Advice on sport cars for an 18 y.o.
 

I'm looking for a car under 9k that is kinda sporty. Problem being is that I'm 18 and worrying about the expences from all the little things on top of that I'm moving to FL. Also I want to know what is going to last for my six years of college.

So what should I look for? What can I expect to pay for insurance, monthy or per 3 or 6 months. Also I have a few in mind and want to know a bit about them and also any advice if I should look for a different type. One being a ford mustang convirtable and a BMW Z3.

Thanks for the imput guys.

You could find a 94-98 Mustang GT drop top for under 9 grand. Just recently I looked at a 98 GT 'vert for $8500. A Mustang is definately within your price range.

Depending on the year and milage of the Stango, it could last you all the way through college. A buddy of mine has a '94 GT that's pushing 190k miles right now.

The Z3 however....you'd probably be hard-pressed to find a Z3 in any kind of decent condition for that price.

Good luck!

Also with a Z3 and being 18, you may have a hard time keeping on top of insurance payments as a student.

Insurance depends on where you live, better to ask the brokers than us. I'm 3 years older than you (with the extra driving experience that implies) and I pay $230/month CDN on my Chevrolet Beretta, so if you get a V8 car or 2 seater it might be tough to keep on top of.

I'd sooner look at a more economic car to get you through school, especially if you commute (but even if you don't). Spend the money on a newer Honda or Volkswagen Golf, something like that and worry about the sports car after you're out of college and making the big bucks.

If you're determined that you want a sports car, the Mustang is probably a decent choice, or you may be able to get a 95-96 Trans Am or something.

EDIT - I realize I'm sort of contradicting myself by saying that we can't really give a good quote and then offering what I pay. However, my car's pretty cheap to insure and my insurance is nearly $100 less than any other guys my age I know, regardless of what they're driving, so it sort of gives a good idea as to what the minimum might be.

If you're an 18-year-old male, and own anything other than an '87 Tercel, your insurance will be abhorrent. At that age, I had a 7 year old Mercury Grand Marquis (still have it in my garage!), and my insurance was nearly $400 a month.

If you MUST have something sporty, look for an early 90's Nissan 240SX, 240Z or 300Z. Both are sporty and pretty quick, and you might find any of the three for under $9K.

Honestly, where you're 18, you should be looking at 4 doors or station wagons. Otherwise, the insurancy companies will readying the lube for you.

I'd go look for a Honda Civic or VW Jetta/Golf. They're reliable, comfortable, can be made more exciting very easily, and will be relatively insurance friendly.

Ditto what the above dudes said about the insurance. Even if you have a clean record, and I don't know many 18 year olds who do, you'll pretty much end up paying about 14 Trillion plus your left nut to keep it on the road. I would look at something like a Honda Del Sol, and if you insist on having muscle going with a t-top or convertable Trans am or a convert. mustang, as suggested above. Seriously I hope your money situation is as good as your inquiry into the Z3 would imply, because you are in a seriously shitty insurance bracket.

You could find a nice late-90s Nissan Maxima for that price. They are reliable, pretty quick (about halfway between a Civic Si and Mustang GT), and would likely have lower insurance rates since they're midsize 4-door sedans.

What he said, but Civics aren't cheap to insure. I have a 99 Civic si, a clean driving record, 28 years old, and I pay $112 a month(full coverage). When I first got the car I was paying $200 a month.

Any 18 year old male that gets a sporty car can expect to pay well over $200 a month for insurance.

There are some things to think about when buying a vehicle. The way insurance companies rate vehicles are a combination of things. Age, sex, engine, and other obvious things about the car. But what most people don't realize is a car like my Civic gets stolen a lot. That drives up your rates. A car like my Civic is expensive to fix if it were in a wreck which also drives up my rates, and that's based on a national average of how many Civics are being wrecked and stolen. So if a car you think is a safe buy for insurance you may not know that it's being wrecked a lot by other drivers, which in turn drives up everyones rates who own that type of car. You need to think of all this crap if you're on a tight budget. Plain and simple, a Z3 is not even close to being in your budget, unless you can afford to dish out at least $3000 a year to insure it.

