Great First Cars?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Senail27
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niky
Within the next few years, the supply of decent secondhand S2ks is going to dry up, leaving only poorly modified examples and "garage queens" with high price tags to choose from.

The current Miata will be going for a decent price within the next four years. The NAs are what everyone wants, but by the time you get one and are licensed, it'll be over 25 years old. That's not just old... it's, well, old. Either way, while a Miata could be your first sports car, it shouldn't be your first car.

Your first car should be something like a Honda Fit or a Mazda2. Something cheap to run, cheap to insure and cheap to fix. This gives you a reliable daily driver and allows you to save up money for a toy later down the line. A toy that you are going to race and break. When you do, you'll be happy to have a Fit/Spark/2/Mirage/whatevs in the garage to pootle around in while you save up more money to fix your toy.
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I'm crying inside since we all have to say goodbye to one of the greatest JDM cars ever made. Goodbye S2000 :(:guilty:
 
Senail27
So, I'm down to a Camry, an Accord, A Fit, A NA Subie and possibly a Miata (Unless NY spontaneously turns into Siberia...). I'm not after the Civics since most guys get civics to high school. I'm being a little stubborn here but my cousin owns a Mitsubishi 3000GT that she never uses. I'm really interested on those. My family is more on the Mitsubishi side for first cars and stuff.
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Miata... Doesn't that use premium gas?
 
Grandea GTR
Miata... Doesn't that use premium gas?
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Even if it does, I can't imagine the tank is larger than 10 gallons, meaning it would be a whole $2.00 extra to fill the tank up if it was completely empty.
 
Hell, I could be driving my dad's pathfinder until I could get my own car. I'm keeping my eye on the Nissan iDX. It's basically a modern Datsun 510. I might want that.
 
This is what I had as my first car...a 2001 Volvo S60 2.4.
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It was a great first car. Mine was picked up for $3000 with 148k miles. No major problems with it with the exception of the air conditioning (which was fixed soon after I bought it). The only reason I got rid of it was because I needed something a bit more modern and bigger. My '07 S80 adresses both of those issues.

Maintenance wasn't too bad, like I said the only issue was the AC. It was great on gas. The 2.4 had decent power, but you can get a turbocharged model in good shape for around 7 grand. And it's a Volvo, you bet it's going to be safe.
 
Senail27
Hell, I could be driving my dad's pathfinder until I could get my own car. I'm keeping my eye on the Nissan iDX. It's basically a modern Datsun 510. I might want that.
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Typically, from concept to production...you're looking at a 3-4 year wait. Since you said that it's going to be a few years, I guess that's okay.

This is going sound harsh, but we're not going attend to your needs constantly and inform you every car out there. Nor is it anyone's responsibility keep this thread warm while you make a decision that will take two years. Heck, you may not care as much as you think after so much waiting...
 
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Sports cars for first cars? What are the insurance costs like? Here in the UK insurance costs are crazy for young drivers.
 
my first car was my dad's handme down 1987 Honda Accord dx 5 spd.... IMO BEST FIRST CAR EVER!
30-32mpg was surprisingly quick and agile for a fwd 4 dr, had plenty of room for WHATEVER! and insurance was next to nothing. I inherited the car with 280,xxxmi on it and sold it with 615,xxxmi having done nothing more than oil changes and plugs/wires/caps/rotors along with brakes and a couple clutches over the years... it is still on the road to this day with almost 800k on it...
for my 2nd car I picked up my 280ZXR and let me tell you even for an OLD car.. the sports car insurance would NOT have been affordable as my first car! and had I not learned what I learned driving the accord... I'd likely not be here to type this today.
 
Leggy1
Sports cars for first cars? What are the insurance costs like? Here in the UK insurance costs are crazy for young drivers.
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I don't know, but I know that insurance is cheap enough that my dad pays to have me insured on his brand new GT86 even though I'm living the UK. I'm 18, with about two years driving experience.
 
Beeblebrox237
I don't know, but I know that insurance is cheap enough that my dad pays to have me insured on his brand new GT86 even though I'm living the UK. I'm 18, with about two years driving experience.
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Thats pretty good, Im currently learning and I can't be insured to drive my dad's Touran. But as an example the slowest MX-5/Miata would cost me £3300 (cheapest quote) to insure for a year once I've passed my test.
 
@DrPuppetwarrior
When it comes to minivans, I personally think the Venture is a great van. It just look so, vanny. Ok, so I may have gotten a little attached to driving my moms around lately.

So to the OP, I was a lot like you, I was planning far ahead before I got my first car, which I'm picking up this week. Before now I was looking at Jaguar XJs, Porsche 928s, BMW 850s. So on Tuesday, my first car will be.... A Ford Taurus.

It came down to the point I just wanted a car, and you'll realize that when you get your license, you won't care what you're driving. I was mortified driving the minivan at first, but eventually I just embraced it, cranked the music and just drove. I didn't care what people thought of me. Trust me, you'll feel the same way. Finally last week a green Taurus SHO popped up and I was lucky enough to get it. It's not really a sports car, but it isn't slow either. It's a fun car.

For your first car just pick out something to beat around with. There's a high chance you'll wreck your first car. You don't want to buy a nice sports car just to wreck it.

There are so many cool cars that aren't really a sports car. I personally love the PI Crown Vics. These are also DIRT cheap. We have one in town right now for 4200 with 62000 on the odometer. All on a 2007. They are wicked cars and you get a big ol' American V8. Another option would be a Lincoln LS with the V6 or V8. Both are also cheap and very cool cars.

In short, just pick something that YOU think is cool, that everyone else thinks is lame. You won't care as long as you like. Every one that I've showed my car say it's ugly, but you know what, I don't give a damn, I like it. You know what, screw it, I like my moms minivan!!
 
Just get a Panther. They sound nice but they aren't actually fast, they are pretty safe and they are relatively indestructible.



Plus if you get one in the right color, for the next half decade you will absolutely know that no one will ever steal it.
 
Beeblebrox237
I don't know, but I know that insurance is cheap enough that my dad pays to have me insured on his brand new GT86 even though I'm living the UK. I'm 18, with about two years driving experience.
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It's far cheaper to have an 18-year old insured on a parent's car with an experienced parent as the main driver and the 18-year old only driving occasionally, than it is to have an 18-year old as the main driver. It is this that ultimately leads to the illegal practice of fronting to try and keep insurance costs down.
 

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