pasadenaman

iTrader: (3)

Buy a V6, they go for cheap. Then do an Ls Swap Should take your a few years to afford the parts. By that time, you should have plenty of driving hours under your belt, and the insurance will be for a v6 not v8. Just saying.......

Dirty Dog

iTrader: (2)

And all the LT1 goodies will work on that LT1, till you can put them in a TA.

Plus, at 16, it's worth pointing out that the rear of a wagon is... a bed...

It's been a long time, but here's how I ended up with a Camaro at 16. I bought it when I was 14. From a scrap yard that was sending it to the crusher. No driveline. No glass. No interior. No front fenders. No hood. Get the picture? It was a '69 RS/SS. I bought parts as I could and built and wrenched and tinkered and worked. And having done all that work to get it, they believed that I would be a safe and cautious driver.

Which was bullshit, of course. I pounded the **** out of it, including street racing. But I didn't wreck, and I only got one ticket before I turned 18.

dckmn52

@ OP, dont let everyone push you around.

While my parents are both car people, they didnt want me in something i could hurt myself with either.
I had my license at 15 and drove a 1993 Olds Achieva. I looked at all kinds of cars. 4G63 GSX Eclipse, Hyundai Tiburon, Cobalt SS S/C

It took much convincing, but eventually my dad understood that all other cars were basically a waste of time, and i wanted a WS6 just like him.

I bought my current WS6, with my own money, at 17 years old off eBay. dad flew to Alabama to drive it home for me.
Guess what? Its not wrecked yet.

Give it some time and it will happen.

Kevin Lee 487

iTrader: (1)

For what its worth, at 16, the Impala Wagon will be viewed as a grandpa car. A badass grandpa car, but still.

superchicken93

Hey dont listen to all of these people when i was 16 my first car was a 96 lt1 T/A yes i had to convince my parents but it was worth the struggle im 20 now and have had 3 Fbody V8s since no looking back

Dickbob1992

iTrader: (1)

With the exception of my 01 Z71 my dad gave me, I have paid for every single one of my vehicles outright with cash. I'm 21 now and own 3 vehicles, one of them being a 98 Z28. I'm a little more experienced now but as a first car I would not get an f-body. If you want a v8 I'd say go for a truck. There are plenty of 99-07 classic ls powered trucks out there and everything you can do to an ls1 you can do to a truck. Sure they may not get as great of mileage as an f-body but they are cheaper for insurance, easier to work on and you can fit more people and haul more **** with them. If a 99-07 is out of your price range, a 350 powered 88-98 will do just as well. I own an 88 Scottsdale (grew up in that truck as a kid) and owned a 90 350 2wd stepside silverado and a 97 Sierra 350 z71 I traded for the camaro. Parts for these trucks are literally in every junkyard in America, therefore being cheap, insurance is cheap and being in a truck will protect you more (depending on severity) in a crash

1981TA

iTrader: (7)

As has been mentioned, a grandpa car with a big engine, lots of "room" and a low insurance payment. Take the savings on insurance, and buy an S10 and do a swap next winter. After your folks see you zipping around in that little beast, they'll be begging for you to get something more sedate, like a Trans Am.

All kidding aside, the Trans Am's insurance will be an absolute killer for a primary driver younger than 21 (and still painful until you reach 25). A family friend just HAD to have a 4th gen 'bird. Liability insurance was like $150/mo - and this was on a 150K mile V6 POS.

Kevin Lee 487

iTrader: (1)

Man your guys insurance is pretty high. My 99 ( 23yr/old with no accidents and 1 speeding ticket ) was going to be $140/mo for full coverage. Girlfriends mom added me on her insurance since we all live together and now I have full coverage for $50 a month.

Just did a quote with Allstate for ***** and giggles since they hate me and it was $222 a month for max coverage. They hate me because my very first car was insured through them and it blew up before the first payment even went through so I canceled.

narx66gmc

Here's the deal. You're screwed.
Buy a car that will hold it's value and keep stacking cash and then when they yes, ull have cash to mod it. I recommend a 2004-2006 Camry w good mileage.

Good luck.
Orrrr, do like I did. Buy a s10 and pay for a V8 swap...

brendo389

Your first problem is your lack of respect for your parents; they're willing to split a car with you and you're saying they're only going to help with some "pos honda or something." Well, they're smart to help with a Honda, toyota, etc, that isn't high in horsepower and torque, and it won't take much to repair when you wreck. Let's face it, a LOT of new drivers wreck their cars, that's part of being a New driver, accidents happen, and you WILL drive fast if you get an LT1 car. If your parents are willing to split a car, take their advice. That will only help you later on when you can reasonably afford to take care of it. Having any car in high school is good enough, I drove a Taurus wagon, beat the **** out of it down country roads, then when I matured I bought myself my T/A after 2 years of saving. You don't need to jump the gun and have a nice car in high school, take your time and get one when you can afford the maintenance, and have a better respect for just how powerful it is. If an LS or LT car isn't properly respected, it will kill you. +1 for a Caprice wagon, or Impala SS (95-96) though, great cars, and LT1 powered.

Delfygo

iTrader: (2)

My first car was a 4cyl Mustang after many mods (wheels, radio,etc,etc) and a few years I pulled the 4 banger and dropped in a 5.0 was a great learning experience. I then traded it and had a few V6 Camaro's modding each one. I finally at 41 got my LS f-body and like all my cars and bikes before, it looks different and runs better. You should look at the V6 cars they run great and insurance company's won't make you have two jobs to pay them.

