• Your first car (help a virgin out)
    117 replies, posted
a safe, reliable 2002 honda civic ex 4 door. as it turned out, it was neither. The SRS light was on my entire time owning it, which meant disabled airbags, and it had issues that had the local mechanics replacing parts willy nilly, taking recommendations from online fourms. of course, I got the bad apple, but I say always shoot for low miles and clean engines, fuck cosmetics, they can be fixed later. I regret buying the "nicest and newest" in my price range. But now I have the civic of my dreams!
I had a 1995 BMW 328i Msport. Lovely car, bit fast for a true beginning driver.
My first car was a dark charcoal grey-colored 2003 Mazda 6, with all of the optional packages like black leather heated seats, BOSE speakers, etc I miss that car, it was so much fun to drive :c
[QUOTE=notlabbet;45198995]a safe, reliable 2002 honda civic ex 4 door. as it turned out, it was neither. The SRS light was on my entire time owning it, which meant disabled airbags, and it had issues that had the local mechanics replacing parts willy nilly, taking recommendations from online fourms. of course, I got the bad apple, but I say always shoot for low miles and clean engines, fuck cosmetics, they can be fixed later. I regret buying the "nicest and newest" in my price range. But now I have the civic of my dreams![/QUOTE] Did you ever find out the code for the SRS? Not that it matters now, but older civic and accord SRS systems are touchy with low voltage and sometimes will throw the code "thermal fuse blown". My accord did so because it had a very old and small civic battery in it, when the charge would fall to a certain point with the car in "run" it would trip the code. Clearing the code and a new batt fixed it.
My first car was a 93 Mercury Cougar... Think Crown Vic, but in a 2 door. Loved that car... ate transmissions though. When I got the car from my parents, the odometer had stopped working [I]4 years[/I] prior at [I]343,000+[/I]. It was a daily driver every single day we had it, I have no idea how many miles it actually has on it.
[QUOTE=Trekintosh;45140749]The Barge Is Large [t]http://i.imgur.com/qk9HMaZ.jpg[/t] Yes I could talk about the abysmal fuel economy, the (relatively) lackluster power(This thing would be considered fairly quick in Europe actually), or the fact that a wagon is more practical. But I won't. It's large, it's in charge, it's my barge, and that's all that needs to be said. [sp]In New York I wouldn't buy one of these. A: You'll be in stop and go traffic 99% of the time and the fuel costs would be nearly crippling. B: 80% of the ones you'll find there are going to be former taxis, and for the most part they're 300,000+ mile machines(Those that aren't have some sort of fatal flaw) that have been beat all to hell, and for a first car you just don't want to deal with that[/sp][/QUOTE] My land barge is a bit more rugged [t]http://i.cubeupload.com/60jxrb.jpg[/t] It's got all the essentials No door mechanisms to lock or open the back doors from the inside, No glove box to get in the way of your insurance papers that sit comfortably in-between the glove box door, No center console to get in the way of your leg room so the people in the back can get out and a nice big button in the middle of the dashboard to open the trunk while your driving down the road to release the smoke screen.
