Great First Cars?

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Senail27

Senail27

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Senail27
I'm looking for a good first car. Maybe a balance in reliability, performance and style. I'm looking at a used Honda S2000, a Mazda MX-5 Miata or a cheap enough used STi? Well it might not fit a budget then. For newer cars, I'm looking at the Golf GTi and the Fiat 500 Abarth. I really don't know price range but I've been given those suggestions. Maybe you need a first car? Post below! :D:D:D
 
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Doog
Don't get a WRX/STI or an S2000. We've even got a thread explaining why not to go with the former.
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I liked that thread. This thread will turn into that if it continues.
@LeadFootLiam What car did you decide on anyways?
Oh, and I'm guessing S2000 insurance for a 17 year old is equal to a 40 year old driving a Gallardo

Edit- wait, you're 14 (profile)? There's ZERO point in looking for a car right now. You never know what will happen in the next 1.5 years...
 
My first, and still my current, is an '02 Camry LE. At first I kinda hated it because I was forced to get it by my dad (didn't trust me with a Legacy 2.5GT), but now it has grown on me and I really love the car.

Call it an appliance if you will, but it is my fun appliance.


When you get your first car, it should be something you hate at first, but will grow onto you later. Save the flashy sports cars for a later date, you can get those later.
 
"Get something economical...like a Nova." Thats what my father told me back in the mid 1980's. Nope. My first car was a 1990 Saab 9000turbo. Get a car you can afford to pay a mechanic to repair(even if you can do all the work yourself). If you cant afford to maintain it. Dont buy it. Simple.
 
Custom878
Don't buy a money pit.
Don't buy something that you know very little about.
Don't buy a turd.
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Almost forgot.

Grow a few inches and get a freakin' license.... and maybe a job while you're at it.
 
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Subaru Impreza, Honda Civic or Accord or a Toyota Corolla are just about the best first cars you can get. All of them are easy to work on, easy to find parts for, very reliable and good on gas.

Some personal advice, if you're 14 years old start working as much as you can right now. Whether it is mowing a neighbors lawn, helping out on a local farm or washing peoples cars, make as much money as you can and buy your first car with your on money. I find people that had to work to purchase their own car instead of having it bought for them tend to take care of it better and appreciate what it actually is. While this may not always be the case of course, I still think it is a great life lesson.
 
Depends on what you mean by "first car". Do you already have you licence, been driving your parents car for a while and now want your own? Or do you have zero driving experience?
 
1st Car Volvo 240 or 740. That is what my daughter and son will be driving if I have my way.
 
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Harry6784
Depends on what you mean by "first car". Do you already have you licence, been driving your parents car for a while and now want your own? Or do you have zero driving experience?
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He's 14.

Hell, he's younger than me.
 
Badasp5.0
1st Car Volvo 240 or 740. That is what my daughter will be driving if I have my way.
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@Badasp5.0 is the voice of reason. The Volvo has the full lot. Safe, tough, big, comfortable, cheap, reliable and swedish. What's not to like (probably looks, but it's a first car and I don't care about looks. Well I do a bit, but that doesn't matter)
 
Custom878
.... and maybe a job while you're at it.
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This. Unless daddy is paying for everything, don't underestimate how expensive a car can be. Manteinance, fuel, insurance, parking...it all adds up bigtime and no matter what you think the only way of keeping up with expenses is having a solid job. And that's even before we factor in go-fast goodies and track-time! Trust me, I know it too well. I made this exact mistake and now my first car ownership dream is on the verge of ending, leaving me with nothing but shame and an F8K1 camshaft...
 
Senail27
I'm looking for a good first car. Maybe a balance in reliability
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Stop right there. You don't need style and you certainly don't need performance in a first car. You need, as others have mentioned, something cheap to fuel, cheap to fix and cheap to insure. So, with that in mind...

Senail27
Honda S2000
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No. Too much performance.

Senail27
Mazda MX-5 Miata
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Maybe. Go for a stock NA or NB. Don't bother with anything modified.

Senail27
cheap used enough STi?
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No. Too much performance.

Senail27
Golf GTi
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No. Too much performance.

Senail27
Fiat 500 Abarth
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No. Standard 500 prehaps.

The chances are you'll crash your first car, so don't bother with anything nice. In any case, you can have fun in just about anything - you don't need to be doing 100mph to enjoy yourself.

