First car in 2 years- what to save for?

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T-Squared

T-Squared

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I'm not very good at wording things but here it goes. I'm a 14 year old from Iowa and I have been thinking a lot lately about what car I would like to have as a goal to buy when I'm 16. I've narowed it down to a 2004-2005 Subaru Impreza WRX as my most logical choice. Now I know you problemly thinking that theres no way that that's going to happen, and I will admit that that might not be able to happen. The money issue isn't going to be a problem I don't think, because I've been saving for a car since I was about 7 and have worked to make money for my car since I was 12. If you have any suggestions please, let me know. The car has to have a couple requirments though. It has to...
-Be able to get around in snow
-Safe (Mom)
-decent fuel economy
-No Grand Prix/Grand am!
-Be sumwhat sporty
-Would like a manuel, but an auto is ok
-8,000 to 11,000 (Years of saving pays off)

The Subaru has quite a few good things going for it:dopey:
-Four wheel drive
-Most are manuel
-Four seats
-good MPG (20+)
-Cool looking
-In price range (12 grand now, 10 grand in 2 years?)
-I like all of the colors
-subaru dealer 20 miles away
-exhast sounds great!

Negitives:grumpy:
-Will have to travel to get one
-Can't think of others right now...


Qustions- answer if you can please!
-Reliablity?
-Cost for repairs?
-Known problems?


If I sounded like an Idiot, feel free to tell me.

EDIT- Out dated since start of thread
 
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1. Please avoid all sports cars of any type.
2. WRX will be too much for you to handle as a first car.
3. Insurance will be outrageous.

Nothing personal but get a regular Impreza, its still AWD and looks good. Buy any Subaru or might even think about getting a regular saloon car. $10k USD buys you plenty of great cars. Think Volvo, Saab, Audi and Mercedes. The list goes on.
 
None taken. I have thought about the regular Impreza, and I'd like to have a newer car. (less problems, I don't know how to fix an engine yet:ouch:)
 
When you buy that car don't get a Dorf. especially don't get a 1995 Taurus. if you get get away with it you could get a SHO, that's actually a pretty fast car.

a Cobalt SS is also another mighty fast car for how much you would pay for it

Monte Carlo is fast but i think that they have a pretty large V-6 minimum and that will end up getting you 14-17 mpg average. But that's the 1999+ model I've actually never seen a 95'-99' model but the specs on it look like my own car could beat it.

Please don't get a Volvo. I've found that everyperson around here that drives a volvo is a retard who couldn't drive thier way out of a wet paper bag. and unless you want to pay large amounts on repairs and maintenance, forgo the Mercedes too.


The only suggestion for you is unless you have mechanics in your family use that entire 11k to buy a moderately new Japanese car, then you wouldn't have to play around with the engine. It's really a 🤬 to work on japanese cars, so maybe not. (they weren't designed to be user friendly ironically.)
 
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TVC
Older Evo or STi if you could find one.
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That would be rather rediculous given he'd be 16. You realize that a 16 year old trying to insure something like that would work out?

To the OP: Have you taken into consideration insurance yet?
 
Honda Civic Hatchback ? Good gas mileage, Good aftermarket, sometimes a bad rep. I believe that Impreza's are the BMW of the JDM scene because of expensive parts but I might be corrected. or the GSX Eclipse.
 
Lol, he'd look like a ricer, nk4e


Out of idle curiosity how hard is it to drive a manual in the snow?
 
ND4SPD
That would be rather rediculous given he'd be 16. You realize that a 16 year old trying to insure something like that would work out?

To the OP: Have you taken into consideration insurance yet?
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You put the car in your parents name?
 
Hmm, well, there are a lot of variables at play that can ultimately bring you to a very wide range of conclusions. Depending on how the economy is feeling, ultimately, you could get a very good deal on a pretty decent car... Or, maybe not. You never really know.

Things to keep in mind are going to be insurance and fuel prices, and under those two circumstances alone, the WRX is out of the question. Beyond that, it is a terrible first car to have mainly because a) its only going to get you in trouble and b) you're likely going to destroy it.

All of this being said, I've got a fairly unconventional nomination that covers most of the bases, but comes in two forms.

800px-2003_Mazda6_GG_Classic_Hatch%2C_McMillans_Lookout%2C_Vic%2C_21.12.2008.jpg


2008_ford_fusion_sport_appearance_package.jpg


Now, they are technically the same car, and they're fairly similar, but at the same time very different. Personal preferences based on my own current situation places favor on the Fusion Sport versus that of the Mazda 6i. I prefer the look, the moderately more "relaxed" feeling behind the wheel, and I think the interior layout is a little bit better.

