Just don't make my insurance any worse...

Only really you can answer this question. End of discussion. I had this at 17, a 1996 Camaro SS which stock came with a 310HP Corvette LT1 motor and a 6 speed manual. First gear could snap your neck it had so much torque. I had no issues with it. Before that, I had an 88 Iroc-Z. If you're mature and obey the laws and drive like a sane human, hell, buy whatever you like and can afford.

I don't know where the hell you guys who are talking about damage occurring to your car on school campuses live, but it must blow there. That sort of thing is unheard of hear.

OP is 16

https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/5820509696/h01C21D34/



I'm sure there are many 16 year olds that are responsible and capable of driving brand new lamborati's or whatever else is "too nice" but still gotta take statistics into account.

Well maybe it's because the guy is a idiot. He tried to race me in a AT frs and he tried to rev at me instead he jumped the line at a red light. Was funny watching him go in reverse. But anyways if you don't have idiot friends that would do that and don't mind the insurance being a little higher. Go for it! :happy0180:

Let's be honest, this man is absolutely right.

I have friends that won't go above speed limit, I also have a friend that was pulled over for doing 29 over and was still accelerating when he was pulled over. I am neither of these people. However, if I had to choose a side, I would say I'm closer to the guy who drives speed limit. Sure I go over every once and a while, but I pay for my own gas. So anything above 70 and my gas mileage drops from 20 to 16 like that. If I go 62 mph I get about 22 mpg in the 4Runner, which monthly saves me about $10. Which is alot to someone who only makes $15 an hour. Acceleration= crappy gas mileage.

I'm not the guy you see in an empty parking doing J-turns and drifting. I'm the guy driving on a curvy mountain road at a safe speed while still having a little fun.

if your parents are ready to burn the money for you, I don't see any reason to decline the offer.

Money is not an issue here. I'm assuming safety is. No problemo! It seems you could handle your truck pretty well, even on the huge rocks! LOL

Your parents must have too much monies to burn. They are just ready to get sued hard if something happens to you. But, I'm assuming this is covered by insurance. No?

Nope! too young. your perspectives will change in the future.

When I was your age, I wanted to get a 240SX. I wanted to do a SR swap, S15 front end conversion and find the most aggressive looking body kit all around with the most lines (From the Import Tuner magazines). I wanted to switch out everything that's black on the car into carbon fiber. I wanted to lower it and get the biggest Titanium exhaust ever! I also wanted all the unnecessary blue LED lights to light up at night to make my car look like its glowing! I wanted to do all that to my 240SX when I was your age back in 2006-7?

I never got a 240SX until 2010. Thank GOD I did not get one when I was high school, or else it would of been that big mess that I described above and all that money would of been wasted! Now, I just want a simple, original, pure 240SX free of body kits and no conversions whatsoever! And that's exactly what I have right now!

tl;dr. Nope. You still young and dangerous. Wait till you get a little older and your mind is clear.

Get the fucking car. Drive responsibly. Have fun. If you need to go nuts, go to the track.

I like this guy.

I just noticed where you live. It's not like you need to worry about snow, or even rain for that matter. Looks like precipitation is minimal there. What @Tromatic said

Just from your posts alone, you seem like you have a decent head on your shoulders. I'd be more worried about what other people would do.

There's a picture floating around the Internet from my high school of a Chevy Suburban literally resting on two other cars... some girl got pissed at her boyfriend (lol high school), peeled out of the parking lot, hit a trash can or jumped a curb or something, somehow ended up on the smashed roofs of two poor cars. :(

Thanks guys! I went ahead and got an insurance quote, thanks to my great grades and a couple other things, it's not nearly as bad as I thought. Only a little bit more then my 4Runner is now.

It all comes down to the car. I'm going on a test driving adventure on Friday and I will report back.

I'd say it's perfect - hey at least you're not looking at getting an E46 M3 lol

I think the Miata would be a good first car, and I see the FRS as a Miata/S2000 with a fixed roof and backseats. So here's why I think the Miata/FRS would be good first cars:

- It's not fast
- The performance of the FRS is very much focused on the car being lightweight. If you decide to bring friends with you who would say "let's see what this thing can do", you won't really be able to show off because of all the extra weight from having your friends in the car :thumbsup:
- It's a lightweight, RWD, small, nimble sports car - learning to drive this thing properly will make you a better driver.
- It's a modern car meeting the most current safety standards; which means that if you do get into an accident (as people apparently think is inevitable), you would be better protected than say getting into a nasty accident in a $1,000 car from the 90's that will crumple like a coke can and probably kill you.

So good luck, and I do honestly hope you drive responsibly so our insurance rates don't skyrocket :burnrubber:

I'm 23. I still think I'm pretty young to own one. However. As long as you understand and repect that a car is an expensive, complicated and potentially dangerous piece of machinery then by all means. Get it and enjoy. One rule I always follow is that the traction control is always on when on public roads. That type of innovation is meant to save your life. not having it on is like not wearing a seatbelt.

It's doable :D

FR-S, yes. :thumbup:
BRZ, hell no. :thumbdown:

Trying to keep the BRZ insurance rates low are we? :lol:

When the fuck did "good grades" ever come into account in a insurance quote? That is weird man.


Also, to everyone else who said sex in an FRS is possible, you are all midgets :thanks:

some insurance do give you discounts if you have good grades.
it is kinda weird but whatever helps. :thumbup:

I would count yourself lucky if you get this car - I presume it is trending that way.

