Time for first car.

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: Howard
Please drive responsibly.

x2

People have already said what I wanted to say

 

[Pandaren]

Originally posted by: Srfrbum
After the mazda dealer, I headed over to the Bimmer dealer to see what they got used, and I saw the Z4's were pretty cheap too. What do you think of them ? I also saw the 325's, but I figured they were too big for my tastes.

I don't know much about the Z4, but it seems to be a small car with limited passenger and cargo capacity. If you intend to take road trips with friends, you may want to consider a 4-door sedan.

Generally, I would not buy a Z4 for a relatively new driver. I don't know your personality or how responsible you are -- it is entirely possible that you are responsible enough for such a vehicle, but most 17 yr olds are not.

What about a Subaru Impreza 2.5i 4-door? It has decent power, good safety, and AWD.

 

[imported_K3N]

if you're gonna get a powerful rear wheel drive car like a bmw 3 series or so, i'd highly recommend you go to some advanced/professional driving school or something like that, especially if you plan on racing someone with it. I occasionally drive my moms highlander with 270 hp and i've never gotten in an accident. Have almost gotten in one? yeah, but thats because the dumbass drivers infront of me likes to braked hard spontaneously . Im 18 btw.

if i were in your position i'd get a g35 or 350z. Reliable RWD FTW.

 

[BarneyFife]

Originally posted by: Srfrbum
Wow,
Thanks for the awesome amount of replies to my original post.

A lot of people have been recommending the Mazda 3. I went over to a dealer to look at it. IMO it looks pretty boring. It's not really fast, nothing really special. I'm really sure its safe, but the other cars have so much more to offer.

After the mazda dealer, I headed over to the Bimmer dealer to see what they got used, and I saw the Z4's were pretty cheap too. What do you think of them ? I also saw the 325's, but I figured they were too big for my tastes.

0-60 times on the Z4 for around the 6 second mark, so I guess thats pretty decent. I was looking at the 3.0L btw.

Tell me guys what you think... Lovin' the responses, they're fun and helpful to read.

Don't buy a sports car. A teenager with a sports car=disaster. By your posts, it sounds like you want to race and you're concerned with speed. Why?? Go buy a used E350 and you'll have a nice safe luxury car. Speed kills. Drive the normal speed limit.

 

[Tab]

Srfrbum, if you do get a sports car keep your shit on the track.

Also, if you're taking this to college expect your car to get FUCKED with. By the time time you graduate you'll probably have had several heart attacks because of what idiots have done.

EDIT : I personally recommend a used BMW; assuming your parents will pay for any repair costs.

 

[fleabag]

For this guy, would you suggest he get an LS400 as a first car?

 

[BarneyFife]

My first car was a used Rivieria. Pretty pricey (17k in 1998) but it was a nice car. I never understood the need for speed. Yeah, its nice to have a decent engine 250 hp and above but I never felt the need to drive a sports car. Currently I have a 2008 mkz. I enjoy comfort and luxury over racing.

 

[maziwanka]

i saw this mazda 3 hatchback in red at the new york autoshow and man was it sharp looking. really nice interior too. i think that would be a great choice that you should try.

im personally against bmw 3 series because i think they're completely overpriced for what they offer.

at 17, it would be nice to have the mazda and work your way up.

 

[Pandaren]

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
Don't buy a sports car. A teenager with a sports car=disaster. By your posts, it sounds like you want to race and you're concerned with speed. Why??

This is sort of what I was thinking.

Speed is somewhat overrated IMO. You can have a fairly fast vehicle like the V6 Toyota Camry XLE (0-60 in 6.6 seconds according to Edmunds Inside Line) also handle like a kludge.

Its better to buy a vehicle that is a good balance of speed, handling, saftey, and comfort.

 

[BarneyFife]

Originally posted by: maziwanka
i saw this mazda 3 hatchback in red at the new york autoshow and man was it sharp looking. really nice interior too. i think that would be a great choice that you should try.

im personally against bmw 3 series because i think they're completely overpriced for what they offer.

at 17, it would be nice to have the mazda and work your way up.

It was on the list of most dangerous vehicles from Forbes

The Mazda3 has been the darling of automotive critics. The styling is unique and still stands out several years after introduction, the powertrain is peppy, and it's one of the best-handling small cars. Now for the bad part: Both the sedan and hatchback versions of the 3 fared very poorly in side-impact crash tests, garnering a lowly three-star rating from NHTSA and the lowest "Poor" rating from the IIHS. Side airbags aren't standard, either.

 

[Black88GTA]

You could pick up a nice fairly low mileage BMW 8 series for that. I own one, and love it.

Powerful enough to be interesting (but not sports-car fast), safe, unique, handles decent (even though it is heavy), looks good, and built like a tank.

