Big Pimpin

i went to driving school and i learn defensive driving so i never really had a problem with scrapping shit except one time i backed the volvo into a support pole supporting the balcony luckily it didnt cave in and it was fixed quickly, but the pole was already kinda off and i just nudged it a little bit. I'm going to the dealership either friday or sometime next week and hopefully they will have white tsx's left

wiz

I must say that I agree with most everybody else here, a 16 year old does not need a brand new car to drive. My sister had her first car bought for her when she was 15, a 1990 Volkswagen Cabriolet Convertible - Triple white. She had no business driving that car, but miraculously she never wrecked it.

My first car was a 1989 Ford Escort GT 5 speed. This was back in 1993, so it was 4 years old. I liked the car and enjoyed driving it for the year I had it. After that, my dad bought a new 4x4 truck and him and I split time driving it. When I didn't drive it, I drove his old 1990 2 wheel drive truck. At that point I really didn't care as long as I had something to drive. There are still kids today that do not get a car until they can afford to buy one. My first new car came in 1999 when I bought my Pontiac Grand Prix GT brand new off the lot with my own money. It felt good, and you seem to take care of the car more when it's your money that you've sinked into it.

ric

I'm afraid I learned to drive with my parent's cars, and dropped the transmission in one of them, flipped another in a 360 spin on packed ice........ stopped when I broadsided a tree. They were not amused at the time. The replacement, a Mercedes 250 S, was a lot of fun, I discovered, on a local crosscountry motorcycle racetrack; by then, I had polished my skills, and the Mercedes survived intact - didn't tell my Dad about it until I was living far, far away. . The I-Scout, with the first bone-jarring awd "personal truck" was a @#$% truck that I could not have damaged if I had hit it with a sledgehammer.

Given the economics of cars - and as level-headed as you actually sound - I'd keep the TSX (sell it and take the depreciation and buy a beater? ends up being a cash even deal) but do what this guy did and pack yourself off to a true driving class, where you can learn sensitive, preventative driving techniques; the one being referenced is a really good one. The lessons learned will probably pay out for decades, and if you can get your dad to go, it would be great.

My parents never did buy me a car (not surprising) and I eventually really learned how to drive in Philly in my early twenties while learning how to commute in urban traffic. Not the way to go. My wife, who used to dragrace at the Atco speedway in her youth agreed with me that neither of us should teach her son when he hit 16, and we packed him off to an excellent driving program - best investment we made. He's a safe, thoughtful, proactively preventative driver who anticipates well, and can handle almost any road condition effectively. I'll confess I've picked up some tools from him.................

MemRheins

Keep The TSX dude, honestly Im 18 too, TSX is my first car, love it, no matter what car u get shits gonna happen, your still learning, got into one accident in the TSX, still kills me to think about it, but because it was a new car I couldnt get parts, had to wait 2 months for a new front bumper and seatbelt, Now i worship the car, wash and wax it constantly, I learned how to drive well after that, Just stick with it, your lucky to have an awsome car like this.

And it dosent matter if its a civic, dosent automaticly make it a beater, My Friends 94 Civic is probibly in just as good of shape as my car, and Better then Most new cars out there.

Ive seen Ferarris run down, dosent matter, stick w/ ur TSX, learn to drive in it, have fun but not too much

tsxhondatuner

if ur gonna get rid of tha tsx get a 99-00 si. im in luv wit those. thats what i should have gotten but i didnt want a used car wtih payments. keep the tsx if you can, its a great car. its my third car and im 17 :/

einsatz

I didn't have a car of my own until I was 19. It was a 1992 Toyota Camry LE (i4) I bought used in 1998 with 72,000 miles. Great first car. I could fit all my friends (we had 7 people in it once crossing the border from NY to Canada ) and the 125HP were enough. It was old enough that if someone dinged it I wouldn't care too much. I got it for a little over $7,000, it only had one previous owner, with the maintenance records filled out.
I kept it until 2002 when I had saved enough for my 03 CL-S. After the CL I got the TSX. I think that if I had the CL-S as my first car I would be dead right now. If I had the TSX as my first car, it'd be all scrathed up and fucking dirty as hell inside/out. The TSX deserves better than a teen driver.

sipark

My first car was a 1980 olds mobile cutlass sierra, 15 yrs old used car back then. One night during a winter, it stopped running and got me stuck in North Philly ghetto. No cell phones back then, cold and pitch black outside, freaked the shit out of me... Eventually got someone to offer me to use the telephone and came home safe.

Unfortunate incidents like that makes me appreciate the luxury I enjoy these days even more.

tsxhondatuner

not all teen drivers are the same people need to realize that. and how does the tsx deserve someone better. If it was a TL i would agree a lil but damn this car isn't a $100k car. i take car of mine how it should be.

