These Are The First Fun Cars Our Commenters Ever Owned

Enthusiasts spend a lot of time talking about their first cars, but typically, the freedom of finally having a car of your own is much more exciting than the car itself. For whatever reason, most parents seem to think it's a bad idea to give an inexperienced driver whose brain still hasn't finished developing yet access to a performance car they could easily kill themselves with. Weird.

So on Tuesday, we asked about your first enthusiast car. We wanted to know about your first experience owning something that was legitimately fun to drive and ended up with far more responses than we could ever include here. So let's take a look at some of the most popular answers.

A 1994 Ford Probe GT in midnight blue, 5 spd manual, and chrome wheels. I fucking loved it. Bought it used when I started college. Sure, it wasn't a Japanese sport coupe; those were more expensive. And while it only had 164 hp, it was a jewel of an engine, and had tires as wide as my forearm and handled like a dream. Loved it.

Suggested by: WantAPorscheButDriveAHyundai

1986 Ford Mustang SVO, bought it ~1989. Just a blast to drive, my first experience with a turbo engine that actually had a lot of HP (for the day, 205). Also the best looking Fox Stang IMO.

Suggested by: J-BodyBuilder

1992 manual Geo Storm GSi in black with grey interior, bought for $5000 in 1995 with 27K miles on it. Was the first car I owned that didn't have an analog radio or significant body damage (before I got it). Looked cool (to me) and was peppy enough to be fun but not enough to be too dangerous. Made the 6-hour drive back and forth to college so many times and never gave me any problems; mileage was amazing, and insurance was cheap. The perfect starter "new" car for this college student.

It was cheap but unique, and was still simple enough that I could do silly customization like pulling all the light bulbs from the dash, doors, overhead, etc. and wrapping them in blue theater gel so the interior had a very cool synthwave vibe. I installed an updated stereo and speakers myself, changed the oil myself, washed it every week and just really enjoyed owning it even though it wasn't the greatest car ever produced (I got the image from a "worst sports car" list.)

I loved and babied that car right up until I got t-boned at 50 MPH by a drunk driver in 2001; where GEOrge (my car's name) gave me the final gift of keeping me 100% injury-free. Going to the scrapyard and salvaging my speakers, stereo, and 10-disc changer was one of the saddest days I've ever had.

Suggested by: Gin and Panic

My '14 GLI, a 200HP Turbo 4 with a manual isn't too bad when you're 17. Only had it a couple years until A old guy t boned me (Not at fault). I liked it so I bought another one and still have my '17.

Suggested by: James II

My first car was a red '86 IROC. It had headers and a catback (and a cutout that I later added). It stood out in the parking lot of mid-late-aughts high school. It was slow as shit (I was unaware at the time) but sounded good (in multiple ways, as it also had decent speakers and great subs) and did awesome burnouts.

I truly do miss that car (though I do have an '81 Z28 and '15 SS currently that more than make up for it). Thanks drunk driver.

Suggested by: MP81

The first fun car I ever owned was a brand new bright red 1998 Isuzu Amigo. I had wanted a jeep but after being absolutely terrified on my test drive when the jeep tried to buck me out of the drivers seat on a bit of normal everyday road, I went with the Amigo, which had the same size but was much better on the road. It was FUN. it wasn't fun because it had a lot of power- it only had like 98hp, It wasn't fun because it handled well- it was still a short wheelbase truck after all, it was fun because you could roll down the windows, throw down the top and suddenly even boring commuting was fun.

It was awesome for carrying canoes and kayaks to way out of the way lakes, it was fun to drive across country even though it got abominable gas mileage, it made me smile.

I have had cars with far better handling and much more enthusiast cred but the Amigo is the one that if I could buy another one, I would. I know they don't get a lot of respect because they're not jeeps but then again, they aren't jeeps and that's not a bad thing.

Suggested by: Buckfiddiousagain

My first fun car was an '86 Merkur XR4Ti.

The XR4Ti, with a 2.3l Turbo at @175hp and 2910lbs, was a small displacement, light and fun RWD car, it was in every measure a great car right up until summer rolled around and the battery couldn't keep up with cooling the engine after shutting down...

