5.0 vs. 4.6

Oh to be 13 and have your choices! :winks

Two options.

Buy a 5.0 that already has most of the parts you want. Many are available in the 9000 range that have been professionally built and with upwards of 20,000 spent.

Or, a 98 and up Cobra and start from there. :naughty

Personally I prefer the 5.0 but that's because of the massive low end torque it has compared to the 4.6L. However, I wouldn't recomend all that torque for a first car. Driving can be hard enough at 16 w/o having to try to control that.

The 5.0 gets my vote. I think it has more potential for less money.

Fordguy13 said:

Meaning I would be stuck with 260 HP for a while until I get some more money.

Click to expand...

okay, just a minute. You're looking at a potential first car, and the fact that it might have "only" 260 HP". You can kill yourself with a 100 HP Civic, but you're concerned with "only" 260. For what it's worth, I'm 19, have been driving for four years, and I don't think "only" 260 Horsepower is a good idea for a first car, let alone more. I personally think it makes more sense to learn on something like, say, a V6 Mustang, and then moving up to the V8 when you get comfortable handling a V6. When I was 16, I had my 2002 Neon up to over 105 MPH, on a country road. It was the stupidest thing I've done on four wheels, and if I had screwed up, there wouldn't have been enough of me left to fill a shoe box. This is with a 130 HP Neon.

"only" 260 Horsepower!

If I where you and in your position I would look for an older V6 Mustang. You should be able to find one of they for relatively little money. The V6 stangs have some nice potential, and they will also allow you to grow with the car.

As you get used to the power of the V6, you can add power-adders over time.

With the money that you save by getting a V6, put the rest into either an Index fund, Mutual Fund, or high-interest CD account. Eventually the money that you save will make enough money for you to add stuff to the car without touching the principal.

Whoa Bucko hold your horses and buy a bike and a helment.

I don't see anything wrong with "learning" to drive in a 4.6L. With it's power band so high, and the much too sensitive traction control, you really have to want to screw up to do so.

5.0

My votes on the 5 litter,haveing owned a 92 GT and 87GT u can pick one up from 5000 to 10,000,paint it some candy colour,17 to 18 inch chrome rims and u will have all the girls at ur high skool wanting to party with u lol,i have 4.6 now and u ahve to do abit of mods to get the performace u will want out of it..watch out for the snake berrys lol

I can drive a manual and have driven my some of dads cars in parking lots which have around 350

My vote (of course) would be to buy a 96-98 cobra, and supercharge it. Thats all you need to have a 500hp daily driver that drives like stock untill you mash the gas. And it gets alot better gas mileage than an older 5.0. Stock for stock the cobras out handle, brake, and perform better and do it with a more luxury type feel. Now I can't say much for repair costs, because they are a good bit more, but your looking a newer car that should last longer and because its a cobra it will have a higher resale value and hold that value longer. The best part - you could do this and have a couple of grand to spare.

Wow

First where on earth did a 13 year old get 16000 bucks?? WTF DUDE? im 16 and would kill for 1000 let alone 16! Get what you want your money seems to be in good supply. And oh yeah driving in a parking lot is nothing like driving in real conditions. You will have the urge to go fast when you first get the car, believe me! And with alot of power you will kill yourself! I say you get a 4-wheeler or something more usefull to a little kid. Wait a while it wont take you 3 years to screw wit your car if yu have the money to buy the parts then you wont r=drive it for 2 years after its done!!!

Just my $0.02

Go with something classic from the 60s & slowly restore the whole thing. By the time you've worked on it from head to toe & restored it, you'll have enough respect for the car that it deserves that you're much more NOT likely to wrap it around a tree @ 16-18 years old. Plus, if you fully restore it & cherry it out, you'll still get all the chicks. =) That and have a classic ride to boot!

13 and planning for his first car...feeling 260 hp is not enough for a FIRST car...:sosad:

Kid, why don't you focus on your grades and worry about your first car when you get there ? Still a long way to 2008...
And when you get there, get yourself something more manageable: now you wouldn't want to wrap your car around a tree or something like that, would you ? There are too many teenagers out there that think they are invincible and they are the best drivers in the world and instead they are just the best friends of hospitals and funeral homes, seen all the business they provide for them...
PS: "parking lot experience" does not count as driving experience...
I wanted to clarify that, in case your young age deceives you...
:sosad: :sosad: :sosad: :sosad: :sosad: :sosad:

At your age I wouldn't even be thinking of a supercharger or especially nitrous, that is some pretty mean and nasty stuff and will potentially get you either in a lot of trouble with the law or dead. Stick with a stock engine for now. Do you really think you need a 500HP car at 16? :shocked:

Is this a joke???

anyways if its not then forget about the foxbodies, get a classic, 64-71 mustang, restore it u have 3 years till your license, that will give u enought time to restore a mustang, and u don't have to worry much about power,

i guess me and eyelleye think the same way

I'd try to rebuild a replica boss or mach 1 from the late 60's early 70's. It'll have way more character than either the late model GT, the 5.0, or a mid 90's cobra. As far as shallow girls go, you'd be better suited in a cherry vintage muscle car than something as common as a 5.0 or GT. My friend has a 66' fairlane drop top, and if he were more extroverted in HS, he could have had his pick of the run with girls. I strongly suggest a vintage mustang to rebuild.

My dad Learned how to drive on a 454ci. and he never wrecked or even had a ticket until he was 28 when he sold the car. My older brother who is 17 has a 93 GT that he learned how to drive on and has around 375 HP off of a blower. My family on occasion likes to go to the Dragstrip. I'd love nothing more than to beat my DAds 05 GT or even his 460 Mach 1. Kind of a family tradition to have fast cars as soon as you can drive. If you ask where I got the money I've been saving since I was 4, Recent 10,000 inheritance, and parents gave me 4000 since that is what they gave my brother.

there's something to 'style' as well as speed. personally, the vintage stang would be fast enough and have more style by miles than any other car you're looking at. Granted that's just my opinion, but I've met many who are like minded.

let the boy have some dreams guys.......... im pretty sure at 16 that if you guys had 16 grand to put up on a car that you wouldnt be thinking about an " old 6cyl" or a "helmet and a bike". expecially when your hotrodding is in your family.......

just becuase you guys couldnt, dont make him feel like he cant

i bought my 87 5.0 at 15, and have had it ever since...... and it ran high 13's bone stock not saying it had alot of power... but it was fast

i say get a 5.0, or a 99+ GT , but for 16 grand you could find a nice 67 Fastback :shigrin .......