I think I speak for the other 15,000 members on this site when I say NO! yeah it's probably too fast, and unless this kid is a damn good mechanic, it's not a good idea

 

IMHO its probably not a good idea if he hasnt really driven something with REAL power. Plus if he doesnt have prior knowledge of a DSM hes probably going to be spending a lot of money at repair shops. But thats just my opinion.

 

for a daily driver/extremely reliable car, someone who does not know a lot about cars or not interested in the dsm's potential, NO.
if you have a dsm, you need to be very knowledgeable about cars and their potential. you have to respect cars. you have to be willing you send time and money for the car. if he meets this criteria, then a dsm may be the car for him.

 

i got a DSM my very first car, im a quick learner, so far in the 1yr ive had it, ive swapped for a b16g, act2600, rear, t-belt, head... ive got more money than i can remember in fixin lil things, and my car had BRAND NEW EVERYTHING when i got it! im talkin everything. its rough, if he has no income, doesnt want his to ever be down, and if hes not mechanically inclined hell no. if he wont flip if his car is down a month then go for it

 

my '92 is my first car, and yes it is too fast and a nightmare mechanically.... i spend most of my time and ALL of my money on my car.

it only had 70k on it, but i've more than paid for the car again in new parts. most recently it was down for 6 months and resulted in about 2000 bucks in parts and hours upon hours of garage work.

if he is a mechanic, go for it, if not... dont even bother with a dsm unless he has something else as a daily driver

 

I think I speak for the other 15,000 members on this site when I say NO! yeah it's probably too fast, and unless this kid is a damn good mechanic, it's not a good idea

100% agree. We don't need any more wrecked AWDs... and if he is the type that objects to changing his own oil, he can forget about owning a DSM.

 

I agree with everyone else, a turbo DSM is not a good first car unless he's a gearhead. I do have a great idea though he can get it, then trade me for my 88 tempo, great first car, very reliable!

 

I think it depends. I've taken auto classes at school and just been learning about dsm for quite awhile. I had a car before mine for less than a month so I consider this my first car. I've done ALL the work so far on my car and it's hard figuring it out at first but don't give up and you'll be alright.

On the other hand I only wanted a DSM and nothing else. So unless he's SERIOUS!!!! and he is willing to do the work himself then I would say no. You can make it your first car but BE PREPARED FOR WHAT FOLLOWS or you get kicked in the ass!

 

my talon is my first car. I was 17 when I got it. No tickets or accidents. I bought it with a timing belt casualty, so I didn't even go over 4k and hardly boosted for the first 2500km or so.

Only problem is I can't affort the f'ing thing right now... well technically I can, but it's the majority of my cash. Sunoco 94, insurance and its charming tendancy to break whenever I look at it adds up. I'm actually considering selling it because right now it's used as transportaion in gridlocked hiways and it's expensive to keep a car like this just to drive it 20km/h.

lol

So basically it comes down to 2 things: maturity, and money.

 

I would say to look for a non-turbo. A 1.8 would be the most reliable, unless he wants a decent amount of speed, which the 2.0 could provide. In the meantime, he can post and read on here, learn about the turbos, and a few years into the future he may be ready to step up to a turbo. imo its not a good idea for a first car.

 

I probably couldn't think of many worst 1st cars

 

No way. In fact, the ideal situation for owning a DSM in my opinion is if you own a reliable daily driver car you can use as a backup for when the DSM is being worked on and YES it WILL be worked on (if you don't modify it, it will need to be maintained and DSMs are tempermental!).

If you want a daily driver Eclipse then get a 3rd gen

 

alright then whats the fastest import car that he can get for $4000 other than a dsm?

 

A civic.

 

start off with a 1.8l thats what i did. they are much more reliable and damn good on gas. i did very little maintaince on that car in the year i had it. then i got my tsi and when i get my bank statement at the end of the month i noitice that about 85% of the stuff i buy is for my car.

 

alright then whats the fastest import car that he can get for $4000 other than a dsm?

Any toyota with the 4AGE engine particularly:
MKI MR2 supercharged. Comes with a modified version of the 4AGE engine and after 4500 RPM, the TVIS, Toyota Variable Intake system kicks in which opens up little 'flaps' in the intake manifold runners so more air enters at higher rpms. My dad has a 4AGE in his corolla and it pulls in the top end! Similar to honda's vtec, the TVIS system is designed to make the cars perform better at higher rpms. Now throw on a supercharger like the one used in the Mark 1 MR2's and you're really talking some fun

If you find a GOOD deal- then get a 91-92 MR2 turbo (MKII)


MKI = Mark 1 = 1st gen

MKII = Mark 2 = 2nd gen


To this day, the MR2 is the only other car I'd take over a DSM for less than $10,000.


Hell even a Naturally Aspirated MKI MR2 is awesome- that TVIS is sweet. Don't be swayed by the fact that these engines have like no torque and low horsepower compared to a DSM. Those older toyotas with those 4AGE engines in them are LIGHT!!!!!!

