Crazy first cars.

CianRyan

So my mate's dad just bought her 1998 1.8L 318 M tuned convertible as her first car. Now she's been learning for 6 months, but come on like.

WHAT THE HELL? :eek:


Anyone else know of any first timers and powerfull cars?

green-blood

powerful!! 318... same sentence!!!!!!

Anan1

A 318i is no rocket, TBH.

CianRyan

For a first car i think its a bit mad.
She's been driving a micra untill now.

Voodoomelon

In my experience, the bad combination is not necessarily a learner driver and a large engine, but more a learner driver and the type of car chosen.
To me, the type of car chosen is more indicative of whether that driver is going to end up smashing into a wall, than what they have under the bonnet. I won't mention any models for fear of upsetting people, but they are often the cars of choice by scumbags.

Anan1

CianRyan wrote: »

For a first car i think its a bit mad.
She's been driving a micra untill now.

I honestly don't see what the problem is. Rear visibility mightn't be great, that's about the best I can come up with.

CianRyan

I get what you're saying, and she is a safe driver, not a type to act the the maggot on the road and that.

Still though, a jump of 1L - 1.8L is still a bit much after six months experience no?


i personally, wouldn't go that high for at least two years.

Bandara

My first car was a absolutely stunning Black 1995 BMW 320 coupe

Cost me £18500. Bloody repayments were about £450 a month !

F**king loved that car, the amount of chicks I got driving it around aged 20.

Spoilt me for life.

rabbitinlights

BMW M5

Father bought his kid an M5..........

Anan1

Hammertime wrote: »

the amount of chicks I got driving it around aged 20.

The day someone shows me a drive-in nightclub will be the day I buy into that theory.

CianRyan

Ok, now obviously this is not the same as that and maybe crazy was the wrong word to use, but i still think its a bit much.

And M5 was simply people with more money than sense. Terriblly sad for the family.


http://i32.tinypic.com/9qbfdf.jpg Insane. <

---

Car wreckage, no people seen but might not want to look if you don't like crashs.

Bandara

rabbitinlights wrote: »

BMW M5

Father bought his kid an M5..........

Yeah I seen this before, you have to bear in mind though that a 3ltr in the states is considered an ideal starter car.

This was just a case of the kid not knowing the track ended in a drop, otherwise he'd have been fine. The car was irrelevant, if he'd been driving a Starlet (or dare I say a "Glanza" ) at full speed they would all have died as well.

Bandara

Anan1 wrote: »

The day someone shows me a drive-in nightclub will be the day I buy into that theory.

lol, I was working in a nightclub at the time. chat em up and drive em home....

Matt Simis

Bit of an Irish view that 1.8litre is big or that its so different than a 1l that its somehow harder to drive or riskier. As Hammertime says, you'd be laughed out of it in the US with that BMW, where the (16year old) kids learn to drive in a carpark for the most part.

IMO, we have it backwards here. Larger engines are way, way easier to driver. Its takes precise timing to hill start a 1L POS, the bigger the engine the less stress from the car you have to deal with. They also make a safer drive as they overtake and change lane smoother and faster and are more tolerant of poor gear changing and choices. We should be motivating people to drive "easy cars" first, then cheap, small n crap cars second.

Once they learnt to drive to a tested and sufficient standard, they should be able to drive virtually anything, as the law dictates.

CianRyan wrote: »

I get what you're saying, and she is a safe driver, not a type to act the the maggot on the road and that.
Still though, a jump of 1L - 1.8L is still a bit much after six months experience no?
i personally, wouldn't go that high for at least two years.

Pretend you arent Irish for a second, then come back and explain why you think that? Its prolly a second or so faster to 60. Who cares?
Not a dig at you, but we really are a non-car nation.

Eric Cartman

i learned to drive between a 3.5 Litre V6 lexus and a 2.5td Hyundai , my first car is a 2.5td Kia (19 , 16 months full licence, 2 years total driving)

Delta Kilo

My first car (which I bought last april, still driving it today) is a Mk4 Golf 1.9 TDi. I was seventeen at the time. I bought it 3 weeks before i sat my driving test which I passed (got €300 back off insurance:))

It is completely unmodified (not even Alloys) and I am a responsible driver. I wanted a car that would last a good while, had good mpg, and comfortable. The insurance was marginally higher than a 1.4 petrol so that isn't too bad. Its the tax that is the killer, almost €600 for the year:mad::mad:

This car was perfect, got a mechanic to check it, low mileage and I got a good deal on it and part of that deal was a new timing belt and that they would NCT it. I paid for the car, insurance and tax with my own money so I don't want to have a crash so I dont speed or drive dangerously so I don't see a problem with me having a powerful car.

