First Car?

[exrider12]

Alright Im buying my first car soon. Im going to be putting a down payment on it. Close to $3000. My parents are also going to help me as well.

The cars Im looking at are a 2005 Chevy Cobalt SS Manual, 60,000 miles. Very nice shape. This car is my choice. $8000

My parents choice is a 2005 Saturn Ion S series Manual, 27,000 miles. Good shape. $9000.

Any pros and cons on these cars are much appreciated. Also any other cars I should look at.

Thanks

[jesseweaver]

Originally posted by exrider12
A Also any other cars I should look at.

Thanks

a v8! for 8000 you can get a decent camaro or trans am. or a nice mustang.

OMG OMG gEt a CiViC aNd UuUuU cAn Be mAd TiIiIiGhT JDM yO lmao I had to. Dont get a Saturn!!! and if its your 1st car and your paying it all I advise getting something you dont have to make payments on. Ask my friend about loans and payments, 20 years old and $125,000 in debt.

[kfx400rider03]

if you are gonna be a mature driver and not street race get a nice stang for 8k but sound like your a chevy guy sence u want a calbolt.... get a comaro atleast...

[ATV Chic]

saturn's suck lol get a stang!

[Ruby Soho]

honda prelude with a sunroof

Originally posted by Ruby Soho
honda prelude with a sunroof

Friends dont let friends drive gayludes

[Ruby Soho]

actually, friends dont let friends drive honda cars period

Originally posted by Ruby Soho
actually, friends dont let friends drive honda cars period

Honda friends do lol U MADD?

[PhilMoore]

If you are even remotely mechanically inclined, get a $3000 car so you don't have to make payments. If you don't have a loan on the car, you won't be forced to pay asinine full coverage insurance.

Have you computed out the cost of the car over the term of the loan? It is not worth it.

Having a car payment or any debt when you are a teenager is almost as bad as getting a girl pregnant. It will reduce your quality of life.

Um, never mind. I just noticed your location. My condolences.

[honda400ex2003]

i think the cobalt will be a bit more of a racy fun car to cruise around in and let the super charger have some fun. it isnt much stock but it can be bumped up pretty easy. the eco tec is 2.0 is a great motor and has proven reliable in the cavi for years before it was put into the cobalt. the cobalt has a small sub in it stock with a decent system in it also to bump to a bit. i am not much of a saturn guy but they are nice cars for what they are, daily drivers with nothing real special about them. the ss was a limited edition type of car since it was only made with an ss for a couple of years over 2005-2007. Overall i would say get the ss since it is a bit cheaper, you can then save your money to do a couple things if you want to or save it for gas to drive around with lol. steve

[Canadian144]

I'd definitely pick the Cobalt SS... but make sure that the previous owner didn't install any "advanced" engine mods (ie nothing more than CAI and exhaust I'd say).

[chevys&honda$]

if those are your only options go with the cobalt, the ss's are really nice actually....saturn make's me think of a mom going to the store with 3 kids to get groceries:p

[exrider12]

V8's are out of the question. Parents said no on camaros and mustangs as well. I cant have a RWD drive car in New England. Plus they think there to fast. And my parents will be helping me out with the loan. Im making the 3000 down payment.

I really like the SS and its all stock.

[BlaineKaiser450]

See what your parents think about a 10 or 15 year old truck maybe? that would be my choice

[nemo25]

Heres my JDM rice burner :) got it for cheaper than a new 450 haha

[exrider12]

That car is sweet! Lancer?

[JForestZ34]

By any chance is that saturn ion S have a supercharger as well? If so my mechanic buddy has one and he reprogrammed the computer and changed the pulley on the charger and he's putting out 360hp.. That thing pulls hard...


James

[Scro]

Originally posted by PhilMoore
If you are even remotely mechanically inclined, get a $3000 car so you don't have to make payments. If you don't have a loan on the car, you won't be forced to pay asinine full coverage insurance.

Have you computed out the cost of the car over the term of the loan? It is not worth it.

