First Purchased Car

[kenney001]

I have worked my ass off for a while now, and have managed to save up alot of money to purchase a car for myself.....to replace the old '95 ford escort with 150,000 miles that is about to explode....

I am looking for something under 10,000 used, with decent mileage (<65k) that is sporty, yet will not have high insurance or low MPG.

Now I have been doing some searching around, and have narrowed it down to 2 options.


Option 1:
2002 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS
30+ mpg
4-door sedan
plan on purchasing WRX STI body kit for it soon after origional purchase.

SOMETHING LIKE THIS (http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=245238361&dealer_id=87150&car_year=2002&model=IMPREZ&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&start_year=1981&keywordsfyc=&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=0&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&make=SUB&keywords_display=&color=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=mileageASC&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=mileageASC&address=75028&advanced=y&end_year=2009&doors=&transmission=&max_price=10000&cardist=823)
WITH THIS SPOILER (http://www.bodykits.com/2545/2546/2672/2673/2674/2002-2007-Subaru-Impreza-WRX-Factory-Style-OEM-Spoiler-Wing-p-47723.html)
AND THIS BODY (http://www.bodykits.com/249/261/1007/1008/1011/1376/Subaru-Impreza-02-03-Zero-Complete-Body-Kit-4-Piece-p-18177.html)

pros:
higher mpg
lower insurance
WRX my favorite car
more powerful
AWD

cons:
requires body kit purchase
slightly more expensive

Option 2:
2003+ Hyundai Tiburon

LIKE THIS (http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=241112962&dealer_id=621803&car_year=2003&model=TIBURO&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&start_year=1981&keywordsfyc=&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=0&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&make=HYUND&keywords_display=&color=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=mileageASC&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=mileageASC&address=75028&advanced=y&end_year=2009&doors=&transmission=&max_price=10000&cardist=1521)

pros:
nice looking as-is
cheaper

cons:
slightly higher insurance (2 door coupe)
slightly lower gas-mileage
not as powerful
2 wheel drive

I'm stuck. I need options/expirience/comments/other options..

[Anton]

Do you really need the body kits? If this is your first purchased car why go all out with eye candy type things?


Tisk tisk, why can't people just accept things as they are without having them to look pretty. I would drive a box with wheels If I had too. :\


If I had to make that decision, I would go with the first car.

[Con]

how about you don't waste your money on lame ass body kits and useless spoilers

[Mr Buckshot]

Neither, find a used Toyota Prius. Chances are it'll be optioned with all kinds of cool gadgetry like GPS, APGS, automatic wipers, etc while keeping the price low (a common misconception is that such features are only found on premium brands). And since the engine shuts off at low speeds or at stoplights...the fuel economy is 50 mpg.

Plus, all those spoilers and bodykits are a waste of money, and totally spoil the look of your car. You don't wanna be a ricer, do ya?

If you really want a fierce sporty car, get a Honda Accord coupe, or a used 1990's-era BMW, or a used Toyota Celica.

[kenney001]

prius' are dumb. I would rather drive my escort.

Ive looked at older BMW's, but I have reliable resources that have informed me of reliability issues for an old BMW.
I also dont really care for the celica, and the accord is too.....average.

Im not looking for a "body kit" or to look like a ricer. Im trying to match the body put on the '02 STI. The Impreza by itself is ok, but i think with a little tweaking it could look nice. I was debating whether to either get an actual WRX, or save a couple grand and make the RS look like the WRX, but without the turbo and such.

I want this: (minus the canoe)
http://www.westernsubaruclub.com/ridepics/thejean/jc2.jpg (http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2005/06/23/134049.1-lg.jpg)
not this:
http://www.tuning.gen.tr/imagdatas/13345_a.jpg (http://images.superstreetonline.com/featuredvehicles/130_0709_01_z+2004_subaru_wrx_sti+front_angle_view .jpg)

I'm not real interested in performance/rice cars, just a decently priced car that I would have fun driving, not necessarily for the point a-to-b transportation. That I have.

[Reaper Man]

I agree with con, what's the point of eyecandy? Cars are meant to be practical. Spoilers have practical use on cars that actually go shitfast, however, I doubt that they'll ever be put to use if you got them.

