ok, so i'm 20 and still don't have a car. the last 2 years of high school i had to come back to japan and i couldn't get my license altho i did have a permit. i got my license 2 years ago. i feel cheated for not getting a car when everyone else did, but that's a whole diff story that takes too long to explain.
anyway i AM going to get a car this year. 3rd yr in college w/o a car is going to be hell esp since the dorm is about a 30 minute walk from the main campus. and it's a twisty narrow road. i'm not walking no matter what people say...cuz i know they wouldn't either.
so i want your help...what's a good first car? i'm thinking a used car...a good blend of reliability, safety, practicality, performance and style. more emphasis on reliability and practicality (carrying stuff back from dorm to home) and performance (which is flexible..not looking for blazing 1/4 mile times, but also something that doesn't take 30 seconds for it...good handling would be appreciated). preferably a coupe, 1998 or later, ~50k miles, ~$15k or less. the top 2 i've thought about are honda prelude and toyota celica. i can't think of too many. any suggestions? also if you know, tell me about the gearbox...cuz i would want MT. i just know people say with the celica it's really easy to miss the gears..but is it really that bad?

Go with something RWD and manual for a first car - you'll develop skills most people never do - and have waaaaay more fun too.

~2000 Acura Integra
2002 Mazda Protege5 (not a coupe, but cool, fun and practical)

Anything else I can think of, Ford Focus, last gen Impreza can't be described as "reliable."

Ah, if you can stand the looks a 1995 - 1999 BMW 318ti, great quality, RWD fun, fast enough and practical. Has dual front airbags, traction control and LSD rear.

You want to get the Club Sport version with E36 M3 wheels, M suspension and seats. Very fun car.

http://fp.images.autos.msn.com/merismus/gallery/c431849a.jpg

A 1999 Club Sport should be just about $15K for a nice, low mileage example.

There's always the older RX-7s and Supras for RWD fun, and if you can handle domestics - F-bodies & Mustangs have plenty of power through the rear rubber.

of course if you want a safe new car perhaps a brand new kia. with the long warranty and the safety of air bags and stuff they make a great first car. of course you wont have the high speed as a rx7 or some modified hondas, but it is a great safe car at a low price. if i had a kid i would much rather they had a brand new car instead of an older car, for safety reasons.

gotta ditto the kia answer (although kia stands for Killed In Action, but that's another story). Or, depending on how practical you've got to be, a used Miata would be another pretty good choice. I just sold a 98 with 50K on it for $10K (US). either way buy something that has air bags in it.

Bah, as a first car, you should avoid the warranty. Then if it breaks, you can start to learn how to work on cars. I know way too many people my age (22) and older that don't know the first thing about their cars. The more you learn the better enthusiast you can be. And just think, if you drove a forklift for a living, you'd certainly have to learn how to operate it and fix it when it breaks. Whatever you get, don't be afraid to jump in and start tinkering - don't just be an operator of an appliance, be a real DRIVER.

As for new cars for being safer - come on guys... a kia is probably more dangerous than a 4-5 year old camry or accord. Heck, a 10 year old LS400 is almost certainly safer than a Sephia....

30 seconds for a quarter mile... wow. Honda civic are a good starter car. Easy to fix up, easy to drive, and easy on mileage.

thanks for the replies so far people. i've wondered if it's better to get a brand new car for safety technologies. but if i did then i'd have to be more worried about bumps and scratches than if i had a used car.
not sure about a kia...how reliable are they? civics are pretty good i suppose...i just see them as very generic. but i guess i don't have to luxury to be TOO picky. i guess i'll be choosing something from the list of cars on this thread tho. thanks for the input.

so i've thought about everything and i think all in all, practicality won over in the end...so i'm thinking of a protege5. i like the styling too and from what i hear it handles well, so it sounds good to me.
my only gripe is the power deficiency...or so in actual numbers. has anyone owned or driven one before? is acceleration acceptable? i mean how's it feel going from 0-30 or 40, since i know i won't need 0-60. how's the power uphill while carrying a hefty load or 5 people or both? also, does it handle as well as people say? i know that the slalom speed is pretty respectable, altho on the skidpad it just gets 0.79g. are those unrelated? but the bottom line is if i took a corner at 40 mph would i still feel safe and in control. if you know how to answer those questions i'd really appreciate it. thanks. :)

Believe me if it's your first car... don't worry about the power. After you've learned how to control it properly in a year or two.. you'll want something better than you can afford now anyway :)

240SX all the way!

http://www.cuckoo.com/daniel/240sx/images/Image-19990828-004_thumb.jpg

RWD, reliable and fun! This is a great car - trust me, I own one! :D What more could you want? :cool:

what?? WHAT?? no one has suggested my second choice as a first car?? MIATA?? hellooooo??? TWISTY ROAD??? EASY ON GAS?? RELIABLE??? CHEAP???

c'mon :p go for it. miata all the way.

