Hey guys, i'm 18 and i drive a minivan. I've been saving up a little here and there and i have around 3k saved, and i'm not sure what i should do. I would like any and all opinions, and flamers i know i drive a minivan haha :] Anyways, i've been looking at prices on cars and stuff, and i can't decide on what i want to do. Should i buy a cheap car for 2-4k now and then fix it up as i get more money [240sx, integra dc2]? Should i save up my money for a more expensive car.. say 6-10k [dc5, ep3, sti maybe?] Or should i just put a down payment on a new civic? Any suggestions would help, please take into consideration my money problem since i wasn't handed 60k like the previous post. And if you could tell me why you your opinion or straight fact as to why i should go that route please do, thanks.  

get a 240sx or a 1st or 2nd gen eclipse gsx  

^ i agree... look for a decent condition 240sx, or one of the 1st or 2nd gen eclipse/talon (gsx or TSI AWD). If its gonna be a daily driver, and theres snow in your area, the eclipse would be better for you with the AWD.

Oh, and not all minivans are bad, look at the 2.4L turbo caravans  

Which are those Golf/GTI's that had AWD?.. Those are nice.  

I drive a nissan quest, no turbo's here, just bilbo baggins. Uh.. the problem with finding a 240 is that i've been looking for longer than a year for the right 240. All or most are in bad condition, or already done up. I don't want one that's done up already because i would like to work on it by myself. But i don't want a piece of *** that doesn't drive, and i don't want anything over like 150k miles on it. Which is why i was leaning towards the teg's because they're newer and somewhat the same price. I was also looking at ek9's but i can't justify paying 6-10k for one.  

@Master Shake:
That would be the R32, and those would be in the 6-10k range as their fairly new.

Although, if you go to the 85-92 generation you could get a golf syncro AWD for cheap, but their hard to find.  

if you leanin to the teggi get a civic instead. half the price same engine and suspension. you can get a nice late 90s for about 3-5 gs.  

I have something against civics not performance wise, just because i want something not everyone has. Integra's aren't "rare" persay, but you don't see them every corner and i could save up for a jdm front.  

So, you just want a car for its pseudo-rarity and aesthetic look? Well, why not the previous Sentra SE-R? Those look alright, you don't see'em everyday and even with its stock performance it'll keep you happy...And I guess you can get a JDM thing from e-bay as well. whatever....  

or instead get a 200sx ser. those are very rare. ive only seen 10 myself. there like 40 teggis in my town and everybody wants to do the jdm front end. civics have a teggi front end convertion.  

Looks are obviously important to me, the front on the teg is ugly but i don't mind it, I do see a lot of them. I see so many hondas that i wouldn't want one unless it was the new 06+ si. And i definitely don't have cash for that. So i just want something that'll give me the bang for the buck. Like.. if i were to say a 240 vs. dc2, or an ep3 vs dc5.. Or vice versa, dc2 vs ep3, and so on. Is the dc5 worth the money? Likewise with the other cars.. I want to work on the car too, so i can learn more about the sport as well. Sorry i'm so picky and stuff -.- it's just hard for me to decide because money doesn't come easily.  

if you wanna be different go for the 200sx SE-R. 146hp 152tq. you can find them for about 5gs  

1G DSM (DSM = Diamond Star Motors, which is the Mitsubishi Eclipses, Eagle Talons, and Plymouth Lasers) for sure. Doesn't have to be AWD unless you plan on drag racing it a LOT. AWD's are definately nice, but if you can't find one a FWD is just fine. I picked up a 92 GST for $900. Runs good (turbo smokes just a little, but it's all getting rebuilt soon), had a bad door, put a new one on from a junkyard and new paint and clearcoat on the car and it looks amazing. Pick up a 1g or 2g DSM and you won't look back. Check out DSMtuners.com, they have all the info and everything you need if you buy one and need some help or something.