Having a car payment or any debt when you are a teenager is almost as bad as getting a girl pregnant. It will reduce your quality of life.

Um, never mind. I just noticed your location. My condolences.

Best advice in this thread. Wish someone had talked me into doing this when I was 16. Spending a bunch of money on your first car is such a waste. Do like he said, and pay for something reliable in cash. Drive it until it falls apart, saving money all the while.

[Canadian144]

Originally posted by nemo25
Heres my JDM rice burner :) got it for cheaper than a new 450 haha

Evo 8?

How much did you pay for it?

[2to4]

How bout this Cobalt? I dont like the red Dash though..

http://worcester.craigslist.org/ctd/1546687588.html

[2to4]

Sorry Im on my friends account. This is exrider12.

[k4f5x0r]

i would honestly go for a pontiac g5 over the cobalt any idea. My cousin was looking at both cars religiously about a year ago trying to decide between the two and ive been in both cars myself


the g5 has a MUCH nicer interior. The layout seems more roomy and classy.

Both cars are virtually the same besides the interior, so you wont have to worry about pontiac being out of business.


but between the two you listed, i would say the Cobalt for sure.

[2to4]

go in our parking lot at school and tell me how many cars are worth over 3k that arent their parents cars. ill say about 10-15 tops. other than that its just crappy cars. you dont need anything AWESOME you need something that goes 65 tops and that can drive you places thats it. get some random car and drive it till you go to college. depending on what college you go to you might not even bring it. save your money dude all im gonna say for the next 2 min lol :D

[Canadian144]

Originally posted by k4f5x0r
i would honestly go for a pontiac g5 over the cobalt any idea. My cousin was looking at both cars religiously about a year ago trying to decide between the two and ive been in both cars myself


the g5 has a MUCH nicer interior. The layout seems more roomy and classy.

Both cars are virtually the same besides the interior, so you wont have to worry about pontiac being out of business.


but between the two you listed, i would say the Cobalt for sure.

I don't believe there is any difference other than the badge, lights, and some other minute options! The interior is the same except for the badges!

G5
http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/gallery/data/506/g5int.jpg

Cobalt
http://chevycobalt.org/wp-content/gallery/chevycobaltinterior/chevrolet_08cobaltsscoupe_dashboard_Large.jpg


Originally posted by 2to4
go in our parking lot at school and tell me how many cars are worth over 3k that arent their parents cars. ill say about 10-15 tops. other than that its just crappy cars. you dont need anything AWESOME you need something that goes 65 tops and that can drive you places thats it. get some random car and drive it till you go to college. depending on what college you go to you might not even bring it. save your money dude all im gonna say for the next 2 min lol :D

Haha it's the opposite at my school... well I go to a private school so it's to be expected. 1 Kid has an 05 M3 'Vert (X3 for the winter), another a C55 AMG, a few Audis, etc etc.

To the OP if you would consider buying something non-domestic I would definitely recommend a Subaru WRX...more than enough power stock (and easy and cheap to upgrade, buy a Cobb Accessport ECU re-tuner and a downpipe and cat-back exhaust and you can usually get close to 250-260 whp). They are pretty reliable, AWD, manaul transmission, etc etc. You can get used 04-05s with decent mileage for about the price range you are looking at.

[2to4]

This is exrider12: Iv been looking all over for Wrx's. They are my favorite cars. And whats the difference between a g6 and a g5?

[Canadian144]

The G5 is the same thing as the Cobalt. I don't believe you can get one with the SS engine though.

And the G6 is something different. It shares the same platform with the Chevy Malibu.

I'd keep looking for a WRX though. Where have you been looking, just autotrader? I'd look on the NASIOC forums .... I'll put the link at the end for the classifies section. If you look for a week or so, something should pop up close by enough to you in decent condition/decent price/decent mileage.

BTW in terms of buying one, I'd try to find one without mods. You never know what has been improperly installed, though this is the same for any performance car I'd say. Also make sure to run a carfax... again with any performance car, many people get into accidents, sell the car, someone else fixes it up, drives it for a while, and sells it. You can never be too sure. I'd say an exhaust or air filter would be fine, maybe a cobb accessport AT MOST, but definitely no aftermarket FMIC or turbos.