Both of them can be had in the neighborhood of $10-12K right now, which means they're going to be fairly affordable within the next year or so. The MZR 2.3L engines under the hood are solid performers, and the manual gearboxes are absolute sweethearts (even the Ford has a short shift). Yes, they only come in FWD with the four pot, but there is more than enough fun to be had. For the size, class and style of car, they drive amazingly well... Far beyond what any Nissan or Toyota would offer. Insurance on the Ford is going to be dirt cheap, and I can't imagine the Mazda being much more by days end. Safety and build quality are both top-notch in their class (the Ford having won awards for it every year its been out), reliability seems to be on-par with most of the competition, and overall I wouldn't expect parts prices to be too expensive... But you may have to worry about labor costs on the Mazda.

=====

Of course, the inverse of all of this is that it would likely be better, at least for your first car, to get something that fits these categories:

* Small
* Lightweight
* Extremely cheap
* Usually of late '80s, early/mid '90s vintage for ultimate awesomeness

I'm a big fan of the B13 Sentra and the VW Fox in this segment, but those cars are becoming more rare by the day for low mileage and reasonable wear. My guess is that a Fox would be all but impossible to find in the state of Iowa, so that's likely out. An MKII Jetta or Golf would be suffice, but you've gotta know your way around a VW to really handle those correctly. The best and most-obvious option would be the EG or EJ Honda Civic (well, at least in my opinion)... But you're really, really, really going to have to look hard by then for a well-kept model.
 
WRX wouldnt be too hard to drive for a first car, I have driven my uncles around his farm and it is powerful, no two words about that but honestly, not that hard to drive. Iv'e been thinking about this alot aswell, I am thinking of getting a lancer/evo for my first car, they are basically all of what you wanted.
 
legendary724
WRX wouldnt be too hard to drive for a first car, I have driven my uncles around his farm and it is powerful, no two words about that but honestly, not that hard to drive. Iv'e been thinking about this alot aswell, I am thinking of getting a lancer/evo for my first car, they are basically all of what you wanted.
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I wouldn't be so sure about that. You just have to get used to it and not go to crazy. There are kids who get cars with 300+ HP and are just fine. As long you are not going to crazy you should be fine.
 
Horseradish.

A WRX, Evolution, etc. are terrible ideas for a first car simply because of the rape that will occur when discussing insurance rates (likely to be in excess of $250 a month, if not more), and the overall shenanigans that can occur with a car like that.

Kids can be responsible, I completely understand that. Kids may even be rational on occasion. But, if you ask me, or any of the other "older" members on the board and they're all going to tell you the same thing. Its a waste of time, money, and outright sanity to give the kids the keys to a car like that. I grew up with a lot of kids who did the same thing the OP is talking about (well, spent their parent's money I mean), and they only ended up destroying the car either by their poor driving skills or totaling them outright in their own stupidity.

Buy an affordable car, save the rest of the money, and use it for college.
 
JCE
1. Please avoid all sports cars of any type.
2. WRX will be too much for you to handle as a first car.
3. Insurance will be outrageous.

Nothing personal but get a regular Impreza, its still AWD and looks good. Buy any Subaru or might even think about getting a regular saloon car. $10k USD buys you plenty of great cars. Think Volvo, Saab, Audi and Mercedes. The list goes on.
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Maintenance will ruin him at his age.

Brad: He doesn't need a Fusion Sport. Insurance isn't kind on it towards new drivers with it. Farmer's nearly classed it as the same as my TL.
 
EVO's and STi's would be nice but insurance would be high and that's a lot of car when you're just learning to drive. Get a DSM (Eclipse GSX, Talon TSi, Laser RST, & GVR4). They're AWD, turbo, and quite fun to drive. Still fairly quick too. In stock form they aren't EVO or STi fast, but still have plenty of grunt to them. Not to mention looks..

327picture016-med.jpg


IMHO, the 2gb DSM is one of the best looking sports cars of all time. Like the MKIV Supra and FD RX-7, the body styling is just timeless.
 
Reventón;3274919
Brad: He doesn't need a Fusion Sport. Insurance isn't kind on it towards new drivers with it. Farmer's nearly classed it as the same as my TL.
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Really? That is very strange. When I was looking at the '06 SE they were looking to knock in somewhere around $120 a month, which I thought was pretty good for a newer car like that. I suppose the trim level and the lack of a V6 would have something to do with that...

EDIT:

DSMs?

He said "reliable" right?
 
How about a TVR Cerbera? - Don't bother with the 4.2, go for either the 4.5 or the latter SpeedSix. I think that ticks all your boxes and should make an ideal car for a 16 year old.
 
TheCracker
How about a TVR Cerbera? - Don't bother with the 4.2, go for either the 4.5 or the latter SpeedSix. I think that ticks all your boxes and should make an ideal car for a 16 year old.
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TVR? in United States??
 
