i had a dog and his name was BINGO!
its all up to the driver.
if your first car is slow you won't know as you are getting used to acceleration and the characteristics of an engine. give yourself time to learn and get confidence before you buy a powerful car.
i had an older supra, learnt in it, gave it a gool 'ol caining and spun it a couple of times, but never crashed.
now i'm almost 21 and have had the line for 6 months and i think i can drive responsibly and can handle the power - but not back then.
so in response to the thread i think an R31 non-turbo is a great first car allowing you to save for an r32gtst to get when you are ready...
just my 2c