What should be my first car, based off of my wants/needs?

[Starciller]

forgot about the snow but let's give it a shot see what happens lol.

How about the classic mini, it will require maintenance at least once a week lol, but it will be the most fun you will ever have in a car.

 

[Gil]

Well, I'm late to the party, as I don't spend nearly as much time on here as i used to.
My advice is to set aside $10 and head to the nearest store that sells magazines.
Pick up a copy of the latest Consumer Reports Used car guide.
Read it thoroughly and get an idea of what you should be looking for as far as the qualities of the vehicle.
Then and only then go to the section that has the cars.
Check the reliability of your chosen car, and the price.
I once bought a nice looking Cutlass Sedan. I named her and everything. I drove her for a month and the transmission went. And I didn't have the money to fix it.
So, LOOK FOR SOMETHING THAT WILL NOT REQUIRE MUCH MORE MONEY THAN THE BASIC PURCHASE PRICE.

Now, if you and your parents attend a local church, keep watch on the old timers.
When old folks die, their spouses/kids sell their cars. It's a morbid thing to watch for. But you can get some stupidly good deals on low mileage older cars.
The only issue is that there tend to be a lot of "Land Yachts" in that mix.
However, there will be a surprise or two in the bunch. But for a first car, a Buick Century, or Crown Vic, or Lincoln Town car, etc. is not a bad choice to get your skill level up in a big "steel cocoon".
A lot on new drivers wreck their first ride. Might as well be something that will protect you, and that you don't love.
And, if you are one of the lucky or good, you'll have a "winter rat" for crap weather, and the car that you love....
Or a nice sedan that you can sell when you're ready for the "cool car'.

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

God, what did I do again..

Can't you just leave me alone or something? I'm not even trying to bother you, so what's the point on saying that??

What are you going on about?

You do realise that you are posting on a public forum where any member is free to respond to you in anyway that they please, so long as their response meets the standards set in the AUP?

I'm enjoying this thread so please, Mr Evofan, don't ruin it.

 

[Tornado]

Let's get a three hundred horsepower rear wheel drive sports car in a snowy climate! Insurance won't be killer.

Actually, an early C4 (the 230 horse years) probably wouldn't be that bad as far as running costs.


You just have to put up with having an early C4, which... ew.

 

[Gil]

You'll note that I made no specific recommendation.
I note that you are from a place that has snow, and long winters.
Consider that in your choosing, as it would suck to have a car that you can't drive for nearly half the year.
It snows here in Kansas, but there are really only a few weeks during the winter when RWD is completely impractical.

Another thing you might research is the cost of parts, maintenance, and time.
Figure in $40 an hour to work on the car.

BTW, a C4 in decent, not excellent condition is about $12,500.
On of my boys grade school teachers recently retired. Her DD was a 1996 C4.
I saw it at the local Chevy dealer, and got curious. It only had 75,000 miles on it and they were asking $14,000.
And all my recent research has led me to believe that the C4 is a decent car. It is no real powerhouse if it isn't a ZR-1. Still no great shakes for snow, unless you have something else to drive when the weather turns to crap.

 

[playnthru]

I know Niky addressed it a little already. But the Mazda Protege is a great little car for the money. Some say it's a four door Miata.. (ok not many actually say that. I think It was a Car & Driver review??)

 

[Joey D]

How about the classic mini, it will require maintenance at least once a week lol, but it will be the most fun you will ever have in a car.

I've seen two for sale in Michigan and they were both around $20,000. They never sold classic Mini's in the US so trying to find one isn't going to be easy or cheap.

 

[Starciller]

I've seen two for sale in Michigan and they were both around $20,000. They never sold classic Mini's in the US so trying to find one isn't going to be easy or cheap.

You can import them from the UK it will cost 2k to ship it over they usually cost 3000-7000 without the 2k for shipping.

 

[xXKingJoshXx]

What is it with people saying you can't have (or shouldn't have) RWD in places with long winters? My mom's and grandma's F150s (both identical except color and mom's has leather) are completely RWD, and have hardly any weight over the rear, but they have no trouble going through the snow and/or ice. Plus they have 365lb-ft of torque (which is always fun ). Unless you drive like an idiot or you're always flooring it or turning too fast, RWD is just fine. Not that there's anything wrong with FWD or AWD, but people seem to think those are your options when you live in a place with long winters.

You can import them from the UK it will cost 2k to ship it over they usually cost 3000-7000 without the 2k for shipping.

So you expect him to pay $3000-$7000 for a car, and them import it for $2000 (assuming all of your numbers are correct) with only $4000? Good luck explaining that...

 

[Starciller]

Lol idk it's just a good first car that's all I can say there are some classic minis just go to ebay motors go to mini then in model choose classic mini I've seen some steals go through there.

 

[Joey D]

You can import them from the UK it will cost 2k to ship it over they usually cost 3000-7000 without the 2k for shipping.

You're joking right? If it was that easy more people would do it. There's way more to importing a car then just buying it and putting it on a boat.

And all the Mini's I've seen in Michigan have come through Canada.

