Folks who are new to high HP

[kinyu]

I had a little time today, so I was actually reading through a few posts instead of just picking the one or two of the day that interest me the most.
During all my reading, I came across a lot of two future buyers:
1. “I’ve never driven a fast car before, but I’m definitely buying the v8/top dog version.”
2. “I’m getting a new car for my 16th / 18th birthday, and it’s going to be the v8/top dog.

Now, I’m no old man, but my first car was an 84 trans am and I got into some hairy situations with even that dog of a car.
Also, I built my way up the horsepower totem pole, my 84 to a Volkswagen vr6, to a lt1 trans am, to a ls1 trans am to a 03 z06 and now my beater ssr. I think the experience of gradually moving up has kept me out of trouble, like, I can’t imagine going from my 84 to the z06. It seems like I would have killed myself. I also remember when the last z06 came out, all the folks who crashed them on the way home from the dealer. There was a lot of talk about it on the corvette forums.

So all that said, am I the only one who thinks that jumping into a 400/500 horsepower car when the fastest thing you have driven is a ford focus is just a bad idea?

No disrespect to the folks who are doing this, just making conversation. I know most people will tell me to mind my own business, but I just had to say that to someone other than my girlfriend who could care less.

[Jeff]

I think it depends on the person. When I got my license at 16 my first car was the Camaro I still have. I've had several cars since then but never got rid of the 93 Camaro. That 4th gen has the Corvette LT1 motor and tons of mods on it.. It never got out from under me even though it broke loose everywhere since the tread was almost flat when I first got it. One month into driving my dad had a 78 Camaro with a big block 502 and a 125 shot of nos. It was tubbed and fully loaded for drag racing with everything including line lock, a delay box, everything.. We somehow kept it street legal as well and occasionally I would drive that to run errands. It put out roughly 600 horses without the nos and I never had a problem..

[The_Stache]

Originally Posted by kinyu

I had a little time today, so I was actually reading through a few posts instead of just picking the one or two of the day that interest me the most.
During all my reading, I came across a lot of two future buyers:
1. “I’ve never driven a fast car before, but I’m definitely buying the v8/top dog version.”
2. “I’m getting a new car for my 16th / 18th birthday, and it’s going to be the v8/top dog.

Now, I’m no old man, but my first car was an 84 trans am and I got into some hairy situations with even that dog of a car.
Also, I built my way up the horsepower totem pole, my 84 to a Volkswagen vr6, to a lt1 trans am, to a ls1 trans am to a 03 z06 and now my beater ssr. I think the experience of gradually moving up has kept me out of trouble, like, I can’t imagine going from my 84 to the z06. It seems like I would have killed myself. I also remember when the last z06 came out, all the folks who crashed them on the way home from the dealer. There was a lot of talk about it on the corvette forums.

So all that said, am I the only one who thinks that jumping into a 400/500 horsepower car when the fastest thing you have driven is a ford focus is just a bad idea?

No disrespect to the folks who are doing this, just making conversation. I know most people will tell me to mind my own business, but I just had to say that to someone other than my girlfriend who could care less.

Dont worry, the only 16-18 year olds that will be able to afford(payment/insurance) the 400+ hp camaro v8 will be the ones that have daddy or mommy buy it for them, just like you have now, few and far between. If they are 16-18 and have the cash without parentage involvement they are mature enough already for something of that caliber.

Hell I'm almost 30 and make decent money.. but still am leery about the price..

[DGthe3]

I haven't driven anything with more than 150 hp front wheel drive. I'm planing on getting either a 2001 Grand Prix or Grand Am (or one of their twins). 175 hp in a little grand am won't even come close to a V6 Camaro. 240 hp in the Grand Prix might . . . might. I plan on only getting the base V8 for the Camaro. It will have 360 hp at a minimum.

[orthae]

When it was time for me to get my first car,
my mum placed a restriction on it. NO V8's! AT ALL! at 16i was pretty pissed at that, but now, just over 3 years later, i realise just how smart a move that really was... even just a shity 100hp 202 red motor gets out from under me sometimes, and the hj panelvan weighs 2+ ton, i still cant handle that, its just to un-predictable! but after all said and done, i think im ready for more balls in car. and the maro is the way to go, only the base v8 thou, i KNOW i cant handle anymore then that....

