What car should i get?

[blkmgc]

They are big, heavy, handle bad, have poor safety features, use lots of gas, are pretty slow,

Got news for ya Grun. Even at 37 I like taking out my 77 Rally Sport w/ 325 HP 350, 4 wheel disc brakes, and reworked suspension and eating up little wing wang cars a couple times a year.And it has enough comfort to jump in an drive to the coast for the weekend if I want .(i.e. doesnt ride like a hay waggon, or have that echo chamber fart can exhaust sound effect)

Gas milage? Not all that bad if you keep the secondaries closed .

Safety features? heck, at his age he's indestructable...at least I was when I was that young hehe.I'd much rather get in a wreck in a bigger car than some Honda Scivic or Toyota Crayola.

Pre-70 muscle is better, but costs $$$ especially if you get into GM , Ford or Mopar bigblocks. Small blocks offer the best bang for the small buck, unless you have a ton of dough to dump into em.

[GRUNHERZ]

Nope old cars arent as safe as people think...  You might be safer in a few circumstances but traffic deaths per mile and accident nowadays are waaay lower than in the 1970s. And that because new cars are much safer overall.

As for your "77" car it sounds like you modified I a lot wqith new stuff, reworked susnoodleion, all around discs???  And you said it yourself, you take it out a couple times a year... So you have this "77" car modified with new technology and you only drive it a few times a ytear. You also talk about dumping $$$ into these cars..  Like I said those are hobby cars...  

Do you really reccomend that this kid spend his life savings on a car that he would only drive a few times a year like you do yours..

[Furball]

MINI! cooper!

the proper mini cooper, not that BMW imposter.....

[J_A_B]

"Take a look at this: "

Kinda funny how even they admit that the Civic is about worthless if you hit another car and it's only decent in a single-car crash.  Essentially they admit that the only reason they included it is because it has standard side-impact airbags.

That's great and all, except single-car crashes aren't what concern me.  

So....even according to the website you gave me....the Civic is only good at protecting you from youself (single-car crash) and in a multi-car accident...it leaves you at the mercy of what the other guy happens to be driving.

And unfortunately for the Civic, most vehicles are bigger than it.

I'll stick with my Roadmaster

J_A_B

[phookat]

It's not such a big deal.  Plenty of people drive small cars.  They're doing fine.  If you want to eliminate risk, don't step out of the house...etc.

If safety is so important why not a Mack truck.  I mean what if a semi hit you in that Buick, you're toast.  So clearly you are being irresponsible J_A_B.

[phookat]

Originally posted by blkmgc
Even at 37 I like taking out my 77 Rally Sport w/ 325 HP 350, 4 wheel disc brakes, and reworked suspension and eating up little wing wang cars a couple times a year.

You talking about civics with coffee cans and bling?  A v6 camry could beat those guys.  Not saying your ride isn't fast...what are your numbers BTW?

Bottom line is, if you love your car then it's awesome no matter what it is.  You take care of it, fix it up, rebuild, hop up, etc.  It is no longer a 77 camaro, it is "blkmgc's kickass ride".

But looking at it more objectively especially from the perspective of a new car buyer...avoid 70's American cars.  You can do better.

[J_A_B]

Granted, safety is always balanced against practicality.

Perhaps a Civic's greatest safety "feature" for a young driver is its complete lack of power.  I seem to recall not being the most prudent driver myself when I was a teenager   As much as I hated it, it's probably just as well that my first car was a 94 HP Mercury Topaz.

70's cars don't always suck, not even the modified ones.  My cousin's first car was a '78 Chevy Nova that was fixed up so that it could break into the 13's in the 1/4 (13.8 or so was his best).  It served him well for about two years as a daily driver, from something like a $3.5K purchase.   Gas costs an awful lot though at 12 MPG when you're buying pemium but for the cost of the car...he had cash left over.

Yeah, yeah, I had a Topaz and he had a Nova.  All I can say is now the tables are turned since I have the Roadmaster while he drives a gutless '01 Cougar (he hangs his head in shame whenever he talks about it, especially since he sold his Camaro RS for it).


Anyway, the author of the thread seems to have some idea of what he wants--he specifically mentioned Honda, Toyota and Ford.

Of the three, I'd recommend Ford.


J_A_B

[Staga]

Well my friend just bought '93 Lexus LS400 with ~6000$.
240hp V8, plenty of electric, air suspension, leather interior, airbags & all. Not a bad price.

[J_A_B]

That's what I'd call a solid velicle Staga....not that I'm a toyota fan but if I was....can't do much better than a LS 400.