BAN_ONE

I may only be 20 now but honestly I'm glad my parents didn't listen to me and get me a v8 when I was 16 because I most likely wouldn't be here now if they did lol. You might tell yourself you won't do anything stupid but you will. They were kind enough to get me a 97 rs camaro for my 16th birthday and two weeks before I turned 20 I traded it in on a ws6 TA. You could always get a gtp grand prix a buddy of mine had one that could hang with v8s you should youtube sleepers it might give you a different aspect on dying to get a v8 powered sports car as your first car. With whatever you end up with hope you enjoy it

_JB_

iTrader: (33)

Don't listen to the people in here saying you'll hurt yourself in these cars because they are, "too powerful." My first car was a 5.0 Mustang and everyone on the Mustang forums said the exact same thing, "too much for a 16 year old." Smashing a tree at 70MPH in a Civic or Firebird will still kill you.

You have to show your parents that you're responsible. The only way you're going to get this is to stop bitching and accept their help to get a car. After a while (probably a year or so) of showing you are able to take care of the car and drive safely, I bet your parents will change their minds.

ytownls1

Do not get an LT1 as your first car. It doesnt matter if your parents 'say' that you are a 'GOOD' driver. the lt1 still has power and torque. It can and will get out from under you. Everyone of us on here was 16 once in our life im still young 23 here. If you get that car you will always be on the gas. Get a v6 car of your choice but stick shift. get more driving experience in. Save up when your 17 or espically 18 you had enough years to save and then you can get a LSX engine powered car

oChristiano

iTrader: (6)

Power has nothing to do with responsibility. Senior year of Highschool a kid killed himself in a 66 Beetle. I bought my first car, a 96 Z28 with bolt one, at 18 with my own money. My Dad went with me and negociated for me. Parents couldn't say anything I paid for it myself, and gas and insurance. Now 23 and have owned 10 F Body's. Bought and flipped a few. Only 1 accident my fault and that was because I was messing around in the rain about a year ago. Respect the power and you'll be fine. I currently daily a 600HP SS..

Weather its a Civic or a Trans Am, drive stupid you will get yourself hurt or killed, or worse someone else.

95Z28sixspeed

I like yourself wanted an Lt1 car bad ever since I saw the new 93 Camaros on the lot one day while I was riding the school bus lol. When I got my license I drove my parents 89 pontiac bonneville for about a year and then I inherited my dads Jeep cherokee for about a year. Sometime during the year I had the Jeep I told my dad that I wanted to buy an Lt1 z28.... He said ok! I was shocked. I was pry 18 at the time and ofcourse still lived at home. About 2 weeks later my dad told me he saw a car for sale and that we should go look at it. It was a red T-tops 96 Z we test drove it and my dad helped me buy it. I drove the car fast and burned out and all those things but never got a ticket. I was very careful with it and I guess my dad knew he could trust me and I wouldn't make him regret his decision to help me buy it. So in my opinion the best thing you can do is follow your parents advice and drive something more practical for a year or two, and you will get that Trans am when the time is right

trdavis222

Here is what I did when it was time for me to get my first car. I was the youngest in the house and my dad had bought both my older sister and brother cars so I knew that he would be paying for mine (within reason $2500 or less back in 1990). I asked how he felt about me getting a Camaro. He said no way. Well, I already had one lined up so I bought it on own and brought it home that night. I knew a lady that let me make payments and I got my own insurance policy also so he didn't pay anything for it. He wasn't happy about it, but I also took care of it and didn't get any tickets or wrecks with it either. Now that my son will be turning 16 in a year my wife and I are not seeing eye to eye on what my son will be driving. The debate still goes. Time will tell I guess... With two Camaros at the house (one being my first 78 Z28), I can see a third in the near future We will see how his driving goes.

LetsRide

iTrader: (3)

Your lucky you get to have a say in your first car. I was wanting a certain kind of car at 15/16yrs of age and my parents told me I had two options. 1: keeping riding with friends or drive a 1978 Monte Carlo that needs a lot of work. Sure it wasn't the ideal daily driver. But it was a right of passage that needed to taken. I learned how to drive that thing in the winter and worked and had to have respect for a car that I needed to care for regardless of condition. Then after a year of driving the MC I wanted a supercharged W-body and parents aka more like my mom didn't think I needed all that power blah blah blah. It's just how it goes and as I reflect all that matters at that age is to have the four wheels that I could roll down the road.

Maybe try for a third gen f-body with a 305 V8. It will give you the sound and roar of a V8 and drink gas like one too. But it wont have the higher HP like a 4th gen. Just an idea and down the road you could build a junkyard 5.3 and have a pretty cool car. Cheaper too.

BTW I still get comments from my mom about my Camaro about how she can hear me leave my parents house when I visit them and that I should slow down and take it easy. It wont end...ever.

Jaegon

Why is everyone saying that an Lt1 is too much for kids? I got an Lt1 at 16 and I am perfectly fine. I wont even drive it in the winter...I rather ride the bus

I guess it's just the parents decision on whether or not you are reliable.

autogeek23

iTrader: (13)

I told my mom, if I got a trans am I would have a better life. More friends. More fun. Not like I didn't have friends already but getting into the local car scene I made a lot more friends. Guys I will know the rest of my life. Yeah so I'm Broke all the time so what