[QUOTE=Minimole;45205047]My land barge is a bit more rugged [t]http://i.cubeupload.com/60jxrb.jpg[/t] It's got all the essentials No door mechanisms to lock or open the back doors from the inside, No glove box to get in the way of your insurance papers that sit comfortably in-between the glove box door, No center console to get in the way of your leg room so the people in the back can get out and a nice big button in the middle of the dashboard to open the trunk while your driving down the road to release the smoke screen.[/QUOTE] Mine doesn't have a center console because [I]bench seats motherfucker![/I]
[QUOTE=Trekintosh;45206233]Mine doesn't have a center console because [I]bench seats motherfucker![/I][/QUOTE] *gasp* Bench seats! *grabs drool bucket* I wish sometimes my truck had a bench seat, but then I couldn't have had the 5.3 V8 in my Silverado. The back seat is a bench though, and I'm content with that; comfortable too. The Crown Vic's 4.6 V8 is a force to be reckoned with; they put them in the F150 to compete with the Silverado's 4.8; for a V8, it's not too terribly bad. Like Trekintosh said, not the best in New York. I will say that it isn't the worst though, and I'm not a huge Ford fan, but only three Fords will always get a pass. The Bronco, any V8 F-150, and the Crown Vic. Bold wheels on Minimole's CV, Trekintosh's are great too. Great angle to park and take a pic of the Crown Vic Trek. Light shows the clean (and hopefully waxed) shininess of it.:rock: As for the Crown Vic's (relatively) lackluster of power: the 5.4 Triton has better power and response, but the windshield wiper assembly prevented its use. [url=http://www.crownvic.net/news/lomag.shtml]They wanted it in the Police Interceptor at one point[/url] Now they've got Taurus crap on the Police lots. CV is the way, and the ONLY way to go. Sorry about this little rant; now, back on topic. I think that the Jeep Cherokee you think you're aiming for is the best choice, provided that it has a locking or limited slip differential or the 4WD would be a bit of a waste. Some Silverados do have G80 lockers, but I'm not sure about the chances of finding one in New York are, and I don't want to sway your decision too much as a truck can be larger and more difficult to park in parking spaces. The older Cherokee style is an added plus as the older squared off style isn't used anymore (curves belong on women, they just don't look too good on some cars).
Bench seats are the only proper way to have front-seat sex. Thankfully both the Oldsmobile and work truck have them.
[QUOTE=Xanadu;45206396]Bench seats are the only proper way to have front-seat sex. Thankfully both the Oldsmobile and work truck have them.[/QUOTE] God gave man the ability to make a back seat for a reason.
[QUOTE=Xanadu;45206396]Bench seats are the only proper way to have front-seat sex. Thankfully both the Oldsmobile and work truck have them.[/QUOTE] The seats in my Subaru recline ALL the way back ;)
Reminds me of [url]http://jalopnik.com/cosmos-guide-to-sex-in-cars-actually-ruins-having-sex-1550695714[/url]
My first car was, and is, a chili red 2003 Mini Cooper. The transmission is made of watch bands, and the engine has a tendency to shred harmonic balancers. It's got a whopping 90 HP, a max speed of something around 100, and has one usable cup holder (out of three). That said, I love the thing. It's got great hauling capacity (drop the seats, and you've got more space than most coupes), it's reliable (now that I've swapped a few parts for more rugged versions), and it gets decent gas mileage (25 in the city, 28 everywhere else 350mi/tank). It's also got an air of pastiche about it, sort of reminiscent of the London taxis. Overall, it's a crappy car, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else. Oh, and the parking! Parking's great. The car's only eleven feet long, so it fits into any space I can find. Parallel parking's a breeze as well. If you do decide to get one, all those issues were worked out in the second-generation, from 2004-2013. I've heard good things about the third generation, which is the newest, but it looks too much like a frightened chipmunk for me to care.
[QUOTE=GeEkOfWiReS;45206383]*gasp* Bench seats! *grabs drool bucket* I wish sometimes my truck had a bench seat, but then I couldn't have had the 5.3 V8 in my Silverado. The back seat is a bench though, and I'm content with that; comfortable too. The Crown Vic's 4.6 V8 is a force to be reckoned with; they put them in the F150 to compete with the Silverado's 4.8; for a V8, it's not too terribly bad. Like Trekintosh said, not the best in New York. I will say that it isn't the worst though, and I'm not a huge Ford fan, but only three Fords will always get a pass. The Bronco, any V8 F-150, and the Crown Vic. Bold wheels on Minimole's CV, Trekintosh's are great too. Great angle to park and take a pic of the Crown Vic Trek. Light shows the clean (and hopefully waxed) shininess of it.:rock: As for the Crown Vic's (relatively) lackluster of power: the 5.4 Triton has better power and response, but the windshield wiper assembly prevented its use. [url=http://www.crownvic.net/news/lomag.shtml]They wanted it in the Police Interceptor at one point[/url] Now they've got Taurus crap on the Police lots. CV is the way, and the ONLY way to go. Sorry about this little rant; now, back on topic. I think that the Jeep Cherokee you think you're aiming for is the best choice, provided that it has a locking or limited slip differential or the 4WD would be a bit of a waste. Some Silverados do have G80 lockers, but I'm not sure about the chances of finding one in New York are, and I don't want to sway your decision too much as a truck can be larger and more difficult to park in parking spaces. The older Cherokee style is an added plus as the older squared off style isn't used anymore (curves belong on women, they just don't look too good on some cars).[/QUOTE] The 4.6 in the civilian Crown Victoria is a forced to be laughed at, you mean. The best I've ever managed on a flat road is 0-60 in 8.5 seconds, not exactly something to trumpet about. Police cars with the fast rear end and better exhaust and intake have it better, you'll be looking at high 7's, but still not quick. The nice thing about these is they'll do 110 or 120(depending on civilian or police) pretty much as long as they have fuel in the tank and empty road in front, and they feel as stable at 110 as they do at 60. Of course in New York, the speed you'll be doing most is 0, so the top end and acceleration means almost exactly jack shit.
