I want some advice on what to buy...

  • Thread starter jacnob
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A G35 has nearly 300hp stock, and it's a heavy, RWD car. I personally wouldn't go for that.
 
Heavy and expensive, I seriously wouldn't

Trust me on this - you'll have a much better first experience if you don't have the daunting thought of driving around a big lump of money.

This is especially true if you want to get into modifying your car - if it's a cheaper car and you break something it wont cost a fortune to replace the parts.

I started rally driving in an 69 Mini Cooper at age 8 and because it wasn't an expensive car (At the time, they've skyrocketed in price lately) I wasn't afraid of breaking anything - as a result I became very good at managing cars on loose surfaces - and if you can handle a car on a loose surface you can handle it anywhere (Citation needed).

Now if I'd had the exact same experience but say in my current car which was my dream car as a kid - I would have been so terrified of breaking it I never would have pushed hard and I would have taken so much longer to get where I am today; if I'd get there at all.
 
I don't like the G35 anyways :lol:

Well, now I know the MR2 is somewhat difficult to drive, but I'm leaning towards either it or a 2.5RS Impreza.
 
I don't like the G35 anyways :lol:

Well, now I know the MR2 is somewhat difficult to drive, but I'm leaning back towards it right now.

Just be aware of how an MR drives and you should be alright - but I'm telling you mate the SW20 may be more tame than the AW11 but it will still bite you if you're not careful.

It's certainly a better option than the more expensive cars you've been looking at, but it's also not as practical as a 180 (240 in the states?) or an AE86 Hatch.

I had to put my shopping on the passenger seat in my SW20 and that's never cool - especially if you have ice cream and it's the middle of summer :lol:

Now I'm not suggesting that you're about to go drifting or anything, but watch this so you can understand how an MR2 will behave under extreme circumstances

 
Just make sure, if you're looking for a 240sx - look for a Ka24de version which is rather moddable, not the ka24e, that is imo a pointless engine. Ca18det on s13 might be a drag to maintain (however I can never tell about how's that in US), but it's a cheap simple engine good enough for a light car like s13.

Haven't you though of, Lexus IS200 for example? Some are fitted with MT and they're more suited as DD.
Lexus SC 400? It's not light though.
(I don't know about the price range in NA, but even in Russia they're really cheap.)

While looking through the list of vehicles made by japanese manufacturers for NA, I realised, how much easier it is here in Russia to get access to any JDM vehicle.. You don't have Marks and Laurels. :guilty:
 
I honestly think a 240SX is your best bet. RWD, manual, sporty, easy and cheap to repair/modify and not too powerful, but they can be tuned to kick ass on the track or the street. Even if you don't plan on driving it hard, it would still be a wise decision to buy it as a first car, considering your criteria.
 
Almost all of those mods that are making it so expensive are unnecessary for a learner, look for a basic stock one for like 1-2 grand. I did a quick craigslist search in your area and found a couple so you're in luck.

Don't get caught up on trying to get a car with "Mad mods", coil overs, turbochargers and all that - you're just falling into your original problem of wanting to run before you walk.

You need to scale back your viewpoint man I'm telling you - just because you have some money to play with doesn't mean you need to blow it on getting a car that's all "Done up"

Buy something cheap - if your parents are willing to give you 8-10 grand pocket that money for fixing crash damage if (And statistically speaking, when) you damage your car and for modifying your car as you get better.

If you run before you walk you're going to trip over your own feet.

EDIT: HOLY SUGAR HONEY ICE TEA that S13 has a welded diff - you're going to get yourself killed if you drive a car like that.
 
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Off the top of my head, would something like a Celica or base Mustang be suitable? Neither is too powerful (by U.S. standards) for a new driver, each should be cheap and easy to find parts for, each is still reasonably sporty compared to the average sedan and each isn't too impractical, so it should handle all the usual new driver requirements.
 
Off the top of my head, would something like a Celica or base Mustang be suitable? Neither is too powerful (by U.S. standards) for a new driver, each should be cheap and easy to find parts for, each is still reasonably sporty compared to the average sedan and each isn't too impractical, so it should handle all the usual new driver requirements.

