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Help me figure out the car,,,

pseudobrit said:
Ah, but if he were a car enthusiast he wouldn't need to ask what kind of car to buy.
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True...

I'd take a Ford Focus over a Civic any day of the week, infinitely better drivers car, though apparently the U.S. versions aren't very well screwed together, but it's a small price to pay when the alternative is a car that was designed with the OAP in mind. ;)

As a wildcard I'll suggest a BMW 2002, not especially fast... but simple to work on, stylish, cool and still more fun to drive than a Civic. ;)
 
AP_piano295 said:
Im sorry if you think my first car should be the most practical thing ive ever owned but thats not how its gunna be ive been saving for years for a first car and im not grabbing a civic.
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YEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! :D
 
Counterfit said:
An SUV is a bad choice for a newbie driver. Higher center of gravity, higher weight, squishy handling and lack of visibility make them less than ideal. A small car (like a Civic) will let them learn what driving a car feels like, and get a feel for things without being as much of a danger to the rest of the road-going public.
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Yeah, but the Civic is so small! That's what would scare me about it. My '95 Pathfinder has tires a bit larger than required, so it handles well. I understand the higher center of gravity and potential for rollover, but I also consider how well a Civic fits underneath a semi. I'm sure there are good arguments for both.

In high school, my friend had a 70-something Oldsmobile. You couldn't dent that piece of steel! Also, I overheard one parent tell another they were going to buy their daughter "the biggest piece of steel I can wrap around her!"
 
iSaint said:
In high school, my friend had a 70-something Oldsmobile. You couldn't dent that piece of steel! Also, I overheard one parent tell another they were going to buy their daughter "the biggest piece of steel I can wrap around her!"
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Well that's american mentality. I for one, know when I had my Beetle I felt very safe, still would in a car. On the other hand, when in my mom's CRV, my dad's RidgeLine, or a friends van I'm terrified. I feel much safer in a car that can maneuver then a 'big piece of steel' that can't handle but is bigger then another car.
 
Ok, my .02 worth of bellybutton. Buy something cheap and reliable-regardless of what it is. If you find a "bucket" (love that word) for a grand or less, do it. This can be your "learner" car. Have all your accidents/stupid stuff in it. When you get more experienced, then get the nice car. Trust me, you won't be happy with yourself if you blow 5k on a car, to turn around a wreck it (your fault or no). Good luck
 
Roger1 said:
Ok, my .02 worth of bellybutton. Buy something cheap and reliable-regardless of what it is. If you find a "bucket" (love that word) for a grand or less, do it. This can be your "learner" car. Have all your accidents/stupid stuff in it. When you get more experienced, then get the nice car. Trust me, you won't be happy with yourself if you blow 5k on a car, to turn around a wreck it (your fault or no). Good luck
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Im gunna try not to crash... and im thinking its not the best idea to have the car that cant get out of anythings way or brakes down while driving along the interstate. So yeah my major consideration for buying a car is not the assumption that it will be wrecked. Thats like saying you should by a 500 dollar pc laptop incase you drop it. And I dont plan on blowing 5000 on the car thats to deal with gas repair and insurance (which wont be that high I have the good grades discount)
 
Ive read a good quality 91 900 turbo goes for 2500-2800 range that i could live with.
 
AP_piano295 said:
So im getting close to being allowed to drive its a little over a month now. No way in hell my parents are going to buy me a car, or gas, or inssurance. But I want it to be small, cool, small, small, good gas mileage, stick shift, and fast or at least good acceleration... to uhh drive safely... yeah. So im thinking those old bmw's that are really small, I see them around alot, the have the classic bmw grill and the bottom slopes in. I think they were being made in the mid or late 80's (i dont care if its old)

Anybody know the model that im talking about, anyone have one? If anyone does have one I would like to know if the parts can be switched out for non bmw parts (those luxury car parts are a hell to pay for) Hows the mileage and pep.
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If you are a new driver and planning on an older BMW, plan to get a job that pays you scads of cash. You will need it to cover the cost of insurance on the car. Trust me, very expensive.
 
iGav, you obviously know your stuff. I agree with you on the Civic:p

Just out of interest, what do you drive?
 
AP_piano295 said:
Lets go with budding car enthusiast then :)
As to why I want a stick, because I hate manuals... Im sorry if you think my first car should be the most practical thing ive ever owned but thats not how its gunna be ive been saving for years for a first car and im not grabbing a civic. Though I will say the next civic looks amazing. I would buy that but hey new car not gunna happen.
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You realize you just said that you love stick shift and hate manuals?? They are the same thing!! I think you ment you ment to say i love stick and hate automatic.