[QUOTE=Scientwist;45204005]Did you ever find out the code for the SRS? Not that it matters now, but older civic and accord SRS systems are touchy with low voltage and sometimes will throw the code "thermal fuse blown". My accord did so because it had a very old and small civic battery in it, when the charge would fall to a certain point with the car in "run" it would trip the code. Clearing the code and a new batt fixed it.[/QUOTE] nope, i did the paper clip trick and shut it off, it stayed off. I heard unplugging the seats sets it off too.
[QUOTE=Trekintosh;45207302]The 4.6 in the civilian Crown Victoria is a forced to be laughed at, you mean. The best I've ever managed on a flat road is 0-60 in 8.5 seconds, not exactly something to trumpet about. Police cars with the fast rear end and better exhaust and intake have it better, you'll be looking at high 7's, but still not quick. The nice thing about these is they'll do 110 or 120(depending on civilian or police) pretty much as long as they have fuel in the tank and empty road in front, and they feel as stable at 110 as they do at 60. Of course in New York, the speed you'll be doing most is 0, so the top end and acceleration means almost exactly jack shit.[/QUOTE] Lol my car takes somewhere around 9 seconds to get to 60 with its 4.2L V8 though it is 400 pounds lighter than a CV. And it will dropkick you in the back when it takes 2nd gear.
[QUOTE=Slithers;45212497]Lol my car takes somewhere around 9 seconds to get to 60 with its 4.2L V8 though it is 400 pounds lighter than a CV. And it will dropkick you in the back when it takes 2nd gear.[/QUOTE] Is it a Jaguar?
[QUOTE=GeEkOfWiReS;45215517]Is it a Jaguar?[/QUOTE] XJs do 0-60 in around 6 seconds so I doubt it.
[QUOTE=Trekintosh;45207302]The 4.6 in the civilian Crown Victoria is a forced to be laughed at, you mean. The best I've ever managed on a flat road is 0-60 in 8.5 seconds, not exactly something to trumpet about. Police cars with the fast rear end and better exhaust and intake have it better, you'll be looking at high 7's, but still not quick. The nice thing about these is they'll do 110 or 120(depending on civilian or police) pretty much as long as they have fuel in the tank and empty road in front, and they feel as stable at 110 as they do at 60. Of course in New York, the speed you'll be doing most is 0, so the top end and acceleration means almost exactly jack shit.[/QUOTE] That's not really the 4.6L as much as it is the axle, it's smaller which means less torque to the wheels but they were designed to allow a higher and more stable top speed. They're also not build for acceleration as much as they are top speed because chases tend to happen on straight roads where the suspect can get speed; combine a Crown Vic with a less restrictive speed governor and it can handle [U]most[/U] of what an Interceptor will endure on an interstate. Anything that requires quick stop and go's will get whatever performance vehicle the a PD can get their hands on. I remember reading up a few months ago about one police department getting a Crown Vic modified for a slightly higher top speed of ~140ish. The newest ones got the new 128 MPH speed governor. The engine is from what I understand, bullet proof. If you ever want more out of it, a combination of turbo kit, aftermarket larger (true dual is your best bet), and to raise the axle size from a 2.73 (but I'm not sure) to a bigger 3.55 or 3.73 (and I love my 3.73; it can still launch a 6400 lb Silverado 0-60 in ~7.4 seconds.
