Camover

Ok, where do I begin...I'm 16 that means I'm starting work. So I have a few thousand in the bank but I don't have a license yet. For now I'm driving and practicing in a Nissan Sentra and a Honda Civic. But I'm going to buy either a Camaro or a Firebird at the end of summer and work on it so I can drive it when I get my license next June =)

But I have almost no experience with cars, which is why I started reading forums for now until I get hands on experience. Right now I'm reading the "So you wanna be fast..." thread but I want to know what car should I be looking into for buying. I don't want to spend more than 7-10 thousand and I want something strong and fast. I don't really want a luxury car and I don't plan on street racing and getting hurt especially since I'm young. I just want a performance car.

I guess my main question is, which forums here should I be reading to learn about cars and stuff?

Thanks =D Also, I know I'm 16, but please don't treat me like a child. I know I don't have to deal with mortgage and have big responsibilities but I'm not like most teenagers.

tmaschm

If you are looking to spend ten thousand you could prob get a 98-00 Z28 or a nice LT1 Z28. Check out the For sale ads if you are looking for a car. I got my 02 TA for 11k, but not everyone knows how to find a deal like me

slow1999blackz28

hey im only 18 and know how it is to be so young and ambitious haha i got my ls1 for 9200 with only 30k on it, you have to look around for the best deals or use friends for connections. FYI a camaros going to be a little less expensive then a bird just dont skip out and get a sixer go all the way with a 8 !! Just read through everything you can on the forum and your going to learn tons about f-bodys on here and whatever else you can find haha. I had fairly limited mechanical know how when i got my car but i've picked up a few things along the way doing all the modifications myself.

On a side note its hard not to get sucked into street racing another falling point of being young haha. Good luck getting a car and stay out of trouble.

Camover

Thanks...I was told that I should get a 63-88 because those cars have simple parts and it's easier to learn on...Is that true or just BS?

Yeah, I'm not looking directly into buying something now but just researching and browsing around, lol.

PS...where can I learn the BASICS. Because that "basic thread" meant for newbies, some stuff I don't know what it even is.

EDIT- Trust me, I live in New Jersey and here, at least where I live, it's a bunch of teens who race ONLY with civics and integra's, and I don't want to get even into it. People who call american muscle "trash" and stuff like that, so I'm not even racing with them, lol.

What year range of z28, camaro, or firebird should I be looking at? Like what generation?

RedRallyeZ

iTrader: (20)

i was in your situation a few years ago. Best advice has already been stated:

1. dont be stupid, and if you do get pulled over, respect is the best way. Cops dont like young teens with an attitude and a fast car. Ive bee npulled over three times but never a ticket.
2. dont get a six cylinder. You will always think of what it could have been.
3. you are awesome for checking out hte forums. I made the mistake of not doing that before i started throwing money at it. Even though ive redeemed myself on mods, i still realized real quickly that knowledge was priceless and overpaying is very avoidable if you know where to look.

God Bless and Good Luck,
Grey

00 Silver 6

iTrader: (3)

hey, I resent that!

but seriously though, don't do what I was about to do, and buy an 8 (2000 Camaro SS) without researching what its gonna cost. If I had bought my dream car a year ago like I wanted, around this time I would be about 4 grand in debt and climbing. My insurance wanted 4500 a year ( )to insure the car, and thats NO tickets, NO accidents as an 18 year old (2 years more experienced in driving than yourself). Call and ask what it would cost to insure, and by all means... GET THAT LS1! I love my camaro, but there are always those occasional times where I wish I had bought the 8...

Camover

Thanks for the replies...This might be really REALLY stupid, but when you guys say 8, you mean 8 cylinders right?

I'm still reading a lot on the forums and it should do good because I have months to research before considering buying a vehicle.

So what should I look for to consider buying a Firebird, Camaro, or z28 which are my choices which I'm considering. Less than 100k miles, V-8...what else??

jshababy23

You don't choose a car, the car chooses you (for the transformers fans) anyways... I got a 94 z28 when I was 16 and then when I turned 20 I upgraded to my '01 ss. That seemed to work good for me. Seriously though do not under any circumstances buy a 6 cylinder.

jonintheredcamaro

Good luck, and if you get an LS1, don't abuse it. They're a pain to work on.
I know, mine almost cruched my hand Sunday when I took the exhaust skidplate off. (Note: The LS1 itself is not hard to work on, it's difficult to remove if you don't have all the tools.....)

Camover

What's the major difference between LS1-LS6...I know it's the engine, but aren't they just slightly different?

And for the type of questions I'm asking, is the basic technical thread the one I should be reading?

UCFWS6

iTrader: (4)

start out by reading this thread https://ls1tech.com/forums/new-ls1-owners-newbie-tech/213148-jrp-s-faq-commonly-asked-questions.html it will answer a lot of the questions you may have about differences, and the function of certain parts. I also recommend the sticky about LS1 acronyms defined, there are literally hundreds of acronyms on here that even I'm still learning after 3 years. If this stuff is still too advanced for you and you don't really understand how an engine operates in general. go to howstuffworks.com and you can learn how a basic combustion enginer works and then apply the knowledge from the thread above

Camover

Thanks =D

stevethepirate

iTrader: (4)

welcome to the site! im just over the river in the philly area.

everyone is saying not to get a v6, so im just going to chime in and say that theres nothing wrong with them! i had a limited budget when i was looking for a car, and i really wanted something newer with low mileage, so i found a 2002 v6 with 18k miles on it.
yeah, they arent as fast as v8's, but if you just want something quick that you can work on and always improve, a v6 can be a lot of fun!

having a car that you can take pride in will be great. im only 19 now. all my friends in high school had imports/luxury cars that their parents paid for, and they were all getting stupid tickets and trashing their cars.

91 LS1 Z28

When you are out looking for a car I think the most important thing you will need to do is take someone with you who actually knows something about these cars you are looking at. If you can swing it have the mechanic your family does business with check out the car. If the seller is pushing the car and saying it is in great mechanical shape and so on they shouldn't have a problem dropping it off at your mechanics shop to give it a look over, check fluids and so on. Getting the car up on a lift is good too, that way you can have a view of the underside of the car and look for rust, leaks you can't see from under the hood or from looking up when the car is on the ground.

Also - if someone told you to get a 63 Camaro it's not going to happen, Camaros, Firebirds and Trans Ams were not produced until 67. This is the kind of person you don't want to take with you when looking for a car if you ask me. As far as the later 80's to early 90's ( 3rd generation ) Camaros being easier to work on, in some aspects they are, you have a little more room in some areas to do some things. In other aspects they will be just as much of a pain in the *** if not more.