But I made do and owning it started me on my path to repairing all of my own cars. If anything, my only regret was not getting a second one after the first was ruined by a early '70's Torino Wagon that ran a stop sign...

Suggested by: Go Padge (GoPadge)

My first fun car was also my first car.

It was 1987, and my dad dragged home what was to be my first car. It was a 1960 El Camino owned by one of his coworkers. He'd put wheels with the wrong offset up front. The passenger tire exploded with such violence the fender ripped off at the bottom and curled up over the hood.

It had a clapped out small block and an aluminum case four speed with a Hurst shifter powering it. We bought a replacement long block from AutoZone and dropped it in. I learned half-assed bodywork on it to cover the extensive rust, but it looked good when I painted it Corvette red.

I loved that car. My girlfriend at the time hated it. Especially when I missed going to the homecoming football game because I was installing the engine. Oh well.

My next girlfriend didn't like the car either, and the car hated her right back. It would frequently refuse to start when she was in it. She turned out to be a cheater, so...

So many memories in that car. I ran a red light at 114 mph in front of a cop in that car. Didn't get a ticket! I learned so much right and wrong with that car. Unfortunately, the rust was terminal, and I ultimately traded it off for something else.

I still miss that car.

Suggested by: Anthony Thornton

My first car and first fun car were both the same and wildly different. First was a hand-me-down 1984 Audi 4000S 4 cyl, 4 speed auto, FWD. It was in impeccable condition until I got my hands on it.

It was fun in the sense that I discovered I was a car person in this car. I drove it foot to the floor everywhere I went, which wasn't all that fast. Repairs were difficult and I joined an Audi forum to find assistance and ended up finding friends and a community that I never knew existed. They led me to my second car, my first almost objectively fun car, a 1984 Audi 4000S Quattro, 5cyl, 5 speed manual, AWD with vacuum locking diffs and a bad respray.

It wasn't fast either and it handled like a boat but the light weight, manual trans, and AWD made it very engaging. On top of that I had no fear of chopping it up and I ended up shaving the door handles, swapping the interior and all kinds of stuff I've forgotten by now. The first 4k opened my eyes and the second one got my hands dirty. After the pair, I was hooked for life.

Suggested by: icrashbikes

My first fun car I ever owned (and still own) is my Evo X. I always gravitated towards that car in general for some reason all the way back to the Gran Turismo ps1 days. Maybe it's because we both have the same birth year like some sort of Mystical birth stone thing. But I was finally old enough and had the money to Buy the last gen brand new with the sight and sound package for $38K. Learned how to drive manual on it (which the stalling is a very scary experience and the smell of clutch/brakes from semi's on the hwy produces ptsd), Which I had to learn in 3 days before I drove 40 miles to work lol. I'm still in love with the car and learning more and more about it as I modify (and as it ages) it to my liking 10 years later. The experience and friends that I've gained through this car is something special, where I would have never experienced without it, and has elevated my driving to the next level. It has 411whp right now, aiming for 600 maybe in the future, but hopes to another 10 years with it and burning my money haha. (pic below is mine and my car when I first got it, feel free to use it if you choose me)

Suggested by: darthspartan117

2003 SVT Focus in Sonic Blue, in 2004. I wanted an SRT-4 Neon, especially since the 2004 ones had the stage 1 upgrade and LSD stock (about 30hp boost), OR the RSX-S... Was a Junior in college.

My father had lost a bet and owed me the car, and it had a strict price limit based on what he considered "good cars" – the Saturn Ion Coupe (LOL). The SRT-4 was over, and the RSX was well over. The SVT, though – there were a pile of incentives that stacked with being a student, and if it was a leftover from the prior model year, there was a second set of incentives that got the cost well down. And I doubted that the Redline was going to come, which would have changed the price parameters.

So I went with the focus.

Sold it in 2007 for a Frontier with 6 speed, which is one of 3 cars I regret selling to this day, but I really enjoyed that car for 3 years. It did inspire my love of "flog it" high-spinning 4s, and good stereos – and an understanding of good tires and summers in winter... but I would have probably kept the SRT or the RSX for a lot longer.

