What car to get my 16yr old to turn him into a car guy?

If I had a 16yr I would get him a 90s era Honda Civic. Still easy to wrench on, lots of after market accessories, and it won't cost a fortune when he wrecks it.

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My 13 yo old daughter is into cars, but I have spent a lifetime teaching her about cars. She is one of a few her age that is dying to get her drivers license, I know plenty of kids that don’t even care they are 16 yo now.

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Wake-N-Ache@reddit

Let him develop his own interests at his own pace.

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rwsguy@reddit

Buy him a 70 Chevelle SS. That would do it

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EconomyTill7118@reddit

Get him an American made truck. Regular cab with bench seat. Not a POS. But not a show truck either . 4x4 is a bonus. The possibilities are endless.

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Gandi1200@reddit

Mazda Miata

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bigolebite@reddit

Getting him a car and getting him INTO cars is very different. To get him into cars, take him to a car show, track day, race, rally, museum - whatever. Simply getting him a ‘cool’ enthusiast car may not be enough - it could very well be a “my dad got me this car. He thinks its cool” situation.

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Affectionate_Bed9705@reddit

I second this. He may not know what he's looking at or why its cool.

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JSTootell@reddit

I test drove an early 2000's base Civic for someone (manual), and now I want one too.

I never would have imagined thinking of it as a cool car 20 years ago.

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Winstonoil@reddit

After 40 years of needing a van for work I’ve retired and got an early 2000s Civic five speed. It’s more fun than the sports cars I used to drive in the 70s.

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GlitteringPen3949@reddit

Test drive a Miata. I hear they are always the answer.

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Affectionate_Bed9705@reddit

My problem is that I like older trucks too so its hard to choose.(hmu if you gotta cateye)

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OpinionofanAH@reddit

I bought my manual 03 6.0 2500 for way too much for the amount of work it needed and it was worth it. They’re out there but it took me years to find it.

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Affectionate_Bed9705@reddit

Exactly. It can go from 11,750 to 15,000(cat converter, water pump, throttle body, and whatever else they hid from you). This is why I spend a good minute at the dealership and almost do my own ppi.

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JSTootell@reddit

I'm a simple man. I see three pedals, I'm happy.

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MarsRocks97@reddit

The. I’ve thing about these are easy to fix and parts are plentiful. Also lots of custom parts.

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FrostyVariation9798@reddit

I third this. While it isn't what it took to get most of us into cars, doing track days?What absolutely drive that excitement.

Time for miata teaching or that parking lot autocross competing

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samceefoo@reddit

This and probably get a project car to work on together

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Dorsai56@reddit

Autocross.

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Bestconst@reddit

I also agree with this 100%. Just get him a reliable car. I'm a complete car guy but I never had a real nice handling car until later in life that was worthy of being a car, guys, car. And even now my cars are reliable cars as I've found in the long run dependable and reliable is best. I love driving a great handling car but they usually come with maintenance costs that usually cost more than dependable and reliable cars. I personally don't want to spend the money for the extra upkeep. If I had the income for it, maybe.

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glink48@reddit

Yeah, your advice is spot-on. My kid is going to start off with the Jeep I use for camping. It's got some cool stuff on it for going off the beaten path, but they could absolutely care less. They'd probably be happier in the beige '97 Corolla that Reddit keeps recommending to everyone.

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jimmythefly@reddit

Agree. And you can certainly be a "car guy" without having a "passion for wrenching". Maybe the boy will turn out to have a passion for driving, or detailing, or making little 3d printed accessories, or photography. There are lots of ways to be a car guy and spinning a wrench isn't the only valid way.

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Most-Description4665@reddit

Ask him if he has a favorite car or if he could start a project car, what would ge get? But I think car guys are self made not influenced. He just may not care about cars the way you do. But as far as getting him a car, I would suggest 5.0 foxbody or 3rd gen F body. Both are relatively cheap, available, and are an absolute hoot to drive especially in manual plus excellent bases for future mods. Imagine being 16 in a 5.0..

