New Driver Questions! HA!

I'm looking to buy my first car right now.. But I have a budge of 2000.00$ Canadian....since its my first car i'm not spending a fortune on my first car.., I want something I can work on and that looks slick.
And has power but isnt too expensive as I said before.

I'm thinking... 89+ Ford Probe or and Eagle Talon or Nissan 240SX

Do you guys have any suggestions about a good looking car with some power that is in my price range. Obviously its going to be an older car and not in mint condition considering the price and such but i'm looking for something to work on with my dad.

Anyone mind sharing their first cars.
I'm also leaning towards a car that i can add some glow effects to.

Welcome

I'd stay away from Ford

My first car... 2001 Toyota Highlander

Ok so you obviously had money if you went for a 2001! LoL
I'm paying for my car myself so.. Cant do that i just turned 18.
I've always loved cars but wasnt too quick with getting the license and now there are alot of laws in effect.. basically restrictions till 2 years after you get your learners..

1988 Lincoln Town car- First Car I owned.
2000- Toyota Solara and 2003- Ford F-150- Drove for 1.5 years my 'rents rides.

You can pretty much add glow to any car.

See if Canada has any goverment auctions, alot of nice cars can be found cheap.

oh there are a few auctions here in canada but the ones around here suck, you cant look under the hood or anything so its like playing rushin roulette with cars. You have no idea weather or not when you leave with the car weather or not it has any issues or can even run

and even after the auctions if they are not sold and they are up for purchase you cannot take it for a test drive so you cant tell if its going to blow oil or has any problems shifting.. its just to risky. you have to spend over 4000.00$ before you are even aloud to take it in a safety inspection and your only aloud to have it for 3 hours or you are not aloud to return it... and you can only do that if you purchase the car before the safety inspection.

hmm ford isnt a great choice..240sx is nice but hard to find, I still havent found one
and thats like 1500 US right? maybe a celica, mr2, CRX, neon, or something (just some stuff that came to mind that you can find in that range, possibilities are near endless)

Find a nice AWD Manual DSM (Talon, Eclipse, or Laser). Get an eairly year too. 90 - 92. They run from 1200 on up around here.

I picked up a 240sx here in FL for $1,500 USD. I haven't had any real problems with it ** Knock on wood ** I did have to put a new starter on it not long ago and a new alt, but other than that its nice its a 90

Oh, I forgot to mention something above. Make sure it has a TURBO. Turbo DSMs run pretty nicely on the track, with some small tuneups.

I think you can survive without a turbo and do fine

This is in the performance forum, so I thought if he wanted good performance, he should get a DSM with a turbo in it.

I've been looking for a 240 sx now for about 3 months. I've had a couple of calls from dealerships saying they have one that they just got on trade it. Has a lot of problems or doesn't run. And they want more than a grand for them. I tell them I'll call them back but never do. A running 240sx here in GA normally runs around $2500+. There are those though that do sell for cheaper. You just got to keep your eyes open for them. I suggest taking your sweet time on finding the right first car for you. Don't be in a hurry to get a car. That is always a big mistake. Take your time and think about it. If you want it to be fast and it doesn't have those features already. Then look and see how much that parts would cost. 240s are great cause they are "cheap" to fix up. I say "cheap" meaning 2 grand for a turbo engine is cheaper than 5 grand for a supercharger in my accord. So serously take your time and do your homework.

babydimples wrote:

I'm thinking... 89+ Ford Probe or and Eagle Talon or Nissan 240SX

Personally, I would also stay away from the probe... no disrespect to anyone, but I have seen and heard more horror stories involving that car . The Talon would be good as long as it doesn't have an automatic tranny... most older DSM's with auto tranny's = bad news (breaks alot). The Nissan would be good too IMO... as long as you can find one in your price range.

I won't go thru the list of my previous cars, but my first car was a 1991 Honda Prelude 2.0Si.

L8R,

well im willing to spend 2000.00 tops...i have found the nissan240SX to be very rare but a friend of mine has a gray one and he paid 600.00 and just had to fix the breaks.,. so i think theres hope.. andi was actually looking for a laser but they are just as rare!

whats so bad about a ford probe?

Well, what i've heard about the pProbe really doesn't involve mechanical problems, but mainly about they're performance (they are well known as being turds, if you know what i mean). In my opinion i would look for an escort. Just from looking around and chatting on message boards, i've found the escort to be very popular in canada. My suggestion would be to look for a second gen. (91-96) GT as they have a good bit more HP than the LX. I was able to get my '95 LX for $1800, granted it had a few problems (brakes needed replaced and it had a bad strut), but those were relatively cheap fixes...

Nah go for a Honda they last forever or a long time and they are very reliable too. I can vouch for that my 82 prelude leaked oil, and power steering fluid but it still ran and the thing didn't have a steady idle and during the winter I had to drive it right off the driveway cold I couldn't let it warm up but it still ran like a champ when it wasn't etremly cold. So go get an Accord and they will be plenty for you to mewss with.

ok, there is NOTHING wrong with Fords...or Chevy or Dodge...(ok im stretching it a bit). seems like this board is mainly imports, which is fine. i understand they're cheap and appeal to the younger crowd. but dont count out the domestics...

the Probe is a good car, but now getting parts for one isnt going to be easy. the earlier gen 1s were all 4 bangers IIRC but a few came turbo'd. keep an eye out...

also the **** from the same era were pretty decent, but the heads liked to crack if they werent taken care of...

my bet would be a gen 1? clipse or talon. as said, auto tranny=no no...but that can be said for almost anything being that old...

also, if u can swing it why not go for a newer escort ZX2? i've seen them go as low as 2500 with a little work needed around here. granted im in Pa and ur in Canada but just have to look around.

i wouldnt worry about getting a turbo or anything that would show signs of abuse. make sure to have the car looked over first by an ASE cert. technician and try to haggle on the price if possible.

