I Am 17 On My P's What Car Would Be Best For Me?

[Dohmar]

id say attitude is the key, not experience.

as i mentioned, i stepped straight into a turbo car, i took it easy until i felt competent with the car, i didnt get in over my head too early and i didnt have any real issues. i didnt have much experience, but i think i had the right attitude.

Attitude is great but there are somethings you can only learn via driving for a while... how to feel a wet road for example, when and how to change gears, rev ranges and all that. There is no substitute for experience, but the right attitude does help a bucketload. I think its amusing how many kids get behind a wheel and all of a sudden think theyre on par with an F1 driver...

-D

[nisskid]

^^ here here 17 does not = enough experience to be a save competent driver

thing is, age doesnt always have to do with experience, i know plenty of young people that have either been in racing from a young age, or simply gone out to the track and practiced from a young age, learnt the limits of their car, got a grasp on car control, these people are a lot more competent then most import drivers on the road, even older ones.

would it surprise u if someone around the age of 16-18 could more competently control a high power car than urself? not having a dig, but i think if ur going to generalize all young people as being unsafe incompetent drivers, then i think you need to be pretty confident that all 17 year olds are unsafe drivers.

[SLED]

whats wrong with 17 and owning a turbo car ^_^ just because some didnt have one when they were 17 i bet if u were 17 and ur parents offered you would definately take it! i know i did lol..

yeah, yeah, yeah............and how many points you got left on your licence Kietz?

[scandyflick]

he has a licence now?

[SLED]

Yes but more than half the responses are

"don't get a turbo you'll crash"

Which i think is silly.

More than 1/2 the responses?.......more like everyone except you & Kietz.....so what do you deduce from that Kralster?

[andz]

your car is held together with tape Keits whats in the turbo cardboard

yah 12k for a car with bodykit held together by masking tape

as for which car

+1 to whoever recommended a 33 GTS4

[nisskid]

And what's the crash count now stewy? lol

bah, both were down to setup issues (one which was a workshops fault)

neither were from me pushing it hard btw.

[SLED]

thing is, age doesnt always have to do with experience, i know plenty of young people that have either been in racing from a young age, or simply gone out to the track and practiced from a young age, learnt the limits of their car, got a grasp on car control, these people are a lot more competent then most import drivers on the road, even older ones.

would it surprise u if someone around the age of 16-18 could more competently control a high power car than urself? not having a dig, but i think if ur going to generalize all young people as being unsafe incompetent drivers, then i think you need to be pretty confident that all 17 year olds are unsafe drivers.

Possibly on a race track but definitely not on the streets........defensive driving comes with time and experience in only.

[R31 drift pig]

I raced Karts when I was younger... I had a CAMS license before I had my road license LOL.

My dad has raced Cars and bikes for years... I mean years (from like 17 and he just turned 54) and he didnt start out in a GTHO He started out in a Datto 1200 coupe.

Ive still stacked a couple of cars, simply by pushing myself too far and/or being a dickhead. I can happily admit that. Only learn from mistakes.

All comes down to the individual in the end. Im not telling him to not buy a turbo, Im saying I found it more beneficial to start small and work my way up.

Shit, you can still kill someone in a Hyundai Excel.......

I suggest get a R31, make $5K worth of mods to it, and invest some in Defensive Driving/Insurance/rego and chuck the rest in the bank.

As a side note, you'll be paying $3000 a year for full comp insurance, dunno what turbo you're going to buy with $7K.

[Hillzy]

Possibly on a race track but definitely not on the streets........defensive driving comes with time and experience in only.

Agreed, but on the racetrack you get a different type of experience; the experience of your car on the limit. And in a situation which could lead to an accident I'm sure that sort of experience would be better than normal day-to-day driving experience.

[Hillzy]

Defence driving is a waste of time! You reckon half a day of tuition will help you make a split second decision 2 years down the track?

EDIT: You may as well take your car out to ya local Kmart one night and skid around... same result and you save $300

Edited March 24, 2008 by Hillzy

[nisskid]

Attitude is great but there are somethings you can only learn via driving for a while... how to feel a wet road for example, when and how to change gears, rev ranges and all that. There is no substitute for experience, but the right attitude does help a bucketload. I think its amusing how many kids get behind a wheel and all of a sudden think theyre on par with an F1 driver...

