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First car for a 16 year old.


Buck531

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my first car was a 1987 Crown Victoria LTD. freaking tank. i got rear ended by a guy in a civic, who was going about 30. it didnt do shit to my car, but the front of his looked like someone took a can opener to it lol.

 

rode like a dream too... the only downside was that driving it to newark and back took about half a tank of gas...

 

then again gas was about 89 cents when i started driving :)

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Guest 78novaman
Getting him a car early to fix up is nice. The one part that is being left out is it must be a car that he likes! He is not going to want to help fix up an early '90's Buick because it will never be a cool car. You need to ask HIM, not us what he likes or he will never respect you or the car.
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the 2.8L is junk and you can hardly find them.

 

Try taking a look for an early 90's Grand Prix. From about 91-96, they had the 3.1L which is a very decent motor that parts can be found all over hell.

 

The 2.8 and 3.1 are nearly identical. The only major difference is displacement, injectors, etc. I've seen almost as many 2.8 motors in scrap yards as I have the 3.1s.

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I also vote for Saturns for first cars. We have had three of them now for our kids to learn on. For the past two years, our daughter has been driving a 1992 Saturn we bought off of craigslist for $300. I had to put about $200 into it to get it to a reliable and functional state, but she has now put about 20,000 miles on it with only one real repair (ECU crapped out).

 

However, if you expect him to work on it, you need to get buy in from him during the selection process. Saturns aren't particularly cool, and I doubt he'll go for it. However, most anything considered "cool" by a high schooler that is under $1000 will be a ratty POS not even worth fixing.

 

I would advise setting evaluation criteria, have him find the cars in the paper, on the web, etc., and then every week go look at one or two together. Then, you can show him how you are evaluating the cars so he knows a turd when he sees one. \

 

Just my $.02 from having been there and done that!

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I agree with the others. A first gen saturn would work fine. Also any civic or cr-x from the early 90s would work too. There are plenty of civic shells to find if you want to work with your son and drop an engine into it.
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my first was an 84 s10 blazer. Bought it when I turned 15 1/2. Had a 5.7 in it from JEGS. I guess there were some employees that did it when the shop was still opened. My father and I rebuilt it when I turned 17. He helped me do everything to it. Then my neighbor helped install the exhaust. 52" dynomax sidepipes on a lowered s10 blazer was awesome. MARC was cool enought to see it while I drove it in High school.

 

BEST FIRST CAR EVER!!!

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why not buy him a 2 door honda 5 speed? ...reliable... cheap to fix...

 

i mena go buy a shell for 500 bucks and then fix it up.. and then drop in like a d16z( is that the vtec d series??? soryr not a honda guy)

 

 

shit my buddy jsut picked up a decent shell for 300 bucks and did the exact thing.. cheap..great on gas and easy as hell to fix.

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Recipe for disaster: Driver with less than 2 years of experience downshifting in the rain rather than braking.

 

Let me ask you what happens when your downshift doesn't slow the car enough to avoid an unexpected situation? You slam on the brakes? You most certainly will lose control of the vehicle.

 

Down shift to slow down at the track or on dry pavement when slowing easily to corner. Use your brains and your brakes when on slippery public streets.

 

Revmatch much?

 

As for a car... I'd reccomend a Volvo of any kind. Generally reliable, nice inside, and the best military vehicle Sweeden has built.

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You'll be hard pressed to find a driving school that teaches safe driving tips which involve revmatching and down shifting in rain and snow......especially to everyday folks on the streets or in classes for defensive and safe driving.

 

I've taken courses at Mid Ohio twice at Bondurant and at both schools, one of the first things they teach you when going out is that brakes are for slowing the car and gears are for making the vehicles build up speed. You want to do a miniumum of 70% of your braking before the turn and yes, slow with your brakes.

 

This thread is referencing a new driver and city streets, not experienced road course drivers on a closed track. Even learning to drive in road courses, you'll use your brakes otherwise you'll be spending tons of money on tranny repairs. A good set of brakes are much cheaper and way more reliable for stopping.

 

 

Revmatch much?

 

As for a car... I'd reccomend a Volvo of any kind. Generally reliable, nice inside, and the best military vehicle Sweeden has built.

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Tinman just told me that he found an '81 Toyota Celica for $250 obo. He said it needs a fender, i think a door, and tires. It's got the indestructable 22r in it. Oh, and its an auto. Im sure he would give you the number for the owner if you are interested. I'd love to get it for a work car if I werent broke, and it were a 5 speed.
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Guest zx2guy19
Tinman just told me that he found an '81 Toyota Celica for $250 obo. He said it needs a fender, i think a door, and tires. It's got the indestructable 22r in it. Oh, and its an auto. Im sure he would give you the number for the owner if you are interested. I'd love to get it for a work car if I werent broke, and it were a 5 speed.

 

 

Hey man, could you pm me that number? I've been looking at a winter beater. Btw, is the bolt pattern on those 4x100?

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This is what my dad did for me. I got my Nova after it went through my 3 older brothers when I was 13 and rebuilt it and finished when I got my temps. All in all I think it was the best thing because it was cheap, he payed $1500 for the car in great shape 9 years ago, and I just cleaned up the engine and some bad rust spots. That way I got to learn about my car and I absolutely love it and wouldn't sell it for anything. It is a RWD V8 but it is a 4 door tank and if i wreck it, I'm going to be walking away fine.

 

Personally, I would get him an old mid 70's car and rebuild it. I think that way he will appreciate the car and it won't be an 80's beater. Also he will most likely get a lot of comments and like the car even more, i do all the time still.

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this is why you are still under your parents rule. your opinion doesnt matter cause you're not smart enough to make your own decisions.

 

How can you say my opinion doesn't count when you are only 2 years older? 2 years difference is nothing!!

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Guest zx2guy19
Get him an auto to learn on then when he is ready convert it too a 5-speed like I did. It is my first car and I bought it with 82k auto for $2900 and made it into a 5-speed at 87k miles. 99k miles and I drive it like a champ at 17. I had to buy my own car too. $3000 for a 15 yr old wasn't easy, but I did it.
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