mndsm wrote: Focus on getting your wrench skills up. Learn to drive. Go knock over some cones in whatever you have. My first autox, i about got smoked by a stock mid 90s sonata. Driver straight kicked my ass. The fact that i had triple the power and tire was my only prayer. Car doesnt mean E36 M3 in the right hands.
^^This
I know a bunch of guys who got beat by an experienced driver at a rally-X several years ago.
He was driving an 05 Chrysler Mini-van!!!
This group has proven over and over and over that there is no car, truck, zamboni or random pile of parts that doesn't have potential to be interesting. You're getting a free car. So what if it's a beige camry, pontiac aztek or new beetle? Own it. Learn the car. Save your money for a driver school and learn how to use it.
I feel for you man, I was in a not entirely dissimilar position as a teenager not all that long ago (at least relative to some of you old farts around here.)
My parents were wonderful, loving people who managed to provide me with a lot of things I was very lucky to have, including my first car. I feel it necessary to preface this statement with that, lest I sound like a spoiled, unappreciative bitch.
However, "car people" they were not, by any means. My dad is someone who I would say appreciates cars, and actually has pretty good taste in them generally speaking, but totally lacks the "car guy mentality"-he couldn't fathom why I would want to spend a half hour getting filthy changing my own oil when I could just as easily spend $30 to get it done at the dealer and mostly despises anything that appears non-stock. He just doesn't get certain core elements of the hobby that are essential in its appeal to me, such as the pride of doing your own work and making a car "yours". Oil stains in the driveway were a frequent topic of contention between us when I was living at home. My mom kinda gets it a little better, having grown up around my uncle who is totally one of us, but held less sway in these matters than my pop.
I had ideas of what I wanted for a first car, based on what I thought was cool but still cheap, practical, and safe enough to pitch to my parents - E30s, MkII golfs, and Volvo 240s are what I can recall now. However, it was soon made known that I would have no real input in the decision, so I reverted to "please please please just get something with a manual." I lucked out and ended up with a Volvo 850 N/A 5 speed, which I was actually thrilled to death with because it was European and manual and just weird enough.
It was made clear, however that, this was "not my car, we're just allowing you to use it," therefore no modifications ("don't want you wasting your money on that, more important things, education, ect"), no auto x or racing, and I had to beg to even be allowed to do basic maintenance type stuff. When I got my 2nd car, a '90 Integra which they also helped finance, I got to do a lot more work on it, mostly by virtue of the fact that it was a total POS and was constantly broken, although still no mods or auto x or anything.
It was frustrating because I felt like I wasn't asking for much, just to be able to put a little of my own money into the car making it "better" and more to my taste. It felt like all the other car guys in high school were swapping engines in their Civics, or putting lifts on their trucks or whatever and here I was in my lame, 100% stock car. I felt like a core part of my identity was being suppressed.
But in hindsight, I'm glad to have even had a car and glad that I didn't spend all of my meager grocery store job earnings on cars that really weren't worth it. The money helped sustain me through college instead, and ultimately contributed to me being in the position I am today where I can afford two cars and a motorcycle that I can do whatever the berkeley I please with, debt free and without taxing my budget.
TL/DR:
-Be happy with whatever you get, you WILL find ways to have E36 M3loads of fun in it, I promise.
-Even if your parents don't totally "get it" in regards to cars, they're doing what they can to enable you in what they feel is a responsible manner.
-Keep your eyes ahead on the big picture, don't worry so much about having the coolest car right now, but rather what you can do to enable "future you" to have the cars he wants.
God, I really tend to ramble, don't I?
In reply to mndsm:
I owned 2 vehicles prior to even being 16 years old, both purchased sans parental involvement......it's not the same everywhere in the US. 
I should have kept the very first one however instead of using it to buy the second.....survivor '60 t-birds aren't easy to come by for cheap these days. 
You're not allowed to complain about free cars.
For me, at your age, a car (any car) was more about the "freedom" than anything else. Also for me, it was about the path to girls and dates.
I had two dates before I could drive and they weren't very good. Once I could drive, dates were much better.
Here is my odd and skewed advice...since you are under 18, spend all of your efforts on pursuing girls your same age...while you can.
One opportunity you have now, that you will NEVER have again, is young ladies under the age of 18.
If done right, this will provide you with more memories than any "first car."
Once you're 18 then all on about cars.
I purchased my first two cars without the help from my parents. Both were sub $500 POS American cars--- big, heavy and fun. Sadly, being a yout, I destroyed both of them in short order. (I guess cars DO need oil......)
I was 17 and had a job at the grocery store, but no way to get there. (especially in Chicagoland Winters) My folks helped out, and agreed to buy a car (at their choosing) as long as I'd pay for upkeep / insurance / gas / etc. My father found a $1,600 special, and I immediately hated it. It was small, had no V8, was made in Japan, and had none of the "coolness" factor that I wanted so badly. I wanted a muscle car dammit......but he was the one with the money in hand.
We ended up buying a super-clean 1980 Corolla 2-door, 1.8 liter, 4spd with only 64K miles. My world changed forever the day I dropped a buddy off, and decided to see if the little Toyota could spin it's tires. I laid about a 30 foot patch with that little bias-ply tire.....giggling the entire way. Ahhh....RWD is fun! That poor little car spent much of it's life off-road, in gravel pits, farmers roads, and construction sites. It taught me car control......up until the day I rolled it.
Moral to story----- take whatever makes your folks happy. ANY car can be fun----it's up to you to learn how to have fun with it.
In reply to JohnRW1621:
All the young ladies out in BC are either pumpkin spices or lumberjacks though.....
Is pumpkin spice the opposite of sporty spice?
Free car, drive it.
