your health.
Thankfully my parents took proper care of me in my younger years and wouldn't let me anywhere near a car that isn't Mercedes, BMW or up.
Thankfully my parents took proper care of me in my younger years and wouldn't let me anywhere near a car that isn't Mercedes, BMW or up.