[QUOTE=GeEkOfWiReS;45215517]Is it a Jaguar?[/QUOTE] It's either an Audi, Jag, or Ford. [editline]25th June 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=GeEkOfWiReS;45215636]That's not really the 4.6L as much as it is the axle, it's smaller which means less torque to the wheels but they were designed to allow a higher and more stable top speed. They're also not build for acceleration as much as they are top speed because chases tend to happen on straight roads where the suspect can get speed; combine a Crown Vic with a less restrictive speed governor and it can handle [U]most[/U] of what an Interceptor will endure on an interstate. Anything that requires quick stop and go's will get whatever performance vehicle the a PD can get their hands on. I remember reading up a few months ago about one police department getting a Crown Vic modified for a slightly higher top speed of ~140ish. The newest ones got the new 128 MPH speed governor. The engine is from what I understand, bullet proof. If you ever want more out of it, a combination of turbo kit, aftermarket larger (true dual is your best bet), and to raise the axle size from a 2.73 (but I'm not sure) to a bigger 3.55 or 3.73 (and I love my 3.73; it can still launch a 6400 lb Silverado 0-60 in ~7.4 seconds.[/QUOTE] Even a police CV using 3.55's won't do more than 7.3 seconds or so. And turbocharging the CV 4.6 is unpleasant. Mustang kits don't work at all due to engine bay layout. You'd need to custom plumb everything. Far better just to use a supercharger, which is my plan. You can get a true bolt-on from ADTR using a Vortech centrifugal supercharger or you can use a Tork Tech kit with a positive displacement charger, which is what I'll be going with. In the hypothetical supercharged police Crown Vic, a centrifugal unit will almost certainly be preferred, as they're capable of more horsepower, but are incredible high strung. All the power is up above 3500-4000 RPM. The Tork Tech kits have their power from 1500 or so, ideal for daily driving. The main reason that the Crown Vics are limited to 110-120-130mph is because of the driveshaft harmonics. Above the limited speed(based on rear end ratio), the shaft starts to vibrate then it tears the drivetrain apart and explodes. And that's bad. An old Caprice would actually be good for over 140 if you could give it enough power, just due to a fluke of the drivetrain's design; it has better harmonics. A composite driveshaft was available on the CV, but only for a year. Those cars were limited to 140.
[QUOTE=GeEkOfWiReS;45215517]Is it a Jaguar?[/QUOTE] Nope, a Mercedes-Benz
[QUOTE=Slithers;45216081]Nope, a Mercedes-Benz[/QUOTE] Ah. Yeah, a well kept Jaguar has great acceleration, but most of the Jaguars around where I'm at aren't well kept. I was walking to my truck one day when a Jaguar decided to gun it down the road. Right before he hit 60, the driver side portion of his front bumper fell and started scraping the ground. Doesn't matter what kind of car it is: if you don't maintain it, it craps out on you. [editline]26th June 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=Trekintosh;45215645] Even a police CV using 3.55's won't do more than 7.3 seconds or so. And turbocharging the CV 4.6 is unpleasant. Mustang kits don't work at all due to engine bay layout. You'd need to custom plumb everything. Far better just to use a supercharger, which is my plan. You can get a true bolt-on from ADTR using a Vortech centrifugal supercharger or you can use a Tork Tech kit with a positive displacement charger, which is what I'll be going with. In the hypothetical supercharged police Crown Vic, a centrifugal unit will almost certainly be preferred, as they're capable of more horsepower, but are incredible high strung. All the power is up above 3500-4000 RPM. The Tork Tech kits have their power from 1500 or so, ideal for daily driving. The main reason that the Crown Vics are limited to 110-120-130mph is because of the driveshaft harmonics. Above the limited speed(based on rear end ratio), the shaft starts to vibrate then it tears the drivetrain apart and explodes. And that's bad. An old Caprice would actually be good for over 140 if you could give it enough power, just due to a fluke of the drivetrain's design; it has better harmonics. A composite driveshaft was available on the CV, but only for a year. Those cars were limited to 140.[/QUOTE] That does sound better. There's a Crown Vic here that went through the process of getting a Turbo for his Crown Vic, even a Ford Ranger with the Ford V10 in it. Yeah, I remember the older Caprice. Decent engine, but I remember hearing about a rear differential issue.