The problem I have is with young people getting really fast cars on their 17th birthdays from mammy and daddy. I know a guy that got a civic type R on his 17th and I heard of a 17 year old getting an impreza and crashing it the day he got it. Those are the young people that are being killed. Those who were just given cars and don't respect them.

Guy:Incognito

LOL, 115 BHP (when new) and over 12 secs to 60. She'd be more of a danger of having a high speed crash in a micra.

Big Wave

Anan1 wrote: »

A 318i is no rocket, TBH.

What was your first car?

CianRyan

Wow, are they that slow?
I honestly thought they'd be a fair bit quiker than that. Nothing amazing but just not 12 seconds to 60!
OP retracted.

I'd love to be driving something with a big engine and a bit more "umpf" but i can't see myself getting insured on one anytime soon.

Delta Kilo

A friend of mine was doing his driving test but the car failed the NCT the day before so he had to use his brothers 1986 BMW 3 series 1.6 to do his test! No power steering and a big and awkward car to do the 3 point turn in. But he passed! First time 17 years old!

Bandara

Big Wave wrote: »

What was your first car?

Anans first car.......da chicks digged it.... check out them turn-ups, fo shizzle ma fizzle...

rabbitinlights

Hammertime wrote: »

This was just a case of the kid not knowing the track ended in a drop, otherwise he'd have been fine. The car was irrelevant, if he'd been driving a Starlet (or dare I say a "Glanza" ) at full speed they would all have died as well.

That doesn't really make sense, a 200mph+ M5 is a little different from a Starlet, he was on a runway and he got up to a very high speed (170+) and didn't take into account the distance needed to come back down from that speed.

CianRyan

I thought M5s are limited to 155mph?
Always that it was a very odd thing mind you, i blame Wikipedia.

Bandara

rabbitinlights wrote: »

That doesn't really make sense, a 200mph+ M5 is a little different from a Starlet, he was on a runway and he got up to a very high speed (170+) and didn't take into account the distance needed to come back down from that speed.

I'd say your example makes even less sense.

What do you think stops quicker and in less distance?

A state of the art bit of machinery like the M5 with its vented and cross drilled Brake discs etc. A car that can go from 175kph to Stationary in 3.2 seconds (and within 34 meters).

OR

A Nissan Starlet which at 175kph takes 6.8 seconds (and takes 62 meters)

Seeing as if he was in the starlet and doing 175mph (about 100mph) which is very possible he'd be even deader than in the M5 !

chickenhawk

CianRyan wrote: »

I thought M5s are limited to 155mph?
Always that it was a very odd thing mind you, i blame Wikipedia.

They are. But they can be delimited so they can go 200+mph.


My first car was a big 12yo E class merc never did me any harm.

CianRyan

Hammertime wrote: »

I'd say your example makes even less sense.

What do you think stops quicker and in less distance?

A state of the art bit of machinery like the M5 with its vented and cross drilled Brake discs etc. A car that can go from 175kph to Stationary in 3.2 seconds (and within 34 meters).

OR

A TOYOTA Starlet which at 175kph takes 6.8 seconds (and takes 62 meters)

Seeing as if he was in the starlet and doing 175mph (about 100mph) which is very possible he'd be even deader than in the M5 !

Fixed that for ya.

@Chickenhawk: How much does it cost to delimit and is it legal?
Is there an official speed it will do with out the limiter?

Bandara

Hammertime wrote: »

I'd say your example makes even less sense.

What do you think stops quicker and in less distance?

A state of the art bit of machinery like the M5 with its vented and cross drilled Brake discs etc. A car that can go from 175kph to Stationary in 3.2 seconds (and within 34 meters).

OR

A Heap of Sh!t which at 175kph takes 6.8 seconds (and takes 62 meters)

Seeing as if he was in the starlet and doing 175mph (about 100mph) which is very possible he'd be even deader than in the M5 !

fixed that for myself.