Out of curiosity were do you live?? And do you have your permit??
 
I just bought an '89 Saab 900 Turbo 2dr Hatchback 5-speed w/ 117k on it in mint condition, power everythign and the guy was the original owner and they just spent over $4k on it, I bought it for $2500 and its SO FAST, I drove an '88 BMW 3 series wit ha ton of performance upgrades and this blows it away, the turbo is a must have, so get it if you can find one, I love mine!
 
EGT said:
iGav, you obviously know your stuff. I agree with you on the Civic :p

Just out of interest, what do you drive?
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Currently one of these :D

Though up until November, my ex-misses had one of these, though she still has it... hence the emphasis. Oh... I'm also homeless too now. :( :D
 
Counterfit said:
An SUV is a bad choice for a newbie driver. Higher center of gravity, higher weight, squishy handling and lack of visibility make them less than ideal. A small car (like a Civic) will let them learn what driving a car feels like, and get a feel for things without being as much of a danger to the rest of the road-going public.
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I agree with you on everything except the part about SUVs having lack of visibility. SUVs are up higher and usually have bigger window. From what I've noticed, many of the newer sedans are very hard to look out of because the short rear window and sometimes they have the middle seat headrest.

I would suggest a Jetta, Golf, or GTI from VW. Although they will cost more overall, you then are sporty little cars. A lot of kids at my school have them. You can get the standard 2.0l engine (i think its 2.0), 1.8 turbo, VR6, or a diesel, so you have quite a bit of selection there.

When my mom gets her car fixed, we usually get Jettas and Passats from the dealership. She says the Jetta drives much lighter and just doesn't drive as well as a Passat.

VWs though have outstanding interior quality though, especially for the price.

A lot of kids at my school also have Pathfinders and Explorers. Those obviously will take more gas, might cost more, and will cost more to insure.

For fun and overall quality I would say VW. For reliability get a Honda, Toyota, or Nissan. For an SUV, get a pathfinder or Jeep. My sister has a 2001 Grand Cherokee and she has had 0 accidents.
 
prostuff1 said:
You realize you just said that you love stick shift and hate manuals?? They are the same thing!! I think you ment you ment to say i love stick and hate automatic.

Out of curiosity were do you live?? And do you have your permit??
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Virginia, had a permit for eight months all the cars in my family owns are manuals, i know theyre the same thing word mix up my bad. Only time ive driven an automatic was drivers ed. and I hated it alot.
 
AP_piano295 said:
Virginia, had a permit for eight months all the cars in my family owns are manuals, i know theyre the same thing word mix up my bad. Only time ive driven an automatic was drivers ed. and I hated it alot.
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I was hoping you would not say michigan or something, cause then you're setting yourelf up for problems with a fast, small car(i.e. winter). I guess i am use to having bigger vehicles. the one small one we own is a 1980 triumph spitfire which is a manual. I love driving that car around and it is a lot of fun, but in the city it is a real pain in the arse.

I guess i see it more from a practical standpoint. My way of thinking leads me to get a vehicle that can be used and not just driven around.

Might try to consider a chevy s10 extreme.
 
prostuff1 said:
I was hoping you would not say michigan or something, cause then you're setting yourelf up for problems with a fast, small car(i.e. winter). I guess i am use to having bigger vehicles. the one small one we own is a 1980 triumph spitfire which is a manual. I love driving that car around and it is a lot of fun, but in the city it is a real pain in the arse.

I guess i see it more from a practical standpoint. My way of thinking leads me to get a vehicle that can be used and not just driven around.

Might try to consider a chevy s10 extreme.
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I live in Canada, it's cold, we get lots of snow and I've never had problems (except in extreme cases) handling a small car, you just have to be smart. I also find if you're in a truck, or a 4-wheel vehicle you become over confident in bad weather.

I am reaffirming my recommendation of getting a used Honda Civic.
 
I think that a lot of people misunderstood what AP_piano295 wants.

From what he/she said about an old, manual transmission, and small fun to drive car that would suggest that AP_piano295 doesn't really need a car for transportation but more as a toy or a fun thing to play with. So reliability is shouldn't be as much an issue as most people anticipated.

One thing that you should aware though is that unless you are a mechanic and/or know someone who are willing to fix your car for you're going to end up paying more than the price of your car for matainence. If you can fix the car yourself then you'll have an option of getting parts from auto wrecks so even if it is a european car (ie BMW) that should be too bad to fix. However, unless you know how to do the work yourself I do not advice anyone to get an old vehicle.

If you want a really fun to drive car you should be looking at may be a VW Rabbit, Jetta, or an old MINI (no, not a new mini cooper), or what as you mentioned earlier BMW :) .
 
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