I'm not too familiar with the American car market so I'm not going to suggest what to get, but it doesn't really matter so long as it's slow, cheap and reliable.

In any case, if you're 14, what you want now will be completely irrelevant by the time you reach driving age. When I was 14 my first car was going to be a late 60s Mustang or a late 80s Lancia Delta Intergrale. Pipedream doesn't even cover it. Ended up with a 1 litre Mini, which was a bit crap* but was good for learning all about motoring - not just driving but mechanics as well.

*Minis generally are alright. The individual vehicle I bought was pants. And that's the other thing - there are plenty of cars out there; don't get so excited at the thought of buying a car that you end up buying something rubbish. Take someone who knows about cars with you.

AlvaroF
What's not to like
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Fuel economy. Big, old Volvos are rubbish on fuel - mid-20s mpUKg at best.
 
Senail27
I'm looking for a good first car. Maybe a balance in reliability, performance and style. I'm looking at a used Honda S2000, a Mazda MX-5 Miata or a cheap used enough STi? Well it might not fit a budget then. For newer cars, I'm looking at the Golf GTi and the Fiat 500 Abarth. I really don't know price range but I've been given those suggestions. Maybe you need a first car? Post below! :D:D:D
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Since you live in NY and the winters can be brutal, like this year, I would recommend a WRX or STI because they are AWD. The RWD S2000 or RWD Miata are not going to be very good at all in the winter especially as bad of a winter as we had this year.
 
@Roo, yes I forgot about fuel economy on those. But the money saved on mechanics and that sort of stuff because of the toughness and reliabilty of the thing pays for the fuel. At least I think so. A 1-liter Mini is brilliant also.
 
There is actually alot to choose from once you get the whole ''performance sports car'' thing out of your head.
 
AlvaroF
@Roo, yes I forgot about fuel economy on those. But the money saved on mechanics and that sort of stuff because of the toughness and reliabilty of the thing pays for the fuel. At least I think so. A 1-liter Mini is brilliant also.
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Weeelllll... not quite. There's a good reason my 940 is parked up on the drive whilst I go everywhere in a 1 litre Nissan Micra, and fuel economy is it; the Micra will pay for itself in fuel savings within a year. That said, I'm cheap and antisocial, so...
 
AlvaroF
@Roo, yes I forgot about fuel economy on those. But the money saved on mechanics and that sort of stuff because of the toughness and reliabilty of the thing pays for the fuel. At least I think so. A 1-liter Mini is brilliant also.
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I don't know how it is elsewhere in the world, but here Volvo spare parts are priced like they are made of solid gold. They may be a case of "stuff almost never goes wrong" but they surely are a case of "stuff is absurdely expensive when it goes wrong"...
 
CAMAROBOY69
Since you live in NY and the winters can be brutal, like this year, I would recommend a WRX or STI because they are AWD. The RWD S2000 or RWD Miata are not going to be very good at all in the winter especially as bad of a winter as we had this year.
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Naturally aspirated impreza or legacy would be a good 1st car too. I DD a '96 Legacy.
 
CarBastard
I don't know how it is elsewhere in the world, but here Volvo spare parts are priced like they are made of solid gold. They may be a case of "stuff almost never goes wrong" but they surely are a case of "stuff is absurdely expensive when it goes wrong"...
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Volvo parts are quite expensive everywhere but these old Volvos are true DIY cars. If it's wrong you can fix it yourself without much work or effort. Plus there are aftermarket parts for some reason, altough they are difficut to track down because the car is older. He can be Bad Luck Brian and end up with the most unreliable Volvo in the world. Service history is really important.
 
A 4 or 6 cylinder Ranger or S10 can be an alternative as well, plus they can carry small loads, have 4WD and extra passengers, and you can simply beat them to hell and they won't die. You should have seen what my friend did to his S10 and it wouldn't quit.
 
Slash
A 4 or 6 cylinder Ranger or S10 can be an alternative as well, plus they can carry small loads, have 4WD and extra passengers, and you can simply beat them to hell and they won't die. You should have seen what my friend did to his S10 and it wouldn't quit.
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So, it's like an Hilux...
 
AlvaroF
So, it's like an Hilux...
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Yeah you could throw that into the mix as an option as well. Nissan made some good ones way back but finding one in good shape these days would e challenging.
 

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