Get a Talon. Those are American cars with Jappanese(sp) engines...if I'm correct that on that one.

Take a technician with you to the police auctions, you cant beat those deals. My uncle just bout 3 2000 Impala X-Squads for 5 grand. Yes, 5 grand for THREE 2000 Impalas. A **** steal if you ask me, all have less then 80,000 on them!

pOrk wrote:

Take a technician with you to the police auctions, you cant beat those deals. My uncle just bout 3 2000 Impala X-Squads for 5 grand. Yes, 5 grand for THREE 2000 Impalas. A **** steal if you ask me, all have less then 80,000 on them!

holy ****, im gonna have to go for them....i went to a couple auctions back in the day when i didnt havea car, they had some nice speakers for cheap from stolen vehicles and recoveries and wrecks and etc...wasnt paying attention to the cars tho, i didnt have a liscense back then, lmao..good deal that cant be passed up

I got my car at an auction. Got a great deal on it. Try going to one of those.

Hey pork, wanna have your uncle hook me up with an impala? hmm right now I'm looking at a '64 impala and considering buying it

Optika1 illushun wrote:

ok, there is NOTHING wrong with Fords...or Chevy or Dodge...(ok im stretching it a bit). seems like this board is mainly imports, which is fine. i understand they're cheap and appeal to the younger crowd. but dont count out the domestics...

Hehe... I agree for the most part, nothing wrong with Domestics (I drive a Mopar after all and love alot of American-made cars). I was just giving my .02 on the vehicles he listed .

L8R,

oh i agree, im actually considering a Gen1 clipse/talon AWD/turbo for a project/DD when i finish my truck...

as i said before i have been to auctions and i have posted what my experiences with them are...

as well every car i am serious about i get checked out by an automotive registry to amke sure its not stolen and such as well as getting a safety check just because im a girl doesnt mean i'm a complete idiot

but theres a good deal on a 90 mustang which im going to get. mustang def. isnt my first choice but my dad is pushing me to get it since its my first car and i need something 'reliable' and since its only had one owner and is lady owned and shes an older woman he wants me to get it since its mint except for a little spot of surface rust on the one door. for 1500 but shes asking 1900

i assume it isnt an LX or GT 5.0? but u wont be disappointed with it. those 2.3L 4 pots are realible and **** is easy to work on. not to mention the parts are cheap and easy to get...and if it is a 5.0...well then ur set

Your dad wanted yo to buy something reliable and wants you to buy a Mustang?

exactly. my dad can work on ford and chev cars so he's cool with me getting a mustang but i dont really want a mustang I have a much richer taste hahah... i have plenty more money to spend but im not alloud for a first car.

stasis- wrote:

Hey pork, wanna have your uncle hook me up with an impala? hmm right now I'm looking at a '64 impala and considering buying it

Man, my uncle wont even hook me up! He sucks like that, tightwad ass...

Take the extra cash and put it towards aftermarket stuff for the 'Stang. Just my .02... lots of stuff to be done, tweaked and modded on them puppies .

L8R,

how about a Hyundai Accent 1995 ??

NO! Those are prone to problems, they are ugly, and they are VERY expensive to fix.

babydimples wrote:

how about a Hyundai Accent 1995 ??

ewwwww...lol

5.0's can be modded to hell and back...parts are expensive, my 5.0 has lasted me 177,000 miles so far, i know another one that has 250,000 + miles runs good, muffler is loud as **** due to it falling apart but oh well cant win them all....to each there own, they make crap of every domestic..especially if you beat it..of course its gonna break

hhaha ok.. so im still left with the question..
WHAT CAR! Lol
I'm thinking of maybe a S-10 or a smaller blazer or something because i cant find a freakin car!! I've been looking non-stop for a month.. NON stop i have 2 diff auto-traders ever week and a bargin finder every week. soon i'll have been able to buy a car for how much i spend on finding one + gas.

whats your zip code and how many american dollars? i can give it a shot to try and find something

t3j - 1c4

2000.00 canadian which probably works out to 1600.00 USD

t3j - 1c4? nevermind..

^ lol, shes one of those canucks

We demand photos! heh

S10's Blazers are alright, but if you decide to go that route dont settle for anything but a 4.3 Li. If a blazer, be sure to get the Vortech. Awesome engine, the 2.2 is horribly unreliable and WAY underpower for those vehicles. The 2.8 is no exception either.

yea the 4.3's scoot pretty good IMO, s10's are decent on gas and can be modded to heck and back with every possibitlity, not a bad price either...depends what your looking for tho..i didnt read the whole post so i dont know if you said it or not

canucks? What...?? you want a picture of me?