Enthusiast vehicle for 16 year old???

Wraythe

Wraythe

Contributing Member
Joined
13 December 2005
Messages
204
Location
The SLC
My son turns 16 in four months:frown: Since most if not all NSXprime owners are vehicle enthusiasts, what car did you purchase for your 16 year old son or daughter?

Vehicle's on the shopping list so far are:

VW A2 GTI 8v
VW Corrado G60
Audi Quattro
Mazda 323 GTX
Honda CRX
Nissan Sentra SE-r (1991-1994)
Toyota Celica All-Trac
Oldsmobile W41
Dodge Omni GLH
Acura Integra (1986 - 1993)
Subaru Impreza RS

Due to the four seasons we live in, no rear wheel drive vehicles will be purchased.

Any comments are welcomed:smile:
 
Last edited:
I would say the biggest, slowest, ugliest car you can find. Why give a 16 year old something they might be tempted to race or test the limits with?

But if I have to choose from your list I go with the Oldsmobile W41.....I dont know what it is but it sounds big, slow and ugly.
 
He's not 16 for a while yet but he's gonna get my Honda Fit...that or the truck...but that means gas money...so most likely the Fit. :biggrin:
 
Dhalsim said:
if I have to choose from your list I go with the Oldsmobile W41.....I dont know what it is but it sounds big, slow and ugly.
Click to expand...

The Oldsmobile W41 is one of the fastest on the list:wink: I would agree with you on size and lack of power. If you noticed, most cars are under 180hp and are front wheel drive.

I'll be damn if I have my son drive any SUV:tongue:
 
Last edited:
92-96 Galant VR-4... AWD, decent power, sizeably safe, and can be modded if wanted.
 
Wraythe said:
I'll be damn if I have my son drive a SUV:tongue:
Click to expand...

well teach him right and how to drive defensively then..........

I think you have to go into this decision considering that it is very likely he will be in an accident one day............the odds are not in his favor.........so pick the car that may just save his life when/if the time comes.
 
I'd get him a civic/accord. He should know he's very lucky to get any car and he shouldn't be picky with whatever he does get.

If I had to pick from your list, I'd get the celica.
 
Unless you are sure that he is a VERY responsible driver, get him something slow and low key for his safety... Honda FIT or Scion xB maybe?
 
E36 BMW (318ti, 325i, M3), E46 BMW (323ci), Audi TT

It depends on your budget, and what the insurance company says... the Audi TT and E46 BMW have come down in price significantly, are big enthusiast cars, and are reliable, while still being aesthetically appealing. If ~$10k is out of your budget, an E36 BMW is still an appealing car, is still safe and reliable, and can be had for $4-7k for non-M models, and around 10-12k for the M3.

Perhaps talk with him, explain the budget, your concerns, discover his concerns, and find a vehicle he will be happy with.

If you are after just transporation, there is always the Daewoo Leganza:

leganza.jpg
 
I dont have any particular model in mind, but I would suggest 2 characteristics. The car should be rwd, because I believe it teaches better car control, and it should be underpowered.....severely. My first car was a 91 rx7 convertible. 160 hp, no torque, in a heavy convertible body. It still handled great and taught me how to drive, but not fast enough to get into trouble that easily. Oh and obviously dont get him something he will be embarrassed to be seen in :wink:
 
Due to the four seasons we live in, no rear wheel drive vehicles will be purchased for him.

I may have to place the NSX keys in a lock box:redface:
 
sahtt said:
I'd get him a civic/accord. He should know he's very lucky to get any car and he shouldn't be picky with whatever he does get.
Click to expand...

I'm lucky my son does not have gasoline in his veins. I'm confident he would be happy with any vehicle he receives. My hope is to purchase an enthusiast vehicle so we could both do father / son activities (car shows / track events).

Thank you so much for all the suggestions so far:smile:
 
94-01 integra LS, its a honda, its sportyish(lol) reliable, cheap to fix, cheap to fuel, cheap to insure, safe, easy to work on, easy to "mod" when he gets a little bit older, its fwd so its not gonna loose the rear end around a corner while its raining,

get a clean title, never wrecked, never modified one


then him and his daddy can roll thier hondas together:cool:


if the budget is more than the cheapest car you can find but still pretty cheap(compared to nsx) and want a nice looking car, a 99-00 civic ex, and the 98-01 integra ls would be good choices, no teens would hate those
 
fullracehonda said:
94-01 integra LS, its a honda, its sportyish(lol) reliable, cheap to fix, cheap to fuel, cheap to insure, safe, easy to work on, easy to "mod" when he gets a little bit older, its fwd so its not gonna loose the rear end around a corner while its raining
Click to expand...

How did I forget about the 1st and 2nd generation Acura Integra's:redface:

Thank you!!!
 
Big is not good, don't forget about active safety. If the car can't handle well enough to save their lives, what good is that? The car not only needs to provide a well protected barrier, it also needs to have the capability of avoiding accidents.

A big car and teenager don't mix too well. They have better chance of getting into car accidents or hurt others with something big.

I don't want my baby drive anything that will not protect them or can't handle well.

I will most likely make them earn their car on their own, if it is given to them, they might not appreciate it and do stupid things with it. Easy come, easy go. Instead I will only offer to pay 50% (What ever amount they can come up with, I will match it, if they can come up with $20k, I will match it and give them $20k).

I vote for Volvo. My friend walked away from a head on collision recently while carrying 4 other passengers. It is amazing that none of them got hurt and how well the cabin held up.
 
Last edited:
850 was exactly what I was thinking. Mine is still puttering along despite my incessant attempts to kill the damn thing. Hell, a fresh coat of paint on the wagon version and it looks damn near identical to the early V70's not that I would know or anything........

Ohhhh and insurance is cheap as dirt, I'm paying like $400 a year for full coverage on it and 4x that for my bike........... Apparently, I'm a bad driver or some such bullshit.
 
Wraythe said:
I'm lucky my son does not have gasoline in his veins. I'm confident he would be happy with any vehicle he receives. My hope is to purchase an enthusiast vehicle so we could both do father / son activities (car shows / track events).

Thank you so much for all the suggestions so far:smile:
Click to expand...

Completely understandable.

However, coming from someone who wasn't 16 years old "too" long ago, you don't know if he has gas in his blood yet, he might have nitrous :)
 

Similar threads

Midnight_Raven
Forza 5 - November 22, 2013 on Xbox One
2 3
Replies
52
Views
6K
curtsr
curtsr
BATMANs
Cool Cars We Miss
Replies
7
Views
1K
NSXrunner
NSXrunner
Sockeye
Kinda Fun
Replies
1
Views
912
heySkippy
H
Back
Top