In reply to engiekev :
The minis do seem cool but the deferred bmw maintenance on a cheap mini scares me. I'm liking the spec b idea though.
Rallycross seems cool but I'm a lot more into the flat road course, grip kind of racing. Then again I haven't tried it so. Where would I go to learn about/attempt it
In reply to AMiataCalledSteve :
My mom had a prelude and she loved it. They seem pretty cool. I love the crx idea though they are pretty cool. Aren't they getting expensive?
In reply to Driven5 :
Can you convince my parents haha :D
In all seriousness though I am aware of tires being more important than drive, and the idiot in the front seat being more important than anything else. I'm just not sure my parents are......
In reply to WonkoTheSane :
Oh yeah I definitely will, but I'll do it in a safe manner........ish
I actually have an uncle in Cali who might be able to look for rust free cars. Where is the line though. For example I found a cool 00 Subaru but the undercarriage and wheel well areas are covered in rust. All surface none structural. How do I decide what's an acceptable amount?
In reply to Region_Rat :
The zx3 seems fun, I've already found one to test drive. I wish I could drive rwd but I will eventually. Until then it sounds like fwd is plenty fun
In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :
Thank you so much for the warm welcome. I'm excited to be here and love everything this forum is about. All I can say is wow your son is lucky haha. I'd kill for a cobra. You adopting?
I also have auto ADHD. And regular ADHD. It's a dnagerous combo .......
The tossable, lively, and slow car fast mentality is exactly what I'm looking for so I think I'll focus less on power and more on chassis, suspension, low weight, and lively engines
I'm new to the car world in terms of the car scene with other people and such and I'm new to the driving world but, at the risk of sounding defensive, I've been into cars for years. Every free moment I have I spend researching and reading, I just read more about the interesting stuff like designing a carbon monocoque or cool cars like the p72. Or reading build threads like the lmp360. And I get the benefits of the accord, I truly do. But just looking at it bores me and why own and drive something I'm not going to enjoy? If there are other cars out there that fit my requirements and that interest me why wouldn't I choose them yaknow? Maybe it is naivete but idk I just can't find the love for it.
Ill do my best to use my head. Gets hard when I get so easily distracted by "ooh cool new car idea" like I do but my parents, I'm sure, will help temper my expectations. And yeah i will worry more about the cooler stuff when I'm older (and wealthier), but damn if it ain't alluring
In reply to RaabTheSaab :
These are quite a bit cooler to me than an accord. I'll give one a test drive. They are a bit heavier than some of the other options but worth a shot
In reply to Evanuel9 :
Another plus to the Accord/Camry/etc sedan is they blend in with traffic. When you are starting out attracting attention isn't really a plus. My first car was a Monte SS, not terribly fast, not great handling, but eye catching and a bit loud. All the local police stopped me at some point when I was starting out.
Evanuel9 said:In reply to engiekev :
The minis do seem cool but the deferred bmw maintenance on a cheap mini scares me. I'm liking the spec b idea though.
Rallycross seems cool but I'm a lot more into the flat road course, grip kind of racing. Then again I haven't tried it so. Where would I go to learn about/attempt it
Yes, deferred maintenance is scary. If you're into road course racing, I (and lots of people here) can probably help you. I've been racing for 20+ years. A good place to start is autox. Look up the local chapter of the SCCA and find their schedule. Go to an autox and you'll get no end of people helping you.
Don't worry, you weren't being defensive to my comments. It's all good. You sound SO much like my son. What I was trying to say is that you are new to actually owning and driving them. I have no doubt you've been into them since you were little. Most of us here have been too. I'm old enough to remember when the C4 Corvette debuted...and even when the Ford Pinto was still on showroom floors.
I hear you on the Accord. If it's not your taste, no arguing that. I know they're a bit older, but what about a Honda CRX or Del Sol? Fun, tossable, nimble, reliable. Integra is the same way, if you can find an unmolested one. By the way, love your initial comment of including a Subie XT6. Those are unicorns, and I'm still looking for one in good shape. If I find it, I'm buying it.
As someone who also likes light cars, and who's had a gc Impreza, an X1/9, B13 Sentra, blah blah, I'd recommend a B-spec car. I'm presently driving a Mazda2, and it's super fun to drive, simple and easy to work on, practicle and cheap to run. It makes every drive fun. Have a look at what SkinnyG is doing with his Accent, or Bobzilla's Rio.
One of the advantages of these cars is that within a given budget you can end up with a car that is newer and in better condition than other cars, and means less time and money spent fixing and more enjoying.
