I know at 16 it's all about being cool, but you need to ask yourself the hard questions. How much do I want to spend? Do I want to live for the car, or do I want to have money left over for other things. How much will I have to spend for gas? Insurance?

At your age, any car with a V-8 will send red flags to an insurance agent. Ask your folks how much their insurance increases when the insurance company finds out you're driving their car. Anything that says "V-8" or "turbo", etc, will double your insurance (yes, I'm in the insurance business).

I'm not sure where you live, but here in Michigan, gas has been between $1.35 and $2.00 a gallon over the last year. I have a Ranger P/U with a small six, but I still cringe everytime I spend over $30 to fill the tank. My little Suzuki Swift was knocking down 43 MPG and cost me $12.00 to fill the tank. A V-8 car from the '60's or '70's will not get the mileage my truck gets (19 MPG).

Depending on your climate, finding 25-35 year old cars that won't need a lot of rust repair can be extremely hard. Cars built in the last ten to fifteen years are built far better, especially in regards to corrosion resistance. How many late model cars do you see with rotted quarters or rockers? I bought a '64 Studebaker to play with, but A) it was from California with no rust, and B) this isn't my daily driver, it's a toy.

Taking all this into account, you can find late model Escorts, Neons, and Cavaliers that can be improved upon without breaking the bank. And you won't have to have to be a ricer!

After all this, if you're still stuck on an older car, I'll make a couple of suggestions. '75 to '79 Chevy Novas, Pontiac Venturas/ Phoenix, and Buick Apollos are all the same cars. These are 2nd generation Camaros with a boxy shell. They take just about any GM engine made from six cylinder to big block. Find one with a six and an automatic and make little improvements as the funds dictate.

You can also get a '78 to '80 Ford Fairmont or Mercury Zepher with either a 4-cyl or 6 cyl. You can even find some of these with 4 speeds! These are fox platform cars (can you say Mustang?) and will take a 5.0L V-8 like it was born there. There is even a place that sells a kit to install 460's into these cars.

If you like Mopars, larger '75 to '83 B-Body and J-Body (Charger, Fury, Mirada, Cordoba, Magnum, etc.) are cheap if you can find them, as are Volare and Aspen models.

Anything before 1973 will not be cheap if it's in good shape. Any Camaro in good shape will be expensive and the insurance will be very high, as will any Mustang (except 4 or 6 cylinder, 1979 and newer).

I'm not trying to kill your dreams, but just want you to be realistic on the costs. While I still remember what I wanted when I was 16, I also remember how much money I had (or didn't have). If I were you, I'd be looking at a '94-'98 Neon coupe with a five speed. Chrysler and other suppliers sell all kinds of stuff for these cars. Just my suggestion. Good Luck!

Tom