Hey, as my title might have already announced, im 16, just got my license in september. My brother could have gotten any car he wanted when he turned 16 for 10 grand, and he choses a 2000 GOLD Ford Taurus*smacks head*, it did come with the more beefy 200 hp 24 valve engine, which is nice. But this is beside the point. In April, i am going to start looking for a new car, which I have 10 grand to pick out. I am looking for a car with manual 5 or 6 speed, it has to be safe*because of the rents* and fast. So far I had in mind a WRX*though this could prove to be a bit small and high insurance cost, not to mention the premium gas, but I live in a climate that gets the extremes; including snow. So it is a possibility* a 02' Maxima SE, 02' Altima SE 3.5, and a 01' Honda Prelude. Of course those are just some starting choices, if you will. Could some people give me some feedback, even if you haven't had any experiance with these cars. Keep in mind that I am a young driver still, and my parents kinda have a thing for safety, but gotta have the stick shift. >) :evillol:
Thanks \m/

the maxima or altima is a good choice. the mechanics of the cars will stand up to bad weather. I would go with an 02-03 maxima se 6spd. they come with more options for around the same price as the altima. Maybe you should consider something easier to get used to.

do you already know how to drive a standard? is the money cash or is it going to be a loan? if it is cash, you could get an older car and use some of the money for upgrades. if you dont already know how to drive a stick, get something a little less expensive to fix, since you will probably mess something up as you learn.

at sixteen you will want something fast. but since it is your first car, it probably wont last until your 18, especially if you are looking for something fast.

you might want to look for an Impreza 2.5RS rather than a WRX. A $10k WRX will probably have pretty high mileage

To answer your question, I do not know how to drive manual. My parents are going to teach me, I don't know if that is a good thing lol. I have a new thought, maybe getting an old POS 4runner or blazer w/ manual to learn on for a few months, then go and get a nice car. Good or bad idea? The reason my parents are allowing the 10k to be spent is they want a safe car too, so maxima, altima would definatly work, but i'm not so sure about the subaru, anyone know how safe those are? Besides totally pwning the roads up here in Illinois. Any other cars you guys have in mind? >)

subarus's are pretty safe.

if you really want to learn how to drive stick id say get an older toyota/nissan SUV/truck. They are really easy to learn on, and are hard to mess up. they are also kinda safe.

nissan altimas are nice.

are you just looing at cars or would an SUV work?

Well, I definatly would like a car, but I am now considering buying a POS 500 dollar truck/suv for a starter for a couple months so i don't end up with a heavy bill for a new clutch or transy for a japanese made car. But, after that phase i am definatly looking to get a car.

that would be the way to go--even if it's not a truck or suv--learn on an old POS vehicle--wear it out--then buy a nicer car/truck/suv.

this way you don't ruin the new car

plus after all is said and done, the family could keep the old heap around, especially if it is a truck and use it for other things. we kept our 84 toyota pickup around for years, just so that we had something to pick up parts, wood..... hell we even used it for carrying soil and gravel.

you could probably find an old ford truck or chevy for cheap with a 3spd manual to learn on. just make sure it is older than 85 so that it doesnt have to go through emissions.

then once youve got the hang of it (probably after a few weeks) get a car you want.

concidering that ur 16 and interested in speed well go get somthing cheap look for somthing like a old civic hatch back somthing like a 1992 put a lil money in to it and save the rest till ur 18 and get somthing better because im guessing ur gonna race what ever your getting soget somthing that wont hurt u financially if u total it and just get bare minium insurance its all good

ps: i race with my 1992 mercury grand marquis btw i paied 500 dollars for it
-hope that helps