RMATIC09

All cars should be treated properly. If he feel's hes not taking care of this car..then it would be the smart thing to downgrade to something more "fitting". Dont just get a car though to not "give a crap" about, like u mentioned your friends have in your first post.

925tsx

just keep your tsx and try to become more responsible. i think if your 16 and you have a brand new tsx..thats basically som extra pimp juice for you. maybe you should try paying for a little bit of it each month, and you will care about it more, meaning you will drive responsibly, watch where your going, keep it in good condition etc, you will get better as a driver in time, until then take it easy

dantsx

Did your parents buy you that car? Damn.
I always believe that someone should drive a bucket once in their life (usually their first car). About six years ago, my first car was a 1990 Dodge Omni. Yes, a complete bucket. But I appreciated it because I didn't pay for it.

Now that I bought myself a nice car, I can REALLY appreciate it. Go with the bucket, dude.

ClutchPerformer

Well since it's been resurrected....

When I was learning to drive, my parents thought it would be cheaper/safer (mainly safer) to let me drive one of their cars ('97 CL) than getting me a separate beater of my own. I ended up taking the side mirror off (just like the thread-starter), getting in two accidents (only one was my fault), and the car was severely keyed while parked at my HS by some jealous coward. New drivers will make mistakes, no matter how great of a driver they'll eventually become.

Looking back, it was cool driving their nice new car in HS, but I really wish that they'd gotten me an old Civic or something. It would have been much less headache for all of us (and less insurance cost for them) because all that stuff either wouldn't have mattered as much (accidents) or wouldn't have happened in the first place (keying). I've never asked them about it b/c I'm still embarrassed about doing all that to their car, but I bet my parents would agree. That CL is in much worse shape today because of me.

Bottom line: There is absolutely NO REASON for a n00b driver to have a nice car. It's not worth it.

dom

Did you whomever did that?

ClutchPerformer

I never found out who it was. I tried very hard, though.

I have no idea what I would have done if I did find out. Maybe it's better that I didn't know...

MemRheins

yeah, i have the TSX for my first car,

Before anyone says anything I droped 16k of my own money for the car, and am slowly paying my dad back the rest of it,

Back to Clutch performers post, my TSX even got keyed across the rear bumper (not to bad, polished and waxed it and u cant even see it) last year in the HS parking lot, luckly i found out who it was, didnt confront him, but somehow his Jeep ended up with all 4 wheels removed and placed undernearth the car in the parking lot, wonder how that happened?

gocubsgo55

payback's a bitch, but maybe that was a little too much. just my opinion, but if people do something to you, don't step down to their level. But who does that?

Big Pimpin

I wouldnt have left his wheels behind.

RMATIC09

If someone keyed my car, i would have done the same thing. But just a bit more messy, and less time consuming. For example, 2 bricks to the windshields, and 1 to the door, then some eggs and paintballs and a few rocks. Something that would have their mouths dropped open, and really make them regret doing anything.

I do however have 3 scratches under my driver handle about 3 inches across, but i think thats from a shopping cart.

DEI99662

I would have sold them on eBay.

tsxhondatuner

haha i agree, thats totally true. now that i have a car payment and im paying for it i get irritated about every little thing. i.e the dash creak noise!

but whatever. my car is clean and i don't abuse it

ClutchPerformer

RMATIC09

asenna88

Wow I guess I'm showing my age here but first car was a '77 VW Scirocco in '82 for 3k LOL , but hey it was cool the guy I bought it from autocrossed it so it had all the cool lowered susp. , sways , tires etc. . Hell I would have loved almost any new car at 16 .

ric

days are gone when you could just drop a raw egg into the gas tank. Car runs long enough.... to be well away from the scene of the effort.

biker

All of this talk of cars getting "keyed" got me thinking - in 10 years when all new cars have "inteligent" keys (some plastic fob) - what are people going to use to "key" your car?

aaronng

My first car was a 1991 Mitsubishi rebadge. I think the original design came from the 1970's model. It had a 1.5 litre SOHC 12 valve 4 cylinder engine running off a carburettor, had 60hp, a 3-speed auto tranny, got 16mpg out of it on the combined cycle. Weighed 800kg, and top speed was 96mph one a downhill-inclined highway, where the tacho was at redline. If it had a 4th gear, I think it could have still accelerated a bit more.
Wait til you hear about my 2nd car. A 1.3 litre SOHC 16 valve 4-cylinder 4WD. Once you take all 65hp and minus the drivetrain losses from the full-time AWD, you'll understand why I need to rev it to 6000rpm in 1st gear to get it moving uphill. Oh, and the top speed was 84mph downhill-inclined on a highway, and it was drag limited..... HAhahahah. Mileage? same 16mpg, but this was 100% highway driving! LOL

aaronng

Probably with credit cards, or that metal rivet tab thing that is on your jeans pockets.

