Which car should I get??

[GermanyMatt]

Originally Posted by ocabj

When I was 16, I bought a 1966 Ford Mustang 200ci straight 6 that I found for sale in the Food 4 Less parking lot with a "For Sale" sign on it. It apparently belonged to one of the cashiers that worked there. Bought it for $1200 with a little help from my parents. It didn't have A/C, but I didn't care.

My first car was a 1964.5 Mustang with a 260ci V-8. I wanted a 1970 Boss 302, but they were hard to find and usually out of my (and my parent's) price range.

[shay2nak]

16? No teenager should own a high HP car. Sorry, that car will end up in a ditch or wrapped around a tree.

You want a BMW? Get a 328i M-Sport with 6MT. IMHO, looks better than the F80 M3, if you get with M Performance parts. Powerful enough and 36highwayMPG? Can't go wrong.

[stephentross]

There is not enough time to prepare a young driver for these cars. Reaction time just has not developed yet. Go to the M3 forum and search for pictures of young drivers and what happens. It is very scary to know my wife and child are on the road with youngsters driving 500+ HP cars. We should have laws that prohibit it.

And my 2 cents is, Get a used BMW X5. Xdrive. Perfect for a new driver. Or any driver. If you go a full 12 months with zero accidents then move on to a new vehicle. Use the extra cash for a new Rolex. :)

[BH13GMT]

Originally Posted by stephentross

There is not enough time to prepare a young driver for these cars. Reaction time just has not developed yet. Go to the M3 forum and search for pictures of young drivers and what happens. It is very scary to know my wife and child are on the road with youngsters driving 500+ HP cars. We should have laws that prohibit it.

And my 2 cents is, Get a used BMW X5. Xdrive. Perfect for a new driver. Or any driver. If you go a full 12 months with zero accidents then move on to a new vehicle. Use the extra cash for a new Rolex. :)

In the UK you could not get insured on any of those cars until you are at least 25 years old. And even then you would be talking £5k plus per annum. This deals with the issue mentioned in your post. other parts of the world have different systems in place with policies based on cars and not drivers if I am not mistaken. I would say the OP seems to be an exception here being a position to have a vehicle provided that most of would be buying for ourselves in our late 30's and early 40's.

[Psmith]

I would suggest that, at a minimum, some advanced training be undertaken.
BMW, M-B, etc offer specific courses for their performance cars.
But it has to be said that inexperience + high performance does not usually end well.

[Bangel]

Originally Posted by Thatguy

This reminds me of a former member...what's her name?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, what would Couture Girl recommend?

I've had my share of exuberance behind the wheel in my youth and that was in a 1.5L Honda Civic with all of about 73kW of power. I shudder to think what the consequences could have been had I owned a high performance car back then.

OP, you are seemingly in a very lucky position. Stay safe, whatever you choose. For myself, I'd probably try the new BMW M3/4.

[rg9390]

I like these threads.

Well, if you and your parents think you are responsible enough to have a BMW M or Merc AMG, then go for it. In fact, should go for a 458 or McLaren 12-C if money is not their issue.

But remember driving high performance car means you need to be extra responsible to other road users, and you should observe speed limit. You don't want to get yourself hurt and make your parents regret about a giving a car to you.

I don't think the engineers at BMW or Merc ever thought of an age group for the car owners (the marketing people does). So you might be a good ambassador to correct those irresponsible teens driving super high performance car and disobeying the law on the road.

As for which car, I am a Merc fan, but with the new C class just release without the AMG version (yet), I would go for the M3/M4 if I want it now.

[james1787]

I'd suggest going for the slow/safe choice. A 16 or 17 year old teenager simply does not have the experience behind the wheel to handle a high performance car. Too many times you read in the paper.. a kid gets a car with way too many horses under the hood and days later.. well, you can guess the outcome (and too often ends in tragedy). You are very fortunate that your parents can buy you some nice choices of cars.. the best thing they can do is buy you something safe (and not too fast!)

[bp1000]

C63!

Have you heard it?

[rle737ng]

Jeep Wrangler 4 Dr.

[james1787]

Originally Posted by rle737ng

Jeep Wrangler 4 Dr.

Wranglers are a lot of fun! Several friends had them back when I was in high school. We took them down to the shore where you could drive on the beach / fish. My one friend would plow with his during the winter and made some nice cash. Not a bad choice there..

[Travelair007]

OP,
This thread didn't really turn out the way you intended it and I ask that you only read into our comments "brotherhood" "caring attitude" etc...

I couldn't afford these cars when I was young so my first car, I ended up pushing more than driving as it would stall at any given time....which ironically, put me in harms way countless times....

My brother was a race car driver at your age and he was a skilled one! Give him any of those puppies you're considering and he would "lap" your any day good driver on a race track. By the age of 21, he had had 3 road accidents, 2 of which totaled the car he was driving. He's still with us and I'm not sure how, but I'm glad he is.

He's 32 now and drives a Jeep Wrangler.... Best with your decision!

[mjclark32]

I have an 14' E350 and it's great, my advice is get the E

[speedy_master1]

buy a Bugatti

[Gaijin]

If you are not a troll. If you want to live life to the fullest and be the highest and greatest version of yourself that you possibly can be...

Get a beater car. Try to pay for it yourself. Pay for your own insurance.


Work you butt off and then someday buy your own Benz. That is what I did. I would never in my wildest dreams expect or want my parents to buy me what you are talking about. Ever. 16 or 60.