-D

yes, but its the attitude which determines how you get the experience. people can have experience but if they are over confident with their abilities then it will end in tears. a less experienced driver, but without the over confidence they will be less likely to push past their boundaries and risk crashing.

i know a 21 year old who kept crashing his cars consecutively after each time he'd fix them, he had the experience, but his attitude meant he kept pushing past his abilities. experience is very important, but id say that attitude is just as important, you really need both to be a competent and safe driver.

[Madaz]

go-kart drivers / semi pro drifters are the minority

we are not talking about people that have racing experience we are talking about generation Y and Z the play station generation the ones that can handle driving the pike peak car

try not to generalise that all the people you know (5 race driver) and put 17yr olds in this bracket MOST 17 year olds are full of testosterone and all they want to do is how off to all there mates and who evers about

thing is, age doesnt always have to do with experience, i know plenty of young people that have either been in racing from a young age, or simply gone out to the track and practiced from a young age, learnt the limits of their car, got a grasp on car control, these people are a lot more competent then most import drivers on the road, even older ones.

would it surprise u if someone around the age of 16-18 could more competently control a high power car than urself? not having a dig, but i think if ur going to generalize all young people as being unsafe incompetent drivers, then i think you need to be pretty confident that all 17 year olds are unsafe drivers.

[SLED]

Agreed, but on the racetrack you get a different type of experience; the experience of your car on the limit. And in a situation which could lead to an accident I'm sure that sort of experience would be better than normal day-to-day driving experience.

Yeah good point Hillzy.

The problem with the streets is someone else running a red light or going thru a stop sign when its not always your fault. The more experienced drivers may avert a situation like this due to good defensive skills which generally get better with age but then taper off and go the other way when you get too old.

[SLED]

Defence driving is a waste of time! You reckon half a day of tuition will help you make a split second decision 2 years down the track?

EDIT: You may as well take your car out to ya local Kmart one night and skid around... same result and you save $300

Gee Hillzy, you started to make some good sense in your previous post but then fell into a big hole with this one.

[nisskid]

Possibly on a race track but definitely not on the streets........defensive driving comes with time and experience in only.

Agreed, but on the racetrack you get a different type of experience; the experience of your car on the limit. And in a situation which could lead to an accident I'm sure that sort of experience would be better than normal day-to-day driving experience.

yep, im not talking about racing experience here, im talking about getting a feel for ur car on the limit, getting car control skills, u do a few prac days and these things burn into ur subconscious which is what reacts each time something unexpected happens.

[kralster]

More than 1/2 the responses?.......more like everyone except you & Kietz.....so what do you deduce from that Kralster?

Ohh i'd rather not say

[nisskid]

go-kart drivers / semi pro drifters are the minority

we are not talking about people that have racing experience we are talking about generation Y and Z the play station generation the ones that can handle driving the pike peak car

try not to generalise that all the people you know (5 race driver) and put 17yr olds in this bracket MOST 17 year olds are full of testosterone and all they want to do is how off to all there mates and who evers about

your the only one generalizing here mate, you were the one making the statement that you cannot have enough experience to be a safe and competent driver by the age of 17. i can understand ur point, but once again i think a lot of it is attitude, a more immature attitude of what they can do, fueled by lack of experience when they do decide to go push their car to the limit.

once again, i think if you have the right attitude about driving, you can own a powerful import at no more risk that driving a little corolla or something even without much experience.

[Hillzy]

Ha, yeah I may have come across a little harsh on defence driving courses. But I just don't support them.

From the comments I hear from people who have attended these courses all they say is you get to thrash your car around for a day. From the small benefit you may receive I just don't see how you can put this knowledge into practice in that split second moment before a crash when you have the chance to go left or right, brake or accelerate.

Call me crazy but one day of tuition will not save you in an accident and will not make you a better driver. You need practice to build up you EXPERIENCE... damn that word is popping up a lot!

[Madaz]

...once again, i think if you have the right attitude about driving, you can own a powerful import at no more risk that driving a little corolla or something even without much experience.

you are very right with the right attitude a 16yr old can have a turbo but 98% of 17yr old men do not have the right attitude