So, that list includes Fiesta, Mazda2, Rio, Accent, Fit, Yaris, Echo, Sonic, Spark, (and Micra if you're in Canada)
And really, if any of your friends don't think those cars are cool, well, I'd get rid of the friend...
In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :
I love the xt6. Drag coefficient of like 0.26, which is less than the nissan leaf and chevy volt. That awesome wedge styling, flat six (although it was absolutely anemic but can't have everything), 4wd, and only 2888 pounds. It's right up there with the impulse as an attainable dream for me. I don't know where you live but I found one in california. 0 rust from what I can see in the pictures, runs well except for dirty injectors. This is the link if you're interested:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/300984308684797/?ref=search&referral_code=marketplace_search&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3Ac2aff748-064c-46c8-994f-8a05e1cacde6
Ok I'm glad I didn't come off rude, because I am definitely here to learn from people who have been doing it long than i have, I just have a very specific, eclectic taste in cars that comes from mostly theoretical research and knowledge rather than practical experience. I'm sure things will change when I actually start driving and wrenching on cars and maybe then I'll appreciate the accord :D!
The crx is way cool, I love them. I've heard they're rev happy, love the styling, and they seem all around fun. However, I don't know if I'd be able to find an unmolested, non rusted-out one in my price range. Del Sols are also cool, I like the styling, though they always looked like they should be mid engine. They come off a bit rice but I'm sure tasteful mods would improve that. I'll add that to the list (it's getting long lol).
Out of curiosity what was your son's first car?
In reply to Sidewayze :
Hey you've got my taste in cars! Those are all attainable dream cars for me. B-spec seems way fun. Mazda 2s are a bit hard to find in the price and manual, as are yarises. Fiestas seem to be easier, and I hadn't thought of the spark or sonic. I'll add em to the list. At this point I think I just need to test drive all of these and make a decision. I've got so many suggestions but truly don't know what I'd like best. However, what is your favorite B-spec car?
Yeah I'm not worried about friends not thinking I'm cool, they're all great and the opposite of car guys. I just want to have fun, wrench and learn to work on cars so I can one day do nocones style stuff in the challenge, meet other car guys, and learn to drive well and fast
Celica GT or regular RSXs might be in price range. If you want light weight with a roof and airbags, a Celica is about as light as you will find. Also 2.5 Rabbits or Jettas, no turbos, more reliable.
EP3 Civic SIs are unloved, might find one in budget.
In reply to Evanuel9 :
My favorite B-spec car is whichever one I have to play with. I really do love my 2. But, if I lost it tomorrow, I would be happy with any on that list. (Although I dont think I would go with a first gen spark. Too underpowered) They're all a bit of suspension work (rear sway bar) from being super fun. Don't over tire them (max width 195) and just enjoy the drive. The small engines make it so you get to enjoy driving it like a race car without breaking the speed limit. While all the drivers around you may be looking cool and being bored in the daily commute you'll be grinning like an idiot and wondering why everyone else isn't having as much fun as you are.
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/project-cars/2012-ford-fiesta/
What are your goals with this car? Where do you see yourself with this car in a few years? It sounds like you'd prefer RWD/AWD, how long do you plan on keeping the car? Will you take it with you to college if you go etc? Will you be in trade school making some money and look to get a RWD/AWD car?
I personally would avoid any v6 FWD cars since it sounds like you value handling prowness and working on a transversly mounted v6 can get crowded at times. I'm also a bit younger so my perception of safety will be different from someone that grew up a few decades before me. I would try to buy something developed after 2002 for safety purposes.
The 2000-2005 celica gt-s has the same 2zz as the elise and weighs 2500lbs. I'm not sure how crazy prices are with these cars are but it's worth keeping on the radar.
03-07 accords 4-cylinder are one of the last double wishbone hondas that come in manual and would be a good platform should you decide to do a head swap/transmission gear-set swap. I believe 06+ had slightly more power and side airbags standard
The 04-08 TSX is similar to the accord but with the 'hot' k24 and slightly better gear ratios. It might be a stretch at your budget.
The 2012+ ford focus is geared more aggressively than the mazda3, cheaper, and dynos about ~150whp stock. I think one of the main drawbacks is that to get camber you need eccentric bushings on this platform. Comes in hatchback form and heated cloth sport seats are available if you care. A pretty new safe car that's decent out of the box and cool because it's not on many people's radars.
In reply to Evanuel9 :
Having grown up in the 80's, I'll tell you that the XT6 is all show and no go. In my opinion, it's extremely high on the "cool" list, but far down on the performance list. Ideally, I'd love to find an earlier XT Turbo with the digital dash, but they're almost extinct. The ones that do survive are getting expensive.