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Interesting-Swim-162@reddit

hyundai tiburon

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Technical_Phrase2566@reddit

Buy him a Volkswagen. They've been making drivers into mechanics since 1938

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dubgeek@reddit

GTI, e36 or e46, is300 (the altezza version), TT, Integra, Civic SI

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DLS3141@reddit

I had an 89 Civic SI and later a 91 CRX SI.

Great little cars and so fun to drive.

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Fun-Computer-1168@reddit

I think an e36 or e46 is the perfect answer, practicsl size so he can easily use it as a daily, pretty good on gas, VERY fun car to drive, pretty much checks all the boxes.

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Guru_of_Spores_@reddit

100% agree on the GTI.

VW golf is the answer. R if you want to spend $

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Leather-Hotel-7310@reddit

Get him a Dodge Viper. Perfect car for a 16yo who’s never driven before!

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bravejango@reddit

What ever car he is willing to wrench on himself. Doesn’t matter if it’s a civic or a Tesla. Inform him that you will help with the purchase of parts but you will not pay for a mechanic.

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UberBricky80@reddit

Late 60's Austin Mini.

It's what worked for me!

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OldGoneMild89@reddit

You want him to be broke for life, huh? Guess the saying "Get them into cars and they'll never have money for drugs" applies, lmao.

My dad accidentally turned me into a car guy at age 8 or so when he put a Thrush glasspack on his old Torino and revved it up in the yard. I remember jumping up and down with excitement because it sounded so cool. Something switched in me and I've been broke ever since :p

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cherry_monkey@reddit

I drive a Sonata with a 6MT. Currently, I'm assuming, a heat shield is rattling against my exhaust. It's essentially a fart can that only farts most of the time. I was taking my almost 5 year old to the store and at start up it have a big rev and a big rattle. My son said, "your car sounds cool". The next day on the way to church, I passed someone that was fluctuating between 40-57 mph on a 55 mph road. If course, as I go to pass, they speed up so now I'm reving out my V6 Honda Odyssey. My son, once again, says, "this car sounds cool".

I don't think I'll have to worry about him getting into drugs, just out of speeding tickets.

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TheThinDewLine@reddit

In this economy? Why would you do that to your son? Smh.

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Rorschach_1@reddit

Teach him stick. Late '60's GTO for the kid since this is what I would buy.

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jonnyt88@reddit

I'm taking mine for some ride alongs at RallyX.

We have one racer we send people with as we call it "The proper experience"... The car is gutted, prepped, and the driver is bonkers.

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Illustrious-Art-7465@reddit

You should get him a fwd turbo car, used, bone stock. Those respond so well to basic mods so you really get to feel the fruits of your labor. Im thinking vw gti, veloster, civic si, cobalt ss (manual only), neon srt4, etc

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skinisblackmetallic@reddit

Getting him a car he doesn't want could actually be more effective.

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Teddyjames23@reddit

I would probably get him a beater. No sense in buying a new car. Teach him how to drive manual.

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GlitteringTune3762@reddit

Definitely gotta be a manual transmission

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Fat_Bearded_Tax_Man@reddit

Why would you want that? Let him follow his own passions.

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fhhhvfffyjjnv@reddit

Kids are stupid. They won't try something new for reasons. I was forced into a lot of shit including wrenching. Now I spend more money on parts than food

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Tool_junkie_1972@reddit

What you find cool he may not. I have 3 sons …youngest son is the only one “into” cars. All of them can change oil, do basic repairs, etc. All you can do is expose them to the culture, they either develop an interest or they don’t. My neighbor is an old HS buddy…always had cool custom trucks, currently rocks an OBS lowered Chevy with a supercharged 5.3l and a Ls swapped jeep. His son works at an auto parts store…but has zero interest in cars beyond that. Exposure is definitely part of it, but it doesn’t guarantee an interest.

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Galromir@reddit

Get him a mazda MX-5 (Miata). It's not too powerful for a new driver; it's fun to drive and has cool factor; and it's too small to pile 4 of his mates into (which is a good thing at 16 - mitigates the risk of distracted driving/peer pressure leading to him doing something stupid).