[QUOTE=woolio1;45206580]My first car was, and is, a chili red 2003 Mini Cooper. The transmission is made of watch bands, and the engine has a tendency to shred harmonic balancers. It's got a whopping 90 HP, a max speed of something around 100, and has one usable cup holder (out of three). That said, I love the thing. It's got great hauling capacity (drop the seats, and you've got more space than most coupes), it's reliable (now that I've swapped a few parts for more rugged versions), and it gets decent gas mileage (25 in the city, 28 everywhere else 350mi/tank). It's also got an air of pastiche about it, sort of reminiscent of the London taxis. Overall, it's a crappy car, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else. Oh, and the parking! Parking's great. The car's only eleven feet long, so it fits into any space I can find. Parallel parking's a breeze as well. If you do decide to get one, all those issues were worked out in the second-generation, from 2004-2013. I've heard good things about the third generation, which is the newest, but it looks too much like a frightened chipmunk for me to care.[/QUOTE] I find this thread amazing. This makes me wish I lived in the U.S. Getting amazing cars dirt cheap.. V8's everywhere, and 28 mpg is considered great gas mileage... If I want to get a decent V8, I'll have to invest upwards of 4000€, and I'll be paying well over 1500€ per year in insurance and tax. You know what's a beginner's car in Germany? You will be driving something like this, [t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/VW_Polo_front_20090329.jpg[/t], and if it has more than 75hp it'll be considered quick. Also, my girlfriend's VW Lupo gets 33mpg, and that borders on being shit fuel economy because you'll be breaking the 10€/100km barrier at times depending on where you get your gas. You guys live in fucking auto heaven. I'm jealous. [editline]26th July 2014[/editline] Well, maybe a 75hp car isn't "quick", and I don't know how it is today, but when I was younger I hardly ever met anyone whose first car was faster than that Polo up there. Sure, here and there we had someone who could afford a really nice car, but most of us were really driving around in tiny shitbuckets. My first car was an '82 Mercedes 240D with a 2.4l diesel engine and 72 hp. It was 16 years old at the time I got it, and it was one of the more exclusive cars at our school. [editline]26th July 2014[/editline] It looked pretty much like this one here: [t]http://digiads.com.au/carsales/used-cars/car_ad_photos/digiads_car_ads_152739_1.jpg[/t]
[QUOTE=Don Merino;45505148]I find this thread amazing. This makes me wish I lived in the U.S. Getting amazing cars dirt cheap.. V8's everywhere, and 28 mpg is considered great gas mileage... If I want to get a decent V8, I'll have to invest upwards of 4000€, and I'll be paying well over 1500€ per year in insurance and tax. You know what's a beginner's car in Germany? You will be driving something like this, [t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/VW_Polo_front_20090329.jpg[/t], and if it has more than 75hp it'll be considered quick. Also, my girlfriend's VW Lupo gets 33mpg, and that borders on being shit fuel economy because you'll be breaking the 10€/100km barrier at times depending on where you get your gas. You guys live in fucking auto heaven. I'm jealous. [editline]26th July 2014[/editline] Well, maybe a 75hp car isn't "quick", and I don't know how it is today, but when I was younger I hardly ever met anyone whose first car was faster than that Polo up there. Sure, here and there we had someone who could afford a really nice car, but most of us were really driving around in tiny shitbuckets. My first car was an '82 Mercedes 240D with a 2.4l diesel engine and 72 hp. It was 16 years old at the time I got it, and it was one of the more exclusive cars at our school. [editline]26th July 2014[/editline] It looked pretty much like this one here: [t]http://digiads.com.au/carsales/used-cars/car_ad_photos/digiads_car_ads_152739_1.jpg[/t][/QUOTE] Why did you get rid of the 240? Also often cars can be found for half their actual value here. One of my bosses bought a beautiful black Saab 9-3 Turbo for $500 since it had a bad front strut, he did both struts for $300, and sold it while I was detailing it for $2500 which is $1000 below its market value. Any old luxury car in the US is going to be near worthless except for some convertibles. I've seen 1980s Bentley Turbo Rs for $6000 on craigslist before, S600 sedans for $1500(yes that's the V12) For example: 1997 Mercedes S600 coupe [t]http://images.craigslist.org/00A0A_3eKyEgyO1A0_600x450.jpg[/t] For sale near Philadelphia, PA for $6000 or best offer complete with phone and every extra except Distronic Plus Criuse. Example 2: 1983 Rolls Royce Silver Spur LWB [t]http://images.craigslist.org/00H0H_6XCVcsYMXc3_600x450.jpg[/t] $9000 or best offer, less than 70k miles So yeah the US is a car buyers paradise