What kind of mileage does it have?  And what kind of torque does that Toyota V-8 put out?


J_A_B

[SaburoS]

Originally posted by blkmgc
Screw Jap and German cars.They still suck left hind tit where horsepower is concerned.

 Get yourself an older muscle car. You should be able to find a decent  70's Trans AM, Z28, Firebird or Camaro in the Vegas area for a couple grand.You may need to spend another couple grand on paint and cleaning it up, decent exaust, wheels ect. Young fella like you should have a real mans *** machine....not some tin can with a bolt on muffler as big as the motor that generally gets caught in a GM V8's air cleaner hehe.

blkmgc

'73 and earlier were rather decent in horsepower. '74 - '79 were rather dogs in the power dept.
I'd kind of shy away from recommending any type of muscle car to a young one for their first car. Too many opportunities to get into trouble.

[Irocz]

IMO, If you're looking for something thats fun to drive,quick, and Reliable, I would recommend a 97-03 GTP,ask mechanics about the track record of the GM 3800,they are probably one of the most dependable motors built in the last decade. Plus you have a supercharged V6 that will give Mustangs, F-bodies(except LT1 and LS1), and rice plenty of trouble. Or if you want a sleeper get a Regal GS, more luxury,same performance and the Mustang won't know what hit him. Only German cars I like are BMWs and Porsches, and unless you got money flying out of your arnold, I wouldn't suggest it. Hondas are dependable as hell but if you buy one remember the car was engineered as a "Economy car," so don't join the "rice" bangwagon and throw neons, a parkbench on the decklid, a Folger's can on the exhaust, and think you're quick.  Whatever you buy make sure you're happy with it and be certain it won't give trouble in the long run.

avoid 70's American cars

A 78' TA with a Olds 403 would be sweet but not practical at all for a teen. That and I believe the CR on those was 7.6:1 or something like that,Damn liberal EPA hippies.

[J_A_B]

"A 78' TA"

Black by chance?



J_A_B

[Sikboy]

Originally posted by J_A_B
"A 78' TA"

Black by chance?



J_A_B

With Flaming chicken?

When my Triumph went tits up for the 2nd time, I came >< close to buying a blue 78 TA... I probably would have killed myself lol.

-Sik

[blkmgc]

As for your "77" car it sounds like you modified I a lot wqith new stuff, reworked susnoodleion, all around discs??? And you said it yourself, you take it out a couple times a year... So you have this "77" car modified with new technology and you only drive it a few times a ytear. You also talk about dumping $$$ into these cars.. Like I said those are hobby cars...

Do you really reccomend that this kid spend his life savings on a car that he would only drive a few times a year like you do yours..

 Actually, I only have about 4 grand into the car, and up till a few years ago it was driven daily (except for winter, those cars are useless in the snow). The car came from N carolina, all I had to do was put a decent exhaust, carb/intake, and 4 wheel discs , swaybars and springs(which were all available in the 70's BTW ) 2 years after I bought it, I painted it dropped in a slightly above average cam/lifters/ geardrive and now I just drive it occasionally....probably because I've been driving my old bike and truck (see link/ BTW the Silverado in the background gets up to 100 almost as fast hehe) back and forth to the shop.So its not really a hobby car. Now the 40 Plymouth 2 door I looked at a few days ago (body mounted on a Monte carlo chassis w/ no motor) is going to be a hobby car/money pit hehe.

 Phoocat, never ran it for #'s, but a buddy of mine has a rice burner (Subaru), he gets me through first, but I overtake him pretty quick in second, and by third gear I have about 5 carlengths on him. Light to light he'd probably beat me though.

 Probably the best thing for a first car is a 500$ beater so you can figgure out what you can and cannot do without loosing too much money crashing it.My first car was a 73 Buick Century 2 door...and yup I stuffed it a few times being a smart a s s, but I only paid a hundred bucks for it, and it had many tank-like qualities.  


Edit- Doh add the link stupid
http://images.andale.com/f2/115/106/3909810/1093184605094_triumph3.JPG

[Staga]

Originally posted by J_A_B
That's what I'd call a solid velicle Staga....not that I'm a toyota fan but if I was....can't do much better than a LS 400.

What kind of mileage does it have?  And what kind of torque does that Toyota V-8 put out?


J_A_B

Link

Nice car; I'd say it would be better buy than a similar Mercedes or BMW. Friend's Lexus has 280k at odometer (+170k miles) but the interior and exterior are on par with 10y newer cars.

Checked the "Kelly's Blue Book"; First LS400s are just +/- 7000$