Eoin

Anan1 wrote: »

A 318i is no rocket, TBH.

If it's a convertible, then it's an 318IS and they are nippy enough.

Anan1 wrote: »

I honestly don't see what the problem is. Rear visibility mightn't be great, that's about the best I can come up with.

RWD as well - can easily catch a beginner out.

Type 17

Respect, and not behaving badly is the thing that counts much more than the size of engine in your first car - yes, it's easier to kill yourself and others in a big-engined car, but it's also not that difficult to do it in a 1.0 Micra or a 1.4 Golf if you drive in a cocky way.

I learned in a 1.0 Starlet, and my first car was a 1.3 Golf, and the advantage in having relatively little power is that it taught me to look further ahead and anticipate things, so I didn't have to brake and then take ages to build up speed again. I had reasonable respect, so didn't have any close calls, and my one accident was due to inattention rather than pushing it too far (distracted, I ran into the back of a stopped car at about 15mph, no one hurt).

Now I drive a 2.0 with about 145 bhp, but I still look ahead and anticipate things, so I can stay out of trouble by changing lanes/speeding up/slowing down before I get stuck.

Respect and taking responsibility is the key. The only issue that I'd have with people's first car being big-engined/quick, is that they won't learn to drive as well as they might, because they'll be used to having a bit of power to use, instead of using their brains...

Guy:Incognito

eoin wrote: »

If it's a convertible, then it's an 318IS and they are nippy enough.


.

Depends on your definition of nippy. But over 12 secs to 60 and 115 bhp isnt mine.

It's not light either.


http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/specs/Detail.aspx?deriv=8878

P.C.

Delta Kilo wrote: »

My first car (which I bought last april, still driving it today) is a Mk4 Golf 1.9 TDi.

I don't see a problem with me having a powerful car.

Its ok, you don't have a powerful car.
You have a 1.9 diesel golf.

Why is it that people think that anything over a 1 litre is powerfull?

My fater taught me to drive in a 1.8 MG with the roof down. Was great, you could see exactly where you were in relation to the cars arround you.

I learnt to drive in my fathers 2.4 Land Rover, a few years before I got my learners permit.

Eoin

Stekelly wrote: »

Depends on your definition of nippy. But over 12 secs to 60 and 115 bhp isnt mine.

It's not light either.
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/specs/Detail.aspx?deriv=8878

It's not actually the same as the 318IS as I thought. Still, doesn't seem the most suitable of cars for a beginner.

chickenhawk

CianRyan wrote: »

] How much does it cost to delimit and is it legal?
Is there an official speed it will do with out the limiter?

Yep it's legal. But if it's still in warrenty it might void it.

204mph from the factory with no upgrades.

m5board.com is where you want.

VolvoMan

I learnt how to drive in a Volvo S70 2.5 10 valve. It wasn't that powerful for it's engine size though (144 bhp).

johnk123

Learned to drive last year in a Mini Cooper S last year, which is a 1.6 i think, and i found it a great car to learn in. Very Responsive steering and pretty quick too. It was powerful enough to give me a grasp of overtaking etc. I hate when someone tries to overtake and then they don't have enough power to make it and end up driving parallel to you!! That really annoys me!

CianRyan

I'd love to learn in a mini, most likely though, it'll be my mam's 1.4L Focus LX.

Luke Crowley

There seems to be a general misconception floating around that bigger engined cars are always going to be faster than smaller-engined ones. In reality, the figure that really matters is not engine size, nor even power output, but power-to-weight ratio. This is the one that you'll feel most.

As a case in point, I learned to drive in my mom's 1.4 litre Civic and my first car was a 1.8 litre Mercedes 190. Despite the differences in engine size, the Civic was much, much quicker.

Furthermore, when I turned 19, I drove a 4.8 litre Lincoln Town Car around Central Florida for a couple of weeks, and I have to say that that wasn't terribly quick either. Over here, the thought of a 19-year-old driving around in a 4.8 litre car would cause outrage among parents, Gardai and insurance companies alike, but the fact of the matter is that you could cause a lot more trouble in many cars with engines less than half the size of the Town Car's.

Before anyone asks, I am now at the ripe old age of 21, and still driving around in a big-engined, slow car; in this case a Mercedes-Benz E200.

farva

An 11 year old 318 isn't that excessive, it only seems a bit flash because its a cabriolet which would make the mild performance of a 318 even milder!

