Wanted Manual Gearbox Entry-Level Sports Car for My Son

I had a E46 M3 cabrio, and I would never give a 16 year kid old that car. "Drive it like you stole it" fits the bill when you drive a M3...

 

I got my 16yr old a VW Toureg...absolute tank....which, since he is still alive I appreciate...crap vehicle relibility wise though. After he smacked a few things with it, got him a truck. Wrecked that 12 months later and on to a Chevy Colorado truck. Hasn't cracked that one yet but he's 23. Good Luck.

 

I gave my 17 year old an Estoril Blue E36 M3 Convertible last year after he was constantly borrowing my wife's car (a Porsche Cayman) when I wasn't around. She had a tough time saying no and he knew it. I bought it for $2,300 and put $1,200 into new seats and a bluetooth stereo, and it has been great. The car itself has been nearly flawless with 135k miles now on it. It is neither fast nor slow. Perfect for a teenager. Classic car in a classic color.

By the way, if anyone has a hardtop laying around, I'm in the market!

 

Miata. Nothing else. True classic sports car. Beyond incredible reliability and ease of service allowing him to learn this critical skill. It is a car with infinite possibilities. He can leave it stock and enjoy learning real driving techniques at very reasonable speeds or modify it to expand its envelope or appearance.

Nothing else compares.

 

I too late realized that the OP is looking for an actual car and put this in the CLASSIFIEDS. He instead got pages and pages of opinions.

Sorry!

 

well sometimes you need a bit of sanity check, even in the crazy land that is fchat haha

 

Thank you Honda.

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Please point me in the direction of sub $2,500 E36 M3's

I'll buy 10. Thanks!

 

I was thinking the same thing! Maybe he missed a decimal point, since $25K would make sense?

 

Are you saying an E36 M3 is not a fast car...?

 

Which teenagers want to run around in that piece of soap...

 

Which teenagers want to run around in that piece of soap...

My take on the styling as well! However in the mountains near me plenty of them have these cars. The other car they seek is the Subie/Toyota rear drive car.

 

Seriously? Get a NB, slap some bolt on fender flares and a huge wing on it, put some RPF1’s with white letter Michelin’s on the corners, and tint the headlights yellow. Boom instant GT3 quality looks for like $2000 if you get the wheels used.
Real car teens still love miatas because they’re cheap to buy, cheap to maintain, and cheap for a massive performance and non-performance aftermarket.

 

For a teenager, just having a car at his or her disposal is luxury. But real boys want six cylinder BMWs etc. I also feel a midern car is alot safer than a Miata. But I get all your points about reliability. It is also a question of what a Ferrari owner want to have his son driving around in.

 

Lots of good opinions. As a previously 16yr old kid… don’t go crazy on power. But also give him some input if you want to stir the excitement.
My daughter wants a Jeep or a Miata. Or my Mustang GT. I told her she had to have 4 seats, but preferably not four door. Had to have ABS and airbags. I prefer manual. No convertibles.
She’s been eying 2011+ mustang V6’s. We will see where her grades are. I’d like to buy the car around 15 and let her work on it and we take drives until she has her license.

 

I still recommend a 26,000 GVWR bus. And 9,000 miles of experience. Plus skydiving.



Matt

Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I have a manual 2002 M3 Coupe for Sale. Carbon Black/Black 116k Miles, Clean Title and Clean CarFax. Asking $34k