[BumbleBee]

I agree that 16/19 year olds should not have high hp cars... We've all seen what happens, I know FL just had a kid kill himself and three friends on an air strip seeing howw fast his daddy's car can be. He lost control, when airborn, and split the car in half... not to forget the Hulk's son...but it doesn't take a powerful engine to kill/injure a stupid driver. It takes a driver who thinks their car can handle some thing it can't.

[Camaro_Corvette]

i kind of agree with bumblebee on this one, the horsepower of a car isn't going to matter, its the uneducated teenager behind the wheel. if the parents have told the kid everything that he needs to know he/she should be fine...

i also think that whether or not the kid is helping to pay for the car themselves matters as well. for the teen that just gets the car handed to him i almost guarentee that he/she will immediately go 150mph in it on some country road somewhere, whereas the teen that works 30 hours a week just for a car is going to be alot more gentle with it...thats just my opinion though

[Mindz]

I've never owned a high hp car, but that doesn't mean I haven't driven them before. I'm 24 and have been driving a porsche C4 cab that my stepfather owns. I don't plan on driving it that hard, I just want to know that the power is there. I'm buying mine for half collectible reasons. The other half is to take it to the track/strip when I want to.

Before I read the thread on breaking in the engine, I was going to drive it normally without stomping on the noise pedal for about 2 weeks to learn how drives. Get the rev match down, etc. Once I knew all that, then it was time to gradually increase the rpms before shifts, and shifting faster. After a few more weeks, it was time to drop the hammer.

[EllwynX]

Highest HP I've owned was my '02 V6 Camaro @ 200.

Highest I've driven is an '08 Equinox Sport @ 264.

But I don't drive like a maniac so am not too worried.

[Urthman]

My first car was an '85 Z28. By HP standards it wasn't a lot, but I still should never have bought it at 16. The car doesn't matter, it's the driver that counts. With that being said...my son will not have a high HP car for his first car. I'd rather find something safe (but fun) for him.

[CaptianSam]

my first car was an f150 pickup 95... then a kia sorento01 then my dads escalade for 6 months... then my 350z... which ive gotten a TON of tickets... and many accidents lol but it still lives and it has over 400 hp... ive matured enough to not get tickets anymore and ill be 21 with a camaro SS or Z28... with decent insurance rates and no tickets on my board... and maturity because ive dealt with it all before im expecting the camaro to be faster but not handle better then my 350z... and this is what im scared of... ill have to modify it to handle as good as the 350z.... it pulls over 1.00 lateral g's with many upgraded lightened components... it does so on stock track wheels... and bridgestone's... i NEED this car to handle better then my 350z or else its going cost alot of money all over again

[CaptianSam]

urth man dont make the same mistake my dad did for my brother... his first car is a supercharged dodge charger... it gets him into alot of trouble

[Navy Blue]

well i'm 22, and i have posted here that i've never owned or driven a high horsepower car, my impala's nice but not camaro nice, now i fuigure i go to school and work full time, i'm single and well..getting right to it the way i see it is i work a hard 10-12 hour shift daily and even 8 hours on sundays, i've dedicated the last 3 years to working every single day, so i think i deserve a little something for myself, i'm not at all wreckless, i have no tickets and i do the limit even when i'm frustrated at other drivers out there, and especially when my friends are with me, the whole "dude go faster" thing doesnt work on me, i reply "we'll use your car and we'll go faster in your car" and they quiet themselve's, i agree that its a bit dangerous for me, but even when i had my first car i was careful, my dad made me pay for every car i've ever had, so i've learned that things cost and to not be careless. none the less i still fear for myself and more importantly my camaro

oh yea the single thing imentioned, co-workers say but what i want now that i'm single, cuz once i get married i'll be screwed...dunno how true that is but seems wise from my point of view.

[Navy Blue]

oh yes i also wanted to say i'll probably be getting whatever's on the 35-45k range (hoping SS)