id luck finding a civic that doesnt have a bunch of rediculous and useless mods on it >_> ...if i had a civic id be 1 of those guys being made fun of for snapping CV shafts on a regular basis.

 

What about what Zoran said? Used SN95 V6. Not a ton of power, but it'd be a cool first car.

 

Here is what my mother did - buy a ranger with bucket seats. Only seats 2, no bench, and no room to cart around the friends.

 

as long as itd be a 5 speed sure lol.

 

Do what I did and buy an old F150 with a straight 6 and straight pipes

 

X2. Given teenagers dominate the mortality rates in auto accidents i'd say something fairly safe and not fast. Teens in anything sporty tend to draw cops attention as well.

 

Well I'm far from my teens but bright blue paint and racing stripes draws police attention too not to mention loud exhaust
I've thought about putting "blue light special" on my back glass

 

Unfortunately teens still die behind the wheel of "fairly safe and not fast" cars like Civics and Integras because they want to prove those cars are "fast" and fu....... or other. No matter what you're driving, if you drive like an @zz it will always attract cops' attention. Still say stick with the smaller FWD cars mentioned because given their reliability and fuel economy, the gas, maintenance, and insurance costs usually end up lower - a good thing if money is tight.

 

I think that the Mazda 3 would be a lot of fun. Especially the speed version. When I was a teen there really weren't a lot of choices. Almost everyone my age had something with a V8 in it or a Beetle. My first car was a 68 Chevell Malibu coupe with a 327 and a two speed automatic. Even though it only had about 70K miles and 6 years on it when I got it, it was pretty tired. I learned a lot about cars keeping that thing running.

 

Cops seem to be leaving me alone no matter what I am driving. They haven't paid attention even when I am out in a Z06. But then I have some grey up top. And I don't drive like an ***.

But over the years, I have earned my share of tickets and been to traffic school more than once. I like to think I learned a few things along the way.

 

yeah u guys do have a point. i prolly would get that urge to do reckless stuff with something sporty. but if a sporty car is what i get then ill remember to tell myself not to do it often...especially if its a manual. with my experience right now id prolly destroy the clutch or the whole transmission.

 

I'll suggest another Mazda product that has been around a long time and it's already proven as a good reliable and cheap car to own, the Protege. The last gen (99-03) can be had dirt cheap and are pretty mod friendly. If you want to mid one for FI, get one with a 1.6L, for N/A, get the 1.8/2.0L, both manual of course. I've had mine for more than four years w 100,0xx miles without breaking a sweat. I think the insurance will be cheaper with the 1.6L for obvious reasons Another suggestion would be a Sentra, a Corolla or an Escort GT.

 

Just have control. And drive like an a$$ when there's no one around, on deserted roads.

 

IMO, kind of hard to urge a teen driver to "Just have control." Especially when the car is full of friends.

 

Please don't buy a Neon. Go to youtube and watch the crash test for the Neon.................It almost breaks in half. I would go with the Focus, good gas mileage and cheaper insurance.

 

i know this is an old thread but just had to re-open it. currently since my dad says i need something to drive heres what ive been looking for on autotrader:

2003-2007 Mazda 6 V6

1989-1995 SHO Taurus

1987-1995 5.0L Mustang

2004-2008 Mazda 3

any opinions on any of the above?

 

Of all the above, I'd choose the mustang. What about the '96-'98? Don't you like the 4.6?

 

yeah i do, but i just like the 5.0L a bit better but a 4.6 would be nice as well. i think the mustang would be the hardest to get though considering my dad already has one in the garage and he could be saving that for me.

 

Never hurts to try. Besides, two is better than one.

 

true. but look at this one i just found

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false