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MintyFresh1201@reddit

1999 HONDA CIVIC

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Any-Adhesiveness-573@reddit

One of the best ways of hooking someone into something is just exposing them to the the media coverage surrounding the subject, i absolutely fell in love with cars after watching Initial D, show him older rally/motorsport footage ranging from the 80s to early 2000s era (which is where i think it got VERY interesting design and tech-wise) after finishing the series i got Gran Turismo 6 on my PS3 and immediately looked for the cars featured on Initial D and browsed every other model i might've heard about or seen in real life, that's how i fell down the rabbit hole

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froebull@reddit

Get him something from the 60's or 70's, with a V8. Teach him to work on it. And explain to him that taking it to a repair shop is NOT an option (unless it is something that you or him don't have the space or tools to accomplish).

You want a car to drive? You have to maintain and repair it.

Taking him to races and car shows will help too, as others have mentioned.

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Mr_Disprosium@reddit

Maybe show him some minitrucks? Nissan d21 or an older Toyota pickup. There's mazda pickups and Ford Rangers, or a chevy s10 pickup. I think it's a good starter alot of people like a decent minitruck. It can be a bit of a project, you can lower them or lift them relatively easily if that's something he wants to get into.

I personally am building a 2jz/300zx trans/ford 8.8 3 link, on coilovers, nissan 720 pickup.

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Miserable-Election25@reddit

Dude you gotta show me that truck that sounds fuckin sweet

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pieindaface@reddit

Don’t dismiss the mini-truck scene. They might be getting more expensive but a cheaper truck to get out off-road with friends is a good way to go too. I’m not a truck guy, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t look fun as hell to go exploring around abandoned stuff in my local area.

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Chockfullofnutmeg@reddit

Anything cool is going to be stupid expensive to insure. You’re his dad act like it. I had a friend who’s dad got him a 91 300zx and was kind of a money pit

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hemibearcuda@reddit

Car shows, cruise ins, cars and coffee events. Combine something he loves during the outing. If he lives arcades, stop at an arcade after. If he loves pizza, go for pizza after.

He has no idea what he likes yet and that's fine.

My 15 yr old daughter never had any interests in cars until she started going to these events with me.

Now, in the beginning I did have to bribe her. Id promise hotdogs and ice cream after every show, but eventually she was going just for the shows and cars themselves.

Now, a couple years later, as of last week I've started teaching her how to drive one of my foxbody 5 speeds now that she has her permit.

We now wrench on them together and her 96 bronco that I just gave her as her first car.

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sailboatfool@reddit

Miata, always the answer. Plus only can take one passenger. Less chance for touble

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amibeingtrolled@reddit

Miata

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UncleSlayton77@reddit

Mustang ('94-'95 5.0 or '96-'98 4.6), Camaro/Firebird '98-'02 with the 3800 V6, Pontiac Grand Prix with the 3800 V6 or even supercharged 3800 (up to '05, IIRC). All of those are reliable motors and easy to work on for the most part. Or the other end, something with 4x4 and real low range--small pickup/SUV (Jeep Wrangler or XJ Cherokee, Ford Explorer '91-'94 with the 5-speed manual, or Explorer/Mountaineer 1996-2001 with the 5.0). Just some ideas--hope he has fun!

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BoshansStudios@reddit

a lambo

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TENER_297@reddit

Ok hear me out on this one, get him a landyacht because you dont want him to go fast enough to crash and die, but get him a v8 one and modify the pipping so it sounds good, he is aboslutely gonna red line it every chance he has at his high school, he will try to drift and run, etc, etc. So it isnt fast enough to be dangerous but enough to be mean and fun. Maybe a crown vic, Lincoln town car, a caddy, dont make it look too old or bad so he wont be ashamed of it.

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Certain-Put-3189@reddit

Not saying you're too late but should have started years ago. That's what hot wheels and RC cars are for lol

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Grand_Accountant_159@reddit

Ugh, don't " turn" your son into anything, ask him what HE likes and respect it.

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notherbadobject@reddit

Honestly man don’t try and push your hobby on your kid. Support his interest in the things he’s interested in instead.

Get him something with modern safety features with a style he likes. If your enthusiasm for cars hasn’t rubbed off on him in 16 years, it’s probably time to let it go.

