I think ill wait till I graduate highschool to get something different.
I think ill wait till I graduate highschool to get something different.
But the one I have now is really a great car now its very reliable and I dont want to get into trading it in so soon I wanna enjoy it and be happy with what I have.
Here is my advice:
Thanks! Yea I am still debating on lowering it or not I have no clue yet but I like your advice I ill keep it till im 25 cause than I can save my money up till I turn 25 and then buy something sportier mabey!
I'm glad you decided to keep the Corolla. They're great cars and you're really lucky that you got one. You know, I'm pretty young too (23). I started driving during the worst of the recession. I don't come from a family that could have afforded a $1000 beater, even in a good economy. With the economy burning to the ground, there were no jobs to get. I spent a year and a half flipping car parts to get enough money to buy a daily driver, and I still had to beat the seller down $500 on his asking price.
With that said, I'm not trying to guilt you or make you feel bad or anything. I'm just saying that that Corolla is berkeleying awesome. Why? Because unlike my first car, you'll never be on the side of the interstate trying to repair a burst heater hose with what you've got in the back seat. You won't have to rebuild it from scratch because it's got 30 years of neglect weighing on it. That Corolla came already at stage 0, it doesn't have to be brought back from the negatives before it can be improved.
By the way, when I was your age, it was rock crawling and trail riding I was into. I COULDVE bought "a real Jeep" with a huge, easy aftermarket or bought one already built but I bought a lowly Samurai (3 actually) with at the time almost zero aftermarket and did my research and built a 4x4 that not only turned heads but with constant learning, could out 'wheel any built Jeep I ever saw on the trails. Had like $1,800 invested in it total.
Don't be afraid of starting with an underdog and making it awesome slowly over months or years while you up your driving skills at the same time.
You know, real cars are BUILT. Not BOUGHT!
Yea Down here in florida theres not alot of places where i can go rock crawling and yea im very lucky to be able to get a car for my birthday i am deninantly going to do some stuff to it ..... But still am thinking about what that stuff is..... Haha 
I would get a set of wheels you like but not too low a profile, and hold off on lowering it for a little while. I remember the first year or so behind the wheel I hit more than a few potholes, curbs ect. Once you get a little seat time you can lower it without fear of tearing things up. You can make a car handle well without lowering it much. I drive on some awful roads so I kept my Escort high and put better sway bars and struts on it.
Thank you Wally,
Is it hard to lower a car? And how low is too low like is there a point where its so low the car is tearing its self up like rubbing on the tire wall?
Nick
Lowering it properly requires a set of lowering springs. I've never liked to lower more than 1.5"-2" myself. Any more than that and you are usually ruining suspension and handling.
Free cars with 30k miles are cool. Learn to drive - (Call VDI - Vehicle Dynamics Institute) for a teen driving program. Learn to wrench on the car. Save your modding money for tools and training - and for dates. Buy a GRM subscription. You have a car now and you'll be popular no matter what you drive. Stay safe and find a beater to fix up down the road that you can track race.
Anyone?
FifthGear2014 wrote: Thank you Wally, Is it hard to lower a car? And how low is too low like is there a point where its so low the car is tearing its self up like rubbing on the tire wall? Nick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT_jgVqxH5U
http://www.amazon.com/Toyota-Corolla-Megan-Lowering-Springs/dp/B005C6F39U
You'll need to get the car aligned afterward and it will bump you up in class at an autocross.
Thank you! For that that video
Also Toyota's Racing Development group have some optional wheels, etc. for your car:
http://www.trdsource.com/partsSearch/Toyota/Corolla/2006/TRD-Performance%20Parts/1/9/-3/
Like I said, this would bump you out of stock class and into the really fast cars, so I'd hold off and focus on learning to drive and get used to the car, do some driving schools, etc and figure out where it could be improved before dumping money in it :)
My Protege5 is lowered .75" with aftermarket springs a little stiffer than stock. GR2 struts, Brembo brake rotors, upgraded pads, B&M short shifter with brass bushings and it came with a factory front strut bar. It's slower than your car I'd bet but it sure is fun to drive and it wasn't expensive at all. A car that corners well but is a little slow is very pleasant to drive and MAY keep you out of trouble.