I'd go for something like a jetta, or maybe an audi

Check that, Sixate. At 18, I was driving a '92 Plymouth Voyager with a single minor violation and still paying $220 a month for it, liability only. I once quoted a '92 camaro for shits and giggles (a neighbor was selling his for cheap), and was told I'd be hit up for just under $600 a month for it.

what could the top be for the insurance prices demaned?

Depends on where you live, largely. Between my old home and my new home (53209 and 53214), there was a 15% jump in my insurance.

www.amfam.com
www.progressive.com
www.statefarm.com

Those are good places to start - they all have automatic quote programs to give you an idea. Just enter your name, location, number of crashes/tickets, and what type of car you're wanting to insure, and it'll spout a number at you.

At 18 with a clean record, I was paying $278/mo to drive my 98 honda prelude. Great car by the way, and definately recommended for that range you requrested. And that rate is under my parents plan. 2 speeding tickets later, and im paying $425/mo.

- Dave

Um, I'm not quite sure what you're asking, but expect to pay about $400 a month for the Mustang (coupe), considerably more for the convertible, and close to $1,000 per month for the Z3, especially if it is a late model that still has a high-ish value.

You can get a somewhat sporty...aaah who am I kidding, a very practical, extremely durable, and very reasonable total cost of ownership (especially insurance) with just about any Volvo.

For 9 grand you can get a butt load of Volvo. Personally, in your shoes, I'd get a mid nineties 940 or 960 turbo wagon (there's a sedan too if your so inclined). You'll come in under 9 grand, leaving some room for modifications and customizations, be able to fit your entire dorm room in the cargo area (or your entire entourage for that Dave Matthews concert), and those things are notoriously good for 300,000 miles with nothing but routine maintenance.

You can really turn some heads with the power available to extract from a nicely tuned and reasonably maintained four cylinder turbo. Replacement parts are plentiful in the junk yards, parts, both OEM and aftermarket aren't outrageous. Plus they're as safe as anything out there.

Check the forums at turbobricks.org for tuning/upgrade options, and swedespeed.com for a decent classified.

Food for thought.

-bear

I think this talk of insurance really depends on where you live. I got a convertible corvette at 17 (an old one, but still...), and only paid about $70/month in insurance for full coverage. That was in northern California not too long ago. It helps to go on your parents' policy. Even if you don't live with them, you can probably still get away with it if you're a student. I did.

In contrast, I later moved to PA and bought an old underpowered benz worth 1/3 what the vette was. That cost $120/month to insure :crazy:.

By the way, I got the Corvette for less than $9k. There are a lot of nice cars out there in that price range. You might want to check out things like Miatas and MR-2's as well (maybe you want something more practical?).

That's what I got and still have. Very reliable and well under 9k.

EDIT: Also good on gas and cheap with insurance. :)

Like everyone else here, I'm gonna have to say that you should probably get a practical 4 door car or wagon. While I was going through college I had a 4 door Grand Prix (lasted me through high school, college, and MS degree). When it died, I rewarded myself with a much nicer, higher horsepower car.

You'll find yourself going out with a lot of friends and when you have a larger car, you can fit everyone, where with a sports car, you'll be taking a few cars. I now can't really see myself buying a sports car unless I already have a 4 door sedan.

Oh yes. The 300z is a sexy sexy car. I second this motion.

If you want a powerful car, but don't want the insurance costs, you have to find something that they don't consider a sports car. Older Volvos have been mentioned, although I'd never buy a used turbo car. Instead of a Mustang, you could go for a Lincoln Mark VII, which has the same engine, although it weighs quite a bit more, but is considered an old fart car by insurance companies. The great thing about it is that you can still slap on Mustang performance parts, and even stock it's a blast to drop it a gear and floor it. Toward the end of the summer, I'm going to be getting one, and by next summer I should have enough money saved up for a turbo kit.

Thanks for the ideas on cars guys, currently i'm chilling on a break from my road trip.... well thanks. I'll keep in touch.