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guyfromthepicture@reddit

We always say miata but this one is the most miata. Cheap maintenance. Spend money doing autox and it's a solid start.

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Likelysuspect69420@reddit

Three words: dodge viper

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nago7650@reddit

The missing third word is “death”

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Suspicious_Juice_980@reddit

If he would of asked, "How do I kill my son without going to jail", this would be the correct answer.

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cashinyourface@reddit

First gen to really bring it home

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Robins-dad@reddit

You can’t turn him into a car guy if he’s not interested in cars. I’m not saying this is the case but it’s up to him. I’ve been a car guy since I was a teen. My 15 year old on the other hand couldn’t care less even though I’ve taken him to car shows and have car magazines all over the house.

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treegee@reddit

hatch foxbody

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SirRiceCooker@reddit

Get him a manual shitbox. You shouldn’t fix something that’s not broken so get him something he has to actually wrench on lol

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EngineeringNo9217@reddit

Wish my dad did that! He purposefully sold his Camaro when I turned 16 so I couldn’t fix it up and turn it into a ball of flames.

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FiieldDay-114@reddit

V8 2wd truck. They make the good noises, they can shred tires, they’re robust and easy to work on, plentiful used market, easy to find parts, and he can do tail gate dates once he finds a girl. If it snows where you live, get a 4wd.

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N_ModeVN@reddit

He has to choose to be a car guy. No one made me one.

When I was old enough to drive and started looking at cars at 17 in 1999 the shape of the C5 just struck me as beautiful.

Went from an 06’GTO to a ‘16A5, to a 2022 VN, to my ‘25ND3. All manual. Learned lessons along the way. It’s why I’d never drive an American or German car again lol!

But it has to be a choice.

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Substantial_Team6751@reddit

If he hasn't been getting his hands greasy with bicycle chains he's probably not going to love changing oil in car.

I became a car guy out of necessity - to save money. I did oil changes and brakes jobs and nearly everything for decades. But I never "loved" repair and maintenace.

The only stuff I might have loved was improving and upgrading my old Porsche 911SC and 914. But most of all, I loved driving those babies.

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salvage814@reddit

Do not force a hobby onto him it will bite you in the ass. Set a budget and say you can have what ever you like as long as it fits in this budget.

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Cutthroat21@reddit

Anything big and heavy so that when he has his accident, he doesn’t get killed

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ThatOldEngineerGuy@reddit

IMHO you should get him something stupidly reliable so he has wheels.

AND buy a project car the two of you can work on together.

Getting him a first car to learn how to wrench on is going to result in his frustration on so many fronts (lack of knowledge, his daily being off the road, etc...)

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Users5252@reddit

What is he already into? Being a car guy isn't neccessarily just the enjoyment of fixing cars. It could be the enjoyment of designing cars, learning about automotive history, aerodynamics, chassis engineering, and more.

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jolsiphur@reddit

If you want to get him a really solid starter performance car, look at a first generation FR-S/86/BRZ. They aren't crazy fast, but are excellent driver's cars with an active modding community and DIY.

Any car with a manual transmission will be more fun, and more likely to ignite a passion for driving and cars than a car with an automatic transmission.

Honestly, though, any car can be a good gateway into that stuff. Every car will need some maintenance, and you can do a lot of it with him at home.

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partyalldayeeryday@reddit

I think the gr86 is an outstanding option. Though my casual search indicated an unusually high percentage of them have salvaged titles and are rather expensive to insure. That probably speaks to how much fun they are to drive, especially by young or inexperienced drivers.

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WJ_Amber@reddit

GR86 is the current generation 86/BRZ, from model years 2022-present. Above commenter is talking about the FT86/FR-S/first gen BRZ which was MY 2012-2020. I got a wrx but I was considering an FT86 or GR86, but personally didn't like having to get so low to get in/out as daily driver, but I digress.