I don't know, but I should be getting a Subaru Legacy soon (this year hopefully). It's kind of like a WRX I guess except the insurance shouldn't be that high. Going for a lower model could help, and the 02' models can go quite cheap.
 
Turbo Lag
I don't know, but I should be getting a Subaru Legacy soon (this year hopefully). It's kind of like a WRX I guess except the insurance shouldn't be that high. Going for a lower model could help, and the 02' models can go quite cheap.
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The Legacy is actually should be the same as a Impreza. Though in older models, parts were interchangeable between the two.But I don't know if the AWD package was available here. ( I read somewhere..though I have to look for it.)
 
Turbo Lag
I don't know, but I should be getting a Subaru Legacy soon (this year hopefully). It's kind of like a WRX I guess except the insurance shouldn't be that high. Going for a lower model could help, and the 02' models can go quite cheap.
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Insurance will be equal or more. The Legacy is one of Subaru's top-of-the-line models.
 
In case none of you knew turbo loves his Legacies. He had about 20 of them tuned on GT4:lol:. I love the Legacy aswell :D. I understand that they are damn cheap too. We got our 02 model twin turbo B4 for $20,000AUD. But ours is the previous body, anyway, heaps sportier looking than the new one, you can count this post as a suggestion, doesnt have to be turbo but the turbo model comes with a hood vent:trouble:.
 
My experience of running an Impreza Turbo for almost 3 years ('96-'98) was that they are VERY safe cars... yes, they do have decent performance, but the handling is incredibly benign. Far less likely to throw you off in to the undergrowth than something RWD for example.

Also, mine was 100% reliable and reasonably gentle on tyres (c.15,000 miles a set) and brakes considering I drove it like a nutter most of the time.

Only downsides for me were fuel - I often got less than 20mpg (c.200 miles) out of a tank, and it ate clutches at the rate of one every service.. though this could have been due to the number of 7,000rpm-dump the clutch-standing starts I did.

Would imagine insurance would be costly for a new driver though... I doubt anyone would even quote you in the UK.
 
From my limited knowlegde of USDM cars, I'll make a few blind stabs in the dark at cars suitable for new drivers:

- Toyota Corolla
05-corolla-hero.jpg


- Honda Civic
03civicT.jpg


- Chevy Cavalier
05.chevrolet.cavalier.500.jpg


- Ford ZX2
zx2_1.jpg


- Ford Focus
ford_focus04.jpg


- Mazda Protege
Protege1.jpg


- Nissan Sentra
nissansentraserback2.jpg


Now let's see how they all stack up to your requirements:

-Be able to get around in snow - I see no reason why not. They're all front-drive, which though not as good as AWD in snow is still more than possible if you're careful. I manage fine with FWD and I'm sure a number of other members on the forum do too.
-Safe (Mom) - All should be pretty safe. None of them are wrecks, all come with airbags etc.
-decent fuel economy - You stated 20mpg as being "good" for the WRX. All of these should do 30+ on the highway without worries.
-No Grand Prix/Grand am! - They aren't :D
-Be sumwhat sporty - Depends on the model you choose, though all the Japanese ones are supposed to handle well, and the American choices look fairly sporty in appearance. Appearance is a personal taste thing, but I like the look of all the ones I picked.
-Would like a manuel, but an auto is ok - Manual ;) All are available manual if you have a look around.
-8,000 to 11,000 (Years of saving pays off) - All should be cheaper, apart from maybe the Corolla as I picked a newish one for the pic. I'm not sure. Either way, for a first car you're better off spending less as although I'm sure you'll try and be a safe driver, accidents do happen and they're more likely to happen with young drivers enjoying the performance of their first car.

Plus, they should all be pretty good for passengers and luggage, I assume they're all okay for insurance. Should be mostly reliable too. Not sure about the Chevy, but if US Fords are like European ones, they're mechanically reliable and tend to mostly suffer from crummy electrics.
 
Ammagad.. It's two years left.. If you buy now, you're most prob gonna **** it up before you're 16 (I know I did with my first car). If you wait for two years, you've changed opinion so many times you wouldn't believe it when you finally buy a car. It's like that guy on here that has used over half a year on finding a car; he's waiting for the perfect first car to come by. If he finds it, give him a couple of weeks and it's not so perfect anymore. I'd buy some local car for cheap and have fun. That was what I did and I don't regret it.

Anyway, good thing you start early ;) Bought my first car when I was 14 actually. Didn't end up with a finished product, but I lost around $100 on it over a year, then bought another car at 16. Just sayin' you can do both, wait for a good car while you have fun with something silly cheap :)
 
Jeep Grand Cherokee from mid-90s. available as manual and auto, has AWD and a ton of space, safe, reliable, cheap costs ( insurance, maintenance etc), and a car that is near impossible to get into trouble.

what? did I say something funny?
 

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