Dependable?

[mikek]

To make long story short. My son and I have a deposit on a 97 Talon (NONTURBO) . Now since we got home his friends and he think he should have a turbo.. Street racing???? Well besides Insurance being HIGH. He starts college next year. i am wonder from you DSM people. I see alot of these for sale cause they say the are tired of the insurance and up kee[p maint cost. Are these that much of a maint, head ach or what. Be truthful please Mike. I could see if it were his 2nd car but as a main ride? Thanks MIKe

 

[ADrewzki]

Well it goes that any car that's taken care of will last a long time. A n/t (non turbo) car is a good car to start with. Putting a turbo on a n/t car will usually cause the car to need more work more frequently. More power usually means more things break. In my opinion, if you don't beat on it, it'll probably last your son a while. Just make sure you get it checked out. There are a lot of dsms out there that have a lot of abuse on them.
-Drew

 

[97TSIAWD]

I had a 92 GST fwd when I was 16, good car, I messed up a few times, but my family is all about motorsports so I had a background. As a first car, and if you know your sons skills in driving are not spectacular you might not want to think about a turbo for a first car. The n/t is a good car and will be dependable. Now all my turbo cars have also been dependable as long as you maintaince them the way you would any car. However, if you trust your son (know he won't be an idiot on the street) a turbo awd car can be a fun exciting thing and a great bonding tool for both you, since you can work on it and upgrade it together. I never found the insurance to be super high, but on a new DSM it will be a tad more. You can find a cheap 1g, with not too many miles for less money and have more left over. You should point him in the dirrection of information also so that he becomes aware of what responsiblities he would have driving a car with a good amount of performance, and what it takes to maintain that car. Although most view ours as our "toys" it is also a deadly machine that has consequences if taken lightly. Also, with college coming up it depends on who will be paying for the car and college. If he is paying for both, then remember that college is probably the most important thing ever, and that tuition for higher education is ever increasing. If you are paying for either the burden is less for car or college but unexpected things could happen requiring money to be invested in the car (rainy day fund). Either way the choice is yours, explore your options and know your son. If you trust him, a turbo car will be a great investment. Also remember a lot of people selling their cars because they have no money have the financial burden to carry and no help, or have modded the car withouth thinking about other expenses as college.

 

[boostedinaz]

These cars are no more likely to break than any other car. The main reason turbo cars are "unreliable" is because people beat the shit out of them and expect it to take that abuse. The same goes for any performance car. It is up to you to make sure the car is in good working order BEFORE buying it. It just depends on your son and how he handles himself. If you think he will treat it bad then you will have to fix it all the time, if he treats it right then it will be less likey to break.


PS If his friends want him to get a turbo car then they should ante up and give him some cash.