Opinions: Used car? or new car?

[lammer]

Okay, im not a really new driver but still am i've been driving since winter of '01 (november to be exact) I drive my parents 97 safari and the 2001 4runner(rarley they don't trust me with it, i can't blame them) and i don't know what i should do. continue to drive my parents car a few days a week to goto work and such and wait out to get a new car (around april-june of '03) or should i just get an older car, get used to driving much more and then sell it off then get a new car.

well im open to opinions please help :thumbsup:

oh and if you guys do suggest the older car for a while, what car do you think has best value right now.
2 door 4 door wouldn't matter. but i want a manual lso i can learn how to drive it

[Evan]

If you got the skillz to pay the billz, get a new car.

If your budget is fairly slim, get a used car.

You could always finance car, but Insurance is pretty pricey :(

[lammer]

as of right now my family's imcome is all going towards our house payment, parents hope to pay it off in a few years. that means if i want a new car i will have to wait. But i do have some cash of my own. not much, but its still cash right.

[GTS Jeff]

Definitely get a used car. I see so many punk kids driving around in a brand new car, but they have so little appreciation for it because they have no idea about the difference between new and used. Get a used car, bag on it some, learn your shit about cars, then when you're ready...move up to something nicer.

[lammer]

any suggestions on any kinda car?

[GT2NV]

240sx 91

[lammer]

i've been thinking about those
that or crx or something i dunno.

[GTS Jeff]

Drive a lot of cars and see what you like man.

[lammer]

Well I don't really have alot of options on driving alot of cars, id on't think people would allow a 17year old to test drive their cars.

[lammer]

ok i found one what you guys think
200,000 km
1989 240sx.
A/C, power windows, power locks, basically power everything cept for seats and such.
alarm.
3,990 dollars.

[GTS Jeff]

Shit man, you just gotta work with what you got. The reason I'm saying drive a lot of different cars is so you'll find out exactly what sort of driving you like. Once you got that figured out, it's a lot easier to pick a car.

You mentioned a CRX...CRXs are for the most part really raw cars. They transmit EVERYTHING from the road to the driver, and it does it in a pretty damn rough way. Now I like that feeling, but not everyone else does. Some people prefer a softer, smoother driving car for example. It all really depends on what you're looking for. Anyway, CRXs are pretty ghetto, but they are still a good value because of the performance they offer.

[lammer]

oh i don't really mind what sorta ride i get, from rough house offroading to smooth comfortable luxury ride, as long as it has some accomidations. a/c, because i can't stand the heat. I seem to die sometimes when it gets too hot. but i can work with anything else.

[eur0]

i know theres a few haters out there but im partial to civics, you can bag em on and on and they just keep running, this includes crx's too...Yes I know the performance for stock civics is almost nonexistant but they are so reliable and with the ac blazing its a nice car, well worth the money (in my opinion)...I just wish so many people wouldnt give civics a bad name by trying to race em when theyre not supposed to be raced, unless of course they have the proper mods! :thumbsup:

[Big_Six_Boy]

Dude, trust me... DRIVE as many damn cars as you can! That's the only way you will know what you want. (kinda works the same with chicks too, but that's off-topic).
As for new or old. I'd definitely say OLD. You will never appreciate nice older cars if you skip it and never buy one. I'd take some old cars over NEW ones the road...
The car you should get depends entirely on how much you are willing to spend. I don't recommend spending too much money on your first car. It's kinda like getting a first girlfriend... you end up spending ALL YOUR MONEY on it cause you value it so much, but later you release it's really not worth it.
A really excellent car you should look in to is an '86 MR-2. They kick ASS on ANY CRX (Si or otherwise, and under any condition) and it's more of a poor man's sports car than anything. You can probably pick one up for under $3000 now. I'll probably pick one up soon and tune it for the track. They are really awesome cars!
The 240SX as someone had mentioned is also a good car, but a little more money. However, I would like to warn you about these two cars. They are both REAR WHEEL DRIVE. If you don't have that much experience with driving, then stick with front-wheel drive cars; they are more foregiving under harsher conditions. (ie, ANY Civic, CRX, Integra, MX-3, Sentra, etc.)
All those can be had for under $6000 depending on condition and year.
Ok, I've said a mouth full... GOOD LUCK!! :thumbsup:

[James]