psx

Man, my first car was an '88 civic I bought with 200k miles on it for $175. I don't know where you 16,17,18-year olds are getting your money, but I'm looking to get a TSX soon, make decent money, and still think 24 years old is too young for this car. I think 25 is a good age to start thinking about purchasing a nice car as long as you can make the payments without help from mommy and daddy. All I can say is that I thought the people at my HS with new Mustangs, Audis, etc, were a bunch of punks.

sipark

I'm happy for you that you know the value of money and will be working hard to pay for your own car.

Unfortunately for you, there are many rich parents who wouldn't want their kids driving a POS, knowing it might stop in the middle of no-where.. If you were filthy rich, you probably would want the best for your kids, as well..

Plus, I think all of the teens here on the forum are actually paying for their own cars.

This comes from a guy who drove 1980 oldsmobile cutlass supreme in mid 90's...

psx

I'll agree with that, however, only as long as they pay something each month. I hope you're right about most here paying for their TSXes... I think it makes you appreciate your car that much more.

sipark

I meant to say "most" not "all". It's too late to edit now.. Certainly, I do not know that ALL are paying for their cars..

ClutchPerformer

House keys?

Most car keys nowadays aren't "sharp" enough to get through a clear coat anyway. TSX keys couldn't key something if they tried.

ProbyOne

... I would say get a 99-01 TL...

I just got mine about a year and a half ago and its been great

joerockt

I dunno clutch, im looking at my key right now and im sure it could do some damage.

kaikai114

if you think TSX is too pimpy for ya... try an used Prelude, you'll have a blast driving that thing while not having to worry about getting it banged up. I dont think I'll ever by a brand new car again, 1-2 year old cars are the best, great price, still in great condition (should be), and you won't be paranoid about having a new car

docboy

I believe that if you just "give" a kid a brand new, luxury-type car like a TSX, 3 series, A4, etc... he/she would not appreciate the value of money as much. Yes, the kid may enjoy driving the car, but I highly doubt it he/she would understand what it took to buy the car.

My wife and I have deliberated on this topic, and we definitely agree that it's better for the kid to finance his/her own car, especially one like a TSX. It teaches independence, responsibility, and appreciation for money. Otherwise the kid may turn out to be a snob/preppie who has all a nice car/clothes b/c the parents are well off, not b/c he/she did anything to accumulate those measures of wealth.

That said, I wouldn't mind giving a kid like a beater car (say a 10-13 year old reliable honda/toyota) as say a college grad present just to give him/her started. Anything else better he/she would have to penny it up themselves. After seeing these new cars running around I'm sure he/she would vault themselves to a position to work more conscientiously so as to acquire such a nice vehicle on his/her behalf.

MemRheins

Once again, split the cost of the TSX w/ my parents, but anyway, I attcually think The TSX is a great car to learn in

Learning to drive everyone is gonna have a few snags, i admit i scraped up the front bumper alittle at one point, but I fixed it, spent all most all the money i was gonna invest into the car, and am pritty much broke lol, but u learn, the TSX is a great car for a kid for several reasons

1) Its safe, 5 star safety rating, side curtain airbags, whole 9 yards, its got everything in that department covered
2) Front wheel drive, better in the snow/ weather, and new drivers dont know how to handle conditions, less likely to slide out around a turn
3) 4 Cyl- Peppy, not gonna have problems going up hills, ect, but unfortinutly not fast enough to do anything too stupid in
4) Honda Parts- Reliable, good matenence program
5) Navagation- I dont have it but alot of new drivers will get lost
6) Stereo- Good stereo, most kids look for this in a car
7) Auto/ Stick- has the option for either kind of transmission, as opposed to some other cars
8) 4 Door- Can fit alot of people, I know for a fact that I have fit 12 people in The TSX (dont ask...lol)

Theres probibly more but I have to go to class now...

ClutchPerformer

And this is a reason that the TSX is great for kids?

MemRheins

well the 12 people isnt the greatest thing, probibly shouldnt of mentioned that, but having a 4 door has been very benifitial for me, esp being in a band, ive been able to carry alot more in the TSX then i would of if I had gotten the Mustang I originally wanted... Last winter, me and my friends went skiing alot, and having a 4 door was very benifitial for that as well

the 12 people, was the crew team, it was raining, and needed somewhere to hang out for a minute, would never try to drive w/ 12 people

ClutchPerformer

You guys must be very close...