The 240? I sort of...dented the body a little in 2001. Probably wouldn't have been all that hard to fix, get 2 passenger side doors and a quarterpanel from a junkyard.. I didn't know much about cars at the time, and also my dad had made some good money and was going to gift me a '96 Maxima 3.0 for passing my final exams at "Gymnasium" (kind of the same thing as high school, just takes a little longer - graduating allows you to go to university). So, yeah, I'm not gonna complain about this particular case at all :D Also, old luxury cars aren't too expensive over here either - you could get a '97 S600 for about the same price, but I there's a far smaller selection of what counts as cool stuff over here, especially US made cars (you'd pay 4-5000€ for a well maintained boxy caprice, which you guys probably wouldn't even touch with gloves on) and Japanese classics. [editline]26th July 2014[/editline] For some reason I can't edit my post anymore. Wanted to add that that Maxima was the best car I ever owned. 3.0V6, aircon, cruise control, park heating, koni shocks, manual transmission (which I loved). Had 90,000km (~60k mls) on it and cost 16,000€. It was 5 years old at the time. It was spacey, comfortable, fast, extremely rare on German roads which made it a looker, and I got up to 28 mpg out of it (doing 80 mph on the Autobahn). On average it was 23mpg, which was amazing at that time for a car of that size. [editline]26th July 2014[/editline] [b]To add some ontopic content[/b], in my humble opinion you can hardly go wrong with any small or medium sized Japanese car as a beginner's car.
[QUOTE=Don Merino;45507789][b]To add some ontopic content[/b], in my humble opinion you can hardly go wrong with any small or medium sized Japanese car as a beginner's car.[/QUOTE] This is where I disagree. If you care about what you drive, are good with tools, have the mindset of an engineer or any other kind of problem solver, and like tinkering, an old Benz can be a great first car. I've never learned so much from any car before, and it starts quickly and when needed, and gets over 20 MPG...
Well, that's true. IF you are good with tools, and a problem solver, etc. In that case I recommend a 190 diesel :D. Not exactly a cool car, but reliable as all hell and can get almost 40MPG. One of my friends got himself a W115 (/8) 200D. Beautiful car, white paint, red interior, with the old bakelite steering wheel. But if you don't get it from somewhere where they don't salt the roads in winter, you're almost always looking at a lot of work that goes quite a bit beyond being "good with tools." Well. There's also the thing that I think our biannual technical inspections over here are way more strict than in the U.S. So it's probably not quite as much work to maintain an old car over there.
I had a 2001 Toyota Celica GT. It was a hand-me-down from my brother. But it had a kickass body kit and sexy rims.
[QUOTE=Don Merino;45512977]Well, that's true. IF you are good with tools, and a problem solver, etc. In that case I recommend a 190 diesel :D. Not exactly a cool car, but reliable as all hell and can get almost 40MPG. One of my friends got himself a W115 (/8) 200D. Beautiful car, white paint, red interior, with the old bakelite steering wheel. But if you don't get it from somewhere where they don't salt the roads in winter, you're almost always looking at a lot of work that goes quite a bit beyond being "good with tools." Well. There's also the thing that I think our biannual technical inspections over here are way more strict than in the U.S. So it's probably not quite as much work to maintain an old car over there.[/QUOTE] A good one of those isn't too expensive if you can find one without rust.
You should get a Prius, it's amazing.
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