Legacy First Car?

[GBY]

I'd go with the 2.5i for a year or 2 and then get a LGT.

[Subieaction]

Im checking everyday!

 

Btw how does this one look? There is a free carfax check so could you guys check that out?

 

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=95373325&listingRecNum=7&criteria=prMx%3D12000%26sf1Dir%3DDESC%26prMn%3D0%26mkId%3D20041%26stkTyp%3DU%26mdId%3D21378%26rd%3D30%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId-pseudoPrice%26zc%3D07057%26rn%3D0%26PMmt%3D1-1-0%26stkTypId%3D28881%26sf2Dir%3DASC%26sf1Nm%3Dprice%26sf2Nm%3Dmiles%26isDealerGrouping%3Dfalse%26rpp%3D50%26feedSegId%3D28705&aff=national&listType=3

 

If you decide to look at that car, talk to him about his tune talk to his tuner. It says he has a upgraded turbo. Which means he either A) Has a blown turbo and changed it out or B) Got a bigger one so you don't know if that is a ticking time bomb. Stay away from a car that has been whored out. Thats why I ended up with the lgt because every wrx and sti and something done to it.

 

Also the car doesn't have that much power. If you are in the car alone, then yes sometimes ( 20-85 ) it feels somewhat fast. But thats until you sit behind a real sports car and take it for a spin then realize that was all a lie. You can get into trouble with 100hp, its all about who you are and how mature you are. Its a very fun car, and feels like you are driving a yacht at times, But I love driving my yacht.

[TylerSVT]

Useless for what, exactly? The things one would "use" a 400 hp Mustang for over a civic are pretty limited.

 

Have you ever driven a 114hp car?

 

They are abysmal and just plain awful to drive. Even 140hp is awful.

 

Seriously OP, get the LGT, they are not fast cars by any stretch of the imagination, and if anyone tells you they are, then they clearly have never been in an actual fast car.

[BarManBean]

Have you ever driven a 114hp car?

 

They are abysmal and just plain awful to drive. Even 140hp is awful.

 

Seriously OP, get the LGT, they are not fast cars by any stretch of the imagination, and if anyone tells you they are, then they clearly have never been in an actual fast car.

 

LOL. This is one of the dumber posts I've read in a while.

 

Very few 18-year-olds need a 250-hp turbocharged car as their first vehicle. Especially if they are also responsible for maintaining it on their own. Of course there are exceptions to this.

[LosAngelesLGT]

Seriously get the lgt, 240hp was a lot 10 years ago, now almost every car has equal or more power than it.

 

I didn't think anyone was stupid enough to believe that bumping the power across the board in the last decade magically made cars with 240hp MORE safe.

 

You're 18 and have likely gone through the idiotic high school phase anyways.

 

You must be under 25.

 

People telling you these cars are fast are joking themselves. Stock mustang gts have 400hp. You will be fine, plus its safe and awd.

 

No one said it was a really fast car:iam:. What they said was that more hp = less safety with new drivers. Its not an opinion, its a fact. Besides, when did 400hp mustangs make LegacyGT's more safe you nimrod? AWD is not magic!

 

Have you ever driven a 114hp car? They are abysmal and just plain awful to drive. Even 140hp is awful.

 

Spoken like someone who has no concept of power to weight ratio, bracket racing, 10/10th driving in a "go cart", or hf civics getting 45mph all-day-long.

 

Seriously OP, get the LGT, they are not fast cars by any stretch of the imagination, and if anyone tells you they are, then they clearly have never been in an actual fast car.

 

Hey I always listen to people with SVT in their name spreading misinformation regarding Subaru.

[Ellesedil]

My first car was a 1996 Mercury Sable LS when I was 18. It had a V6 3.0 liter 24 valve engine with 200 HP. I was a freaking moron when driving it, and it was way too much car/power/features for my first car although I was convinced otherwise at the time. Ironically enough, I ended up totaling it after just a year of ownership while obeying the speed limit due to sun glare and a jeep stopped in the road waiting to turn left. Cracked engine -> insurance payout.

