Need Help Choosing Out a First Tuner Car! - Page 3 - TriStateTuners.com :: Home of Tristate Auto Enthusiast

02Max · 10-09-2009, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willdue

VW. /thread

Don't get a VW, unless you get like a 2.0. They're a pain in the ass to keep up with, especially the electrical systems.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scapegoat

buy something cheap, but the rest of the money into stocks

Don't put the money into stocks. I still don't think it's a good time, you'd be taking a big risk.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 99SL2_Modder

Yeah, about those DSM's being a daily driver while being modded...

Gonna go with my original suggestion. Unless you can get a DSM AND another car.

+1

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpalamar

If you buy a nice car at that age, it is going to turn heads and people are going to be like 'look at this tool in the car mommy and daddy bought him'

But a beater and learn to drive before you get something fast.

But who cares? It's annoying, but that is how HS kids act. Even if he would get a shlt car and mod it to make it faster, he'll still get accused of his mommy and daddy paying for it. You can't win with HS drama bullshlt.

06njsti · 10-09-2009, 08:49 AM

your looking for a "show stopper", something quick, and under 15k. Pick two of them because its gonna be pretty hard to cover all three

boostjunky · 10-09-2009, 09:13 AM

Get a 90's Sentra, Corolla, or something of the sort. Then you don't have to do anything to it mechanically. Put some strurts/springs, strut bars, poly here and there. SS brake lines, good fluid, a mildly aggressive pad set. Good tires in stock size(maybe slightly wider, depends on whatever size comes stock.), and possibly some cheap used light wheels(fight the urge for big dumb wheels. 17's are overkill when original wheels were 15"...you cant get much rubber on them anyway, they weigh a lot more and will just slow you down).

Then learn how to drive, properly. You could teach a monkey how to "drive". Any old idiot can use the pedals and turn the wheel. These fools are out there everyday and usually are the ones who skip a red and crash into your new to you car. Learn about momentum. It is very rewarding to drive a lightly hopped up **** box cooking down a twisty back road at a 45mph avg. This way, if you loose it into a field or something, it generally isn't that bad.
Having a car that you can mutter to yourself "hit me bitch" when someone is tailgating you and just lock your brakes a quick second to see if they are paying attention and watch them hurl their phone or spill their coffee on their lap is just awesome too. Most people on the road don't deserve to be there anyway IMHO. They should get on a bus. I also think a first time drivers car should never exceed $2000. That is just dumb. Something will happen to it. You'll crash it, someone else will hit it, a tree will fall on it, will get vandalized, just something. And it will most definitely suck when it does.

Think about the car game maybe in a 3 part, 6 year plan, for now.

Year 1-2. Upgraded suspension ****box
Year 3-4. Modified 90's sporty car. Swapped Integra, DSM, Swapped or stuffed and blown 240, etc
Year 5-6. Brand new or excellent shape used sports car. 370Z, EVO, STi, or whatever you want if you save and invest(smartly) money from now till then.

I wish I could go back and do this route. Would have saved me lots of money over the years.

jpalamar · 10-09-2009, 09:40 AM

Under $15K you can get a used GTO, then wreck it cause its too much car for you, them make my car worth just a little big more :-)

marshallpre1 · 10-09-2009, 09:57 AM

Hey, OP, get a MKIV Supra NA! You can get a really nice one for cheap- $10-13K.

It's kinda moddable- exhaust, intake, headers will yield you a little over 200whp. Don't quote me on this, but I think they came with traction control and LSD (I'm more knowledgeable on the TTs)

It is a head turner and reliable. It's basically a lexus IS300 (which is also another good alternative)

It's quick, but not fast enough to kill you... or fast enough to beat many cars street racing (so it might be a good way to prevent you from racing, LOL)

mcperson2k · 10-09-2009, 05:25 PM

Get a Ford Probe if you think they look cool. They aren't terrible cars, and they are semi quick with a little work and really fun to drive. For a few hundred dollars off craigslist/ebay you can turn one into a big go kart. This was my brothers old one:

DPancoast · 10-09-2009, 05:34 PM

dont get something expensive. you crash your first car... especially if you're learning to drive and will be driving in the snow for the first time. use your money and go to college.

Schepis · 10-09-2009, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnk12845

If I was going to go for a 300zx Twin Turbo, which year would be the best to go for? Its going to be my daily driver, so I don't want it to give me problems right after I drop some cash into it.

A 300ZX TT is a TERRIBLE DD. It sucks in snow, will cost you $1500+/yr in maintenance, and it's RWD. After owning 5 Z32s to this day, and 4 being DDs, take my advice.