Do a search at yahoo or google for:

4AGE

MKI MR2

MR2

MR2 Supercharge

MR2 TVIS

TVIS

there are other cars with the 4AGE engine with TVIS- check out http://www.4AGE.net

So why do I mention this 4AGE engine? It's reliable as hell and built for high revving. With cams and built internals these engines can make power past 9,000 RPMs! My dad has a 1987 Corolla FX16 and that engine has about 200,000 miles on it and last month his timing belt snapped at a stop light- the engine was not damaged (WOW) and he was running the STOCK distributor, plugs, and wires from 1987!!! How durable is that?!?! He had 16 year old wires and ignition components just replaced last month! Car runs like a dream.

 

i also agree a dsm would not be the best 1st car to buy.

 

for under 4000$ and he wants to have fun?
90-91 civic hatch, 5speed
swap a B16A in there, great reliable motor, and then he will still have some money left over for suspension...

90-91 HB: 1000-1500
motor: 1600 wit trans and ECU(its been done for 1200, but u gotta SHOP around big time)
ebay CAI: 60$
catback: 350$

he will have a sardine can wit V-tec for under 3000$
that can leave 1000$+ for body work and suspension
its easier then you think
any questions on Honda's PM me or IM me
AIM: dirtydeweyjr

 

A DSMer reccomending a honda?...

 

If i had my GST when i turned 16 I wouldn't be alive right now, or at least not in working condition. I drove a 1990 Chevy Corsica with a 3.1 for just over 2 years and put over 40,000 miles on it before I got my DSM and i think it was the best thing that could have happened. I got to learn the basics of cars as well as basic mattanance and repair, how to change oil, plugs, filters, brakes, pumps, stereos, fluids, and so on. Plus i got alot of miles of simple driving experince on a car that honestly had some balls in the low end. I had to learn to drive a manuel on my DSM but I picked it up quick and since i was already a fairly experinced driver it wasn't something that hard to do. Only now can I appreciate what a DSM can do and what can be done TO them, before i would have destroyed my car learning how to drive and going through that "teenager recklas driving" stage...which i suppose has not turned to "Seasoned Overly-Spirited driving" lol... but I dont think any new driver should have a car that fast for their and everyone elses safety, and they would do well to learn the basics of mechanics before attempting to own a quick car. Honesly He might as well go and get a $400 dolar low 90s chevy corsica (wich is a relaible and over all decent car)and run it into the ground for a year or two and learn some things before getting a dsm.

 

I may get a little bashed for this but.... Probe gt is a good car to start out with. The first gens are turboed and pretty quick. They have a mazda engine tho so it is a import at heart. The 93's and up have the mazda 2.5 v6 which are pretty quick too and hella fun to drive and upgrade. Plus probes have one of the most loyal followings and are really pretty good on reliability compared to a DSM. Check out Probetalk.com, its how I started and I wouldnt of had it any other way.

Ben

 

I didn't know jack about cars when i first got my DSM, but i was deticated to learn. For the first 2 months i just read up on basic shit and not so basic shit.

There is a guide to do like anything, you just have to find it. But when i don't care too i'll just ask one of my friends, kinda helps to have a group of friends that Know cars. So depends on if he's willing to work for the car or not.

 

i got my 92gsx when i was 16

My 92' GSX was and still is my first car. I got it when I was 16. At that time, I had no clue about cars, okay maybe a little bit. But I didnt know how to do a turbocharger swap, engine swap or any other engine work. I had to get a new turbocharger for it(used), but i took it to the shop and I was very disappointed with the price. So I decided to start learning stuff about dsms. Then my engine went on me, the balance shafts went so I had to find an engine from japan. Then swap the engine in with couple other friends of mine. It took me 8 months to do an engine swap with several mods done to it while it was out of the bay. I took the balance shafts out, I did the flywheel and clutch, transmission, transfer case, everything, wiring. You just gotta learn.. but the key is.. you have to want to learn about your car and want to work on it. If you can't stand the smell of oil on your skin, then I suggest not to buy a dsm(turbo, awd) for the first car unless you have tons of cash that you can throw around and sleep with. That's my opinion. I'm glad I got used to working on cars now. I'm in love with cars. especially turbochargers/bov/and the system of awd baby! hell yeah! -Hiroshi

 

I think I speak for the other 15,000 members on this site when I say NO! yeah it's probably too fast, and unless this kid is a damn good mechanic, it's not a good idea

I'm on that list of people that would say no. To a point. A non turbo is a good reliable car, and would get his foot in the DSM door. If he's interested he can learn the skills that are almost essential to a DSM owner. A turbo would shove him out, throw a brick at the back of his head, and slam the door shut at the worst possible time. These are horrible first cars.

 

I second the Probe idea for a 1st time sports coupe (Import at heart) under 4,000. I loved mine and it never broke down. I used to kill 1.8 and 2.0 non turbo DSMs all the time

I would also think about the older Mazda MX6s, pretty fast turbo cars.