 

Cars don't need to accelerate quickly to be fast. The fact that most cars can achieve 100 MPH means that they are already faster than anything else a new young driver has owned in their lives.

 

I'd start small, simple, and inexpensive. My second car, a 93 Nissan Sentra, should have been my first car. It helped limit the amount of stupid I could do with a car while I become more familiar with driving among other drivers and kept my costs more reasonable (low sale price, no loan, liability-only insurance, more DIY maintenance, cheaper gas costs).

 

My recommendation would be any used NA 4 cylinder car you'd be comfortable in. If you're in school and responsible for the financial burden, keep your costs down. The 2.5i you looked at would probably be a good starting point (AWD, good size to drive groups of friends around, fairly comfortable). You'll especially appreciate it once you graduate and start to earn an actual paycheck and begin looking for a new (or new used) car.

[blaze741]

So again with everyone else. I'm 22 now, but I drove a 2009 2.5i SE through college and I can assure it has perfectly enough power to get around and be fast when it needs to be. I upgraded to a 2012 Camry i4 SE recently. 178 hp and its faster than the legacy. But do I have a need for it, not really at all.

[1055]

First car i ever owned was an aw11 mr2. I built it myself to 286rwhp. It was fast as shit, but i respected the car.

 

170hp 2.5i is more than enough car for anyone 18 and below. Theyre easy to make more enjoyable with not that much money.

[ksb24]

First car i ever owned was an aw11 mr2. I built it myself to 286rwhp. It was fast as shit, but i respected the car.

 

170hp 2.5i is more than enough car for anyone 18 and below. Theyre easy to make more enjoyable with not that much money.

 

What can I put into it too make it enjoyable?

[SurlyOldManMN]

You can do a fair bit with the suspension. For an A -> B car "enjoyable" has a lot more to do with creature comfort and decent ride than anything else. You won't be able to do much power wise but you can still tackle anything else you don't like.

[KeyLimePi3]

Where are you located? I might be trying to sell my spec b soon, once I replace the throw out bearing. Just trying to get out of my loan, pick up an rs and make myself an rsti.

 

Just tossing it out there that my first car was a 91 Chevy silverado with a 454 in it that my step dads cousin built. Got the ass end out just trying to drive normally in the rain.

[ksb24]

Where are you located? I might be trying to sell my spec b soon, once I replace the throw out bearing. Just trying to get out of my loan, pick up an rs and make myself an rsti.

 

Just tossing it out there that my first car was a 91 Chevy silverado with a 454 in it that my step dads cousin built. Got the ass end out just trying to drive normally in the rain.

 

Im from jersey and I see your from Ohio so it's too far away =/

[TrueWhiteBoy]

Heh, I was abusing my old Saturn up until around 23.

Obviously there are exceptions to this, but at 18 you're 1. still prime for accidents, 2. high insurance rates, and 3. likely don't have a lot of money to maintain the car (having just spent 2K on my 2005 Legacy for "regular repairs and maintenance" the older ones will start needing things replaced). Also, since the cars can be modified to go faster chances are you probably would modify it which only makes points 1 and 3 more poignant.

 

To answer your question about insurance costs, they originally were very reasonable, but since the cars started getting older and more affordable people more people have been buying and crashing them.

 

Want to know why insurance for a WRX is so expensive? It's because they're cheap, fast cars that young people crash.

[Sicotic]

Here's my experience and opinion:

 

When I was your age, I had the pleasure of driving an Altima 3.5SE (it was my mom's). Depending on the year, you have 240-250hp at your disposal. If you're a young gearhead, you will definitely get into some trouble with that kind of power, whether it's speeding tickets or getting into an accident. Me, I got into a near fatal accident.

 

I'm not trying to be biased just because I have a 2.5i, but it makes more sense overall. N/A Subarus are known to be more reliable than their turbocharged counterparts (especially if you're buying used) and are cheaper to run. Since it's your "commuting to college" car, I'd assume reliability and cost have a higher priority than speed.

