Wanted Manual Gearbox Entry-Level Sports Car for My Son

Very nice. I have a friend, who owns a body shop, who restored a BMW 2002 with his teenage son. The 16 year old now drives it.
That takes some special equipment and a LOT of time, but maybe you can shop for something together. Spending time together becomes more precious as other activities which hopefully grow independence (and girls) becomes more interesting. I like the BMWs for the safety element; just find something well-used but reliable. Maintenance and upkeep will be more expensive but weighing what I'd like my child to be in during an accident outweighs anything else. Don't ask me how much a BMW Laser Light part costs after my 12 year-old ran into the foosball table in the garage... more than 15+% of the cars on the road currently.

 

Consider a C5 Corvette..Z06 ...very liable .. inexpensive upkeep etc

There is a nice z16 on Corvette forum as we speak ..no affiliation

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Pretty broad range you’re considering there. Here are a few that come to mind.

e46 M3
997.2 C2 or C2s
987.2 Cayman S

if you or your son is more mechanically inclined or want to be then I’d add:

e36 M3

 

You may want to look at the FRS/BRZ family as well.

 

I’d find him a nice E90/91 BMW (Sedan or Coupe), Xi or i (AWD or RWD) with the 6 speed gearbox. Good car to learn on and keep. Won’t get you into trouble like the RWD cars mentioned. Maybe an idea?

 

Maybe look at the Mazda MX-5, I got one for my 16 yo back in the summer, within a week he was a pro with the manual. It is plenty quick, great on gas, reliable and easy on the insurance

 

Subaru BRZ

 

Is it going to be a DD, or just something to cruise around and tinker with?

You mention a/c as one requirement, there's no comparing any car's a/c to US cars, but do you want your son in something RWD with the power of a Mustang or Charger? I suppose you can steer clear of the v8s though.

The Cayman/Boxsters are solid, and aren't overly powered. I always liked the idea of 2 seaters for my sons, it limits the passengers to only 1 which in turn limits the influence on the driver, especially when the 1 passenger would usually be a female. I recall growing up and when I had 4-5 guys in my father's Impala, things just always seem to break loose and would end up in a number of different "situations", some I'm still trying to figure out how I avoided any real trouble.

 

I'd second this motion, an excellent car in all respects, a good buy (relatively inexpensive) easy maintenance, strong, easy to drive well and fun

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Don't know how old your son is - AND I COMMEND YOU for getting him something with a manual - but IMHO a/any 911 is too much for a young person - a) they won't appreciate it - b) the maintenance/repair/insurance costs are high should something happen to it (and we ALL know things happen - especially when you are young) - c) same goes for Caymans - d) same goes for Bimmers.

A BRZ (or the Scion equivalent if you are looking used) checks all the boxes - Good looking/manual/quick enough to be fun and challenging as well as great to learn the craft of driving in but not quirky to handle like a 911 or expensive to insure/repair etc. Plus has Toyota build quality and fit and finish so it will not nickel and dime you like a Bimmer will (I had flippin radio/AC buttons fall of on my 540i - ridiculous). If he gets into cars and driving then the BRZ/Scion has a long runway before he outgrows it and sets him up for responsible ownership of something up the scale - if he does not get hooked on cars/driving and decides to pursue sailing, aviation, girls, motorcycles, girls, mountain biking, climbing, girls etc. etc. then you can get a decent amount back on trade or sale since they are desirable cars and will most likely continue to be.

Again - You asked for feedback so there you have it - Super cool you are mentoring your son in this space - really admirable and all to often missed IMHO.

Cheers

 

Is the intention just to teach them to drive while supervised? Or to get them a car they would eventually keep as their own to drive daily?

If you just want to get them engaged and interested with cooler cars, teach them to drive a manual in something old/cheap, and then when they're ready you let them drive your own car with you in the passenger seat.

Now to give them a car as their regular daily? No way I would ever get my son a high performance rwd sports car, especially as a first to learn to drive a manual on top of that. Thinking back to when I was younger, I considered myself a very responsible teenager/college kid, and even then the kind of stuff my friends and I would do were miracles we didn't get seriously hurt. And this is with 80's-90's American/Japanese cars with 150hp at best.

My future plan with my kids is to get them into go-karting, then when they are of age teach them to drive a manual in a highly rated safe car, always supervised. If they want to drive high performance cars then I'll take them to track events. I'll let them drive my own cars as much as they want, but always with me. However for their own daily driving cars I don't think I would ever get them a high performance car, they can get those on their own when they can afford to buy it themselves and make their own adult decisions.

 

What's your budget? And how old is the kid?

Id try to get him a Miata as they are fun, look cool and safe. New ones are pricy though at around 30k (which used to be enough to buy you a nice 997 Carrera).

A cayman or a 997 would be amazing for sure. You probably can pick clean ones for $40k.

 

I'd start him off with a BMW 3 series. Then add a Boxster S or 911 when he's ready to go off to school, if he's smitten with the driving experience.

The BMW could be parked anywhere without the stress.

What's his preference?

 

A Ferrari Mondial as an entry level sportscar?

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1982-ferrari-mondial-8/

 

Mazda 3 is still available in manual in the hatchback. Great little cars, and the most fun entry level car right now (wheezy CVT dogs, most of them). I got my son the auto sedan.

Another we were considering was a manual Mini Cooper. But they're about $10k more.

 

I learned stick on my dad’s Mondial back in the 80’s. Let’s just say I wouldn’t give one to a kid. While it’s not the fastest car by today’s standards it has some major downsides. Like attracting attention and 30+ year old car reliability. Even when new I remember our Mondial was always broken. It also doesn’t have the latest safety features.

I would also not go for something as light as a Miata. I would look at something like a BMW or Mercedes coupe, disclaimer I gave my son my hand me down MB coupe. The reason why is safety. Not only does it have the Mercedes tracking so I know where the car was even if his phone is off, but it had modern ABS, traction/stability, lane departure notification, reverse camera,…. All things that a new driver would need. Also has an automatic so he didn’t have as much to worry about as he gained driving skills. Did he ever learn stick, yes just not on that car.


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2008-2013 BMW 128i

You can find them with a 6MT. Cheap as chips nowadays. Reliable N52 motor. Plenty of aftermarket fun bits as the chassis is shared with the E9x generation M3.
I have one that I turned into a track car and it’s an absolute blast.

https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1888270

^^This one is super clean, basically top of the market price wise but still less than $17k

 

Honda S-2000 all the way.

 

I'd get him a new Mazda 3. Crashes are likely with new drivers, and the less power they have the less likely they are to get in trouble. Despite how much I love the E46 3-series, A modern car is going to be significantly safer than any of the older cars mentioned.

 

I bought a 2006 Mini Cooper for my daughter when she turned 16. Panoramic sunroof, the awesome optional heated leather seats, manual. It's a late first gen car so it has the good Getrag gearbox in it vs the problematic 02-04 Rover box.

It's been great as a first car. Fun to drive, easy to park, handles brilliantly. She's loved it.

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Perhaps a gateway to Ferrari ownership?

Has factory hardtop, and ac - just toss the soft top back.
So…meets criteria
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Steer clear of the more recent mustangs 2015 and up with a 6 speed unless it's a gt350. The gear boxes areade from glass and paper mache