I'd guess a stiffer rear sway bar with urethane bushings would help with under steer a bit but I haven't taken it that far yet.
Just don't put the TRD decals in your car. If high school kids are still like me and my friends were someone will take a sharpie and turn them into TuRD decals. Kids can be such smart asses.
I live in a small town but the kids here when they get bored all they do is mess with other peoples cars my friend got a used 2009 land rover for his birthday and the kids keyed it they caught it on school security camera and my moms car at home at night some kids we caught them on our home security camera steeling the tire cap things you screw on after you fill your tires up the the air. Kids are Real IDIOTS these days it gets really old and i know better then to do something that stupid i never would i wouldnt want someone to screw up something that i got
nicksta43 wrote:Storz wrote: Your first car is a lot nicer than mine was! I got an '85 Olds Calais in '96 for my first Just like this oneI am weird but I would a million times over prefer the Olds to the corolla.
It was quite fun with the 3 liter v6
Did you guys do some crazy drifting and stuff when you were hanging out with your friends? And wheres an auto X?
Just read the whole thread. I am very glad to see FifthGear is sticking it out even though all the grownups were jumping down his throat.
The newer posts are much better to read, and there's nothing people like better than to have their advice taken, so if you continue on this path people here will end up not just tolerating you but actually being fans.
I'm on a fairly extreme end of the spectrum of car enthusiasts because i actually became a professional tech (ASE Master Certified, Associates degree in auto tech, Bachelors degree in teaching auto tech) and have owned and still own a ridiculous number of cars. I say this not to recommend that path but because i have covered a lot of ground in the car hobby and i feel like i can pinpoint some of the most important aspects that lead to actual fun/enjoyment and some that don't.
First off, i think you should try to have the confidence to decide for YOURSELF what you like and what you don't. When you are just starting out and don't have any real car experience, you might feel pressure to like the same things other people like, or what's popular. It's easy to gravitate toward the popular stuff or the stuff that's obviously marketed towards enthusiasts, like Mustangs, or ponycars/musclecars/sportscars in general. Dont rush to make up opinions when you havent driven, ridden in, or worked on very much. Just keep an open mind and try as much stuff as you can get your hands on. There is a giant world of car stuff out there and if you write off everything that isn't popular or doesnt have OBVIOUS appeal, you'll be closing yourself off from a lot of potential fun.
This is already a long post so i will add my 2nd, 3rd, 4th point etc in later posts. 
Im feeling really good about some of the decisions ive been making on what mods I want to do to the car! Im Excited to get started!
You're in Florida, the 12 hours of Sebring is coming up. Get a parent or relative to take you, it's quite the experience!!
Thanks I'll definantly look into that and see if some of my friends wanna go to.
Wow, the vandalism thing is just another reason to stick with the Toyota.
I think it's time that I chime in here. I'm 20, which I guess means that I just left the phase you're in now. Here are a few tips from someone who's both not much older than you, and also a 12-year veteran of the SCCA.
I had the coolest car at my high school. I've since sold it, but there are some pictures here: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/project-cars/1987-bmw-325is/ When I wasn't driving that, I was in stuff like an E30 M3 or a 1966 Mercedes 230S. My car was the fastest, best kept, best sorted, most innovative car in the parking lot.
Actually, I didn't have the coolest car. The coolest car at my high school was a new Hyundai Sonata (dead serious) because it had the best stereo and "nice leather."
I met a few people because of my cool car. None of them ended up being datable, but I did get a few to autocross with me. Today, I only talk to one of them–occasionally.
I met a ton of people because of the set of skills and habits that allowed me to have the coolest car in school. One of them has been my girlfriend for the past 3 years, while the rest are still my closest friends, even though we've all split up and gone to schools all over the place. Learning to wrench, getting a job to save up money for parts, going out in the community, and generally doing stuff with your car, your hands, and your mind will probably bring you the greatest satisfaction in the end. Plus, it feels really, really good to have kids who drive new Mustangs lusting after your old beater because of what you made it, rather than what someone else paid for it.
Keep the Toyota, and find another car-ish hobby to occupy yourself with. I say car-ish because honestly, it's nearly impossible to have two cars in high school. Find a way to start learning how to wrench, and in a year or two you'll be able to buy a project car that you can really take places.
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