My first car was a 2.8 Pajero SWB commercial that I bought when I was 18, people were always surprised at how quick it was, the later Jap 2.8s had a slightly higher power and torque output, and it also had a full bore sports exhaust, I reckon that it should have been kicking out about 140bhp and 230 lb/ft, with all terrain tyres it was very happy to kick out the rear end in the wet!

leeroybrown

I learned to drive in a 1.8L petrol and my first car was a 2.0TDi. I wouldn't have described either car as all that quick. You do need to be a little more careful as a learner driving a (comparatively) quick car but once you have an idea what you're doing then there's no real issue.

EDIT: I'll add that both cars were worth more than the 318 probably is and not anything slower.

Anan1

Big Wave wrote: »

What was your first car?

A Lancia Fulvia Sport, why?

Type 17

leeroybrown wrote: »

I learned to drive in a 1.8L petrol and my first car was a 2.0TDi. I wouldn't have described either car as all that quick. You do need to be a little more careful as a learner driving a (comparatively) quick car but once you have an idea what you're doing then there's no real issue.

Obviously, you had a bit of respect and took responsibility.

Of course if a person is 17+, and has a relatively quick car, it's a lot more tempting to mess about than if you were (eg) starting to drive in your 30's, but if you can't resist the temptation, then, no matter what your engine-size or power-to-weight ratio is, Darwinism will sort things out for you

Big Wave

Anan1 wrote: »

A Lancia Fulvia Sport, why?

Jees, what age are you?

Bobo78

I learned to drive in a Opel Kadet hatchback 1.6i with the hole 75 horsepower engine.:D
That was back nearly 9 years ago whe I was 13.

Anan1

Big Wave wrote: »

Jees, what age are you?

I was 20 at the time, as was the car. Silll waiting for the point to this...;)

liam156

Well I drove a 1.4 Almera for 6months while I was 17 and got my full license and bought a Alfa 156 I had been looking at a few days after I passed my test, also driving a 2.5litre Kia Sorento, was driving a 04 3 series m sport estate for a while, was only a 316 but not bad ..

Plan on dropping a 2.0L into the 156 this summer too.. Will be 19 in april:)

brandon_flowers

In relation to OP

Like most other people that grew up on farms, I learnt to drive in whatever was around. Tractors first, then a car when I was about 13 and eventually learnt to drive my uncles 53 seater coaches. My first car "legally on the road" was a 1.8 bluebird which at the time was a decent car and a lot more powerful than most other things on the road. I firmly believe that starting in a more powerful car early in life is more beneficial than starting in a small car. You appreciate the lack of power in a small car a lot more when you have driven a more powerful car and dont create the risks which cause most small car accidents i.e passing out trucks and not making it in time, passing out a car and not making it in before the next bend etc.

Also, I dont mean this in a bad way but like the saying goes "Guns dont kill people, people kill people" Well its the same with cars, you could put an 18 year old into a Pagani and he might drive it for 10 years without a tip, but another 18 year old will put 7 into his Micra and plough it into the neighbours pier.

I wouldnt be worried about your friend, you said she is a safe driver so there should be no problem.

Beau x1

I'm learning and I drive a 1.4L Cordoba. It's quite nippy but I couldn't imagine driving anything lower than that; I'd feel like I was driving a go kart.

HungryJoey

Stekelly wrote: »

Depends on your definition of nippy. But over 12 secs to 60 and 115 bhp isnt mine.

It's not light either.


http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/specs/Detail.aspx?deriv=8878

He means the 318is which have more power then the normal 318i. IIRC, the IS has ~145bhp.

Voodoomelon

It's definitely an Irish thing to encourage young people to drive small pieces of scrap for a few years before they progress onto anything else. A lot of it has to do with insurance cost etc, but my philosophy was always "get the car you want". And don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Guy:Incognito

HungryJoey wrote: »

He means the 318is which have more power then the normal 318i. IIRC, the IS has ~145bhp.

There isnt a convertible 318is according to parkers.

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/specs/Summary.aspx?model=88

focus_mad

I learned in a 2.0 vtec honda accord. me da's idea was if i learn in something big i'd be in full control in a lower powered car