I think it all depends on what kind of 16 yr old do you think you are? Do you think your responsible, be truthful? Were you a fairly experienced driver before turning 16? Karting, driving around the neighborhood, or other driving activities growing up? You turn wrenches growing up? Have you done small auto work with a parent or something growing up? Maybe on the 71' Camaro?

You seem pretty knowledgable for even thinking about a classic MINI. Its not the usual car a 16 yr old would think about, especially since your screen name is 71 camaro.

Do you plan on autocrossing or learning more about performance driving? They teach you alot about the responsibility of driving and the limits of the car. Ends up showing you that you don't need to drive it crazy on the street when you have a nice place to do it once a month.

If your not afraid of tinkering with cars then getting a nicer used car could be good for you. My first car was a 92' Civic LX Sedan that i got in late 97', got it for $6k when i was 18 and i learned how to do alot of small maintence wrenching on it (changing brakes, pulling headlights for bulb changes, wheel rotations and so on).

Honestly if you can afford it (parents i'm guessing) i don't think a base MINI Cooper is too bad of a car for a responsible 16 yr old, especially if your parents are involved. Its a VERY safe car that actually will probably end up being safer to insure than some of the recent used cars because of its safety record. Also if you do decide to start autocrossing or do driver education its an excellent car to do them in. Start slow and move up. Definitely don't get anything with monster HP, its just an accident waiting to happen. Trust me 115hp or so in a 2500lb car will go plenty fast for you for a long time.

Good Luck!

 

I am 15 and I am going to learn to drive on my dad's BRAND NEW MCS!
I may even get to drive it to school some days, if I'm lucky. the rest of the time, though, I'll be driving my dad's '00 subaru outback WAGON The thing is a total boat! Oh well...

-Paul

 

Honestly, you should be happy to be driving anything right at 16. Lots of kids don't get the chance to drive anything till much later. I didn't get my first car till i was 18. I scraped to drive friends cars around parking lots and complexes along with rentals.

Its difficult to comprehend at that age (i'm not too far away) but just be caaaaareful. There are ALOT of things you need to experience and that takes time. Just don't be the CAUSE of some of those experiences.

 

When I was 16 (a long time ago), I drove my dad's 1966 Plymouth Valiant. Still, in my opinion, the Chrysler slant-6 engine is still the best engine I've used...if it could have only met emissions standards of today. Then I saved enough to buy my first car (still in highschool). I bought a beater of a car. A 1974 Pontiac Astre. It required A LOT of maintenance. In that time, I rebuilt the carburator, changed my own clutches, adjusted valve lashing, did bodywork and paint, etc etc etc. I learned a lot about cars then. I could tell what kind of car was coming down the street just by hearing it come towards me from a block away. So maybe owning a classic mini isn't such a bad idea. You would gain an appreciation for cars. I took the Astre to 110MPH a couple of times and today, I can only say to myself.."WHAT MUST I HAVE BEEN THINKING??" I could have killed myself.

At 16, most young people are just starting to take responsibility for themselves and certainly don't have enough life experience to understand the scope of that responsibility. That's why when some lady asked me about getting a MINI like my MCS for her kid "as a gift for good marks in high-school", I advised against it. They won't appreciate the car or understand the responsiblity of owning such a beast. It is a fun car to drive though. But drive responsibly.

Far from me to tell you not to buy a MINI, I would advise, that if you end up getting a MINI, take the time to learn your car. Take an autocrossing course, a defense driving course (not the kind you take so you can get your drivers license), and maybe even an automotive course. You're in high-school (please don't drop out) so a lot of this learning comes at very reasonable cost.

I'm thinking most of the members in NAM are not just MINI maniacs but also car enthusiasts in general. They have a general appreciation for the driving experience, mechanical sounds, and the feel and design of things mechanical. Even though we drive fast sometimes, most of us drive safely.

Good luck on your choice we I look forward to hearing about your experiences with your car.

 

I think it's the Orville car. Wright rode a bicycle

 

I guess they stopped teaching English, spelling and grammar classes in school.

Scary.

When I was 16 I drove my parents car and saved my money. Now I m 22 and using the interest on the money I saved to help pay my monthly lease.

 

Yep, you're right. You missed an apostrophe.