Yeah '86 MR2's Rule!!!:thumbsup: They are actually really fun to drive!, I am most likely selling mine in about a month, so if your interested let me know. :)

[RCBVtec]

I agree with everyone else, get an Old car first, when you start driving you tend to bag the shit out of whatever car it might be (at least I did anyway) that way you are not thrashing a brand new car. I started on my moms family ride (Dodge Spirit) bagged on it for a few months, got a 90 Z24 when I was 17, and now I have a 01 Prelude, which I appreciate more because of the way I started. As for which cars to go with, IMO I would say DON'T go 240 or MR2 just because of RWD, get a little experience under your belt then go to the RWDs. I would say older civic or teg, they are fun reliable cars to drive for a decent price.

my $0.02... good luck man!

[80supra]

I would say screw fwd. If you are looking at mr-2 or 240sx you dont have much power to worry about. I started out driving a 1980 toyota supra (which i still drive today) which is RWD with a weak 110-120hp. It's got a bit more tourque (140ft.lbs) but I am SO GLAD that I didnt start FWD... theres no need if your going to buy a RWD car new, then buy an old RWD dont even bother FWD. just take your time you got the rest of the summer to learn the cars limits, cant spin out in a one of those RWD's unless you want to (mr-2 or 240sx). I dont htink its a big deal. I learned to drift and do doughnuts like a mad mofo glad I never bought the turbo sunbird I was lookin at last year. Might have been faster but RWD adds so much more fun for a beater.
:thumbsup:

[GTS Jeff]

Stick with FWD for your first car. You won't appreciate RWD until you get sick of FWD, and FWD is a lot easier to drive until you get DAMN good. I think I'm a decent driver, but I'm still getting a FWD as my first car..

[HRD2PLZ]

I'm 19, in 3 years of driving (and 5 cars later) I still drive FWD. The only RWD I had was a 4runner. I would really suggest going out and test driving all the cars you are interested in. Even at 19, salesman were reluctant to let me test drive, but what can you do? Take one of your parents if they'll go with you. The best advice I can offer (from personal experience) is, don't jump into anything too quick with a car. You might think you'll never find a nicer one (you don't know how many times I freaked cuz the one I wanted was sold) but a nicer one always comes along. Patience is a virtue. Do a little research on the cars you want. How does their performance compare? How expensive are they to mod? Are the mods readily available here or will you have to ship from the US? Reliability? Versatility? Stuff like that.

Good Luck :thumbsup:

[James]

Like others have said, If you dont have alot of Driving experience, RWD might not be a good option for you, although MR2's and 240's dont have alot of power, if your not carefull, you can still lose control pretty easily. They are SOO much fun to drive though!:thumbsup:

[RX-7_TWINTURBO]

there are always ways to con a salesman into giving you a test drive
just go in with a nice new car like a new 4 runner or heavily modded car (bodykit etc.) it will look like either you or your parents have a lot of money and are itching to spend it
act really interested and work out financing plans and say somthing along the lines of "i am lookin for a new Summer or winter car" also say that your parents are going to buy it for you as a university gift
these methods will get you a test drive

[HRD2PLZ]

When I was looking for cars I took my dads new Acura MDX. Needless to say, the sales people were more than glad to help me out :D

On the other hand, after looking at so many cars throughout my life, I am so sick of salesmen! Especially the really pushy ones. Its like, get a life dude, its not like buying a car is a 10 minute decision :nut: :dunno:

[lammer]

I've had experience with FWD and RWD, more with RWD, i drive van which is RWD and the 4runner which is also RWD, drove em in winter, only spun once because of my lack of knowledge on the road, i didn't know when ot turn so i had to brake fast that was the only time i spun out. and i drove FWD in my class time with school (driving school) and my aunts car and such.

[GTS Jeff]

Until you've slid into the ditch going 120 on the highway because your RWD car hit an icy patch mid-turn...you really won't fear RWD like you should.

[T5_X]

Originally posted by Jeff TYPE R
Until you've slid into the ditch going 120 on the highway because your RWD car hit an icy patch mid-turn...you really won't fear RWD like you should.

WERD!

[lammer]

thanx for everyone's imput.

Another question

lets say i have a Blah blah car and i decide to drop in a new engine, we'll call it engine number2

when i go look for performance parts do i go with the ENGINE1 or ENGINE2.
but lets say its a full exuast do i do it for body or for the engine.