As FR's are Amazing cars and can be absoutly great fun, both on and off the track, both drifting and on the stickies, Sometimes a FR isnt the best "First Car" You may really not have a concept to real driving for awile, and I've seen this happen. I have a buddy who bought a old chevy truck, he spins his tires almost everytime he doesnt have great traction, he cant seem to get the whole idea of paying attencion to these kinda things down to fast. I myself have driven his truck 4 or 5 times, have not had a problem. Its a stick too... I'm saying buy an FF, if you have the money later, buy a FR to play with.
So if you didn't have a problem driving a rwd vehicle, what makes you think the OP will? Perhaps your friend isn't that into driving, so he has no desire to learn what he is doing and improve his driving skills.
Since we are on a forum based around a driving video game, I would figure most of us enjoy driving. And most of us would pay attention to what we are doing and try to learn from it. IMO, a rwd vehicle is and excellent choice to learn to drive in.
Why does everyone seem to be so against a first time driver getting a rwd car? Is it the fear that they will wreck it? Are there actual numbers saying more first time drivers wreck rwd cars than fwd, or do people just assume these things? -- I would really like to know about this, anyone good at finding that kind of information?
If you obey the law, drive the speed limit, and don't drive like an idiot then you should have no problems. Bad weather? Drive slower, be more cautious, invest in some good snow tires. If anything, driving a fwd or awd in bad conditions gives people the idea that they have more control, so what do they do? Drive faster, little do they know when it comes time to brake it's just like any other vehicle, and off the road they go. Of course to my knowledge those are just theories, but if you think about it, it makes sense. I had little problems driving my mr2 in the winter weather, and that was with old dry rotted tires.
Don't forget that here in the US fwd didn't start getting big till the late 70's, so most of these people were driving rwd.
It's really doesn't take that much more to properly learn how to drive a rwd vehicle. Here's what I say, if you a willing to be smart about it and educate yourself (which we all should do no matter what vehicle we are driving) then don't hesitate to get a rear wheel drive car.
Those SE-R engines are strong as bricks, and, being aluminum turbo-ready blocks with timing chains, should last forever, but the bodies won't.
