Hi my name is Will.... I'm about to turn 16 so I'm trying to pick out my first car. It has to be less than $7000, look good on the outside and inside, have cheap isurance, and most importantly be fast, or at least have cheap parts available to make it fast...

So far my list is

1. 99-05 Civic EX
2. 03 Mazda Protege5
3. 02 Volkswagen Jetta
4. 01 Eclipse (anyone know about insurance for the Eclipse)
5.  01 Lancer EVO

anyone know other cars or know about the ones on the list.... Any info would be appriciated greatly  

Cheap insurance? Avoid civics, they have high rates due to high theft (around here at least).

An evo that has a clean history and in good shape is probably to high priced.

Being a new driver, a jetta/mazda is probably a good bet, being both front wheel drive and not to powerful. You can participate in local autocross events, get some good driving experience, and when your able to handle more power both volkswagens and mazda's have huge (and friendly) communities. Performance parts for both are cheap, an plentiful.  

Well first of all they did not make an evo in 01, those did not come out til 03.

Read our new car sticky if you want to know what makes a good tuning platform and which ones do not (most of the cars on your list make bad tuning platforms)
http://forums.importtuner.com/70/6381092/general-discussion/new-car-sticky/index.html  

i would go with the jetta if i were you.  They are fairly easy to mod and not to expensive.  just get a little practice before you try to race it  

th 01 eclipse is a good car. the 4g64 is a strong natuned motor. i have an 03 and with 4points on my record i pay $250 a month for full coverage. insurance prices vary buy state, city, age. if i had 0 point my insurance would only be $150. the engine in the mazdas are pos. unless its a rx-7 or 8 stay away from mazda. the jetta is a good car but standard parts cost an arm and a leg. jetta will last forever if you take proper care of it, even if its tuned.  

I am not entirely sure why you consider 140hp from the factory makes it a "strong" motor. If your racing other Naturally aspirated 4cylinders that would be about your only other competition as anyone with a v6/turbo 4cylinder/6cylinder or a V8 will have an easy time smoking you.

Compared to the Eclipse GSX or Evo, the NA 4g64 in your car is a far cry from the WRC winning 4g63 in those cars and if the man has any desire to be fast without rebuilding the block, the 4g64 is not the way to go and the 4g63 is.

I use to own a Mazda Miata. Motor was fine, it held up very well to lots of my new car owner abuse and n00bishness, forgetting to change spark plugs, never checking fluid levels and flooring it when the motor is cold. I can assure you that Mazda puts out high quality automobiles that are well engineered, albeit maybe not the same reputation for reliability that my Toyota has.

Oh and MOST Jetta's are FWD, and only a few are turbo, but we generally try to steer people away  from FWD NA's as tuning platforms, but since your a new driver you might need a slow easy to drive car as your first rather than a fast car.  

New List
1. MINI Cooper
2. 00-03 Eclipse
3. Jetta
4. Protege
5. Civic

Actually sirscr0tum1 the Lancer Evolution I came out in 1992, in Japan. The brand didnt reach the US until 03...

I've read about the MINI being pretty fast, but they're expensive (for me at least)

Have any of you heard of an Eagle Talon, how are they different than an Eclipse?  

The Eagle Talon is exactly the same as the Mitsubishi Eclipse and the Plymouth Laser. The only real differences are some body components and paint options. Same motor, same everything.  

I have a Laser RS Turbo and an Eclipse GS-T. If you're going for your first car, get a DSM (1990-1999), preferably an AWD one (which can be had for under 5k). A FWD will run you about 3k I'd say...Make sure you get a Turbocharged variant no matter what (GS-T, RS Turbo, TSi), because NA DSMs are slow. They are relatively cheap, sometimes they are hard to find, but they can go faster for next to nothing. Best bang for the buck out there. A Civic will set you back 10k at least if you go the motor swap, turbo route, and although if done right, they are great, it is still way too much to invest in...Whereas if you get a DSM with your budget, you still will have a few grand left over for modifications.  

Yeah, Eagle Talon's are eclipses, although their sold by chrystler.

Your new list looks pretty good. If you get a jetta, keep in  mind the VR6 engine. The mk4 VR6 engines were rated at a little over 200hp, although replacement parts are expensive, so a modified 4 cylinder Jetta is a good option as well.  

Well duh they made them in 1992. I was saying that unless this guy lives in Europe or Japan, he can forget about an 01 evo since they were never imported.

The only Mini I would ever consider buying as a potential race platform would be the oldschool ones from the 60's and 70's, not the behemoth new ones that bear the same name.  

your sayin a 60hp car is a real racin platform. the old minis even weighed more than the new cause the steel frame and body. unless your rollin in the dough there is no way you can make one fast. the new cooper s is a qiuck car not fast. the engine is to small to push out real power. i had a friend with a copper s he owned it for 3 months and traded it in for a evoIX.  

is this even a question, if you could get an evo why would even consider a civic, jetta, protege5, or eclipse.  deffinetly the evo. if not that then get one with a v6 so that it has more power potential.  if your looking for cheap aftermarket parts than the civics are by far the cheapest. but eclipses arent that hard to get either.  

this is an unorthadoxed suggestion and will be a little different than other's are suggesting, but you have a good sized budget and this vehicle will stomp stock corvette's and evo's. look on ebay for a GMC TYPHOON or GMC SYCLONE. its a turbo charged 6 cylinder that does 0-60 in under 5 seconds in the rain. they only made 5000 typhoons ever and 2500 syclones. oh yeah you'll be surprised to know their small awd SUV's.

most people have never heard of these vehicles but its my dream car, their extremely rare and fast.  

oh yeah evo's and vette's will kill it in top end speed. but to be honest you being 16 year old, you dont need anythings that goes 150mph. you can make lots of money with these GMC sleeper's. every dude pulling up next to you at a stoplight in a mustang will laugh when you rev, then get his ass handed to him.