97TurboDSM · 10-09-2009, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DPancoast

dont get something expensive. you crash your first car... especially if you're learning to drive and will be driving in the snow for the first time. use your money and go to college.

lolwut. i never crashed any cars. people have crashed into me but that doesnt count.

DPancoast · 10-09-2009, 08:21 PM

regardless if you crashed or not...

I know you can't predict the world and stick by it, but you WILL get hit or hit something in your first car...

MPowerKai · 10-10-2009, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcperson2k

Get a Ford Probe if you think they look cool. They aren't terrible cars, and they are semi quick with a little work and really fun to drive. For a few hundred dollars off craigslist/ebay you can turn one into a big go kart. This was my brothers old one:

I had a 97 4 cyl with the gt bumpers and wing. 5 speed, manual windows, I really liked it. Good on gas too. I've been trying to look for another one with relatively low miles but no luck

99SL2_Modder · 10-10-2009, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DPancoast

regardless if you crashed or not...

I know you can't predict the world and stick by it, but you WILL get hit or hit something in your first car...

+1

Had the front end of the old Saturn ripped off, my S15 had multiple cars run into it, the Dodge has had it's fair share of deer and cars, the Firebird has had it's fair share of the Dodge (don't ask), the Ion has been rear ended, and the Safari has ripped off 3 different mirrors from 3 different cars.

OMGz Turbo · 10-10-2009, 10:31 AM

You can have my SRT4 with a rebuilt motor for 12k, Already modified and considered a show stopper. I have the trophys to prove it. Needs a little work though but great for someone getting into the game

92dxman · 10-10-2009, 10:32 AM

I'm gonna recommend something econobox and fwd for your first car. Civic, Corolla, Focus, etc. Play with the suspension a bit and call it a day. Your gonna get raped on anything related to a sports car being in your teens. You are in an insurance companies nightmare to make a long story short. How about looking for a 91-94 Sentra Se-R? You can find them cheap and they are a blast to drive. If you want to learn how to drive rwd, I would pick up a beater 2wd pickup truck that is a stick down the road and learn on that.

JB'sLGT · 10-10-2009, 10:43 AM

Buy something cheap, reliable, and easy to work on like a Civic Si or something similar. You'll have plenty of time later in life to buy something fast. The hardest part is making it out of your teens alive and with a good driving record.

Renegade_ · 10-10-2009, 11:07 AM

You have 15k to spend on a car and your 16?

Just buy a civic and get someone to GSR swap it and get used to that power. Your gonna think its fast as **** and thats good, because thats already enough power to kill yourself. People don't realize that its a question of dying sometimes if you don't respect power. A swapped 240 will spin 4th gear in the wet on stock turbo... so if you get on it in 4th going 50 and don't know how to handle wheelspin you can slide into a pole. Its actually really easy to do.

Take it easy man, a GSR swapped civic will hang with stock evos/stock STi's, stock swapped 240s, 350Zs, etc. Its not slow but it won't kill you either. I could sit here and tell you that you shouldn't spend more than 5k on your first car, but your not going to because its a perspective thing and you don't understand.

The beautiful thing is, that once your civic is swapped, after the first year you can drop a turbo kit on the swap and put down like 340whp which is STUPID fast in a honda. Yeah, its not a 1000hp car, but that setup with the right suspension and slicks I can see hanging with 400whp evos/STis/240s/DSMs, etc...

SeMaxima99 · 10-10-2009, 11:13 AM

05-06 Legacy GT, Might even be able to find a spec B for 15k. Almost an sti engine, Turbo AWD not bad on insurance (22 full coverage clean record my own plan $800 every 6 month for that and a 93 civic).

Keep it stock for alittle while then mods are really cheap to make it a mid 13sec car. I have one and just enjoy the way it drives, might not be a show stopper but i enjoy the sleeper style.

cyron · 10-10-2009, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnk12845

Actually the 350 would be about 3k for insurance which isn't too bad considering a 2004 GLI was gonna run me 2800/year.

Thank you for the wake up call,
I was thinking my insurance is high, but apparently it isn't since 3 cars and 2 bikes are about the same you pay for one car. of course my newest car is a 1999, but my R6 is an 03.

I spend a lot of time & money with up-keep on the Audi. Having said that the AWD is great... It's easy to recover from mistakes, which is really important for new drivers.
A subi or evo sounds like a good choice.

GeforceXtreme · 10-10-2009, 02:43 PM

Being 16 I would highly suggest looking into something cheap and that the insurance companies are not going to hit you with high costs. I drive that for a few years and treat yourself later on down the road.

My parents gave me an 88 Celebrity with 194K to get me by till i was ready. Being young i really did do some dumb **** with that car however being limited.. it kept me from getting into trouble or hurting myself thankfully. Overtime i learned to respect the car and I still have it too this day. I now respect all the cars i own now and I one day plan to treat myself to a bigger toy. However with the money I saved over the years I am looking to shortly buying my first house which is so much of a better investment then sinking it into your car.