 

Hey Thameth

I Grown up with cars I have restored a 71 camaro that my dad and i did for me a few years ago and now we just got done building a Ultima GTR it is a race car that has been brought to the street I have over 500 hours restoring the camaro and somewhere around that in the Ultima

I also have just started a company buliding custom cars and restoring cars (i do not want to work at a fast food place)

I have been around racing and stuff like that for all my life to and i know that the road is not the wright place to fool around as for power of the car that i want it dosent have to be any thing powerfull i just want it to look sporty

As for driving experience i have been driving cars when i was 7 years old (not on the road) just monuvering them around i have driven my camaro alot i dont know how many miles as for the Ultima I drove that over 500 mile we just got that done and that has around 400 to 500 HP in it and it wheighs 2200 pounds so i do have some experience with driving high performance cars

I have been looking a VW Golfs but i am not sure if i am going to get one i still havent found anything that i like that i can get

I tryed to put some pic of the cars we did but i could notget them up so here is a link to my companys web site it has pics of the cars we have done www.sweet16customs.bravehost.com

 

71Camaro,

Yes the Mini is the car for you! You the man .

 

I know you should not do this, but good grief.

 

A classic mini is what i realy want but they are to unreliable for daily drivers so i hear, so what i would like after the classic is a new mini but i can not afored them today i looked at a used mini that was black and it was not a S and it was 21 thousand

then i thought about a wreaked one that i could fix but i am not sure that i could afored one that is fixable but i still have to look into that

 

You,my friend seem to be in a position to fix anything you want:smile:
Going to be great to have you around here on NAM.Now,get out there,find a wrecked MINI,and make it motor again

 

I agree if the money is there get the MC, maybe an '02 used you could pick one up in the $15K range.

But if I were 16, looking for an interesting and original car (read: NO HONDA NO TOYOTA), and not knowing your price range, I would consider a Saab 9-3. But if you want smaller go with the Golf or an Integra

The Saabs depreciate quickly, which is an advantage for you. They are more reliable than they used to be, FAST (all are stock turbo) , one of the highest rated for safety, sport and original (at least where I live). You can actually pick up a roomy fast economical safe 4 seater with lots of cargo ad euro styling for $5-7000 with less than 70,000 miles.

Of course, I am all talk. A guy your age doesnt want a larger safe car. You want a sports car. I had a 280ZX Turbo when I was 21 (miracle I am alive today). But when I was your age I had a Rabbit (old word that currently translates to VW Golf).

 

Ryan,
Good luck and more power to you. It seems like you and your dad could handle building a wrecked MINI. Another guy here did just that with a MINI that had an engine fire. His website
http://www.liquefaction.com/jon/mini/
details it. Check it out. May be of some help to you.
Cheers!

 

when i was 16 i was thinking V8.....vrooooom

 

Thanks For all the suport

As for koolmini i already have the V8 now i need somthing that i can afored insurence and gas on

if anyone hears of any minis that have been wreaked if you could email me i would appreciate it my email adress is camaro1@iwon.com

Thank You

 

That he did.
But, Frank Lloyd Wright drove a Crosley.
Cherokee Red, of course.
And in a most spirited fashion, according to our Taliesin West tour guide.

 

Make sure you save as much money as possible to continue your education. College is expensive even if you have a scholarship.

 

I agree with the Miata votes. My last car was a 90 miata. Cheap to buy, cheap to keep running, cheap to insure, plenty of mods to perform and fun all day to drive.

And before the teasing goes on and on drop the W when you are using the word right.

 

I dont know about the miata i dont care for convertibles if they made them in a coupe then i would think about it

 

Yes, I realize this post was a "flame", but I just have to agree completely. This kid should not be driving a Mini. It would be an insult to other Mini owners. He should be in summer school learning how to write properly. For God's sake, is this the future of our country?

 

You are an insult to all Mini drivers for acting the way you are. I'd rather be associated with someone that can't spell then someone with a bad attitude.

 

What's wrong with my attitude? I'm just concerned for the kid. What's your problem?

 

Excuse my language but you are acting like an ***, this is an internet forum where others get together to talk about a common interest. I don't think grammer police are needed unless nobody can understand what someone is saying

 

Uh, yeah, exactly. I can't understand what this kid is saying. You need to chill the **** out.

Oh, just FYI...it's "grammar", not "grammer".