i'm 17 and looking to buy a cheapish tuner.  i have a 15000-18000$ limit.  i have already taken driver's ed and a racing class at the local track so i already know how to drive, i'm just looking for a car that will do it.  being new to the tuning world, i really don't know much about cars or engines at all so any help would be much appreciated.  thanks.  

Look here brosif, first you decide what area of the racing bizz you wanna get into. Drifting? Drag? Track? Or the ever so popular... street. (dont tell anyone though). Then I would just go with a respectable car that I liked. Not all cars just come fast. The best part about the hobby of racing is the car is a canvas, so roll up your sleeves and get painting. Surprisingly for some good information on any car you would want research it in wikipedia. It will tell you all kinds of history and specs. Then google the car to find out what others have  customized. Its not a quick process, like going to a dealer and saying I want this car with that on it.  

hm i'd prob be doing mainly track and prob some street (shhh)  as for finding a car that's good, as i said i dont really know anything so idk what cars can be tuned  

civic...nah  integra...hm RSX..YES if your getin into track id go rsx (just something to look into) lol  

aight, sweet  

I planned to buy a car. Give me the qualities and price details of it.
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Ohio Treatment Centers  

well the rsx you can probably get for under 15gs there all arond good fun. and youll be revin happy with that K engine under the hood  

dncoo7? I don't want to be the bearer of enlightenment and I don't say things to make enemies... but. Don't say that you know how to drive yet because of what you've accomplished so far. Don't get me wrong, I commend you for doing it. More kids your age should take those classes because they help greatly. But knowing how to drive and having experience behind the wheel are two different worlds. Even with thwe classes and stuff you're still considered a nooby. It will take some time before you could actually say that you can drive. There's driving and then there's driving well... Even a good experienced driver can make a very dumb mistake so stay grounded and think before you leap. I only say this because I care about this life style and every ones safety on the road, including yours.
Any way, I have to agree with every one here on their choices for you and much props to DKFranco for keeping it real. He's spot on.
Be particular about what car you choose. Like DKFranco says, research and plan smart. It will be the car that YOU want and no one can say differently. Good luck in geting your ride. Keep us posted.  

Ok Coo, figure out a game plan. if you got 15-18 stacks, then your in good shape. Now, most importantly, dont just go for speed, go for style as well. now you dont wanna go all ricey with it and let somebodys truck beat you in a race and have your girl giggle at you and make you look like a *** but you want to win most races and look good while doing it, right? yea, i thought so. with that much money, you could get somethin like a supra! but most importantly, get something with speed potential, with style, and make sure you got some bucks left to fix it up. leave yourself 5 grand. get somethin like a twin turbo supra with a hot exhaust, and youll be makin more panties drop than your local gynocologist.  

well actually trucks have like 300hp so don't feel to bad about losin to one especially when there runnin and effin twin turbo, ive seen it  

lol. don't get too far ahead of yourself. but it's good that you've taken some racing classes. you should probably try to go to more though. that stuff isn't something you just learn in a day.
anyway, it depends on what u wanna do. drift? drag? roadrace? rally? show??? hondas are excellent all around cars that you can do anything with but drift (unless u get an s2k but there are better cars for drifting...). TONS of aftermarket stuff. easy to work on. reliable. HUGE community. and with that kind of a budget you can put together something really fast. (k series eg????) downside is theft though. you'll really need to keep an eye on it and it would be best if you kept it in the garage... used S2000 maybe?
toyota has some cool older stuff (corolla,starlet,etc... ) but they're a little bit of a hassle cuz of old stuff breaking, but if you wanna learn how to fix stuff anyway who cares???. they're fun as hell to drive too.
nissan has the 240sx (if you want to drift) and sr swaps (the turbo charged engine that came in the japanese one) are a lot cheaper these days. for that budget you can make a pretty nice one, but again, you'll need to be cautious about where you leave it. they also seem to have some issues with stuff breaking.
you can probably also find and older impreza (gc8) and do an sti swap.
i don't know. there's a lot of stuff out there.  

civic with swap > RSX for the track. imo  

I've been told that there is this shop here in Ct. that has a 500horsepower 4 banger dodge minivan. The guys in my shop apparently know the guy who built it and they confirm the build. This shop also has its own dyno. I'll have to confirm it my self before I go believing any one at my job, though. You know... seeing is believing

Dude, buy what you feel is nice to you and then take your time doing what you want to it. Haste makes waste, and all that.
gts013 is another cat that has said that skill is not learned in a few classes. To phrase a 70s cliche', "RIGHT ON"! LOL!  

haha. it's true. there are dudes in their late 30's that have been driving since they were 16 and they're still learning new stuff.  

what you should do is buy like a talon, cheap and awd, for like $5000 and then drop the rest into parts and you'll have a much better car and will have been able to spend enough money on it to make it handle like a dream