Consider a Mazda Miata. It won’t be fast enough to race, and that is a good thing. As @VDCdriver said, your insurance rates will be high, especially if you buy something that is fast. The Miata will be fun to drive with a low center of gravity and light weight. My nephew used to street race. He lost his license when he got busted for it. Just think you High your insurance rates will be after you get busted. You will get busted if you race on the street.
There’s no way in hell I’m even remotely going to thing about racing with parents like mine, and the type of streets we have here where I am. I just want a nice car, and to have a nice slow cruise all while being careful with my car and myself. I believe the F-body I mentioned earlier had a top speed of roughly 150 something, but even then I’m not going to race, not for a while, that’s for sure. Insurance is certainly something I have to keep in mind, and if I do end up getting the car, it’s going to be entirely up to me to be a good driver and not be a moron and wreck it so my insurance doesn’t go up more than what it already is/will be with the car.
Off topic-but what is with your screen name. Is there some meaning to it?
Apparently it took my screenname from my email. It’s a Doctor Who reference, but I don’t watch it anymore so it really doens’t matter to me anymore. I don’t know why it make my username based off of my email, I can’t even change it. Ugh.
Off a cliff maybe. IIRC all GM vehicles of that era were governored to 119 mph but only a few were capable of doing even that. This was when emissions controls took their greatest toll on engines. The technology just wasn’t very advanced so it wasn’t uncommon to see a 400 cu in engine rated at 110 hp.
Ah, okay then sorry. Got off the dude on the phone who was selling one and be said he’d been there around 140-150. I haven’t done my research on the cars back then etc. so I guess he misspoke or something. Funny enough, the F body was also his first car at 17 too! Hah, he told me to “respect the power under your foot and you’ll be fine.” Interesting way of putting it, I suppose.
I don’t know how to calculate my insurance for the car if I even am going to pick up the F body? All I know is that I have Geico, but I don’t know where to go from there.
You are most likely listed as a driver on your parents insurance since you do not presently have a vehicle.
So then, let’s say I did have the car. How would I go from there?
One more thing, I’ve opened up my mind a bit and am open to some suggestions for a better alternative to the F body type I don’t shut up about. Anyone got some good beginner BMWs? Manual of course. I hear BMWs don’t have the best handling though. The Grand Tour told me otherwise.
There is no such thing. Used BMW’s are meant to help mechanics make boat payments. Seriously, if you are still in school and living at home your parents are the ones you should be having these discussions with.
Sorry about the racing comment. I misread your comment above about NOT racing.
Even if you buy the car, register it in your parent’s names. This will save you a lot on your insurance.
Thanks for the tip, I’ll be sure to keep it in mind. Any downsides to doing this?
Since when is a 350 cu in/5.7l a very large engine? It must be the displacement because it sure isn’t the HP rating. It is only rated at 10 more horse power than my 3.5l Camry and the 0-60 times are almost the same according to what limited info I could find. And the “High output” 5.0 in the 82 Trans Am had 70 Hp less then the 3.5 Camry. IMHO neither of these Pontiacs were really “high performance” even in their day. Just this guys opinion.
I checked the parts & labor cost to replace the radiator, 82 Firebird vs 2000 Civic.
It’s actually a little less labor for a radiator replacement on the Firebird, 1 hour vs 1.8 hours for the Civic. But here’s the problem you’ll be looking at on repairs like this for an 83 Firebird. The oem radiator for the Civic is listed, and available for $290. The oem radiator for the Firebird is not available.
Rockauto lists an A/C Delco OEM radiator for $242 but I don’t think an OEM radiator will increase the collector value of a $1900 car. Radiators are available for less than $100.
I’m trying so hard to find a V6 that’s fairly cheap here in NJ but the ones that are usually either pricey, or have an automatic transmission. My dad said that on our insurer, Geico, it won’t make a massive difference in the insurance amount for a v6 vs v8. How big of a difference does it make in insurance, from your people’s experience?
For crying out loud. Forget V8-V6 just look for a reasonably priced vehicle that you can afford that passes a mechanical inspection. A small 4 cylinder car will still have sufficient power and not consume a lot of fuel.
+1
Despite the OP’s claims to the contrary, his obvious desire for a more powerful car is ample evidence of his desire to be a lead foot. A small 4-cylinder car will save a small fortune on insurance costs–as compared to a performance-oriented vehicle–and will allow him to get practical driving skills for several years before he moves up to a performance vehicle.
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You still want to be on your parents’ insurance. You do not want your own insurance policy at this time - you will end up paying hundreds more per month.
I get that you want a fast car - almost every teenage male does. I would encourage you to focus on handling and fuel economy instead. A car with a big engine that doesn’t handle well is only fun on the drag strip. A car that handles well is fun everywhere. Tim Suddard over at Grassroots Motorsports likes to say, and he’s right, that it’s a lot more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow.
Were I in your shoes I’d be looking for something like a BRZ/FRS, or a Civic Si hatchback. They’re fun, practical, and safe.
Avoid cars with no back seat - insurance companies just love single teenage male drivers in 2 seaters, because they get to charge an arm and a leg for the policy.
When you were a little kid you didn’t get a 21 speed mountain bike as your first ride. You got a tricycle, and then you got a 1-speed dirt bike. Same with cars. Learn to drive the normal cars really well, then get the powerful cars.
If you get that V8, insurance companies and cops are not going to fail to notice that you have 400 horsepower and a lead foot.
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That would be a tall cliff. I thought of rolling it off the ramp of a C-130 at about 10,000 feet AGL
Top speed is 124mph. Brake hp of the 1983 mighty GM 305cu V8 is 187. I thought the switch to net hp occurred in 1972 which would be about 150. Max torque 239 lb/ft. Street legal race car LOL. It sounds like the seller is a professional BS artist. In 1986 my 19 y/o Son informed me the new Kawasaki Ninja 1000 “donorcycle” had a top speed of 200 mph. That seemed excessive. A couple days later I was at the supermarket and noticed a motorcycle magazine with the Ninja 1000 on the cover. I briefly checked the article and the tested top speed was 157 mph which I considered extremely impressive. When I informed my Son he said the test was wrong because him and his buddy examined one at the dealership and the speedometer was clearly marked 200 mph. I felt like writing all motor enthusiast magazines to inform them of all the time, effort, and expense they were wasting on these road tests when the top speed information was right in front of their faces. Still shaking my head.
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