Lookin' for my first car

  • Thread starter Thread starter gibson
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gibson
Well, I think I found it:
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/car/725236261.html
Parts are cheap, the motors are easy to work on, and It follows all my guide lines to a "t".
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Wow. That's the most reasonable thing you've posted in this thread. Too bad it's hardly sporty. Don't you dare race it either, because you'll end up dead, or crippled. These things fold up like tin cans. You are not a race car driver, and probably wont be. Just drive it to get somewhere.

Rotary Junkie
'cept you won't break 100hp reliably with it.

Corvair flat-six swap maybe...
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Have fun with your weight balance.
 
You don't need a whole lot of power to make the Beetle fast, racing engines can be had for cheap as well. As for the handling issue, that can be addressed easily...
 
Rotary Junkie
Hence the Corvair flat-six notion.

150hp easily and reliably.
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Ah the aluminum block. Good for weight, bad for sitting in traffic (at least in the corvair
melting.gif
)
 
The funny thing is that one of the 240s that was posted by the thread starter is an auto.

If you want a back seat so badly, why not get one that's at least somewhat large? like.. fullsize? No point in making out on a tiny seat that has a big enough hump between the seat cushions to curve your spines into pretzels.
 
He's found a VW Bug.

An interesting choice...I wouldn't build it up until you're familiar with driving...In fact, it wouldnt' be my first choice fro a first car: it's still an old one, and I'd be afraid of crashing. You could beat on a front-drive AE82 relative of that AE85 you were considering and not worry about it too much. It's a car you could total and only be out a grand. Same engine, too.

However, since you're going Bug, forget Corvair. Get a Porsche 356/912 motor, or a 2.0l Transporter mill. They used a 356 Mill for the racing version of Herbie in "The Love Bug."

Besides, the Corvair motor rotates a different direction, doesn't it? I'd also want to leave Corvair engines for Corvair enthusiasts.
 
Jim Prower
He's found a VW Bug.

An interesting choice...I wouldn't build it up until you're familiar with driving...
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Familiar with driving? This guy wants a RWD sports car with no ABS as his first car and already hates FWD.

He's gotta be motorsport prodigy at the very least. :dopey:
 
Honestly something like this is a good choice, Neon's are kind of sporty and not a bad first car. You need to be looking at something that's going to be light on insurance, get decent mileage, and be easy-ish to repair.
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/car/724640565.html

With that said here are cars that match your criteria.

Here is an older BMW:
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/car/726269488.html

A fairly crappy Supra:
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/car/725755858.html

Honestly don't bother getting a awesome first car, buy something affordable and learn to drive first. Chances are you will run it into something. My first car was a 95 Neon, I learned to drive on that and then bought a "nicer" new vehicle and now I have another new vehicle which I really like.

===

And a Beetle in Pennslyvania? Good luck with the rust.
 
gibson
i hate auto's, hate FWD, and sporty is just something 95% of guys my age "have" to have.
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- How do you know you hate autos? Have you driven one?
- How do you know you hate FWD? Have you driven a FWD?
- And "sporty" is only requirement of those who can't extract good performance from a more humble car. Which incidentally...

gibson
Well, I think I found it:
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/car/725236261.html
Parts are cheap, the motors are easy to work on, and It follows all my guide lines to a "t".
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...you seem to have found. Good on you. I wouldn't like to push my luck with it as it wouldn't be great in a crash [/understatement] but you'd be able to have fun, and maybe practice car control in a gravel car park or muddy field to your heart's content, without ruining a better car.

ExigeEvan
Familiar with driving? This guy wants a RWD sports car with no ABS as his first car and already hates FWD.

He's gotta be motorsport prodigy at the very least. :dopey:
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:lol:
 
be honest with yourself, if you get something sporty, you will drive it like its sporty. at your age, cops will love you. then when you want a REAL "sports" car, your insurance will be through the roof. plus, if you really want to get into racing, there is no shame in a FWD, and it will probably be the better car to learn with.
 
Perfect Balance
Mazda Miata.[/thread]


Don't dismiss it until you drive one.