My first car was an 1982 Dodge Diplomat that had 90 HP, had a 0-60 of 18.1 seconds and weighed 500 lbs more than the FR-S. It had a one speaker, AM only radio and handled like a boat, but, I inherited it from my Grandfather and I appreciated it until the end.

My second car was an 1987 Grand AM and felt fast comparatively with 150 hp, 0-60 of 10 seconds.

I count myself lucky at age 39 to own an FR-S, let alone, if I had a car like this when I was 16. Drive responsibly and just don't disable the VSC unless you are at a track.

Enjoy.:thumbsup:

Who makes $15/hour at 16?

Lol. I wish I was making $15/hour at 16. I got ripped off.

Sounds exactly like me, 17 with this car! Although i had a 1994 4Runner, i never took it out for off roading. :iono: It was in pristine condition though! Trust me, you'll still think about offroading, let alone the car in general, but you'll enjoy this car even more! :happy0180:

I did not intend to say anything bad about front wheel drive. What I meant was that drivers who have only experience FWD tend to instinctively react in the wrong way when a RWD car gets loose. If he has only driven RWD then that will not be an issue. He may still not react correctly but it will not be because he is used to FWD. It will be because he is totally inexperienced.

I wasn't sold before that you weren't just paying lip service to being mature enough but I do believe you now.

I think you should get the car, but spend some of your $7000 for a defensive driving course. It doesn't make you Colin McRae but it's very valuable. It'll be a great car to truly learn how to drive.

When you're in your mid to late 20s and look back at what a great car the FRS has been to you and the risk your parents took by allowing you to get an easily hoonable sports car, but trusting you all the same to drive responsibly.... and you repaying their faith - these memories will be priceless, man.

In regards to those that say it doesn't have power, it's all relative. If I hop out of my Dad's Porsche and drive an FR-S, ya it's going to suck in comparison. I'm use to driving a 17 year old V6 with 183 horsepower, and that's when it was new! I'm sure the FR-S has more then enough power putt-putt around town.

Good grade discounts have been around for a while - I believe the rationale is that high schoolers responsible enough to get good grades are also more responsible when driving.

I'm no insurance agent though, that's just my guess. :)

I started driving in 1988 and State Farm offered a discount for good grades.

To the OP, you seem like a responsible young man and are asking the right questions. We live in a nice area with some very affluent people and many of these kids are driving BMW, Lexus, Infinity, GTI, Mustang, etc. It is what it is. If you have the means and are responsible, I say go for it. The good news is that while the twins are quick, they are not a Mustang GT, Camaro SS, Dodge Challenger type of quick.

That said, just keep in mind that you are in a very targeted age group. One accident or a few tickets will skyrocket your insurance. I know this from experience. My first car in 1988 was a Mazda RX-7. I got a speeding ticket and an accident (my fault, minimal damage, but another ticket and points) within 12 months, and my insurance doubled. State Farm threatened to drop me, but my father was personal friends with the agent and he told me to either clean up my act or he would drop me.

So just be aware of that. Also, if possible, you may want to consider a gently used FR-S if you can find one. Teens tend to beat on cars and if you can save your parents a few grand it makes sense.

I learned a lesson quickl

When I was 15 I went to Germany and did European Delivery on a brand new $40k BMW. Not the best of decisions, but it was awesome driving that car in high school. That car was easily the best learners car I could have ever purchased. In fact it probably saved my life as all the technology in that car corrected my bad decisions. I traded the BMW in for the FRS because I was tired of the luxury and wanted a manuel. In my opinion the FRS is not a good starter car. Its a great car for someone who has driven a RWD sports car before because you know its tendencies , but if you have never driven RWD it could turn into a disaster. Honestly, I think this car is worse that getting a Mustang/Camero V6 just because this is made to get away from you. If your responsible you can always take that risk, but just be careful because all it takes is one mistake in this car as it doesn't have all the technology to save you.

I respectfully have to disagree with you. If you leave the nannies on, I think the twins are actually quite stable and can be pushed hard. Even with the nannies off completely, I have noticed how easy it is to correct the vehicle if you start to lose it. It is extremely contollable. Once you lose a Mustang or Camaro, good luck. Those cars are horrible for correcting and the live rear axle in the Mustang is all over the place. I personally think those cars require a more skilled driver, and with more HP and torque, it is easier to get yourself in a sticky situation. Those cars rely more on tire grip than anything to maintain control, and having driven lots of Mustangs, once your tires start to wear, you lose some of that control. The twins have amazing control with just Prius tires!!! If you put some more capable tires, they are even harder to lose control of. So that may be something the OP might consider.

I still think the advice to take the car to the track and understand the limits of the car, how it will respond when you start to lose it, and how you need to correct the car and regain control is the smartest thing you can do. And OP, just don't ever turn the nannies off unless you are in a controlled environment like an empty parking lot or the track.

Let's all be realistic here. You most likely live close to your job/school so just buy a Hayabusa. It'll be cheaper on payments and gas too!

I tried asking my parents to let me keep my 4Runner and letting me get like a 250 Ninja or something. They wouldn't go for it.

That would be the last thing I would give a 16 year old male...

There's no way a 16 year old should be driving a car this powerful.

It's only 17 more horsepower then my current ride.

It'd probably be the last thing that 16 year old male would receive as well.

I'm 22... I've got my shit together, a degree in Computer Science and a full time job as a software engineer.

I still get in way too much trouble in my FRS... Had to get rid of it. Not saying that it'll happen to you, but I know how I was at 16 and I know how every other 16 year I've met is.

I've driven one...