Ok so my niece just turned 18 (today) and wants to get a car. I've turned her into a bit of a car lover too, and she wants an rsx-s, which i think is too nice of a car for someone who's just now getting their license. To her credit though, she did know how to drive stick shift since she was 14, but not regularly on the roads. What would u guys suggest as a nice manual starter car for her?

Stipulations:
1. Manual tranny
2. Has to be a coupe
3. Not too expensive
4. Reliable
5. Not too large. (the only large coupe she'd consider is a CL, and she thinks it might be too big for her already)
6. Power features available (doors, locks, etc)

No civics or tegs (stolen alot in my area)

Any good suggestions would help!

 

A late Accord coupe may fill the bill. The Solara coupe is also nice but a manual may be hard to find.

 

Scion tC would probably be perfect for her, if she likes the aesthetics.

Other options less renowned for reliability include the Chevy Cobalt coupe (or used SS, which like the RSX-S may have too much horsepower for her experience), Mitsu Eclipse, Mazda MX3 or VW Rabbit/Golf (yes, the last two are more hatchback-profile than coupe-profile).

 

Well, going off of your stipulations (and aside from the CL) here's what I can think of so far.....

Accord coupe
S2000
Altima coupe
Solara
Celica
Eclipse
Scion tC
Volvo C30 (reliability at this point unknown but should be average since it's basically a hatchback/coupe version of the S40)

 

i would say the Scion TC. My ex has one, which I drove alot. They are cheap to buy, fun to drive, and very reliable. I think the Scion would be a great fit for her. But thats just my

 

Golf/Rabbit

 

He's probably thinking a bit cheaper than a new Scion.....

 

Ferrari F430 Scuderia!

 

You could consider a RSX (non type-S). That would probably help keep the insurance in check and they did offer this in a manual transmission. All the power stuff is standard on them too. Other than that, the Scion Tc is a great choice too.

 

^

 

If she gets an RSX, she wont accept anything less than the type S (like i said, i've taught her too much lol) But we'll see. I'll ask her how she feels about the tC, they dont seem to be too expensive used. And the 2g eclipse, but their reliability is really iffy and i dont want it breaking down on her all the time. She's not big into hatchbacks, but i'll propose them to her n see what she says.

 

Who is buying?

 

doesnt have to be new.

 

Gti

 

Used Scion, or used Civic coupe

 

Guess you missed the part about no Civics

 

Nope, I just think its a great first car, get a plain one with a manual and keep it stock and no one will touch it.

 

This conversation is completely pointless until we have the budget.

I'd go ahead and assume that an RSX would be very much a ripoff candidate like a Civic or a Teg.

 

The budget is 10k or less, and me and her parents and granddad are all putting in. It's my birthday/christmas/graduation from highschool gift 4 her. I'm in charge of finding the car though lol. And civics are a great car, but here in queens ny, they'll take it if its stock or modified simply for parts. And she's gonna modify the car, whichever car she gets. I turned her into a gearhead like myself, she helps me with my installs and goes to the races w/me and everything.

 

i'd go w/ a miata. there is some form of a miata that will fit in anyone's budget, and I think they have a pretty loyal following in the right circles. My only concern with that would be safety.

I think for a first car you should just assume they'll have some sort of accident, just hope it's something small like a fender bender, or hitting a pole or something. I know I probably would want to spend like ~5k. But I am kinda a cheap ass.

RSX is a pretty safe car though, I know that from first hand experience...........

 

Prelude please.

 

$10K or less doesnt leave too many choices.

Aside from those already mentioned above..... how about a Tiburon, Mitsu Mirage, Nissan 200SX?

 

dang posted the budget at the same time i posted.

w/ 10k...
prelude - probably the best choice, w/ a 10k budget. but i'd still be worried about theft.
older wrx - not a coupe, but definitely a 'tuner' car, and I know awd would've helped me a few times when I was learning to drive.
scion tc - i'm not sure if the tc is in your budget, but should be good fit. I'd probably buy an xB, but I understand that's not everyone's style, and definitely not a 'coupe'
mr2 - I'm not sure if you live in a climate where a roadster would be the best option, but i've always wanted a 2nd or 3rd gen mr2.
celica - i never really cared for the look of the celica. but some people like it, and it's a decently nice car, and should easily fit in your budget.

 

98-02 accord - I think the 4cy. came in stick, and should be a good car. I think they are around that budget, but haven't really looked. The 4cy. manual didn't have the transmission problems either.
solara - I really liked the older model. My old roommate had one that looked pretty good.
if she really want's to be a tuner, 240 sx, or 300zx, but I'm not sure about the reliability of those, and I don't know about the 'drift' car as a first car

 

Yeah, for $10K and a mod-friendly car, make it a Prelude.

 

I think we could find her a nice prelude for the right price. She likes the celica too, and she thinks its more of a girl car so it might suit her. I think the H22 might get her into a little too much trouble though. And she rather have a 1st gen CL than an accord coupe. As for tiburons, she hates hyundai's lol.

 

of her

 

GTi

 

She probably associates them with "poor" people.

She can get a hell of a deal on a used V6 Tiburon with a 6-speed.

 

lol she probably does associate them with poor people. I think she just wants a nice project car w/some amenities that she can work on. But i can already tell, she's gonna be a lil speed demon so i'm trying to make sure the car doesn't have too much power

 

Stick shift Cobalt Coupe with the 2.2L Ecotec.