You can get either a V-8 or V-12 with automatic, or a V-12 6 speed. As long as you have the finances available for routine maintenance or any major repairs that become necessary, you're good to go. Small repairs aren't as bad cost-wise as everyone seems to think, although engine / transmission problems can get spendy real fast.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Please drive carefully.

 

[desolation777]

Lucky polish bastard. yes we all kno your polish!

 

[chucky2]

Originally posted by: Srfrbum
Wow,
Thanks for the awesome amount of replies to my original post.

A lot of people have been recommending the Mazda 3. I went over to a dealer to look at it. IMO it looks pretty boring. It's not really fast, nothing really special. I'm really sure its safe, but the other cars have so much more to offer.

After the mazda dealer, I headed over to the Bimmer dealer to see what they got used, and I saw the Z4's were pretty cheap too. What do you think of them ? I also saw the 325's, but I figured they were too big for my tastes.

0-60 times on the Z4 for around the 6 second mark, so I guess thats pretty decent. I was looking at the 3.0L btw.

Tell me guys what you think... Lovin' the responses, they're fun and helpful to read.

Look, everyone here was 17 at one point in their lives, and they're giving you feedback with the advantage of past experience.

1.) You do not have the driving experience to control a fast car - no matter how good of a driver you happen to think you are.

2.) It is inevitable as a 17 year old male - especially one who keeps talking about fast/0-60 times: You are going to be irresponsible with it. That coupled with #1 ends up somewhere in this F up range: Mom/Dad, I need more of your money to fix the fender bender I gave myself....to Mr. and Mrs. Srfrbum, we're sorry to inform you that your son who thought he could control the fast car you bought him killed not only himself and the 1-3 occupants of his own car, but the woman and her 2 kids in the oncoming highway traffic lane. In short for this one: The mistakes you will make end up costing others instead of just you.

3.) Because of #1 and #2, you are going to F this first car up. It will take anywhere from the first night you take it out to show off your elite driving skillz, to 3 years down the road when the brand new Audi you got starts dying a death of expensive to replace parts. By year 5 it will be reduced to a money pit.

Given 1 - 3 above - and they are givens, not maybe's - do everyone (which includes yourself) and get yourself a decent used first car that can't take all comers at an IHRA event. If you don't live in an icy/snowy climate, then a RWD car is fine. Stick is fine to get, just make sure you learn on a used car instead of an expensive to fix new one (and No, the Stealerships are not going to fix under warranty the transmission you totally F'd up showing your power shifting skillz...they don't cover inexperience, and they know what to look for).

A used '95 Mustang GT convertible would be a good choice here, even though it'd be expensive to insure. It'd give you decent speed (not crazy speed though being a convertible due to the weight), it's got respect factor (it's not a Mazda3), being a 5.0 it's got a virtually limitless supply of power adders for when you do think it's time to make it faster, the used part market for repairs is also huge. It's mostly easy to work on, so many repairs can be handled yourself. Also, there are many large Mustang clubs where if you're a real part of them, help is available.

The driving class is also an excellent idea.

Chuck

P.S. This is coming from a 29 year old who did many stupid F'ing things during his teenage years, got in more than 1 accident, beat the sh1t out of more than one car...so I know exactly where you're at. Please, slow down. 98% of the time what you suspect about speeding is correct: It doesn't matter. The problem is that the 2% of the time it does, your speeding really compounds the situation. Close your eyes and visually walk through you telling your friends parents that your friend didn't make it after you wrapped your car around a lightpole doing 120mph...and then telling the dad that going into see him/her wasn't such a good idea because there's nothing left of the head, it's just part of the smear on the lightpole. Think about that about 100x the next time you decide to exercise your rides 0 - 60 performance on the street.

 

[Uppsala9496]

My first car at 16 was a 1987 Chevy Cavalier. Slow as hell 4banger. I still managed to beat the shit out of that car to the point where it was nothing but a tax donation when I was done with it. It was not the fastest, nor the coolest car. But it was a safe car for me since I was young and stupid and couldn't go 0-60 in less than 15 seconds or however long it took that thing to get up there.
Many a friend had a fast car and did stupid things in them. Glad my parents didn't give me the option. I was fortunate enough to get a car to drive under some very strcit rules.
I paid all gas and insurance. I had to maintain a 3.0/4.0 gpa. Any tickets would result in the revocation of all driving privledges and license.

I'm 35 now and have no moving violations. Guess when I was younger the fear of losing my ability to drive made me very conscious about speeding, etc. and has carried over.

So in short, go with a slower car at your age. Sure, it isn't as cool, but a fast car is going to spell nothing but trouble for you.