[mannyv11]

I was going to respond but then I just face-palmed

[Rzani]

The range rover for sure. I think that's the safest option among those you have chosen. Now, if you aren't worried about safety then the 911 S is the way to go. You should be able to find a very low mileage 991 in that price range if you look hard enough.

[Rashid.bk]

Originally Posted by stephentross

There is not enough time to prepare a young driver for these cars. Reaction time just has not developed yet.

In the general public yes...on the professional circuit I completely disagree. Look at the young guys in MotoGP like Marquez who won titles in his teens going down a track at near 200mph.
Then all the developmental/race programs they have from where they pull future F1 pilots, there are 13 and 15 year olds with supreme skills.

But of course these kids have been at it under careful supervision since they could walk.
Is the normal teen ready for a high horse power vehicle, no.
Is his physiology ready, yes.

[elcompa]

Please read and know that all contained herein is wished well. Here's the thing: At 17 or even 21 one simply doesn't have the good judgement, experience patience or nor maturity to properly use a high powered vehicle. It doesn't matter what we think our bodies can do, the mind is simply not developed enough to see it all through in a safe and correct fashion. This can OLNY be learned and fully understood with years under the belt.

The trick our minds play on us is that we feel we can do all and are invincible at that age. That we are invaluable, perfect, the best etc... This is what gives elders a good laugh because we remember when we were so immature as to think so about ourselves.

This feeling of invincibility and infallibility is in part why the world is comprised of soldiers/Armies principly 17-22 years old and are directed by fully mature persons...supervisors. Their bodies, at this age, can do more than their minds can process. This is also why car insurance's for young men under 25 years old is the worldwide is the highest, most costly category. It's just statistics....and insurance companies don't make stupid bets.

It's good you have had some training, but this is in a protected, supervised closed track most likely. This is done to build confidence ...which has obviously worked in your case. Im sure you also gained some skills as well as I have been through several Combat, High Risk Security and Critical Driving courses as part of my profession. They can only teach mechanics and execution....but they obviously can't teach experience and good judgement.

Hence, the built in protection for this imbalance is that elders need to be making the serious decisions for the young. This is how you make it to maturity...how you survive that long.

Driving on the street requires thousands of little, but critical decisions every 1/2 hour. Playing "go-fast", doing J turns and Boot leg turns...and threshold driving on a closed track is quite a protected environment where aggression is rewarded. Aggression on the street is generally looked down upon and plays against your success and safety.

For the younger driver a slightly larger, heavier car will turn out to be your best insurance as you will have an accident and you will, with great likelihood have a opportunity to hurt yourself...or worse someone else. This is one decision that is best made by elders who have far better...years...decades of good managed judgement, experience and a more balanced view of things.

I wish you safe and happy travels whatever you do.

[Tudor66]

Here is your best approach- since you asked!

Tell your parents you want a used toyota Prius for 15k. Then setup a brokerage account with 65k and spend your spare time learning how these transactions work; investigate individual companies, their performance, etc and turn your original 65k into a small fortune or lose it all and gain some experience.

[locutus49]

A lot of you are judging OP without knowing his maturity level and driving experience. I'm sure his parents are aware of his capabilities.

OP, why would you not want a Porsche? Get a 911 C4S or Turbo (also all wheel drive) and have a blast. Or even a Boxter or Cayman. Enjoy your youth. Drive responsibly. Have fun.

[taughtmepatience]

A 2004 Honda Civic. Then you can be sure the chicks are diggin you and not just your swag. Besides, it's a lot more fun when you work for a luxury car and pay for it with your own money.

[texex91]

Get a 911S or RS5.

[ocabj]

In all seriousness, whatever you get, get a manual transmission.

[ChuckFinlay]

Originally Posted by PADI_Diver

Hello all, I am 16 soon to be 17 years old. My parents have decided that they are going to buy me a car. I have narrowed it down to about 4 or 5 cars.

If this is a serious post, then I think your parents are irresponsible if they get you any of the above with the little driving experience you have.

[Colin M]

And here was me thinking this was a late April fools ! 17 years old and high powered cars don't mix im afraid !

[Matt C]

My buddy has a C63 AMG AND ABSOLUTELY LOVES IT! It's badass! If it were me I would choose Audi TT RS

[Rashid.bk]

Originally Posted by locutus49

A lot of you are judging OP without knowing his maturity level and driving experience. I'm sure his parents are aware of his capabilities.

OP, why would you not want a Porsche? Get a 911 C4S or Turbo (also all wheel drive) and have a blast. Or even a Boxter or Cayman. Enjoy your youth. Drive responsibly. Have fun.

Not true in most cases. Do you think those celebrity kids(on shows like Sweet 16, like P Diddy's son who got a Cayenne 4s) were given expensive performance cars because their parents know their ability or because it's an expensive car with an expensive name.
Some people just have money to spend. Not me.

Originally Posted by ocabj

In all seriousness, whatever you get, get a manual transmission.

Yeah like in F1.....oh wait...

Without the risk of derailing the thread, I'll just say your comment is a matter of opinion and preference.
The DCT in my car is a God send.

[Widows Son]

Buy a used Xterra and put the rest of the cash into some type of investments. When you retire you can buy a nice summer home on Lake Geneva and you can take me out on a vintage barrel back Chris Craft after dinner at the club.

[412Rolex]

I would suggest you choose the car in the bunch with the highest safety rating. I know safety isnt cool when you are 17 but they are all nice cars, so you cant lose.

My choice would be the Range Rover. Whichever you decide on wear your seat belt and dont play with your phone while driving!

It will take you a little while to get good at driving (especially in the snow). Not taking away from your driving skills but the road is filled with terrible drivers. Be safe!