What is it with people saying you can't have (or shouldn't have) RWD in places with long winters? My mom's and grandma's F150s (both identical except color and mom's has leather) are completely RWD, and have hardly any weight over the rear, but they have no trouble going through the snow and/or ice. Plus they have 365lb-ft of torque (which is always fun ). Unless you drive like an idiot or you're always flooring it or turning too fast, RWD is just fine. Not that there's anything wrong with FWD or AWD, but people seem to think those are your options when you live in a place with long winters.

It's not that you can't have them, but as a 16 year old who's just starting to drive it's not the best option during the winter. 16 year olds can barely control the car well enough on dry pavement on an 80 degree day. It can almost be assured a new driver will greatly overestimate their ability and floor it while turning to fast.

 

[Azuremen]

Lol idk it's just a good first car that's all I can say there are some classic minis just go to ebay motors go to mini then in model choose classic mini I've seen some steals go through there.

It is pretty clear that you don't know what you are talking about, so LOL, stop.

 

[Tornado]

Tires tires tires tires tires. A set of snow tires will help you more than any specific drivetrain will.

 

[Starciller]

It is pretty clear that you don't know what you are talking about, so LOL, stop.

K sorry man just trying to suggest a good first car and didn't think things all the way through.

 

[Azuremen]

Tires tires tires tires tires. A set of snow tires will help you more than any specific drivetrain will.

This. So very much this. Having driven most drivetrain options (FF, FR, AWD, MR) in the snow a fair amount, snow tires make way more of an impact than which wheels are moving you. I'd take a RWD car on snow tires before an AWD car on "all-seasons," which are not really good at anything.

K sorry man just trying to suggest a good first car and didn't think things all the way through.

Clearly.

 

[niky]

I know Niky addressed it a little already. But the Mazda Protege is a great little car for the money. Some say it's a four door Miata.. (ok not many actually say that. I think It was a Car & Driver review??)

I say that, but then, I"m biased.

You get the MP3 variant, with the quicker European steering rack and the bespoke Tokico dampers, and it is about as fine a driving front-wheel drive sedan as you'll ever find. I actually like the steering feel and response better than the Integra. Steering feel is superior to the NC Miata and about as good as the NB, with very little slop and a tactility that's so good that you can ruin the feel just by swapping the tires out.

That said, it's still a sedan, and still a McPherson-strut vehicle, which means understeer at the limit. I've heard tell the balance on the P5 hatchback is sweeter, and while it nominally has ten horses less, that really doesn't matter.

The best Protege is the Mazdaspeed, because it got both a turbo and an LSD. You can get the LSD for cheap outside (reinforced stock LSDs are only $600 or so online... which is how I got mine), but turbocharging is never cheap.

 

[Gil]

I'm not against RWD. I have a RWD Excursion that gets around fine in the snow. Granted it is shift on the fly 4WD, has good all season rubber, and a 4 ton curb weight, and an old man that is a veteran of 2 decades of Kansas winter after growing up in perpetual summer.
Tires do make a huge difference, as does driver skill. At 16 most new drivers don't have much road time, and they are cut loose in 2 tons of steel, and a prayer that they won't kill themselves.
My old man made me drive most of the time once I had my permit. By the time I "flew solo" I had thousands of miles under my belt.
But just about all my friends that didn't have those miles crashed into something. Minor or Major, they hit something or something hit them.
A first car needs to be something that will protect a new driver, and can take a few bumps and bruises. You don't want a car you love to go thru that.

 

[Lock2Lock]

Wow...

Is that something I REALLY have to tell to someone who doesn't even NEED to know?

Ok... I am a big EVO fan. But with that said honestly the American versions of the car are overpriced and truly in my eyes not a true EVO.

Since you claim to know so much about EVOs what is a major difference between the EVOs from US versions from the Japan versions?

Answer me that.

Also it is a very impractical car for someone to have as a first car. The parts on those (or Mitsubishi alone) are expensive. So the car plus yearly maintenance no not practical.

 

[MiuraSV777]

Heres a couple more cars to have your comments/suggestions on:

'05-'09 Buick LaCrosse (my stepdad has one, with 120,000 miles on it; works perfectly still)

'04-'06 chevrolet cobalt

'03 ford escort zx2

 

[Doog]

Heres a couple more cars to have your comments/suggestions on:

'04-'06 chevrolet cobalt

One of my aunts has a 2007 Cobalt, which when I was last in New York had 150k miles on it. Likely has 170k or 180k on it now; they live in a smaller town and to get pretty much anywhere it's at least a fifteen minute drive. The car has had a rough life, it's been hit multiple times, and there's some rust. It's driven through several winters and it's seen some dirt roads. The interior is pretty meh, rough, cheap plastics adorn the blandly styled cabin, and everything either gets dirty easily or is scratched if you look at it the wrong way. It rides decently I guess, wouldn't call it particularly comfortable or harsh. Seems like it has decent power, accelerated onto fast roads from a stop with no problem. It's just a cheap, bland, but durable little car. I don't particularly like it, but I respect it.