Motors a question for the americans

i've noticed quite a few americans on here so i've got a question for you.
whats the typical first car over in the us?
is it the same as over here in the uk, a small engined hatch back with low insurance.

 

Pretty much anything you can find for sale on the cheap. Personally, my mom's '02 accord, but as that's still her's I can't really comment.

 

usualy a pos honda civic or some kind of cheepo domestic.

Its universal, pretty mutch all new drivers get pos cars for the begining.

Im personaly looking into an SUV or pickup truck as my first machine. But I drive a 8pasenger van that belongs to my pop on acasion. Yeh yeh large v6 (4.3L to be exact)

I would love to buy my neighbors 69mustang, hes got a 351 cleveland in it that screams. (a 351 cleveland motor is about 5.7L @ 300hp @ 500-600lb of toruque)

 

accord civic camry or corrolla.. yup thats about it

 

actually i was reading in the paper the other day about first cars and statistics.

didnt save the article but the gist of it was :

15 % buy new

30 % buy used

everyone else get a "hand me down" - whatever their parents or grandparents drove last. in my case it would be ford tauruses (ford's full size car) gawd weve had alot of them.

basically, the first car is usually almost always the cheapest thing you can get. since the gas prices have risen recently, you see some ppl leaning toward the smaller cars, but most youngsters just want a decent looking car that will last them a lil while, they arent too concerned with gas mileage.

as for cheap insurance - i only keep liability. its almost the bare minimum in my state. it covers the damage i do to others, not to myself. basically if i hit someone im screwed, so i dont hit ppl. my car would be totaled out if even one of the fenders needed replaced (low value) so there is no point.

ive had 3 different vehicles in the last 5 years and the insurance has been the same on all of them. a fullsize truck was about the same as a compact car. only goes lower if i had ABS or airbags.

 

When it comes to popularity for first cars the trend around my city is the Honda Civic, but like most people are saying we get whatever we can get our hands on.

 

I agree with the consensus so far, whatever is cheap, in half way decent condition and available. My first car was a 1977 Plymoth Volare (keep in mind this was in 1985) that I got for $500.

 

NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!!

You see, you have 4.3L cars that produce as much power as our german buddies 2L. Bet it sounds better though :/

 

isnt there a difference tho in insurance between UK and USA as we have insurance on the car and the Americans have insurance on the person.. am i right on that?

 

there are options over here. (atleast in pennsylvania)

yes you can insure YOUR car for any damage you may cause, but you dont have to

you have to be insured if you hit someone elses car.

if i want to add another car to my policy it will almost double, even if i am the only driver of both of them. as my agent explained it to me - "we insure the car not the driver."

 

But remember our 4.3l engines will put out tons more torque than a 2l and yes, it'll sound lots better

 

Then again the 2L will do 40 or so miles to a real gallon and a yank tank only about 18 or so

/rant Then again it's now 89.9p a litre for unleaded in my local filling station, thats £4.08 a gallon

 

If the kid gets to pick the car, its small and trendy, but alot f the time kids cant afford the car and/or the insurance, so the parents insist the kid get something that wont kill them if they crash. Alot of kids end up with tanks, like a plymouth, lincoln, or old chrysler. Other than thatm as stated before, anything cheap is what will appeal to a new driver.

 

Well let me put this into perspective.
The 4.3L v6 makes 190hp, yes thats low. But it also makes 384lb of tourque. The van can tow in exes of 7000Lb and still maintain drivability during any condition. Also the motor redlines at 4600rpm thus giving it a sub 2000rpm tourque peak and giving it power on tap anytime anywhere during any condition.
Things are a bit diferent around here.

EDIt: Also the van is geared to last 300k-500k miles depending on how harsh your with it.

And yes it does sound like a beast since the exaust is a true 1.5inch exaust.

 

Please explain why a 2.3 litre, 4 cylinder, 70hp Land Rover can haul about 6,000lb plus through deep mud then..?

...

...

*n

 

That would be possible thanks to very low gears and a 45MPH(+/-?) top speed. A WWII-era Dodge Power Wagon will go over anything while hauling anything...albeit at a slow pace.

There's also no way that 4.3 Chev motor has 384lb-ft torque...more like 275. Sound like a beast with a monstrous 1.5" exhaust system? Don't Honda Civic's have bigger pipes?

 

the landrover will still only return 24 to the gallon tho (though to give its due the engine was designed in the 1940's)
landie will pull practically anything as proved a couple of weekends ago when me ad my brother pulled a motor home out of a soggy field in his swb lightweight and yes its down to gearing and grip

bah had to edit so it made sense

4.3litres is a bit in your face tho 2.8 diesel would do the job just as well

 

The trend is moving to lower displacement and diesel's in the US. The 5.9L Cummins Diesel available in Dodge 3/4- and 1-ton trucks has 320HP and 610lb-ft torque and gets 20MPG. 20,000 lb towing capacity.

Some of the newer Chrysler/Dodge cars in the US have a 5.7L V-8 with 340HP but during low throttle and cruising speeds it acts like a 2.4L 4 cylinder with 170HP. 5.5 seconds to 60 ain't badd and neither is 20MPG but they make a funny sound when you let off the throttle.

 

20mpg is incredibly bad.

And the Landie isn't that low geared - 60mph (comfortable motorway cruising speed) is possible.

*n

 

Compared to 10-13, 20 is good. As a Proud and Evil American™, I drive a 5.9L V-8 4X4 beast that gets 12 on a good day.

You'd suffer great culture shock if you visited a southern or mid-western US city. I don't know that I'd want to drive my truck in the UK, though.