If I were to get a car, I'd get something nice looking, but not flashy, it's pointless and it adds a massive price tag, then again, if I ever saved up that amount of money, I'd probably end up busting it on camera gear, lol.

[Bodzilla]

you have the choice between a
2002 subaru impreza
or a 2003 Tiburon?

God dammit.
I need to go an hero or something.

[FlyingStone]

Also think about winters (if you have them) My cousin had a body kit on his car, lowered, etc. When it came winter time all the snow just lodged in the body kit. When I buy my car I think about function, mpg, safety, and finally looks. By function I mean what am I going to use it for? Am I going to be dealing with snow? So on and so forth.

I mean eye candy is great, but its what is under the hood that can make a big difference. Why not spend the money left over on stuff under the hood?
And for the love of god do not put on some loud, ridiculous, muffler on it. You may think it sounds "cool", it doesn't.

[kenney001]

god i hate those... I just want to go kick them off....

The reason i picked it was because of the awesome gas-mileage (30mpg+) it gets, power windows/doors, 4 door sedan (practicality and insurance), reliability, and at the same time be a car i would enjoy. I did not pick it only because I liked the looks.

anyway, I will buy the car. Drive as-is for a while, and eventually when i have the money find the WRX sti kit for it. I love the way the WRX sti looks, and have wanted one since they came out. I don't want to rice it, i just want that rally-look the WRX had. No-more. i should probably have explained this earlier.

If i was going solely off looks, i would have gotten this:
http://www.pitt.edu/%7Eajh32/etc/sig.jpg

[Patrickssj6]

Body kits...I lol. Make a picture of yourself when having an accident and your car falls apart.

Body kits yes ONLY if they do something to improve the aerodynamics which in your case won't at all.

Get something from Toyota.

[TeeKup]

God forbid you get a goddamn Prius. I drove one last week, couldn't see jack shit out the back of it.

Get a Honda Accord.

I'm about to replace my 94 with a 99.
http://www.desimotor.com/data/6032205020358/accord2d.JPG

[Zeph]

Screw the Tiburon. Get an elantra or sonata.

[nooBBooze]

Even the cheapest, most undrivable car will do if you make frequent use of the backseat :eng101:

[SnaFuBAR]

the subaru is a very well made vehicle. go with that.

also, noobooze, hurr hurr sexjoke shitpost i can't stop hurr hurr.

[paladin]

I just bought a 2003 Sti and I love it.

[kenney001]

Thats the thing. Im not trying to pimp it. I really love the aesthetics of the STI, but its a little out of my price range. So Im going to replicate it on the RS.

And I can get any standard sedan, but they are boring. I wanted something that was just as reliable/cheap but stood out a little more than the accord, civic, etc.

Thanks, hopefully i can get it before this summer ends....

[Atty]

Don't buy either of those. Buy a crotch rocket.

[paladin]

I gots one too... GSX R600

[kenney001]

Please don't talk about that.......I would buy one instantly, but cant because if parental issues

[PenGuin1362]

Subaru. Few of my friends have them. They kick ass, in fact I plan on getting one when my mustang shits the bed....then getting a ninja 250 a few years after :p

[kenney001]

I plan on a crotch Rocket when I graduate....

[Mr Buckshot]

Mitsubishi Lancer is also a good contender. The current-gen model looks damn sporty. Of course, to keep the price low, you may have no choice but to skip out on the god-awesome optional 30 GB hard drive, which functions as a music server and mainly as a GPS databank.

My recommendation is probably the Honda Accord which offers pretty good value, along with the traditional Japanese bullet-proof reliability.

I generally like to judge cars by the level of in-cabin technology - the Lancer has probably the HIGHEST tech-to-price ratio I've ever seen in a car produced for the North American market. If you go to Japan, you'll see that even Toyota Corollas have some awesome tech as-standard, and those devices aren't even offered as options on U.S.-spec Corollas.

Also, never try to do burnouts or drift with a Japanese car, and never try to break the speed limit even if it's a Lexus, because Japanese cars are never designed for performance, with the exception of the Nissan GTR which is priced at 10x of MY car budget. If you're truly looking for cars like that, that's where the Europeans come in.

