Help me pick out my first car!!

[fortiesnninez]

Im 16 years old and I live in NY. Hey, I have been reading threads on this board for a while, but this is my first post. Do you think a Civic Si would be a good first car? I know how to drive stick and I am in between many cars such as:


Acura TSX 6spd
Civic SI
RSX-S
Infiniti G35 coupe 6mt
Accord Coupe 6spd
Golf GTI
Mazdaspeed 6
Mazdaspeed 3
Lancer Evo
Suburu Sti
Pontiac GTO
Nissan 350z
etc...

I am looking for a car at the most $25,000 preferebly around $20,000.
I want a quick car in stick. And a car that looks nice/handles nice. I dont know what else to say... What do you think would make a good first car? Thanks a lot I really need help I cannot decide! Also, I am going to start test driving really soon.

[Izzy]

If you can grab one, Lancer Evo. :) But you're comparing massively different price tags from top to bottom...so I gather you're looking at both used and new?

[mako8]

for someone around your age, i would say the civic si, rsx-s, and golf gti would be the biggest bang for your buck and of those three, the si (i may be a little biased, but it's a great car for the money)...unless you had the driving experience and the cash to afford the price tag AND insurance rates to match for something like a new evo or sti.

[Izzy]

GTI's look nicer and nicer the more I see Si's on the road, tbh. Not that I don't love my car...but...it was nice to be exclusive.

[e60.deluxe]

Originally Posted by Izzy

GTI's look nicer and nicer the more I see Si's on the road, tbh. Not that I don't love my car...but...it was nice to be exclusive.

you always see more of you own cars on the road. tbqh, i didnt even notice a new gen of civics untill i starting researching cars. i never noticed the FBP color till i bought mine.

[TJ213]

I had to make a similar decision myself and I ended up with a GGM Civic Si Sedan). Here are my opinions on the competitors:

TSX - too much of an older person's car IMO, slower / less nimble than Si

RSX-S - Older version of Si, no LSD, can't find new, insurance is more

GTI - hatch, ewwww, not a fan of VW, haven't heard great things of their quality

MS6 - higher price, heavier, turbo + mazda = probably less reliable than Si IMO

Evo - Unsafe IMO (2 star side impact) insanely expensive insurance, easy to lose control off (back end can get away when you hit boost), but easy to mod for lots of power

STI - Impreza build quality felt below the Si to me, insurance and car cost was just too much

GTO - lots of power, insurance will kill you again, all going to the rear wheels, not that hard to lose control

So, the Si was best for me for those reasons, I think the STI would be a good car as well if you can afford it, the Evo will perform better, but is too unsafe for a first car IMO. The MS6 is an intesting option, I would recommend a test drive there if you are confident with mazda's quality.

IMO for a first car the Si sedan is best, thats what I got, its quick, but not overly fast, its controllable, and hard to spin out / lose control (especially with VSA), and those two doors sliced my insurance costs. Plus its a very safe vehicle, as many people here have discovered.

[Izzy]

Originally Posted by e60.deluxe

you always see more of you own cars on the road. tbqh, i didnt even notice a new gen of civics untill i starting researching cars. i never noticed the FBP color till i bought mine.

No, I really mean that I see more now. Last week I saw 4 Si's in one day at the area I work at. There's just more people buying them...

I know I see a lot of Civics, as they ARE civics, but it was cool to be one of the few at first.

[e60.deluxe]

Originally Posted by Izzy

No, I really mean that I see more now. Last week I saw 4 Si's in one day at the area I work at. There's just more people buying them...

I know I see a lot of Civics, as they ARE civics, but it was cool to be one of the few at first.

my point is that if you bought a GTi youd notice more of them too.

[inyong1988]

civic ex auto w/ navi.

[Skylinegtr06]

If you could get the most expensive one

[Burrcold]

I will keep my mouth shut as to what I think a 16 year old should be driving...

anyhow that list has a very wide variety of cars. I think you need to determine what it is you're looking for.

If it were me I would pick up a used 06 350Z. I know it's not on your list, but it meets the criteria you set. Or for that matter a used S2K.

[Nikeman]

Well IMO since you live in NY (as I do) then you should cross out all the RWD cars, especially being newer to driving(not trying to dis your driving skill, but trying to drive RWD in the winter is a royal PITA). Your insurance is going to be really high for all of those cars as well, so you may want to check with the insurance company before you do anything. I also say the civic for alot of the same reasons TJ213 did. Good luck

[AbsoluteGG]

Top 3 choices would be GTI, RSX-S, and SI.

[Yodums]

From that list, I'd probably take the EVO or STI. I'd probably lean more towards the EVO.

[mattsbobo]

I looked at all the same cars you listed when I was shopping for a car. I don't know if the more expensive cars you're looking at are going to be used or not, but If you're buying a used STI, or EVO, you've got to know that every one of the miles on it has been driven really hard. The TSX 6 speed was really nice. To nice for what I wanted, plus it was heavy. GTI, very nice, but VW's are known for their tech glitches. MS3, possible broken motor mounts due to torque. The Si, and RSX-S are both great cars, but since they're not making the RSX anymore, I'd go with the Si. I've got 17,000 miles on mine, and haven't had one problem to date.

[Tom1222]

Originally Posted by fortiesnninez

Im 16 years old and I live in NY. Hey, I have been reading threads on this board for a while, but this is my first post. Do you think a Civic Si would be a good first car? I know how to drive stick and I am in between many cars such as:


6spd Acura TSX
Civic SI
RSX-S
Golf GTI
Mazdaspeed 6
Lancer Evo
Suburu Sti
Pontiac GTO
etc...

I am looking for a car at the most $25,000 preferebly around $20,000.
I want a quick car in stick. And a car that looks nice/handles nice. I dont know what else to say... What do you think would make a good first car? Thanks a lot I really need help I cannot decide! Also, I am going to start test driving really soon.

You may want to check into the Mazda Speed 3 or the VW GTI. Both great cars. The Si isn't bad either and a fun little car as well.
The GTO is ugly and doesn't deserve the name. Some of the others are pretty pricey compared to the Si, GTI and Mazda Speed 3.
Another fun choice is the Mini Cooper S. But only the new ones with the Turbo instead of that lame Supercharger that the old ones came with.

[goofygamer]

Originally Posted by Izzy

No, I really mean that I see more now. Last week I saw 4 Si's in one day at the area I work at. There's just more people buying them...

I know I see a lot of Civics, as they ARE civics, but it was cool to be one of the few at first.

Yup, your right. Everywhere I look now, I'm starting to see 8th gen Si's around. But like 98% of them do not have the HFP kit!

[Tommygun43]

since your probobly not paying for the car yourself, you should get something like a '95 Toyota Corolla or an older civic. you won't have any respect for a new car and it will just get you in alot of trouble.

[ouija]

I'd get a GTO soley because it's RWD. Otherwise it's ugly, and it's a Pontiac aka the red headed goat-toting step child of GM. RWD isn't as bad in the snow as people make it out to be, but it does suck.

If you can, get the STi. I can't afford the insurance so I don't have one, that's the only reason. And personally, not a Mitsubishi fan so meh to the Evo.

If all else fails, get the Si. Better build quality than the Mazda, more aftermarket support than the Mazda, more reliable than the Mazda. The GTi's are nice if you're into the Vdubs, I'm not, my buddy is, and I can't wait to see him pay 5k for tranny work on that little thing.

[MBK]

350z should be on your list too... although at your age id just get a used 7th gen in manual