I'm in Atlanta. You can find a persons' location by clicking on their avatar.
My sons' first car was a 1996 Lexus LS400. He now has a 2010 Chevy HHR as a daily driver and bought his Mustang fairly recently. He's the same way as you, tastes all over the place. You ultimately should decide what your plan is for this car. Do you have any intention whatsoever of doing autox or track days? Do you realistically have the time/money/ability to do your own work on it? If (and when) it does break, do you have back up transportation you can borrow? These answers can help guide you. A lot of the recommendations here are for cars that are quite reliable (Honda, Toyota, Mazda) and cheap to maintain, which I think is great for someone your age. Yeah, the CRX is getting thin on the ground, as is the Del Sol. I agree they can be a bit "ricer image", which is not my thing, but they're fun to drive. I've run EF Civics and a Del Sol on the track...in fact I'm running a Del Sol in a few weeks...and they're an absolute blast. Slow, but stupid fun. There are a good number of Civics (or Civic based) cars in the races I run, and that's for good reason. Take a long hard look at them. Could be your ticket.
I am currently considering selling off my 78 C10 to find a 2008-11 rio5 for sundae cup. Those are squarely in your price range, are stupid reliable and I can help you source whatever you need to be fun. Downside is people snicker when you roll up and there aren't 4 billion options for parts like you find with other brands, but they're still there.
Evanuel9 said:In reply to engiekev :
The minis do seem cool but the deferred bmw maintenance on a cheap mini scares me. I'm liking the spec b idea though.
Rallycross seems cool but I'm a lot more into the flat road course, grip kind of racing. Then again I haven't tried it so. Where would I go to learn about/attempt it
On second thought, yes the mini maintenance is a big downside. For your first car it's probably not the most practical choice.
Start here with the SCCA , their regions run the events. I'd recommend going to just spectate and ride along, same goes for an autocross. You'll quickly get a feel for what you might like, and in general folks are friendly if you're enthusiastic about the sport.
https://www.scca.com/pages/what-is-rallycross
I have to say, this is super impressive that you're doing your "homework" on this and thinking about all your options. You'll fit right in here and we can't wait to see where you go with this!
+1 to taking the time to find something not rusty.
All good suggestions but anything small and cheap is going to be rusty if it's lived where road salt is used.
Body rust aside, it's so much easier and more fun to learn to wrench on your car when everything comes apart easily.
Pretty much anything small with a 5 speed and 4 cylinder can be fun, lots of good ideas already in this thread following that philosophy.
A good Neon is hard to find but might be worth looking for. One of those cars that most people see as the stereotypical cheap car, while anyone who remembers the Neon ACRs in club racing and autox back in the day will think it's cool.
It's at least got more charisma, imo, than a Toyota or Kia if that matters to you.
Also, 2.4 swap is relatively cheap to do and super fun.
Don't worry about choosing the exact right make and model. Plenty of time to try different stuff. Just get something in decent shape, enjoy it, and sell it to get something else when you get bored ;)
Edit: Since I have a Mazda 6 in the driveway right now... It's not fast or a lightweight compact car; but they look good, drive nice, and handle really well for a midsize fwd sedan. One of those with a manual and 4cyl would be a solid option if you decide to look at something bigger. Racing Beat sells sway bars, springs, and adjustable Koni shocks for them. Definitely something your parents would be happy with. Mazdas from the ZoomZoom era all have some measure of enthusiast street cred.
I'm going to double one million on the no rust part. Rusty cars take your money and time and then discard them in a pile of uselessness in your driveway..
In reply to lnlds :
In an ideal world this would be a fun car that I'd learn to wrench on, practice driving, and start auto crossing/track driving with. Then take to college and use as a fun daily. I don't really need a daily now because I'm minutes from school and the buses here in the city can take me pretty much anywhere so this car, for now, would be for fun weekend drives, getting random places, and mostly wrenching and driving practice. In an ideal world, once in college, it'd be my daily while I'd have a more fun project (or even do the challenge, I've got some ideas)
I'll add the Celica to the list. It actually looks like a really fun car despite the styling. I'll also add the focus and tax. Thank you
In reply to Sidewayze :
So once I've settled on a car I should find a good example in a rust free state and head out there to get it? Because I cannot seem to find any rust free cars in my price range here in Chicagoland
In reply to engiekev :
Sweet. I'll probably go out to find an event next weekend (crazy busy with school this weekend). I'm excited!
And thanks, I always do lots of research before doing literally anything
In reply to bobzilla :
Ooh they actually look pretty cool. Only about 2400 lbs, nice and small, and like you said they're reliable. Are speed parts relative easy to find compared to a lot of other cars?
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