But stay patient and a nice clean WRX will pop up. 02-03 Bugeyes are nice, as are 04-05 blobeyes. Both cars share the same engine, basic interior. If you like the look of the 06-07 WRX more, people will usually sell full front swaps every once and a while. But remember, they are all basically the same car (though I believe in 06 they went to a 2.5L engine from a 2.0L, but I think that an 06 will be out of your price range).

Anyways, link:
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=89&order=desc

And if you see anything you like, you can post up the link, I can take a look at it (I know a fair bit about scoobs, I have an 09 STI haha).

Here are a few I found on Autotrader near your area (worcester I am guessing, only because of where that Cobalt was). I only looked at cars that had less than 100,000 miles and cars that were manual (I figured you wouldn't want an auto, especially since the Cobalt SS only comes in manual).


Link 1 (http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=273623987&dealer_id=64200547&car_year=2002&rdm=1264303874332&lastStartYear=1981&model=IMPWRX&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=2002&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=100&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&showZipError=y&make=SUB&keywords_display=&color=&scarid=271377330&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&seller_type=b&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=01601&advanced=&end_year=2005&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=45&standard=false)

Link 2 (http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=272919549&dealer_id=29361975&car_year=2004&rdm=1264303874332&lastStartYear=1981&model=IMPWRX&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=2002&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=100&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&showZipError=y&make=SUB&keywords_display=&color=&scarid=271377330&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&seller_type=b&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=01601&advanced=&end_year=2005&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=51&standard=false)

Both look alright, though the white one has some awful ricey looking spoiler on it that you'd need to get ride of! lol. I'm sure your parents would be down with getting a Subaru, after all they are safe, AWD, and pretty reliable. If you can find a WRX wagon then I'm sure the insurance would be even lower.

[nemo25]

Originally posted by Canadian144
Evo 8?

How much did you pay for it?

2006 Evo IX. Awesome car love driving it. Nice turbo car spools up quick and has power all around. Handling is simply amazing. I got it salvaged and fixed it up so it came out real cheap. AND upgrades for these cars are real cheap. Also AWD is an awesome feature with the ACD on the IX allows you to control tarmac, gravel, snow option

[Jigsaw]

My vote goes to a bug eyed wrx. Love those cars

[Canadian144]

Originally posted by nemo25
2006 Evo IX. Awesome car love driving it. Nice turbo car spools up quick and has power all around. Handling is simply amazing. I got it salvaged and fixed it up so it came out real cheap. AND upgrades for these cars are real cheap. Also AWD is an awesome feature with the ACD on the IX allows you to control tarmac, gravel, snow option

True... yeah the 9's are nice.

I've been looking for a salvaged STI for my dad so that we can fix it up.. haha he wants to swap a full STI drivetrain into some other car, but hasn't decided which other Subie. I think he wants to put it in a Legacy wagon lol.

[bbender85]

why not get a truck to haul the quad??

[hondariderdylan]

Originally posted by bbender85
why not get a truck to haul the quad??

beat me to it.
it beats trying to fit a YFZ on the back of a cobalt:p

[dns1764]

Originally posted by PhilMoore
If you are even remotely mechanically inclined, get a $3000 car so you don't have to make payments. If you don't have a loan on the car, you won't be forced to pay asinine full coverage insurance.

Have you computed out the cost of the car over the term of the loan? It is not worth it.

Having a car payment or any debt when you are a teenager is almost as bad as getting a girl pregnant. It will reduce your quality of life.

Um, never mind. I just noticed your location. My condolences.

Haha on the crack at massy, but we're getting better. as for the cars go with a ford ranger. they are cheap and 4 wheel drive is always good. even frontwheel sucks in anything more than 4 inches

[exrider12]

selling the quad to help pay for the car. Iv kinda been looking into early 2000's Silverado 1500s.. Just in case I want to get back into the sport:D