I gotta agree with you, Andrew - Miata all the way! Not too much power to get you into trouble, FUN, more than enough handling to keep you out of trouble, FUN, reliable, FUN, perfect for learning about handling a RWD car... and did I mention FUN? :D

Regards,
Gordon (with a 1996 British Racing Green/tan Miata, thus the forum name)

i'd get a 240sx too if they were all only 20,900mi. :p but i think it's rare to find one with that little mileage nowadays. finding one around 50k is hard enough. at least around here.
most importantly though i need a car with more than little room cuz i need to move stuff in and out of my dorm in college, and altho i could send stuff with ups, i'd rather take care of them myself so i know they're safe. i still want a coupe, and i still try to defend myself into thinking that i can live with a coupe and i can just put things in storage...but i dunno...in reality, maybe that's not very practical and convenient.
i'm concerned with the power issue because i have lots of stuff that i'd need to load. i just don't want to be going up a hill at 10mph. even when i have a group of people in it. 130hp, 135lb-ft torque for moving 2750lbs (the car) + me + other people (or luggage or both) = enough power? of course this equation will mostly stay at 2750 + me + my gf during the year...but when i need it will i have enough? acceleration ok? and finally is p5 just overall good?

i really need to become more concise...

sorry sorry wakeech, miata is just too small. i mean college life, living in dorms, carrying stuff, carrying friends, i need something more than a 2 seater with 5cu ft of trunk space. :(
you understand me right? does anyone understand me? :p

Get a truck. I've had a truck for the second half of my college experience and its been great. You don't ever have to worry about hauling things again. Sofas, beds, lofts, you name it. And for short distances you can fit about 10 people if you wanted. (Just watch out for police.) They are fun to drive as well. Thats just my suggestion anyway.

-JiM

Well, it'll be a lot easier to find a 240sx in Atlanta than in Michigan. :p

I actually had to go to all the way to Virginia to get mine, but it was worth it. Just keep checking autotrader.com and cars.com everyday for a few weeks and one will eventually pop up. You might have to travel a little bit though. :)

Also, I think it's practical enough, I plan on having it as my only car for the next year or two until I can get an RX-8 on the Z plan. :cool:

Ok, here's what you do.

Find a 1st Generation RX-7, with a straight body, no rust. Engine optional.

Purchase a TII engine and transmission.

Install.

Purchase Racing Beat Springs, front sway bar, and front polyurethane bushings.

Install.

Get the car painted.

Pay the painter.

After all that, you should still have $5k in the bank, and you'll have a car that is good looking, has a great power-weight ratio, is RWD and a rotary to boot.

Sounds good to me. ;)

In all seriousness though, a 2nd Generation RX-7 is a great car with decent cargo room, seating for two midgets in the back and they're cheap like borsht! Plus you can attack the twisty road Initial D style!

ok ok, first of all thanks for the suggestions. but all the cars just aren't what i'm looking for. rx7, 240sx, miata, they don't have any room. as SA22C said, those cars can only fit midgets in the back....or none at all! (that's not a very bright thing to say, if you're a midget, i deeply apologize) anyway, and the truck just isn't my style either. carrying a load of people in the back is just very realistic either...i dont want to have to drive thinking about everyone's safety or the police, even if it's just a 5 minute drive. and i'd prefer having a roof when carrying things.
what i wanted to know was this concerning a P5:

Originally posted by hikoboy

my only gripe is the power deficiency...or so in actual numbers. has anyone owned or driven one before? is acceleration acceptable? i mean how's it feel going from 0-30 or 40, since i know i won't need 0-60. how's the power uphill while carrying a hefty load or 5 people or both? also, does it handle as well as people say? i know that the slalom speed is pretty respectable, altho on the skidpad it just gets 0.79g. are those unrelated? but the bottom line is if i took a corner at 40 mph would i still feel safe and in control. if you know how to answer those questions i'd really appreciate it.

so far the only response that i find to be somewhat reassuring is from hercules. i dont want to sound anal but i just want those questions answered, if it's out there.
*wheeze*
aaaanyway... i need to win the lottery

Not an answer to the question you asked, but maybe a better one. If you choose something like a Miata, you'll have less people in your car which happens to be directly proportional to how much trouble you'll be getting in. More people => more trouble. Trust me I know. Also, having a Miata will force you to keep your belongings that you transport long distances down to a minimum. At college less is better (as in less distractions => better grades and less money spent on crap).

Just my 2 cents. Feel free to flame or ignore.

yeah, and i'm thinking the M2's not the M1's, 'cause those are WAY THE HELL too small for me... i'm 6'3'', and i know you can bend the seat rails, pull out all the stuffing so that you can get your eyes just below the windsheild for highway driving, but no thanks.

the newer ones aren't too much, roomier, more powerful, and just as reliable and fun (maybe not as quick)... i'm really more seriously considering this car over an old RX-7 these days... just with the low-budget thing goin' on, it might be a better fit (a few years down the road).

135 lb-ft isn't much, but it's enough to be effective. Even with 4 people and luggage you'll be fine. It has a nice torque curve.

You will need to shift down to the lowest gear possible on steep grades with a heavy load.

Handling and control is first rate. The car feels very comfortable at speed. Brakes are decent too, but you may want to upgrade the stock pads to something more aggressive.

I don't own one, but an old GF does and I drove it a bit. It was a fun and "spirited" car. I always thought if the car had a turbo and more aggressive tires it would be the best performance car in it's class, hands down.

I would make a very nice first car for a college kid. The insurance is low too.

Preludes and Celicas are nice. The 2000+ Celicas are hatchbacks, so they can carry a lot of stuff, although not as much as the P5. However, these two cars have very high insurance.