They're really not a lot of car, making relatively modest power, however a lot of young, inexperienced drivers buy them and get into accidents of varying degrees of severity. Insuring one is going to be especially expensive for OP's teenage son. Unless it's the exact car someone really wants, they have a lot of drawbacks. Fun, yes, for car enthusiasts... but it's not practical at all. They're small, don't have functional back seats, and kind of annoying to get in/out of. I also don't know about the first generation, but the current gen GR86/BRZ take premium gas too and that hurts at the pump.

New GR86s or BRZs are more expensive than I'd personally want to buy for a teenager who isn't even into cars and may never be. Older first gens are still a bit more expensive than I'd personally want to pay and from personal experience it's kind of hard to find one that's not clapped or rice'd out.

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WillSuckDick4Coffee@reddit

My kids first car will likely be an 86. Not necessarily because it's sporty or I want him into cars, but because there's no possible way to cram 8 kids in that to go clambake it behind the church like I did when I was a teenager

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Kdoesntcare@reddit

99-2005 (a mk4) VW Golf or Jetta with the 2.0. The generation is actually reliable as hell and easy to maintain.

You could also get him a mk4 with a 1.8t, easy to keep reliable and plenty of mods available. I think learning how to maintain and modify a 1.8t will get him into cars.

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DionBeebe@reddit

Whatever you get him, get a manual transmission. If he learns to appreciate a manual, your halfway there.

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Ok_Today_475@reddit

Honda accord coupes. If you can find one in good cosmetic shape (rust) they’re not too bad on the wallet and parts are relatively cheap.

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geek66@reddit

You need a bridge to things they already like.

If they are into video games… I would look into autocross, and a basic Miata.. you can do that together… I then interest in the nuts and bolts may come along.

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MS-06FS@reddit

Depends on what he likes 4th gen v6 firebird bodies are real cheap and they have a 3800 in them after 96

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Representative-Mean@reddit

Tons of car magazines laying around the house. Boredom will inspire reading. Thats how the bug bit me. But alas, no one really reads mags anymore. :(

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ChrisinOB2@reddit

Interesting comments in this thread. I always thought love of cars was an inherited trait. My parents divorced when I was a kid. When my mom ‘s car needed shocks, my 12 year old self said “I’ll do it!” (And this was way before the internet existed.) My kid at 18 months old would walk around the driveway comparing tire sizes on the cars. Now he’s 12, and he may know more about cars than I do.

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RemoteVersion838@reddit

I've been into cars my whole life, its didn't matter what car it was, I always loved to tinker with them.

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Fancy_Strawberry7137@reddit

My first car was a 1968 AMC Javelin. I was born in ‘92. It was a heap but I did so much to it and it kickstarted a love of cars for me. Maybe he’d like a classic?

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Guitarstringman@reddit

Get him a really boring car and that will get him looking at all the cards that he likes better

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IWasAbducted@reddit

You need a car with a good community. I’d go any gen miata.

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Frosty-Analysis1520@reddit

Mazda Miata, NA/NB. Easy enough to work on, cheap to mod up and tons of resources for it, cheap to maintain, mechanical, and fun to drive. Girls will like it more and they feel fast at low speeds so less chance of getting in trouble while learning the limits.

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Timewastinloser27@reddit

Ls fbody. My brothers first car was a 99 z28 and it got us both into the scene. 10 years later my first car was 2002 trans am.

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OddBranch132@reddit

I'm going to go the other way with this. First put him in the shittiest handling car you could possibly think of with an average ride quality; maybe a early 2000s trail blazer. Then, after a few months, take him to test drive something sporty. If he doesn't become a car guy after that then nothing will.

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chewy4201-@reddit

Does he wanna get into cars? My pops never pushed anything on me to try to get into, he just let me explore and find things I like.

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drpepperfan69420@reddit

something small, light and manual transmission, and not too much power. Honda CRZ maybe? manual Mini Cooper base?

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Glittering_Virus_640@reddit

Anything with a manual transmission. Get him a Subaru

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darbykp@reddit

I was thinking civic but the manual is key

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Substantial-Set-8981@reddit

My father forced me to get certain vehicles, because HE believed that it was good for me. I hated him for it and each car was a POS. Ask your son what he wants and what his goals are with it and go from there.
Give him your take on it, and let me be a big boy that makes the decision and learns from it if it is not the right one

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Crowlady77@reddit

Driving a slow car fast is super fun. Mazda 3 with a manual transmission.

