Carter

how old are you?

blah

http://www.howstuffworks.com/engine.htm

SOHC_CriX

dude, get a CRX

99CIVICFTW

i wouldn't go to a dealer. look on here in the classifieds. also look on craigslist.com you can definitely find some good deals on there.

Fabrik8

If you like Mustangs, think about a Mustang with a manual transmission. Mustangs are like Civics; they're cheap to buy, cheap to modify, but once you've worked on Mustangs a lot you will really appreciate the engineering cleverness that goes into the Japanese and German brands. Every time I pick up a Mustang mag at the newsstand I can't believe how cheap the parts are.

Don't even worry about getting something fast; you'll get in more trouble than it's worth (you sound like you're young and therefore probably don't have a lot of driving experience yet), and you can't use a lot of power on the street anyway. Learning sounds important to you, so getting something that you can work on and upgrade slowly will probably be more satisfying than buying an expensive car that you can't afford to modify (or are scared to break).

Go for something that handles decent to start with, as suspension mods usually require quite a bit of knowledge, and it's very hard to make a car with a fundamentally flawed suspension design ever handle properly (without fabricating and replacing a lot of stuff).

Oh, and probably stay away from something with an engine swap for the moment. Having to unravel and troubleshoot problems that often come with engine swaps is going to be very frustrating if you don't have the background knowledge to understand how everything interacts. After all, you want to learn about cars, not learn that you never want to touch them again after spending all your time fixing someone else's mistakes. The enjoyment comes from fixing/modifying things because you want to, not because you have to.

importfanatic

Amen brother.

B-Well

The op sounds super young. Not sure where to buy used cars. Not sure what's out there. I mean when I was real young I knew tons of manufacturers and their vehicle platforms.

Look around at pic threads and see what car models look like modified (if you plan to modify at all)
Once you've chosen your platform, go to a vehicle specific board and browse around on your free time. you will gain vast amounts of knowledge and be able to quickly diagnose the common simple problems associated with buying these cars used. Also, you will learn the value of these vehicles according to their condition and the parts they are equiped with. Nothing will benifit you more than knowledge, get as much of it as you can prior to getting your hands dirty to prevent damaging anything. Then get wrenching. Hands on is the best way to learn, by trial and error or helping someone experienced out and taking notes.

Djtuner

thx. and im 19 so i mean im pretty young i guess? Well i see alot of suggestion for Honda's. which it's starting to convince me. Even though I've always thought they were wack. But if it's good to learn on, then maybe?

spitzbergen

VAdriven tends to lean towards the Japanese brands. I wouldn't buy a Honda but that's not saying you shouldn't. There is a huge following in the 757 for Hondas, parts are cheap and most of them are easy to work on. So if you must sell your Mustang why not.

99CIVICFTW

There are a lot of Honda people on here. Hondas, in my opinion, are one of the best cars to start off with because they are cheap to buy, cheap to get parts for, and relatively easy to fix. They are a good vehicle to learn with because, again in my opinion, they are fairly simple cars. Also, just because you start with a Honda doesn't mean your stuck with it for life (however you want a car you like to drive). many people began with a car like a Civic and then moved to more "advanced" cars such as an Evo. Remember though, don't get a car your not going to like driving because that could cause you to lose interest.