Suggested by: Lopoetve

My first car, in 1964, was a 1960 VW Beetle. I was too young and ignorant to appreciate how much fun it was to drive, so I upgraded, in 1965, to a 1960 Austin Healey MkI (Bugeye) Sprite so that I could enjoy an additional seven (?) horsepower. That Sprite was the first car that I drove that made me realize how much fun you could have on four wheels.

Suggested by: codfangler

1983 BMW 533i, I drove the tar out of that thing and drove waaay too fast on back-country 2-lane blacktop in the Texas panhandle where the little inline six just screamed for more speed. I remember bouncing from 100 to 120mph after cresting the hill leaving Dickens and then experiencing the weird sensation of feeling like I'm going too slow after bringing it back down to 40mph in Roaring Springs.

It was a bit rough around the edges and only a 17 year old car at the time, a broken odometer with 200,000 miles on it, but I loved the experience behind the wheel. I benchmarked the feel/driving position in that car vs anything else I drove after that.

Come full circle, now I've got an E39 touring I've been rehabilitating after retiring my old Firebird project. Just me, and an old Bimmer.

Suggested by: WarShrike

1991 GMC Syclone. I bought it in 97 or 98. Just a ridiculous vehicle and I loved it so much. The turbo lag gave other cars hope at stop lights and it would haul furniture...at very unsafe speeds.

I remember heading north on a very not-straight highway in Idaho one summer with a couch in the bed, and a late 70s firebird passed me on a long straight. Eh, whatever. Except they would slow down to 10 under the speed limit for corners. They blocked me from passing the first time. The second time, I had the turbo spooled and the engine roaring before I put the signal on. Angry Sonoma with go fast parts goes fast. They caught up about 20 miles down the road at a stoplight and still seemed confused.

I'll probably regret selling it forever, and while I could buy one now...it is just so impractical to have with a family.

Suggested by: 2nd Gear Start

My 1982 Fox-Body Mercury Capri with T-tops

My car was black, but not the Black Magic edition.

Mine was also saddled the the NA 2.3l 4-cylinder, but it did have a 4-speed and the aforementioned t-tops.

Sure the tops leaked like a sieve, and the car flexed, rattled and squeaked, but man oh man, taking the tops off on a sunny spring day transformed that little car into the closest thing I could ever hope to get to that Porsche 911 Targa I had tacked to my bedroom wall when I was 14.

The Capri was surprising good in the snow as well.

Suggested by: Earthbound Misfit I

My first car was this 1986 Honda Prelude. My father and I found one with light front end damage with 129k on the clock. We fixed it up and painted it a teal color off of the RS Camaro of that era and I was able to get the dual side draft carbs replaced under warranty (rust in the tank). Still one of my favorite cars! :)

I paid $1900 for it back then, put about 50,000 miles on it, sold it a few years later to some used car dealers for $3800, who shipped it to South America.

Suggested by: Rasky

My 1989 gray Toyota Supra turbo. First car I ever bought. Mom sent my dad with me to make sure I didn't get taken by the dealer (I was 19) and that I got something practical. We came back with the Supra and she was PISSED, but my god, what a car. I'll never have anything like that again.

Once I hit 100,000 miles on it, and the rust got hold, I knew major engine troubles were coming. So I traded it in on a Jeep Wrangler, because I knew any sort of sports car following the Supra would be a downgrade.

Suggested by: Scelestus

First car that driving was the primary concern? The bogan hate machine.

Suggested by: Chris's driveway looks like a World War II Loser's reunion.

A 2002 BMW M5. It was a one owner 11 year old car that my twin brother and I purchased together a few months after starting full time as engineers. To this day, it was the highest quality, fastest, and most comprehensively perfect car I've owned. The only downfall was keeping it in perfect shape was expensive.

Suggested by: pizzaman09

Never* had a fun car, just never had the time or money (or enough of both at the same time) to go beyond something sensible. Even my motorcycle (an ancient 250 Rebel) is about as boring as it gets. Staring down 40 (a bit over a year to that), so the mid-life crisis might hit hard in the next couple years.

*I did have at different times an old Honda CB750 and an extremely rusty Jeep YJ as project vehicles, that never got finished or driven due to lack of time or money, and sold off.

Suggested by: Maymar