99SL2_Modder · 10-10-2009, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JB'sLGT

Buy something cheap, reliable, and easy to work on like a Civic Si or something similar. You'll have plenty of time later in life to buy something fast. The hardest part is making it out of your teens alive and with a good driving record.

Hope you're not talking about the new SI. ****. That. Engine bay.

10-09-2009, 08:49 AM	#42
06njsti Tri-State Addict Join Date: Jul 2007 Member #5392 My Ride: 06 LSB STI awdm'd iTrader: (1)	your looking for a "show stopper", something quick, and under 15k. Pick two of them because its gonna be pretty hard to cover all three __________________ 94 Toyota Tercel...85hp-Gas Sipper!!- 06 Yukon Denali 6.0l on 4's!-Daily Grind- 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee LTD 5.2l -Sold- 06 WRX STi -Weekend Street Monster- 02 Jeep Grand Cherokee LTD 4.7l -Sold-

10-09-2009, 09:13 AM	#43
boostjunky Tri-State Aficionado Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Lehigh Valley Member #5261 My Ride: 1993 D27, 1994 D22A, 2004 CS7A iTrader: (0)	Get a 90's Sentra, Corolla, or something of the sort. Then you don't have to do anything to it mechanically. Put some strurts/springs, strut bars, poly here and there. SS brake lines, good fluid, a mildly aggressive pad set. Good tires in stock size(maybe slightly wider, depends on whatever size comes stock.), and possibly some cheap used light wheels(fight the urge for big dumb wheels. 17's are overkill when original wheels were 15"...you cant get much rubber on them anyway, they weigh a lot more and will just slow you down). Then learn how to drive, properly. You could teach a monkey how to "drive". Any old idiot can use the pedals and turn the wheel. These fools are out there everyday and usually are the ones who skip a red and crash into your new to you car. Learn about momentum. It is very rewarding to drive a lightly hopped up ** box cooking down a twisty back road at a 45mph avg. This way, if you loose it into a field or something, it generally isn't that bad. Having a car that you can mutter to yourself "hit me bitch" when someone is tailgating you and just lock your brakes a quick second to see if they are paying attention and watch them hurl their phone or spill their coffee on their lap is just awesome too. Most people on the road don't deserve to be there anyway IMHO. They should get on a bus. I also think a first time drivers car should never exceed $2000. That is just dumb. Something will happen to it. You'll crash it, someone else will hit it, a tree will fall on it, will get vandalized, just something. And it will most definitely suck when it does. Think about the car game maybe in a 3 part, 6 year plan, for now. Year 1-2. Upgraded suspension *box Year 3-4. Modified 90's sporty car. Swapped Integra, DSM, Swapped or stuffed and blown 240, etc Year 5-6. Brand new or excellent shape used sports car. 370Z, EVO, STi, or whatever you want if you save and invest(smartly) money from now till then. I wish I could go back and do this route. Would have saved me lots of money over the years. Last edited by boostjunky; 10-09-2009 at 09:21 AM.*

10-09-2009, 09:40 AM	#44
jpalamar TST Ruined My Life! Join Date: May 2009 Location: Orefield, PA Member #13773 My Ride: '14 Mustang GT iTrader: (3)	Under $15K you can get a used GTO, then wreck it cause its too much car for you, them make my car worth just a little big more :-) __________________ 2014 Mustang GT performance package, M6, Brembo brakes, Torsen diff with 3.73, Steeda CAI with 101mm MAF, ST coilovers with caster/camber plates, BMR lower control arms, BMR watts link, BMW sway bars with end links, front brake cooling ducts, SR short shiffter, and custom tuned

10-09-2009, 09:57 AM	#45
marshallpre1 Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: NY Member #6445 My Ride: N/A iTrader: (1)	Hey, OP, get a MKIV Supra NA! You can get a really nice one for cheap- $10-13K. It's kinda moddable- exhaust, intake, headers will yield you a little over 200whp. Don't quote me on this, but I think they came with traction control and LSD (I'm more knowledgeable on the TTs) It is a head turner and reliable. It's basically a lexus IS300 (which is also another good alternative) It's quick, but not fast enough to kill you... or fast enough to beat many cars street racing (so it might be a good way to prevent you from racing, LOL) __________________ Jeremy 1997 Supra TT 6MT- PT67/Vipec/HKS/AEM/etc- fun street car 2004 G35 Coupe 6MT- Brembo pkg- daily/track days 1994 SC300 5MT- NA-T- PT61/AEM V1- future track car