I'd say a Celica would be an ideal compromise, you can get the turbo models relatively cheaply and they're a very stable car, I found the power sort of creeps up on you though personally and if you stop paying attention suddenly you're speeding :lol: you barely feel the turbo from the factory it's insane.
 
@UrieHusky He said he had the diff for a Z32 that he would include.

EDIT: After reading your post in its entirety, I completely see where you're coming from. I'm about to go look on Craigslist now :)
 
Because nobody corners hard at high speeds on the street every now and then.


Umm... no? That's just downright stupid and dangerous. It's one thing to do a quick 2nd-3rd pull on a empty road, but another completely to go around a blind high speed corner.
 
Umm... no? That's just downright stupid and dangerous. It's one thing to do a quick 2nd-3rd pull on a empty road, but another completely to go around a blind high speed corner.

Are you saying that because it's stupid in your mind, everyone else will feel the same way and that will prevent them from doing it? People drive stupidly all around the world. If you could see how some of the kids at my school drive, you'd rethink what you said. You can't speak for everyone.
 
Ultimately, people over-reach themselves sometimes. People do go too fast for their abilities, for the car, for the condition sometimes. It's why they're called "accidents".

The bottom line is that the average new driver will be generally be better off in something with lower limits. An accident may still happen, but it's likely to happen at a lower speed than it will with the average performance car.

Hell, it doesn't even have to be a bit oversteery drifting accident in something powerful and rear-drive. Power isn't the only issue for new drivers.

I don't know who mentioned the S2000 but if you mis-judged a corner it'd be pretty easy to understeer off the road. It's just that, with relatively high grip levels, by the time you're understeering off you're probably going at a speed that'll make the resulting crunch a bit nastier. And more expensive.

Something less sporty would have given up earlier, but might have bought you more time to fix the problem as a result. And if you still put it into a ditch, it'll be cheaper to fix.
 
Okay, so MR2 or 240SX.... I've looked on craigslist and zilvia for 240's, but I'm having trouble finding one thats close to stock and in decent shape. My dad knows a guy who is trying to sell one, but it has an RB25 in it and I think he wanted close to 8K for it.

Now that I'm truly thinking about it, I'd like to get one close to stock so that I could gradually build it exactly the way I want it.
 
^I was wondering how long it would be before someone would mention that :lol: The thing is, I don't really like the Miata. I don't know why, there's just something about them (even the new ones) that throws me off.
 
^I like the car; don't like the FWD. I know it doesn't matter as much as it did, but I really want to have RWD or 4WD on my first car if possible.
 
Its a stigma I guess; when ever I hear people talk sports cars, I always hear complaining about it being FWD. I know that is a pretty dumb reason but still.
 
I've driven a 2012 Volkswagen GLI that had somewhere around 220hp. It may not be a full-on sports car but it sure got up and went, despite the FWD. My brother who owned the GLI had actually owned a GTI before settling for the GLI, and he raced a 350Z with it. He put it to shame.

Edit: I've ridden in an '05 RSX, and they're very nice cars. Not the best you can buy in that price range, but certainly something worth considering. Quick car, too.
 
+1 on the RSX. FWD vs RWD only comes into play once you're nearing the car's mechanical limits, something which you won't be doing by DD'ing it. Also the aftermarket is huge for the RSX so you can get some experience working on your car before upgrading.
 
Well I'll look into them, but I'm really heavily leaning toward that MR2, with the barrier being insurance. I understand that other cars WILL be cheaper on it, but....
 
Considering your status on your profile says 10th grade, I'll assume you're 16. Just buy something cheap and learn how to drive, once you get a couple years in, then worry about a sporty car.
 
My car isn't fast, and I still love it. It's also cheap and easy to repair, it's reliable, and it can be modded. There's no need to get something higher up on the charts that will rack up your insurance rates and catch the cops' attention easier. Why do you think so many first cars are old Corollas and Cavaliers? :sly:
 
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