20k for a new car is actually not that much. the avg price of a car these days is like 30k

now, when i was in high skool, back when going to skool meant dodging the dinosaurs and the cave-people, and gas was 5 cents a gallon, 20k was enough for an entry-level rolls.

these days, 20k probably won't buy an upgrade from fabric seats, so i don't think this guy's a spoiled brat.

now, when i was 16, i wanted a 63-67 corvette stingray. there were some very reasonable ones available. i told my folks it was investment, they laughed. i was right, but i got an old diesel benz that could launch 0-60 kph in 11.2 minutes.... should've gotten the vette

 

I would go with the S2000.

You get the looks
the reliability
the speed (just the right amount in my opinion)

I'm 17 and I bought my 2001 Silverstone 2 months ago for $21635 before tax and tag. It had 8900 miles on it

S2000 is faster than a Non-S Boxter, and it looks better too!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Fat And Furious
Ok well here is my situation.

My parents are willing to give me about 20k for a new car. I am 16. I wasn't really looking for a Honda, but I stumbled upon a thread involving S2000's on a fourm I am a regular to... This got me to thinking that I might want to consider an S2000 for my next car. I have a few car's I am thinking about:

1. Supra N/A initially, then do a swap to TT

 

Thanks for all the responses. In this day and age, I don't believe that I am THAT spoiled. I still really want the Supra, but I am considering the GSX. S2k's are still on my list, but I think I have eliminated the RX7 and Boxster, and quite possibly the MR2, because the one I want to buy isn't for sale :-P

 

The Supra just sold

 

if you can find a GSX, go for it! just hope you have LOTS of money laying around for repairs unless you know how to work on cars of course, but you'll still need some extra cash for the parts, and pray to god you don't get crankwalk =[

 

just get the supra then. the depreciation of value for a supra should be slower than that of the gsx.

but then again, if you have $20K to spend, why not get a 95-97 e36 m3??

 

I say forget all the cars on your list. You're 16 and willing to spend $20K, so why not get something as new and as reliable as possible?

Other than the S2K, the other cars are going to be older, need more maintenance or end up being money pits. And finding a mint condition MR2 is going to cost a pretty penny, and be hard to find. I don't know what kind of Porsche Boxster you expect to get for $20K. Forget the NA Supra. Too old, and you'll be putting too much money into it down the road (just like the MR2). If you want a third gen RX7, you better have another car on the side. They are very fickle cars and not a good daily driver. Trust me, we have a car club with numerous third gen RX7's and all of the owners have daily driven cars and only bring out the RX7's for fun or show. As they know how unreliable and a pain in the ass they can be.

Get as new as you can for $20K. You could buy a used WRX, RSX Type S, Acura Integra Type R, S2000 (not recommended unless it's in perfect shape and low mileage), or Mazda Miata. Or you could buy something brand new like a Scion tC (cool car, checked it out yesterday), Dodge SRT-4 (yes, still a Neon, but it's fast and impressive), Nissan SE-R Spec V, Mazdaspeed Protege or something else in that price range.

You have many other better options than the cars you listed. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't pay $10K-$20K for a car that is 9-15 years old (Supra, MR2, RX7) unless I had the money to tinker with it and had a daily driver on the side.

 

^c'mon, don't you remember when you were 16?? at that age, you want something fast and flashy, not something new, reliable, and slow. sure, i agree getting something new and reliable is the smart and practical thing to do, but how many 16 year olds do you know who are practical?? besides, i'm sure if his car breaks down, his parents would give him the money to fix it. don't get me wrong, i agree with you 100%

 

Yeah, when I was 16, I wanted a new CRX Si or integra GSR (it was the only cool thing out back then!). My parents weren't giving me money to buy a car. I had to save up and buy my own car. And I wasn't able to afford anything near $15-20K. When I bought my first car, it was a used Honda Civic LX. After two years of owning it and being rear-ended, I decided to give the car to my dad and bought a used Acura Integra. Both cars were reliable and fun to drive, and they weren't expensive.

He has $20K and wants to buy a piece of poo (MR2, Supra or RX7). Sure, those cars can be great, but they will have more problems than he can imagine. And if his parents were to let him buy a 9-15 year old car for $20K, they are just dumb!

Besides, he has many choices for $20K. There are numerous new or slightly used cars in that price range. And they will be fast and flashy!