Hey guys i am about to turn 17 i have been driving for a year. With my permit i have been driving these cars 06Subaru STI and an 08 Mustang GT. So what do you guys think of a mazda speed 3 as a first car for me?

 

Too young and inexperienced. I know you may not think so, but believe me.....

 

STi: Great car, but you'll kill yourself with its understeer.
Mustang GT: Too tempting to smoke your tires at every light.

With rising fuel costs, 93 isn't cheap. And do you know what insurance will be for you? If you want a 3 that much, buy a 2.0L with a manual...because, a first car is kept for a long time.

 

I just recently purchased a 2008 Mazda 3i 5spd. I love it and yes it is my first car that is actually owned by me. It gets me good gas mileage and is a hell of a sharp looking car.

 

the STI is going to have a HUGE insurance cost. seriously, you have no idea. just call an insurance company and get a quote. when i was 21 with a clear driving record and married, they were asking 10k a year for me.

 

It really depends on what you want to get out of your car. Mazda 3 is a great car. I'm going to assume by the way you said it, the Mustang and STI were the parents cars or you were driving a friends car.

Personally I firmly belive a first car should be a beater. 8-10 years old and be 100hp or less. You learn to tune and drive it to it's best performance and do all the maintanence on it. Then when you get a good car you really respect it.

Wow how old do I sound?

But if you are getting a new car a Mazda 3 would be a good one. Insurrance will suck all the money from your wallet and you're going to curb the rims and dent a fender. So keep that in mind in your choice. Repairs, Gas, Maint will all be $$$ spent.

Personally I would say get yourself2 grand and buy a car cash. Don't go into debt buying a car until you have to.

 

I have to disagree with you there - I believe a first car should be relatively new (5 years or newer) with relatively low mileage, and in relatively good condition. A new driver should worry more about learning to drive and gaining experience than working on their car. Most kids panic if their car breaks down, best to give them a good, reliable car at first.

 

And I'm sorry VB. You and I agree on a lot, butI have to agree w/PurrNaK. A beater can be a verygood experience for a new driver... and any new car they were to purchase is liable to become a beater long before it's paid off.
I drove beaters for a long time before I restored my first MG.I learned a lot about cars during that time. And yes, I sometimes worried whether or not the car in question would make it home from a distanceaway, but I learned how to solve those problems. A little worry never hurt anyone, and as the saying goes, Necessity is the Mother of Invention. I invented a few things driving those old paintless cars, and learned to trust my mechanical instincts too.
The used Honda Civic I bought form an ex GF (65K miles,) well, I turned that into a DD AND my track car and mostly from my head (imagination,) my reading and researching, and the local Foreign Car junkyard. I did pretty well with it too.
This Mazda is my very first brand new car, and I was 47 in '04. No 16-17 yr old needs a new car.

 

i am 24 now. my list of the first 5 cars that i owned go like this: 68 VW beetle, 69 VW beetle, 85 pontiac pariesienne, 95 geo metro, 02 pro5. i now love my cars and they stay very well maintained. on top of that, i haven't broken the bank with insurance and car notes, so my credit has stayed good through this whole process. i honestly feel that if i had owned something new for my first car, i wouldn't have respected it the same way. case-in-point; a co-worker of mine bought his 17 yo son an rx8 for his first car. he said that every day when he gets home, there is someone waiting at his door to tell him that he has been doing 40 through the 20 mph neighborhood or that he burned out all of the way down the street. he said that his son has already passed him on the freeway twice doing at least 90.

i now know the true value of a dollar and love what i have. i don't beat on my cars or do stupid **** with them. now, i am saving to pay cash for an STI next year. it all takes patience. you are not in the best years yet.

 

True...my sister's done that to HER Malibu...(she's 21). I'm proud to say that my Malibu won't be like that...I'm a fanatic.