Thread: Embarrassed Newb

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Hello everybody, just finished College a year ago & have the money to do a project.

I must say at this point im a newb to modifying cars, lived in NY all my life and only got my car a year ago when i moved, a crappy 00 Ford Focus. i cand mentally drive that crud anymore. also i feel a fool coming on here with only a basic knowledge of engines.

Im looking for a muscle car really, something where i can get my feet wet, but not sure which car is probably best for a first time project.
need an easy project, the norm im looking for something where i have enough room to put a bigger hp engine, piddle with the exhaust, transmission & so forth. ive got about 15K to fool with over the next year or so. hey! ive work hard for it i swear
been looking at the old chevs, mustangs & caddys, i need suggestions here plz!!

The price range your looking at is pretty realistic for getting something that is decent to start with and can be improved upon. Streets covered a lot of you choices adn there a a bunch more out there to choose from so it all pretty much boils down to what body style you fall in love with.

Once you decide on something, a good place to see what fair market value is is to check on E Bay and see what similar cars are going for. I'm not saying E bay is necessarly a good place to shop for a first time buyer though, people tend to be a little optimistic in there assesment of the condition of the car their trying to sell.

When you do find something that strikes your fancy, take someone who knows what to look for or even better, take the car to a good shop and have the car checked over (even if you have to pay to have it done, it's money well spent).

As streets says, if you narrow down what your looking for the people here can lekley give you some good pointer on what to look for.

I may scrub a few beards here, but.......

Since you just got out of school, and are in need of getting your work career started...
I would not bite off a big project to start with...
Go out and look for something 4 or 5 years old that falls within your price range 'that will be a future collector car'...
Make sure to buy one that has not been beat to heck...
Nice Camaro or Firebird (they will be as desireable as a '57 Chevy someday)... Maybe a 5.0 Mustang...
Sure, there are a lot of them...but.
Summit, Jeg's, and Speedway will keep you semi-poor without busting you for real rare crap.
Get your feet wet, go fast, have fun, hang with the grizzled old hot rod coots... Sooner or later you will get a real hot urge for what you want and a deal may fall in your lap.
Keep it real mild, driveable, and reliable.
Make it whoa first, look good second, and go fast third..
Make sure it will get you to work every day without fail.
Keep learning and growing. Get the job that will take you to a higher level, and then step up your ride....
Welcome to a lifelong addiction of the best kind!
Jeff

Thanks for the replys guys, i was leaning towards a certain 1970 mustang ive had my eye on, parts seem cheap & easy to get hold of as well, but i'll be keeping my options open & look at whats been suggested, ebay is a great place to get an idea of what cars will run you, ive been scrolling through page after page for about 8 months now.

deepnhock, i joined the force almost as soon as i left Uni, & still have my Focus, to get me around if all else fails.

howd you guys get interested in hotrodding? it would be interesting & helpful
Cheers guys, Grateful

Hey, Glad to see ya here! I can't speak for everyone here, but I think they all agree that there is no such thing as a dumb question.
It is better to ask first, then do something and find out it won't work and have to do it all over again. I know this from experiance
Everyone here has thier opinions on what you should start off with. ( I am a MOPAR guy) Your Mustang choice would be a good one as well. With the movies "Bullitt" and "Gone in 60 Seconds "remakes the Mustangs are making a comeback in parts for them and also the rising price of them.
Just remember this....If you think it will take 6 months to do your ride....then double it! If you think it takes so many $$ to build...double it! Take your time and do it right the first time. But have fun and enjoy the experiance of building a nice ride!


DCON