first car recommendations

[firebird999]

it just hit me that i'll be driving in just a little over a year, and purchasing my first car in around 2 years . well, i really want a 90's model firebird (trans am convertible hopefully), an early 2000's ranger (what's the word i'm looking for? with the skinny bed), or an s-10 (same word...), only thing i've really decided on is that i want it white, silver, or black, whichever comes up first, and i'll tint the taillights. another thing i've decided is that i want some custom parts, definately some performance, but i also want rims. i want five spoked chrome rims with a flat black lip that has a red stripe running along it for the firebird, or six spoked all flat black ones for the trucks. so basically what i'm asking is: which car do you think is better and can i get the rims i want?

[suicide_star]

SWB, regular Cab, 2nd gen S10 with a 4.3 and a stick. with your 4.3, all you'd need is a throttle body spacer, short ram intake, headers, flowmaster, and electric fan conversion and you'd be set.

[firebird999]

hmm, i'll definately keep that in mind, sounds pretty cool. but to be honest that's the last one on my list (i'd love the firebird mostly). of course, now that i think about it, your suggestion is not bad at all, i'd just like some more input about the other cars first

[urownstupidity]

lol nah man get a pinto or geo always start with a junker lol im jk my first car was a 86 cutlass lol

id stick with the s10 fbirds are junk(imo) i had a 99 last year and it was a pos s10s are very strong trucks and the 90s rangers(2.3 5spd)

[firebird999]

well, i'll continue to think about it, i've still got quite some time ahead of me.

[surgeon]

My buddy has a 4-banger S10 with the "iron duke" in it; I wouldn't recommend it. It's decent on gas, but he is always having to work on it...in the non-fun maintanence kind of way. My sister had the 6 cylinder blazer (basically the same thing) and it had much less mechanical issues with higher mileage and less general maintenance. They both had electical issues, IMO i would go with the one that had less bells and whistles. So, based on my vicarious experience with them, if you decide on an s10 get the 6 cylinder without power windows and all of that.

A guy I worked with had an early 2000's ranger, he has put quite a few miles on it and hasn't had problems with it. Get the model without cruise control in case it missed the recall (spontaneous combustion in the fuel rail). The kid across the street has a stepside with "muscle car" wheels on it and lowered, it looks pretty darn sharp.

At the end of the day, find the one with the best price-lowest mileage and least amount of cosmetic damage. Get your money together and don't get into any kind of hurry on your first car. It took me three months to find the "perfect" first car, and it was well enough worth the wait.

[Sweed]

You want something cheap, reliable, cheap, good on gas, and you want a Honda. I know I'll get flamed from it, but look at cheap Honda/Toyota/Nissans. You don't want something sporty or it will get you into trouble. Honda's handle great, Miata's make you look ***, but both can be had cheap and handle good for track day duty....

[surgeon]

Originally Posted by Sweed

You want something cheap, reliable, cheap, good on gas, and you want a Honda. I know I'll get flamed from it, but look at cheap Honda/Toyota/Nissans. You don't want something sporty or it will get you into trouble. Honda's handle great, Miata's make you look ***, but both can be had cheap and handle good for track day duty....

I would have said the same thing three years ago, but locally (in the DFW) all of those said cars have had a huge jump in resale value due to gas prices. A lot of people are wanting to buy a honda to drive to work and leave their truck for the weekend, so they are going anywhere from 3-4K over bluebook-unless they are in complete crap shape. 240sx would be an awesome first time sports car, but they are just getting to be to popular of a car for the gas mileage/performance.

[WhiteMKIV]

No lie dude, go with a saturn SL2 they are freaks outta the factory. REAL CHEAP, reliable, they do have a lil bit of a kick stock and really really good on gas milage

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by WhiteMKIV

No lie dude, go with a saturn SL2 they are freaks outta the factory. REAL CHEAP, reliable, they do have a lil bit of a kick stock and really really good on gas milage

And your friends will make fun of you for tuning a Saturn.
True rice at it's best.

[123Vette]

skinnybed? no there called stepsides... nd a firebird you can find those pretty esay but the ranger ehhh i dont like ford id agree with the s10

[suicide_star]

Originally Posted by Sweed

And your friends will make fun of you for tuning a Saturn.
True rice at it's best.

i disagree, only because i own one and appreciate it. as far as domestic 4 bangers go, a saturn sc1 or sc2 with the 1.9 dohc will be more than you'd expect from a domestic 4 banger. 10 years ago, i'd have agreed with sweed, but if you ever pull up next to a good tuned 1.9, you'll be like O_O. they have the torque and the horsepower to carry their little plastic ***** ahead of lots of the imports.

surg is right about the S-10's, as far as the higher trim packages, the fancy electronic's don't really hold up, but i disagree about the Iron Duke, actually that engine was one of the toyota 22RE's counterparts, it was a pretty stout engine that could take a beating, but hell, if you're going to get an S-10 get a 4.3, any 4.3 w/ a stick, it'll hold it's own and doesn't need much tuning to blow your mind.