10-10-2009, 10:31 AM	#53
OMGz Turbo Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Ltown Member #3108 My Ride: 01' WS6..That whistles...01' Explorer 5.slow iTrader: (0)	You can have my SRT4 with a rebuilt motor for 12k, Already modified and considered a show stopper. I have the trophys to prove it. Needs a little work though but great for someone getting into the game __________________ loading HATERS.....99% ████████████████] NO ONE CARES ABOUT BEING TTT APPROVED

10-09-2009, 05:25 PM	#46
mcperson2k Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: Apr 2009 Member #13471 My Ride: ██▓▒░ iTrader: (0)	Get a Ford Probe if you think they look cool. They aren't terrible cars, and they are semi quick with a little work and really fun to drive. For a few hundred dollars off craigslist/ebay you can turn one into a big go kart. This was my brothers old one:

10-10-2009, 10:32 AM	#54
92dxman Tri-State Addict Join Date: May 2005 Location: Lansdale, PA Member #470 My Ride: 10 Mazda 5. iTrader: (0)	I'm gonna recommend something econobox and fwd for your first car. Civic, Corolla, Focus, etc. Play with the suspension a bit and call it a day. Your gonna get raped on anything related to a sports car being in your teens. You are in an insurance companies nightmare to make a long story short. How about looking for a 91-94 Sentra Se-R? You can find them cheap and they are a blast to drive. If you want to learn how to drive rwd, I would pick up a beater 2wd pickup truck that is a stick down the road and learn on that. __________________ 09 Yaris (gone) 07 Fit Sport (gone) 88 Bianchi Nuovo Alloro 10 Mazda 5 (everything hauler)

10-10-2009, 10:43 AM	#55
JB'sLGT Tri-State Addict Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Haddon Twp. Member #10156 My Ride: 05 Legacy GT, 97 M3 iTrader: (0)	Buy something cheap, reliable, and easy to work on like a Civic Si or something similar. You'll have plenty of time later in life to buy something fast. The hardest part is making it out of your teens alive and with a good driving record. __________________ 05 Subaru Legacy GT: To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures.

10-10-2009, 11:07 AM	#56
Renegade_ Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: May 2006 Location: NNJ/NYC Member #1912 My Ride: 1J Swaggon iTrader: (2)	You have 15k to spend on a car and your 16? Just buy a civic and get someone to GSR swap it and get used to that power. Your gonna think its fast as **** and thats good, because thats already enough power to kill yourself. People don't realize that its a question of dying sometimes if you don't respect power. A swapped 240 will spin 4th gear in the wet on stock turbo... so if you get on it in 4th going 50 and don't know how to handle wheelspin you can slide into a pole. Its actually really easy to do. Take it easy man, a GSR swapped civic will hang with stock evos/stock STi's, stock swapped 240s, 350Zs, etc. Its not slow but it won't kill you either. I could sit here and tell you that you shouldn't spend more than 5k on your first car, but your not going to because its a perspective thing and you don't understand. The beautiful thing is, that once your civic is swapped, after the first year you can drop a turbo kit on the swap and put down like 340whp which is STUPID fast in a honda. Yeah, its not a 1000hp car, but that setup with the right suspension and slicks I can see hanging with 400whp evos/STis/240s/DSMs, etc...

10-10-2009, 11:13 AM	#57
SeMaxima99 Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Broomall Member #1486 iTrader: (0)	05-06 Legacy GT, Might even be able to find a spec B for 15k. Almost an sti engine, Turbo AWD not bad on insurance (22 full coverage clean record my own plan $800 every 6 month for that and a 93 civic). Keep it stock for alittle while then mods are really cheap to make it a mid 13sec car. I have one and just enjoy the way it drives, might not be a show stopper but i enjoy the sleeper style.

10-10-2009, 02:43 PM	#59
GeforceXtreme Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Holland, Pa Member #367 My Ride: 2000 Buick Regal GSE iTrader: (0)	Being 16 I would highly suggest looking into something cheap and that the insurance companies are not going to hit you with high costs. I drive that for a few years and treat yourself later on down the road. My parents gave me an 88 Celebrity with 194K to get me by till i was ready. Being young i really did do some dumb **** with that car however being limited.. it kept me from getting into trouble or hurting myself thankfully. Overtime i learned to respect the car and I still have it too this day. I now respect all the cars i own now and I one day plan to treat myself to a bigger toy. However with the money I saved over the years I am looking to shortly buying my first house which is so much of a better investment then sinking it into your car. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures. - "Gods Grocery Getter is powered by an L67 3800" - *To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures.* 12.900 @ 109.91mph 2.166 60Ft (Fastest 1/4) 13.374 @ 110.01mph 2.467 60Ft (Fastest Trap)

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