[Kalub]

I like mine '93 Mitsubishi Eclipse:

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2782/dsc00020id0.jpg
http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/6825/dsc00008qe3.jpg
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6012/dsc00010mw6.jpg
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7122/dsc00019nq9.jpg

But if I had to get something, go for a Honda (Civic, accord), or another import (Toyota Corola, Mitsubishi Mirage/Eclipse/Lancer; they get great gas mileage and are quite efficient for what ever you will be needing to do.

Dont worry about upgrades, or anything else unless your sure you want to go that route; it doesn't do anything except hurt the value of the car or just make it look dumb and waste your money.

[paladin]

Chick car... all I can say.

[Bodzilla]

I got a lancer, quick off the line, Zippy, fairly small but i have plenty of room and it's great on petrol.

Do want.

[Kalub]

Do want indeed.

[PenGuin1362]

I still say Subaru.

[Mass]

I hate when people load useless tech into cars, honestly, GPS tends to be wrong, useless, and annoying. It'd be a hell of a lot cheaper to learn to read a fucking map and remember your town's layout.

Why would you need a hard drive in a car? honestly.

I'd go with the first because of the gas mileage, it's going to make a big fucking difference very soon. I don't care much for fins and shit myself, aesthetics are stupid to me when it comes down to m personal machines (I was mad when I discovered LCDs came pre-attached to my computer fans) but I do think the rally look of the WRX is pretty cool.

[TeeKup]

I hate when people load useless tech into cars, honestly, GPS tends to be wrong, useless, and annoying. It'd be a hell of a lot cheaper to learn to read a fucking map and remember your town's layout.

Why would you need a hard drive in a car? honestly.

I'd go with the first because of the gas mileage, it's going to make a big fucking difference very soon. I don't care much for fins and shit myself, aesthetics are stupid to me when it comes down to m personal machines (I was mad when I discovered LCDs came pre-attached to my computer fans) but I do think the rally look of the WRX is pretty cool.

All I require on my car is an up to date CD Player or MP3 Jack. But my car DOES need to be re-painted, that and do maintenance on the engine and wheels.

[PenGuin1362]

All i look for is awesome, standard transmission, good gas millage. also reminds me i need a new clutch -_-

[Mr Buckshot]

The Prius is still the mileage king, but there's also a Civic hybrid.

Nissan Altima coupe looks nice too, and if you don't look too closely you might mistake it for an Infiniti.

Haha Massacre, spoken like a true car purist. I understand that without the gadgets, the dash does look very clean and user-friendly - this is probably why those hand-built supercars will never be seen with all that tech. But this is the 21st century, where many people wave around the coolest technology for bragging rights, whether it's their gaming PC, cell phone, or TV or whatever.

I understand that in the West, you guys show off your engines and exterior bodyworks and body kits when comparing cars, rather than showing off the cabin gadgetry. There's nothing wrong with that. In the East, people show off their cabin tech because performance is not a selling point for many of them - as long as it starts up, brakes well, and doesn't move like a snail, it's excellent. It's all about different attitudes in different cultures. And that is why I am attracted to a tech-laden Toyota Corolla rather than a souped-up fierce looking Subaru sports sedan with a minimalistic dash.

Hey kenney, the new version of the honda accord does look damn good though, whether it's the coupe or the sedan. My dad drove a Honda Accord for nearly 7 years when we lived in Singapore, and that is why the Accord has a special place in my heart.

[kenney001]

I agree, they are nice, but I see way too many of them around here for it to be very special to me. I see very very few subaru's.

[Bad Waffle]

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/SubCategory.aspx?id=7

Go pick out a REAL man's vehicle. I have a thing for the Vulcan 900 Classic. Sex.

[kenney001]

I would buy a bike anytime over a car, but as I said, parents said no bike until i leave home......

I <3 bikes.........

[PenGuin1362]

ninja zx-14 plz

[Skyline]

I say go with subaru.

http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/6513/sexysubaruem1.jpg
If you need more convincing go to SexySubaru (http://SexySubaru.com). Best commerical ever.

[Bad Waffle]

what the hell is wrong with you guys and your crotch rockets? cruisers are much more classic and they get the ladies attention a lot more easily. You don't have to show off on a cruiser, you just RIDE IT.