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JustAnotherFNC@reddit

Does he even care about cars? Seems like you have some bigger conversations that need to be had.

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kerberos824@reddit

You can't control the car that will turn your kid into a car guy. You might have some input over it. My dad wanted me to share his love of British roadsters. I hated the oil stinking things that required 3 hours of work for 1 hour of driving.

Know what I did love? 91 Miata.

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nopester24@reddit

i dunno that you can "make" someone a car guy. either you're born with the gene or you're not

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Dorsai56@reddit

Miata.

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Zerofawqs-given@reddit

What’s your budget for a future “totalled auto/truck”??? 🤣🤣🤣

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TikiTribble@reddit

People are naming reliable cars, or fun to drive cars (with some exceptions). In my opinion those are not particularly likely to get him interested in DIY maintenance or modifications.

I suggest a Jeep Wrangler (or Gladiator). There is no vehicle in the world with a larger selection of aftermarket parts and enhancements. There is no vehicle as frequently customized. They are, even today, fairly simple beasts which are easy for DIY work. There are shortcomings and challenges with a Jeep. But I cannot imagine a 16 year old not loving one and wanting to personalize it, wrench in hand.

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zrad603@reddit

Go to auctions with him, try to find something that needs some work, but is easy to work on and has plenty of parts availability. The percentage of teenagers that end up totaling their first car is ridiculously high. It's higher when their parents just buy them a car than if they bought it themselves.

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Old-guy64@reddit

A daily driver that everything works on.

Then a project car for the BOTH of you to work on. Even something as simple as an air cooled Bug or KG.

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JoeyMagana@reddit

Same things i see at drift events. Mustang, 350z g35, e36/46, miatas. The things he would look up about the car would lead to some kind of modifications or racing videos. Hopefully he atleast likes racing games or car movies. Most people I know that get into cars, start with a beat up truck that can take a beating and have lots of fun and go to work too

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Pimp_Daddy_Patty@reddit

Tell him to save his pennies, offer to double whatever he saves, then help him get it on the road.

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ratmanmedia@reddit

Get him a RWD truck and take him on some dirt roads

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moon_child1442@reddit

Neon SRT-4. Super fun to drive, easy to modify, makes fun noises. Good for autocross, drag racing and road courses. Good daily too.

I saw someone suggest a manual transmission and I second that.

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AngelsHero@reddit

C5

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jrileyy229@reddit

What is his experience around cars and adjacent stuff so far?.. like karts and ATVs?

My initial thought is like "put him in a notch in a parking lot behind a warehouse and let him do donuts"... Might change his tune

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ScaredJob424@reddit

Civic Si

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old_jeans_new_books@reddit

Second hand, Honda Civic hybrid with at least 100K.miles on it.

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Tree_Weasel@reddit

Gotta lead the horse to water here. I fell in love with cars on a model year 2000 base model Mustang. Fastest car I had ever driven and it was mine. I took those 190 horses to the red line every chance I got. And loved every mile of it.

My buddy fell in love after he took 6 weeks, $450 in parts and 2 bloody knuckles to get his grandmas old 1991 Chevy Lumina (which she had given to him) running again so he could get his first taste of driving freedom.

Some people never feel the spark and cars are always just a tool. Some people get behind the wheel once and are hooked for life. There’s no telling what will spark it. Just don’t push too hard.

Two things that might help: Take him to a car show, and let him drive a fast car.

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Boxer_Yu@reddit

He’s 16 right? So you need to get him a starter car. I recommend a Scion TC. If it’s well taken care of, it can last you awhile considering it’s just a Camry coupe (supposedly they share the same engine). Good opportunities to wrench on it, but you’ll unfortunately won’t have the best of performance cause it’s not meant for anything sporty than looks, but if looks are improved, even the cleanest looking TC is a good looking car.

That way it can be the gateway for something better or your son can just be okay with it. It’s not the most desirable car, but it’s step above from a regular Camry. A cheap but easy car to work on and throwaway when mistakes are made.

