first car.

[blaze15301]

i'd say look at a vw. the 2.0 engines are fun, not too powerfull, but fun. also they handle well. so much aftermarket you won't know where to start. they can be had pretty cheap. the downfall is when the electrical gremlins rear their ugly heads and when the oil light starts coming on at random. that signals the demise that is iminent.

of course you can't go wrong with a nice toyota corolla. also oodles of aftermarket suport for what ever fun level you can afford. you can pick up a geo prizm real real cheap and they are just corollas with different badges. so either one will provide you with major reliability.

now if you really want fun and a learning experience, you could look at the mk2 celica supras. they usually can be had from anywhere between 1500 to about 4 or 5 g's. rust is an issue with them though.

another good choice that would suit your need to get tickets very well is an early (92) lexus sc400. they can be had for as little as 1200 bucks. then you get toyota reliability along with a toyota v-8. the lexus sc300 is much more expensive though because everyone wants the 2jz engine in them.

if you want something to just get around and won't last very long, then a good used cavalier would work.

personally i'd stay away from civics. used ones go for way more than their actual worth and any that you could afford as a first car would be ragged to the point of being not much more than a 1:1 scale model.

don't forget to look at mazdas as well. there really is something to their zoom-zoom marketing. depending on model, they can be really fun to drive.

im not really trying to get a ticket. i just want a car that i can customize and mod. i know cavaliers are ****. we have had 3 in the past 5 years. i was looking at the vw

[AmEv]

We drive a '00 Sunfire.

Keep up with the maintenance (which there isn't too much of), it almost combines a family car and a luxury car.

[xr4man]

a sunfire is a cavalier.

im not really trying to get a ticket.

i'm sure. i was just joking about that.

[blaze15301]

i'm sure. i was just joking about that.

yeah i know. i was just clarifying for other people as well becuase i know people probably think i want a fast car and ill be irresponsible and all that. i mean it is a good judgment based on first time drivers and most teenagers.

[x88x]

also i dont want to spend a fortune.

Well then muscle cars are out. Even if you don't spend a lot on the initial car, gas will cost you a fortune.

Where do you live? If there's a lot of snow, I would definitely go FWD or AWD. Otherwise, personally I would go RWD. That is one of the few things I would do differently with my car, looking back.

Aside from that, pay serious attention to the weight of the car. You can get a lot more performance out of, say, 100HP in a 2000lb car than in a 2500lb car. Plus, you'll get a lot better mileage.

Overall, I would say look for a early-or-mid-90's Japanese or continental European (sorry, UK) sedan, hatchback, or station wagon. From my experience, in the US similarly spec'd Japanese cars tend to be cheaper. During that period you start to get the engine improvements that started giving a lot better efficiency, but you get out of all the weight that they started piling on later. Get airbags and ABS if you can, for insurance, if not just safety, purposes.

I'll put another vote of confidence in for Mazda. My 96 Protege is far from a performance car (4-door, <100HP), but when it's in good health I can pull some relatively pretty nice performance out of it.

Oh, and get a manual transmission. Not only are they more fun, you'll get better performance and better mileage. If you don't know how to drive one yet, learn. You'll thank me later.

..oh, and get a motorcycle.

[Snowman]

I love the vw 2.0 ask me why...

[Collinstheclown]

Plenty of room inside and under the hood, reasonably safe, mechanically reliable, available in good shape for around a grand, acceptable stock power and nearly unlimited build-up/swap options, rear-wheel-drive, invisible to the cops, and nice enough that a potential date's folks will probably approve...

...what you want is a Volvo 740/940 Turbo.

I'm not joking, and I speak from experience. (A naturally-aspirated car is a good call, too - slow enough to keep you out of trouble - as is a 240 if you live somewhere where rust isn't an issue.) If you get a wagon, the back seat will fold flat so that you and someone else can sleep comfortably (if you're both under six-foot-two or so).

Of course, this is easiest in the Northeast or Pacific Northwest, where people bought 'em in the first place.

Beat me to it. lol I was gonna suggest the 240.

[BuzzKillington]

first car + power = big ass ticket... trust me, i speak from experience

My first car was a '69 Nova. No tickets here.

Acura Legend
Toyota MR2
Mitsubishi Mirage
Old school BMW's

In high school you'll probably want to go with a 4 door. I wouldn't throw any money into your first car... a sub-2000 dollar vehicle isn't the platform you want to turn into your money pit. Save your money for a down payment on a nice car come sr. year-ish.

[Snowman]

My first car was a '69 Nova. No tickets here.

because they couldnt catch you

[BuzzKillington]

Actually it was geared for 1/4 mile so it road comfortably at 70 and got close to redline around 100, though it got there damn fast.