Need A Car For A Beginning Enthusiast
 

So, my girlfriend has caught the bug. But she doesn't drive. I'm not very experienced with driving a whole variety of cars or anything, so I'm not really 100% comfortable with suggesting a good "first car" for her. I was hoping some of you more experienced guys could could help me out on this one.
basically, we are looking for the right combination of easy to learn, safe, good looking, and fun (ish) to drive. we've come to an agreement on no hoonage until she really learns how to drive. Thankfully, she also tends to prefer form over function.

SO FAR she has stated that she likes (in order of want):

Datsun 240z (slow stock, but unsafe??)
07 WRX (AWD for the bad weather, four doors, but a bit too fast)
S13/Sileighty (slow stock, lightweight, safer, but easy to spin?)
Infiniti G37 (Sexy as hell, airbags, but too much power)
CRX ("cute", fun to drive, FF, but 80s safety, dangerously slow stock)
2013 Honda Accord Coupe (FF, cool styling, easy to slam, safe, but maybe a little too fast, and boring to drive)


RULES: NO BMWs or VWs. AT ALL. EVER. PERIOD. it's a thing. Also, inb4 miata- she hates it.

Please help guys!

Infiniti G25, Acura TSX/RSX

Get used Mazda RX8. Second gen one - 2009 or later. Looks good, drives even better.

Miata with a hardtop. When she inevitably hates it, show her the Chevy "penalty box" Aveo you really bought for her.

New drivers should never start out in sports cars, muscle cars, or classic cars.

Asses your priorites, what do you really want?

Economical, Reliable, Fun is probably the top three, don't even bring fast into it. She might get into drag racing or Sunday canyon drives or Autocross, what is a great car for one would be a horrible car for the other. Not to mention she could hate driving and barely touch the thing as it rots away and your dollars spin down the drain.

Your post reads like it isn't terribly grounded in reality, do you know how hard it is to find a quality 240z that doesn't require significant restoration? You're basically looking for a $10k-$20k car that's already been restored, and you're going to go teach someone to drive in a classic? Crazy imho, similar feelings on S13 and CRX, those are going to require serious upkeep and will be tired when you get your hands on them.

Define a price range and we can get cracking. I would suggest a car that can be the only car since I know nothing about your situation. First crack would be GTI, but no VW...

My go to suggestion is RSX, fun, as practical as the 86 and economical as hell, WRX is also good as if she doesn't get into motorsports she still has a decent sedan like everyone else and won't have too much trouble owning it or getting rid of it.

Care to elaborate on the anti German sentiment?

The old Ford Focus is a fun car. I'm partial to RWD platforms... AE86?

I actually summed up my thoughts about all of the cars here but strat61caster pretty much summed up what I was going to say before I said it. It sounds to me she's a typical girl that wants something cute. If she was serious about wanting to learn car control, the Miata and an E36 M3 would be at the top of her list.

So here's my go-to that hasn't been mentioned. 09-11 Civic Si. Sedan would be my preference but the coupe is almost as good.

I disagree. Any car can get you into trouble. It all comes down to the maturity level and amount of respect that the driver has.

240Z is going to be a bank breaker (crumpled fenders and several cluches) if restored, or a death-mobile if over 200K original.

Get her a Civic to abuse. 2006 hatchi

Miata. Not enough power to kill yourself without trying, great vehicle dynamics, manual, rwd.

Oh, IBmiata. Well, she's not an enthusiast and never will be. Dumb skank!

Mini Cooper Non-S. Yes, it is slow. But I loved that car. It was a blast to drive. My first choice would have been a Miata.

First gen Focus is sporty choice, so long as you get the DOHC engine.

The new Scion TC is under $20k.

I think those are kinda neat. :-)

I would never recommend anyone to buy a used rx8. Ever. EVER!!!

There have been 2 in my life and both with more than 60k miles have basically fallen apart. please avoid this car.


oh and op, an fr-s sounds perfect.

+1 on an FR-S or a BRZ. Practical, fun, and safe.
I can speak from experience because my FR-S is my first car, and first rear-wheel drive car that I ever drove, and first manual I ever drove. I feel safer in it than I do in a big SUV, for some reason. Maybe because I feel like I'm actually sitting IN the car and have control of it rather than sitting in a bigger SUV where I feel like I'm sitting ON TOP of the car and don't feel confident driving it.

Plus, then you can be one of those annoying couples who are just made for each other! :bellyroll:

http://www.lolvirgin.com/wp-content/...ook-Couple.png

What is the "car bug"? I see you list an accord so you can slam it. That is very different than if she wants a car that can drift or a car that can handle.

If she just wants to be hellaflush, find a car she thinks is cute and put some megan coils and rotas. Done. Saved you a lot of time and money.

Get a mustang lol

Acura TSX or RSX. Great transmissions to learn manual on, fairly safe, comfortable, classy, reliable, won't spin without trying, decent power.

I'd suggest a mk4-mk5 GTI.

Fun to drive, safe, fuel efficient.

derp, just read no VW's.

either way, it still checks all the boxes.

bugeye

Something cheap because it's going to get totaled

lol, not necessarily

Acura TSX & RSX. Both are sporty cars that are reliable, safe (FWD), and fairly cheap used.

The TC might also be a good choice.

I like the base Mini suggestion (fun to drive), but not sure how reliable they are, especially for someone who doesn't have much experience with cars.

:laughabove:


But I honestly hope it not to happen, I don't want anybody to get hurt.

I would pretty much throw your list away, because most of those are too difficult to find a decent one, difficult and expensive to maintain. But mainly I don't want to see one of them get inevitably destroyed. :scared0016:

Anyway, I've always thought the Fit and Yaris were surprisingly fun to drive, also I would check out the Fiat 500.






(a Miata is still the best choice....)

A proper way to go about this is to define your expectations of the car & the budget as others have mentioned. Does she want the attention while she's driving? Does she want to take the car to a track? Does she want to do "spirited drives"? Is this her only car?

I'm not sure it's wise to sink a considerable amount of money into something that doesn't seem to be thought out very well - but hey it's y'all's money...

It almost sounds like she's wanting this car so she can spend more time with you. I had an ex that did that so she bought a Miata. I ended up putting a considerable amount of time into wrenching the car, and eventually when we split I ended up buying the car off her 'cause she had no idea about it and had no place to store it.





but as others have said the Miata is the answer...

Add in some photos at a loading dock or boat ramp and we've got a press release. :bellyroll:

Hard parking?
Project car?
Potential track days?

Until "Bug" is defined, how can any helpful advice be offered?


So until then...

http://www.themotoringenthusiastjour...10/miata_2.jpg

'Nother suggestion. Mazda2. I've not driven one, but have heard of it described as "the fwd Miata."

another suggestion, why not an old integra? i've never been a fan of those cars, but for someone looking to get into the car scene, i would consider them to be a ff variant to our cars in terms of driving dynamics and if she totals it, you're not out a lot of money

First car?

I wouldn't get her something too flashy. It'll attract the police, and in most states there is a fine for 16 year olds driving at certain hours of the night. An SUV would be able to fit a ton of Lunchables for school.

lancia stratos?

:bellyroll: Make sure you take out a healthy life insurance policy first.

where the guy haha

Honda/Toyota are the best cars for beginner ladies.

well, you already killed my idea. :( i was gonna say the first gen miata since it's so light weight and easy to work on.

RSX or a TC. Both look really sporty and have potential.

Fiat 500 Abarth.

Cute, fast, fun and that noise...

Without a budget it's impossible to give a recommendation

Brand new Porsche 911 Turbo.