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Bigredtruckguy@reddit

Take him to a cars and coffee and see if he likes any of the affordable cars. Does he like muscle, tuner? Euro? Then go from there. If it’s something he’s going to learn to wrench on hopefully he picks something easy with lots of aftermarket support.

Maybe an SN95 Mustang. Parts are cheap. They havnt sky rocketed in price yet. Lots of parts and you can customize about anything on them. Plus he gets 2 type of V8 choices. 94/95 get the 302 SBF and the 95-98 cars get the 4.6L

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Unfair-Suit-1357@reddit

You can’t force liking something onto your son. Don’t fail as a father and dismiss what your son actually enjoys.

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Ok_Two_2604@reddit

I took my nephew to the track and let him drive my car. That’s all it took.

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Efficient_Roll22@reddit

My buddy kept bugging me to get a manual transmission car. He said I’d get into cars that way. I eventually got a cheapish great condition Toyota Celica. I learned how to drive a manual and I was hooked. I eventually bought a 350z and then a Miata.

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pepeneverknew@reddit

Miata. Slow but fun. No room to get someone pregnant.

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LegitimateFinger8966@reddit

Lots of ways into the hobby, I think you missed your best window which is getting him into Karting. Something he can drive at 10/10ths all the time, getting a basic understanding of motors and the mechanicals was what built my interest.

Does he like the design aspect of cars? Maybe an R107?

Is there an era he does like, or American vs Japanese? Sc300 can be had pretty cheap.

Does he just want something fast he can beat on? Get the least expensive C5 you can find.

Maybe hes got lots of friends and a wagon could scratch that itch. V70?

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TheJumpyBean@reddit

Miata. If he doesn’t like it, what’s 16 more years?

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Icy-Cardiologist-958@reddit

Early 90’s Civic

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Ok-Coyote2365@reddit

I feel like any cheap, reliable car or SUV/CUV would be a good start. Something reliable to get from point A to but you can start wrenching on by doing maintenance and smaller repairs.

I got into vehicles through my $800 2004 GMC Canyon. Just started by doing maintenance items like fluids and brakes

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04limited@reddit

BMW M4 seems to be the current bread and butter aspiration car lol

Depends what kind of cars he’s into. Performance? Off road? Straight line speed? Agility? All very different types.

Subarus with UEL header rumble was what got me into cars. This was early 2010s. I liked cars prior but Subarus were my first dive in. Lots of aftermarket and forum support. I’m currently into off road types and diesel trucks. Times change.

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MasterKaleidoscope97@reddit

B or even D series honda. Easy to work on, alot less moving parts. Fun to drive, cheap to maintain. He’s either going to hate the car or fall inlove with it theres no inbetween. Personally i’d get em a foxbody but in my area a roller is going for 5k lol and they’re alot more taxing to drive especially for a beginner.

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Some_How_I_Manage@reddit

How much money are you spending to include insurance?

Gems with low insurance costs (recommend a cheap car, liability only)

R53 Mini Cooper S (manual only)- 150k miles goes for $5k, and the car is reliable enough, but will teach you wrenching in places designed for children.

Volvo C30 R (T5 manual or auto). Pretty reliable and is basically a Euro Focus RS. Also, it is famous for the Twilight movie.

Volvo S60/80 (auto) Somewhat reliable, but probably the most expensive vehicle on this list.

95-98 mustang GT. Reliable, cheap and decent for insurance. Ugly as sin.

2000-2005 MR2. Ugly, reliable, wrenchable but not paying the Miata Tax

2005-2009 Acura TL. Very reliable, wrenchable and surprisingly low on insurance.

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drallafi@reddit

2003 BMW 330i ZHP

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AnEepyLeaf@reddit

Might be worth spending an evening running local listings by him, might be an opportunity to get idea of his tastes

At that age i would've been greatful for anything under my own name with 4 wheels and the capability of moving under it's own power

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Cool-Bunch6645@reddit

What’s your budget. You want something more reliable? Does that matter at all? Do you want a true beat up project? Or something more or less put together that you just want to throw some fun parts at and maintain it?