EDIT: All 3 of those 240sx's are complete S$%tboxes. You don't realize how annoying it is to have little problems with your car. My car has a slight thunk when starting off and it pisses me off to no end. Every new squeak or rattle means something else is wrong with the car and might be major/expensive. Don't buy a piece of crap for a first car.
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/\ It wouldn't be a "looking for car thread" in GTP without an MX-5 suggestion in here. I have a rattle in my car that gets worse as I climb higher in RPM, and today I dound out it might just be the air fresheners shaking on the vents they are loosely attached to.:lol:

TopHat
:lol: That's gold.



Gibson, you can't always get what you want, you gotta make compromises. Maybe 4 doors, maybe not RWD, maybe auto (OH NOES).
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No one should ever compromise with an auto. In fact, I recommend going or the car you want, and avoiding making compromises. If you're patient in your search. That's what I did and ended up with the exact model, down to year and trim level, that I wanted. I was going for a wider option of year models and trim levels, but luckily I ended up with this Ute. I'm just saying, if you make compromises you will hate yourself for it. If you have a car you like, you may not have to sell. You're saving money already.:dopey:

Bones Brigade
be honest with yourself, if you get something sporty, you will drive it like its sporty. at your age, cops will love you. then when you want a REAL "sports" car, your insurance will be through the roof. plus, if you really want to get into racing, there is no shame in a FWD, and it will probably be the better car to learn with.
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You mean, if he gets something sporty the cops will love him so much they'll let him drive it like a race car on the road?:dopey: [/SARCASM]
 
All the vw talk reminded me of stories my dad has told me of his old vw bug which was his first car. The funniest was that he was street racing one of his friends and people on the highway were honking for him to move out of the way 'cause he wasw doing like 45 in a 60 at WOT and still beat his friend.
 
BMW E36 you will never regret it if you can find one in good shape. The 325's are more reliable, but more expensive. For a 16 yr old, I'd say get a 318is, it's noticeably cheaper, not bad to learn a stick on, and insurance shouldn't be terribly expensive.

If you find one that's low mileage, an E30 is fine too, but their noticeably less comfortable than the 36s.
 
My dad let me learn the hard way. When I was 16, he drove me to a guy who was selling an IROC Z, and he took me on a test drive with it. When I nearly crashed the thing I decided that perhaps something slower would be in the cards.
 
Here's something you will like just for the epicality of it. Get a Grand Marquis/Crown Vic/P71/Marauder/Town Car, smack a LOUD and unrestricting dual exhaust on it and GO.
 
Well, I'm taking my normal route to find a car. Go to swap meets and car shows and find something i like at a good price and just roll with it. I like the idea of a P71 or a C91 ex-cop car. They already have good gears and beefed up suspensions, so that saves me cash. Just swap in a stick and some bucket seats in the front, and I'm ready to roll. Ohh, and some 'Vette or 'Stang wheels on it. And maybe some cutouts on the exhaust so when a cop rolls by, its not loud, but when I "need" power, just flick a switch on the dash and "boom" instant radio, er, I mean power.
 
The only thing about ex-cop cars is that you might want to watch the mileage on them. I've seen a few with ridiculously high mileage for being just a few years old.
 
sporty 2 door with manual? let's see.. Autotrader has a ton of 280ZX's, a lot of them in decent condition and less miles than you'd think. classic car trader also has some great offerings if you want to look for a classic car that has no fancy electronics to keep you alive.
 
For the price of shipping it out for CA, i could just pick up a used BMW in half way decent condition. I already priced all of that fun stuff. Just like shipping from Japan to here is 3/4 the price of the car!
 
gibson
For the price of shipping it out for CA, i could just pick up a used BMW in half way decent condition. I already priced all of that fun stuff. Just like shipping from Japan to here is 3/4 the price of the car!
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I'm talking about the rusting... cars rust here too...
 
1. Ignore Leonidae's suggestions entirely. He's completely biased against anything and everything American and is a fanboy for seemingly everything Japanese.

2. Look into a Vega/Monza or one of the chassismates. Light, RWD. A Monza with a 3.8 and a T5 swap would be decent on gas and plenty quick. The Monzas were available with the 3.8L V6, a Vega is likely to already have a small-block swapped in, most likely with a Turbo 350 or 400 transmission which does not have overdrive. But since you'll want to do a swap to a stick anyhow... See how cheap you can find a good Vega or Monza rolling chassis + a 1993-1997 Camaro Z28. LT1 + T56 = fun.
 

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