I bought my first car out of a junkyard halfsies with my dad. My other car I bought from the insurance company after my mom rolled it off a bridge.
Enjoy the free car!
oldtin wrote: This group has proven over and over and over that there is no car, truck, zamboni or random pile of parts that doesn't have potential to be interesting. You're getting a free car. So what if it's a beige camry, pontiac aztek or new beetle? Own it. Learn the car. Save your money for a driver school and learn how to use it.
The awesomest cars are also what the public thinks are the boringest cars.
Seriously. Ferraris and Lambos and other things like that? Those are the kind of crap that 14 year olds argue about with specs from the latest Motor Trend or Road & Track. They aren't meant for actual performance. Camaros, Mustangs, Corvettes? Who cares? Those are for old guys who like to do a burnout every now and then.
Now, the interesting thing to have is something like a Fit or xA or something. Something light, something sub-2l, something stone simple. Stone simple means it is hard to screw up, including by the automaker. You'd have to try very hard to screw up a Macpherson Strut and twist beam chassis. Even the most scrody crapmobile with that layout handles actually pretty decently. Power? Power is for people with no imagination. With a light chassis you can have way more fun than you can ever have with some powerful scrody-handling tank.
My first car was a powerful scrody-handling tank. My second car had a quarter the horsepower and half the weight. I never had a powerful car again.
G_Body_Man wrote: In BC, if you modify your car, you must report it to ICBC, get your vehicle re-certified, and then bend over.
Well.......
You can do a wack of stuff to your vehicles without re-certifying.
If your modifications are clearly illegal, you may not have any insurance coverage.
If your modifications exceed the fair market value of the vehicle, you may only get paid out the fair market value of an unmodified vehicle, since that is what you insured.
To cover your butt (from the inevitable bending over), a highly modified car gets inspected, registered as "modified/non-complying," and you insure based on your declared value (recommend getting an appraisal).
Most people don't bother. Annual inspections are not required here. Although, depending on your age/demographic/vehicular-modifications, you may get an order for inspection by a cop, and then you have to weigh your options and opportunities.
I've been in BC my whole life (except for a stint in Calgary), and I know the system (and have been screwed by it) well.
My parents got me my first couple cars. Not quite what I wanted, and couldn't modify them nor were they worth modifying. They were free cars that got me through high school. I eventually gave all of them back or sold them without losing money.
Ended up saving my money and buying my own car. They now have no say on what I do with my car or when I choose to sell/buy one.
oldtin wrote: This group has proven over and over and over that there is no car, truck, zamboni or random pile of parts that doesn't have potential to be interesting. You're getting a free car. So what if it's a beige camry, pontiac aztek or new beetle? Own it. Learn the car. Save your money for a driver school and learn how to use it.
Actually, to drive that point home, someone should be building up a Walter White replica Aztek for next year. Just sayin'. Built in concours theme and everything...
Extra points if you can wear a hazmat suit for the whole day without passing out.
XLR99 wrote:oldtin wrote: This group has proven over and over and over that there is no car, truck, zamboni or random pile of parts that doesn't have potential to be interesting. You're getting a free car. So what if it's a beige camry, pontiac aztek or new beetle? Own it. Learn the car. Save your money for a driver school and learn how to use it.Actually, to drive that point home, someone should be building up a Walter White replica Aztek for next year. Just sayin'. Built in concours theme and everything... Extra points if you can wear a hazmat suit for the whole day without passing out.
If the hazmat suit gets too hot then it's the respirator and tighty whiteys only.
Here's another perspective:
My father and I always talked about cars, and although we had different opinions about what was good and what was bad, I always appreciated his insight.
In February, he died. I'd about give my left nut to talk about cars with him again.
Think about that for a moment.
Man, I'm sitting here thinking of cool stuff to do for the concours now; there's just so much to chose from. Somebody with actual talent and creativity and stuff needs to take that and run with it.
In this situation, your parents are giving you a FREE car. If it runs and drives and is dependable, who cares what it is! It's FREE!!!! That means no car payment, no purchase cost, and you can save your money for something else down the road. Dude... you are 16. You will have MANY more cars in your lifetime, especially since you are here reading this.
Plus, having a dependable, safe daily driver is not a bad thing. You would be surprised at how many gearheads have a boring, mundane car to drive every day. There's something to be said about a car that just works. Believe me, I've had daily drivers that nickel and dime you to death and don't feel like waking up in the morning, and I bought them because I thought they were "cool" or "fast".
My first car was a $400 1964 Buick Skylark. Yeah, it looked really cool, but this one was on its last legs. It had a 2-speed automatic and a wheezing but great running V6, but that combo made it the slowest car ever. It also had 4-wheel drum brakes with no power assist, and the single circuit master cylinder was wonky, so sometimes the brakes didn't work at all! I loved the car, but I definitely would have been better off with a newer, safer, and more dependable car. Consider yourself lucky.
There is an Aztek down the street form me that is in "like new" condition. Just showed up and apears to be a DD for some one. I have so much want for that car.
You're getting a lot of good, not flaming, advice here, so I hope you read it all carefully and understand the years of experience being provided to you. Remember that in life your mental attitude will determine the outcome. You can be a grouchy, complaining, woe-is-me person and hate your job and let medical conditions consume you. Or you can be a fighter and competitive at everything and be the best dang (insert job here) and find a way to make it interesting and challenging. Same with the car. It's not what you would pick? Meh. Make it the best (I would say Yugo, but this is GRM after all) it can be. You can still learn how to detail a car. You can still take door panels apart to lube window tracks and learn mechanical skills and practice beings hands-on even if you aren't bolting on the coolest new aftermarket piece, you can still make sure that wiring runs orderly and that the engine bay is spotless, etc.
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