yes, street racing is definitely dangerous in all aspects. Even i know that, and i'm only 17 and a half. See what i mean people? It's not the age in all of the cases, it's mostly the driver.

And yes, kind of sucks that i won't get to pay for the car, but heck, parents didn't let me work. Although i DID do hardcore landscaping for my uncle for a couple of summers and my credit from that should transfer to my mom, they're close like that so yeah. I'm not talking about mowing your neighbors' lawns either, i'm talking about 9 hours of in the sun, doing full yardwork for about 20 houses a day. SO yeah, i know the suffering of labor, i won't take it for granted, whatever my parnets will give me, i'll be happy with it.

 

My first car couldn't beat a dump truck at the dragstrip. At 16 years old, I inherited a 1989 Ford Taurus FOUR cylinder 2.5L 88hp@5500 RPM!! At least I had an air conditioner unlike many friends, but I can't think of a car that couldn't beat me at high school. Next was a '94 Toyota tercel (no AC, no radio) which felt like a rocketship in comparison. Then came the 1997 Honda Prelude, which I will always remember as my first performance car. Three weeks ago, I purchased my first Subaru, a 2003 WRX Sedan, which has made me choose turbocharging over VTEC.

 

I have to agree with clamdip. Once you earn the money to buy your car, you seem to treat it a lot better. Where I went to school, there was a big mix of rich kids and poor kids. While there was a Dodge Viper, a Hummer, and a few Corvettes in the parking lot, there also were kids who rode the bus, while their parents had Chevettes.

Surprisingly though, Most of the megarich kids no longer are supported by mommy and daddy, nor did they graduate college, so now they are stuck, and going backwards in the automotive world. I think its better to start from the bottom and go up. You'll appreciate life more.

 

Will 88 hp actually drive an air conditioner?

Did you have to pull over to use the air conditioner??

Ahaha. Sorry -- I couldn't resist! :-P

 

You got a kick out of that one, huh?? I didn't realize what I said until the next day.. But I TRY and keep it as safe as possible. If someone wants to race, I’ll race, traffic permitting. I'm not the type that weaves through traffic acting like an a-hole

 

How right you are! They get it in the long run.

 

I don't get this thread, what 17-18 yr. old can afford an STI? It's going to be like $31k most likey isn't? And if the answer to that question is that their parents are going to give them the money, then I think this thread should be about bad parenting..or at least the parents would have to make an judgement call on whether or not the car they are helping their son/daughter obtain is suited for them etc. etc..

I'm from an similar situation where I'm 20yrs. old, but saved up enough money to buy an used car and pay for the insurance since it will inherently be cheaper than an new car in most cases; But my parents (yes I still live at home and commute to college) strongley advised me to let them help me out in buying an new car so I wouldn't have to deal with breakdowns and I would be able to commute in the winter, and have na reliable car etc.. So we worked out a deal where they pay insurance and I pay the payments (I financed it), but they stress the importance of hard work, and that the next car I own will be one I buy myself without any help.

I think that is good parenting since I feel that I am mature enough to own an nice car at my age and they know that. But they are still stressing the values of hard work by holding me responsible for the payments and not giving me an free ride(although I'm sure they could afford it). And if this thread is just an blanket statement that no young people should own nice cars than I think there are certainly exceptions to that idea where it's absolutly plausable for that situation to occur with no reason to hold contempt for those young individuals except jealusy IMO.
Paul

 

i agree with some of this stuff, but a lot of it is just plain crap. im almost 30 and i drive fast pretty much all the time. as with anything, you dont learn how to do something unless you do it all the time. i was a great driver at 17 because id been driving ***** out fast since i was 14. i had 3 older brothers with cars or trucks and lived in a small town (on a gravel road) where i could drive at that age without gettin caught. the big factors that make driving dangerous to me are not the young punks, but the middle aged idiots who cant drive. they drive too slow because they have no skill. they have no skill because theyre to nervous or chicken to go fast. i think people who drive in the passing lane on 4 lane highways should be lynched. anyway, you dont become a better driver unless you push the limits in which you are comfortable. of course, you have to be smart too. IQ plays a big role in knowing what you can and cant do. understanding physics is a big plus too. i drive fast because its fun. i drive fast because ive got places to be and im usually late. i drive fast because im good at it. i think we should raise the speed limits in this country more to european standards, but we should also train our drivers like they do. its way too easy to get your license here. if i had my way youd have to take an IQ test and a high speed road course before you could get a license. of course that would cut in half the drivers in south carolina....good riddance i say.

 

man i drove a .9 liter Daihatsu and the AC worked just fine
but you can tell the car slows down due to the AC

that car prolly had like 40 HP

 

First let me say that I TOTALLY agree with your comment about driving in the PASSING lane (not the "fast" lane, thank you.) Sometimes I get the feeling people are diving slow in the passing lane and thumbing their noses just to **** people off or make some self delusional point. These people are WRONG, BREAKING THE LAW, and DANGEROUS.

But as much as they frustrate me, they aren't going away (unless we really do lynch em all!). Furthermore, some people may drive slowly on side roads, but the truth is, whatever reason they have, they aren't doing anything wrong. In fact, they are more in the right than people who drive fast (myself included).

Which leads to my point:

Being a good driver is not strictly about driving technique. Roads are hazardous. Other drivers are hazardous. There are unexpected events waiting just around every corner. There are many situations that can only be avoided by driving at a reasonable speed and using good judgement.

Good driving skills are never an excuse for driving too fast.

Driving defensively, at a reasonable speed and using good judgement are the only ways to be safe.

 

Are the vultures circling around this thread yet?....