[firebird999]

Originally Posted by Sweed

You want something cheap, reliable, cheap, good on gas, and you want a Honda. I know I'll get flamed from it, but look at cheap Honda/Toyota/Nissans. You don't want something sporty or it will get you into trouble. Honda's handle great, Miata's make you look ***, but both can be had cheap and handle good for track day duty....

i have family that worked with ford, so i'd rather get american made. as much as i'd like a jay-dee-em-tyte-yo car, i think i'll stick with american muscle. maybe eventually you can expect me to own a pretty cool japanese car, though.

Originally Posted by WhiteMKIV

No lie dude, go with a saturn SL2 they are freaks outta the factory. REAL CHEAP, reliable, they do have a lil bit of a kick stock and really really good on gas milage

i guess i can consider that, it's probably pretty good for just driving around my town.

Originally Posted by Sweed

And your friends will make fun of you for tuning a Saturn.
True rice at it's best.

rice? i can put on a fat wing, veilside bodykit, walmart spinners, and flame stickers, but as long as it's faster than stock, it still wouldn't be rice. just very ugly

[meme405]

My first car was a toyota camry, of course it was my moms car that was handed down to me. But that car was strong. We got it right when the new body style came out and it had the more powerful engine in it. That thing ran like a champ, it handled all my first 2 month joyrides and races.

Not a bad looking car either when you add the body kits and such, maybe not a car that would get your all the girls but itll smoke most of your friends cars...

[Scionbeave]

if you are looking for something cheap to mod for a first car go with a Neon or an older Civic.

[firebird999]

Originally Posted by meme405

itll smoke most of your friends cars...

as far as i know all my friends are getting big fat suvs, so no worries really :P. only thing is that another friend also wants a 90's firebird trans am, so i have some competition there i guess. a camry in particular, i don't know really, it seems like a pretty cool car to get from a to b, but yeah, like you said it won't get me all the girls . lol, if you're like me that's 30% of what matters.

and a neon or civic, nahh, not now at least, i can get a better car for about the same withhow much better those are selling for.

[asphaltdrager]

ok ok ok heres the thing as someone who really races and who's family races let me put it kindly. if your going to do all of this to your car dont do it to your first car cause hey ur gonna wreck it. second get a real car i hate it when ppl are all like hey i've got a firebird so a have a race car,no, i have not seen even one beat my uncles 91 talon tsi.(drag race). now i know well how do you know they suck so bad because i have owned one,also my dad has a 78 with shaker hood and a 454 in it but thats different. not ttrying to sound mean or rude but i am sixteen and have a 73 dart swinger and it definitely gets up and goes. and if your wondering well ur only 16 so how would you know well when u grow up arround it u learn 1 or 2 things. but whatever

ummm sweed a saturn is not a ricer for the main fact that they are made in the usa just like talon,toyota,subaru,etc

[firebird999]

Originally Posted by asphaltdrager

ok ok ok heres the thing as someone who really races and who's family races let me put it kindly. if your going to do all of this to your car dont do it to your first car cause hey ur gonna wreck it. it's not like i won't have insurance. plus if you'd read, i won't be going on the highway, like, at all, just in my town, so it's very unlikely it would be my fault if i crash (my most likely first job is a quarter mile away)second get a real car i hate it when ppl are all like hey i've got a firebird so a have a race carfirebird: has wheels, a motor,and seats. it is a "real car." and also, if you'd read, who said anything about racing? it's mainly just for driving around with the off chance of a little parking lot draggin' with friends, nothing big,no, i have not seen even one beat my uncles 91 talon tsi.(drag race). now i know well how do you know they suck so bad because i have owned one,also my dad has a 78 with shaker hood and a 454 in it but thats different. not ttrying to sound mean or rude but i am sixteen and have a 73 dart swinger wait... you're only sixteen, and you've already had at least two cars?and it definitely gets up and goes. and if your wondering well ur only 16 so how would you know well when u grow up arround it u learn 1 or 2 things.oh i get it. yeah i've grown up isolated from cars, i never knew what xmods were based on until i joined this forum. thinks a bunch but whatever

..

[xmodificationer]

liek lamborghini fo sho'! But really, something reliable, that gets good mileage. Im not getting a car though, Im getting a Bike. Ninja 250R gets 61mpg, and its only 3.5k.

[firebird999]

Originally Posted by xmodificationer

liek lamborghini fo sho'! But really, something reliable, that gets good mileage. Im not getting a car though, Im getting a Bike. Ninja 250R gets 61mpg, and its only 3.5k.

yeah, me too. i'm getting a honda or yamaha (not sure on model, but 4 and 3/4 more years to think about it.) for college, better than driving a car all over the campus. of course if i get one of the trucks they'll both come along, but you get the point. i might also do the ol' lawn mower engine moped conversion to my bike over the summer, my high school is about a half mile away. i guess now that i think about it i'll have quite a few vehicles by the time i'm 17-18