car reccomendations...

[bosuteye]

so i just got my license and i'm pretty stoked about it
ive been looking at a some cars and a few caught my eye
Ive narrowed down my list to these couple cars (though it is not concrete):
- 02-04 Acura RSX
- 01-03 Acura 3.2 TL
- 04-07 Pontiac Grand Prix
- 04-06 Mazda RX-8

Any of the cars good or should i go with something a little more older?

thanks in advance

[Stealth22]

All I can say is...

New* or sporty car + young driver who just got his license + trip to the insurance company = I think you can see where I'm going with this.

Unless Dad is paying the insurance, of course

*By new I mean anything 2005+

[Sugarphreak]

- 02-04 Acura RSX
Is probably the best choice

[FiveFreshFish]

Take your car shopping list and contact your insurance company. They can give you a quote on each one and then you can decide if it's worth it or not.

[bosuteye]

Breaking my heart already..haha
well i seen it coming but i was just throwing it out there.

unfortunately i will be paying the car, insurance, gas and maintenance with my own money.
only thing my parents provide me with is food and a place to live.

Anyone have any other suggestions that i should look into.
The main reason i'm looking at "newer" cars is just mainly due to the low KM's and less of a headache (in my opinion).

[bosuteye]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
- 01-03 Acura 3.2 TL
Too grown up for your age

- 04-06 Mazda RX-8
You really don't want to get into bed with a Rotary just yet!

Is there a major problem with mazda's?

[FiveFreshFish]

What's your budget for the car itself?

[bosuteye]

i have approx. $10k..
if i'm purchasing it from the dealer i can just make a down payment of 15-25% of the price and then just finance the rest.
and yes i have a job.

[sxtothe240]

I'm assuming that this care will prob be driven in winter.

Maybe try a 04/05 subaru WRX? 4wd, plenty of power, sporty looking, 4 door. with a good set of winter tires, you'll be set for the snow that'll be rolling around in the near future.

I'd advise you to maybe look at older cars...insurance is going to rape you for the first few years.

[DSM4LIFE]

if you want i have a eg civic hatch with swapped b18c GSR motor with turbo kit just waiting to be put on for sale

[Stealth22]

Originally posted by bosuteye
i have approx. $10k..
if i'm purchasing it from the dealer i can just make a down payment of 15-25% of the price and then just finance the rest.
and yes i have a job.

Unless Dad is willing to co-sign on that finance agreement, dealers will laugh you out the door. Reason? No credit rating. Sure, as young guys, we have money for a big down payment, and we have jobs. But we're young, with next to no credit rating. And with insurance, not enough driving experience.

When you say you just got your license, I'm assuming you are around 16-18. That means you haven't, or have just started university. That means your job is not full time (full time and permanent) and does not pay you more than $15-18/hour. To banks and finance companies...thats not enough. Your job (and age) isn't stable enough for them to be convinced that you can make the payments on a 36 month lease/finance 12 months down the road. And even with Dad co-signing with you..you still need insurance.

Call your insurance company or use kanetix.ca to get ballpark values- on a newer car, you will need collision/comprehensive coverage. By law in Alberta, if you have only 3rd party liability coverage on your insurance (meaning no collision), the max they can charge you is around $1800 or $1900/yr. But add collision to that, and there's no cap. And with no driving experience, expect to pay upwards of $4-5K per year for insurance.

I'm not trying to scare you or discourage you...just trying to tell it like it is...just be sure that you can 100% afford all aspects of the car.

[Jim Rome99]

Here is my suggestion: get yourself a Civic from the late 90's. Get it checked out properly before you buy, of course.

You will almost certainly get into some kind of fender/bender, hit a curb at high speed, have an old lady impeed your lane at some point, nothing personal, it just happens when you are a new driver no matter how smart a guy you are. It happens to everyone. This way, you're not going to be too upset if you've only got 5k invested in the car.

BUY WINTER TIRES! NOT ALL SEASON. WINTER TIRES! Spend the money, they're so worth it. For $400 you can get a wicked set put on at Fountain Tire. DO IT.

[simplyRed]

Originally posted by sxtothe240
I'm assuming that this care will prob be driven in winter.

Maybe try a 04/05 subaru WRX? 4wd, plenty of power, sporty looking, 4 door. with a good set of winter tires, you'll be set for the snow that'll be rolling around in the near future.

I'd advise you to maybe look at older cars...insurance is going to rape you for the first few years.

I would still be carful about the WRX (for insurance and the power as a young driver). I have a WRX that you can buy if you want though. I also have an Impreza RS (no turbo but still AWD and boxer engine).
PM me if you want

[max_boost]

Originally posted by Jim Rome99
Here is my suggestion: get yourself a Civic from the late 90's. Get it checked out properly before you buy, of course.

You will almost certainly get into some kind of fender/bender, hit a curb at high speed, have an old lady impeed your lane at some point, nothing personal, it just happens when you are a new driver no matter how smart a guy you are. It happens to everyone. This way, you're not going to be too upset if you've only got 5k invested in the car.

BUY WINTER TIRES! NOT ALL SEASON. WINTER TIRES! Spend the money, they're so worth it. For $400 you can get a wicked set put on at Fountain Tire. DO IT.

Civic FTW for first car.

Cheap. Tonnes of available parts. Good on gas and fairly low maintenance and reliable.

It's your first car and you really shouldn't be spending too much everything considered, that is unless you can afford it.

[bosuteye]

yea i could see myself getting a little upset if someone were to hit the back of my $15K car.
better off just spending $5K on a cheap integra or civic.

[Ukyo8]

RSX FTW!

but i may be biased

[Hakkola]

Don't waste much cash on a car when you're so young. My advice would be to get a mid-late 90's Volvo, S70R or something would be sporty, practical, safe, and cheap. I blew a fuck ton of money modding and shit when I was young and it was a mistake.

If I could do it again I'd save some more money and put a down payment on a Condo or something and rent it out, and buy a nice car when I had real money.

[bosuteye]

I seen a few VW Jetta (00-01) going for around $5-6K.
only problem is most of them have 175-210K on them.
Would you trust that or avoid it all together?

[bosuteye]

anyone?

[FiveFreshFish]

I have an '00 GTI with a VR6 over the past couple of years. Solid car, no problems whatsoever.

These MK4 cars (4th generation Jetta & GTI) have lots of aftermarket support if that's the route you want to go. They're pretty good stock as well.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zeroforum?id=4