 

Also, since it's "slow", your buddies will be less likely to ask for the keys and potentially smash it up during a joyride. To the girls, most wont notice the difference between a 2.5i and a GT. I get compliments on my car all the time (trying not be cocky here).

 

At the end of the day, I'd suggest the smaller engine of whatever sedan you choose. I hear the Altima's 4-cylinder is garbage though, so I'd rather have an Accord 4-cyl or Legacy 2.5i. It's your first car afterall. Give your dad's wallet a break and dont worry your mother with a quick car.

 

If you want to consider buying new, I recommend the Honda Fit.

 

Sounds miserable. I'm sure he wants to impress the ladies. I've had sports cars every car I owned from 16 lol. Not to go fast is impossible. I never been in a accident guess i know how to drive lol only got speeding tickets 144 in a 65.. I agree tho 15g's in a car that will break will hurt. Oh and 250 hp is not fast lol.

[1055]

144 in a 65 would be jailtime and loss of license in any and all u.s. jurisdictions.

[Manchito]

Some people lack common sense here .

[TylerSVT]

I didn't think anyone was stupid enough to believe that bumping the power across the board in the last decade magically made cars with 240hp MORE safe.

 

No, but the numerous safety features have.

 

 

No one said it was a really fast car:iam:. What they said was that more hp = less safety with new drivers. Its not an opinion, its a fact. Besides, when did 400hp mustangs make LegacyGT's more safe you nimrod? AWD is not magic!

 

I'm saying that 240hp is friggen safe, yea he might be able to ring it out and speed, but its not like its got so much power that he will fly off the road. If he leaves it stock and builds it slowly he will learn to use the power properly. If he buys the 2.5i i bet he regrets it in less than a year.

 

And i didn't say AWD was magic, it just isn't.

 

Spoken like someone who has no concept of power to weight ratio, bracket racing, 10/10th driving in a "go cart", or hf civics getting 45mph all-day-long.

 

Because that's the topic? I didn't realize we were comparing a legacy GT to a caterham...

 

 

 

Hey I always listen to people with SVT in their name spreading misinformation regarding Subaru.

 

I didnt realize that not having owned a Subaru meant i wasnt allowed to have an opinion on what is safe and isn't safe in cars.

 

He is 18, he can legally join the army and kill people, chances are he can drive a 240hp sedan without killing himself.

[Sicotic]

144 in a 65 would be jailtime and loss of license in any and all u.s. jurisdictions.

 

actually no, since i didn't even deny it he dropped it to 99, so a 405 dollar fine and 6 points later I was fine.

 

Google is awesome. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM5E6e7bUU4]busted doin 144mph - YouTube[/ame]

[SurlyOldManMN]

144 in a 65 would be jailtime and loss of license in any and all u.s. jurisdictions.

 

I thought that would be true of 127 in a 45. I was mistaken. It does make for an impressive "felony stop" though.

[BarManBean]

actually no, since i didn't even deny it he dropped it to 99, so a 405 dollar fine and 6 points later I was fine.

 

Google is awesome.

 

 

Alaska may as well be russia, lol.

[Sicotic]

Alaska may as well be russia, lol.

Lol i was in Ohio. Army put me in this terrible place

[1055]

actually no, since i didn't even deny it he dropped it to 99, so a 405 dollar fine and 6 points later I was fine.

 

Google is awesome. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM5E6e7bUU4]busted doin 144mph - YouTube[/ame]

 

Dropped it to 99... show me a ticket you drove away from of 144 in a 65 and ill believe it.

 

I got caught doing 153 in a 55. Cop let me off with a verbal warning just because i stopped for him. I was in a 190hp car, also 17 and ******* stupid.

[dudeondacouch]

What 190hp car can go 153mph?

[1055]

E39 528i

[heleu]

lol. Given enough straight line, there are a LOT of 190HP cars that can do 150MPH+.

 

Think 90's Mazda 929, MB E-Class, etc.