15 year old needs some advice

[fun173]

Hey everybody. Let me just say i found the SHO on the wikipedia sleeper list about a year and wanted one ever since.

Well, My dad says if i do well in school this year then he will get me a SHO :woo-hoo:

I'm defiantly going to work my but off because i love these cars!

I had some questions though. I know a year is a long time from now but im just so excited.

First off, What SHO would you all recommend? I like the Mid 90's ones but which one would be best for reliability and such.

Second, How do they handle?

Third, How fun are these to drive. From watching youtube videos they look awesome. This is less of a question and more of a tell me how much you love driving your SHO!

:thankyou: in advance and i hope to be getting an awesome SHO in the future

 

[Racer X]

At 15 or 16, I would recommend a non-SHO Taurus, or something equally as benign.

We were all that age too, and I remember how invincible I thought I was. A 145MPH sports sedan in the hands of a 16 year old first time driver is a recipe for disaster.

Sorry kid, but those are my $0.02.

 

[fun173]

At 15 or 16, I would recommend a non-SHO Taurus, or something equally as benign.

We were all that age too, and I remember how invincible I thought I was. A 145MPH sports sedan in the hands of a 16 year old first time driver is a recipe for disaster.

Sorry kid, but those are my $0.02.

I appreciate the honesty but i will not be an animal in the car. I have raced go karts for years and i truly understand the differences between track and street. There are so many things that can **** on the street. other cars trees pedestrians telephone poles ect... I'm not trying to sound like a **** but i would like people to know that im not just some 15 year old who wants to get a sho to street race and stuff. I want one because of the uniqueness and to possibly do some spectator drags at seekonk speedway. Not to street race. I also love the sound.

So i would still like to know the answers to the questions.

Thank you for the honesty though, i appreciate it and the quick reply

I would still like one

 

[SHOstopper1992]

I am 19 years old, young at heart, mature in my mind, responsible over all.

Then one night after the Chuck Liddell Vs. Rich Franklin UFC fight I found myself doing ungodly speeds leaving ******* and watching one of my buddies in his Audi A4 Hit a *** hole, blow his tire and roll his car. Spent the whole night in the emergency to find out he broke one arm, a leg and 3 ribs and plenty of scratches. He is fine now, Just doing alot of recovery and sorting through finances trying to pay for everything.

I told myself that I would never do that when I got my 1992 SHO, look what I did... it could of been me.

All I can say is, if you get one, make smart choices.

I would say you will want to get an MTX-Manual Trans Axle, with less than 150,000 miles on it, clean interior, clean exterior, No bad history, never been smoked in, never modified, etc. Bone stock. Go with an early 90's one. You can find those alot more than newer ones, and cheaper. Saves you money for the services and parts and stuff you will want to put on it.

Hope this helps...

 

[fun173]

I am 19 years old, young at heart, mature in my mind, responsible over all.

Then one night after the Chuck Liddell Vs. Rich Franklin UFC fight I found myself doing ungodly speeds leaving ******* and watching one of my buddies in his Audi A4 Hit a *** hole, blow his tire and roll his car. Spent the whole night in the emergency to find out he broke one arm, a leg and 3 ribs and plenty of scratches. He is fine now, Just doing alot of recovery and sorting through finances trying to pay for everything.

I told myself that I would never do that when I got my 1992 SHO, look what I did... it could of been me.

All I can say is, if you get one, make smart choices.

I would say you will want to get an MTX-Manual Trans Axle, with less than 150,000 miles on it, clean interior, clean exterior, No bad history, never been smoked in, never modified, etc. Bone stock. Go with an early 90's one. You can find those alot more than newer ones, and cheaper. Saves you money for the services and parts and stuff you will want to put on it.

Hope this helps...

Thanks for the info. I am leaning toward an early/mid 90's and you just helped me clarify that decision more. Thank you

P.S. I'm Glad you're friend is ok

 

[FastAndFurious]

A SHO was my first car, and I'd never driven a manual car before, but if you really be careful, you will be fine. I'm glad that you know the difference between track and street. Since I got a modified SHO, one of my friends keeps telling me to do top speed run. All I could say was "You are stupid."

Anyways.. I say since you have one year, keep looking for a nice gen 1/2 mtx or gen 2 atx if you prefer. You are better off buying a SHO from a SHOforum member btw. It's almost guaranteed that the SHO would be well maintained.

Handling isn't that great if you are just looking at the stock SHO. It's better than a regular taurus, but nothing special, but you can always make it handle better with aftermarket parts(SHOSource is coming out with new coilovers). You should start saving money for some nice suspension and brake upgrades (You have a year to save up!).

Driving SHO is pretty fun. Especially hearing secondaries makes your days better.

What I recommend is that you should start studying how things work in a car if you don't know yet. I remember when I was 16-17. I was just like you, and I signed up on SHOforum to get more information about the car(as you can see my username.. I was a young kid). I hope I will see a picture of you with your SHO in near future!

 

[TopGunnYFZ]

Hope you have a good job LOL Also I hope you know you CANT have JUST ONE, you'll understand after you have the first one for a little bit.

 

[SuperHO]

any generation's gonna be equally reliable with the proper maintenance and care. it's pretty much a personal preference towards body style, trans options, engine note, etc. i can say my 95 5 speed is more fun to drive than my 98 is, but my 98'll smoke it in corners and sounds hundreds of times better. it'll all in what you want. just bear in mind that the newest 2nd gen SHO is the same age you are, so it's gonna need some upkeep no matter what.

 

[SHOhopefull]

First off, I think this would be pretty good... if your willing to commit your self to the upkeep. The SHO will help you learn about Auto mechanics LOL.

I for one, think they handle great, but then my only experience has been with mine and the suspension on mine has already been modified, so...

Also, from a safety standpoint, any SHO is a Taurus. Just search the forum for members on here who have had accidents. You could do worse IMHO.(Just look at a Neon for example)

Also, I love my Gen1, mostly because I'm older and remember when these came out, but also because(at least down south) they are pretty unique.

I'd say go for it, but when the time comes, be REAL picky. And shop the forum first. Your buying experience will be much better!

 

[SHOmethewayhome]

gen 1 FTW. just get ready to spend a lot of money for any SHO you get, these cars are not getting any younger, and a lot of the parts are getting harder to find.
but its a good car as long as you can leave the engine stock and well maintained it'll serve you well through highschool, the aftermarket has shown marked improvement in the two years i've owned mine (thanks to companies like SHOsource who don't get near enough thanks for what they do) and there are definitely things to spend money on to make your car go faster, turn better, and stop quicker.

Depending on where you are on the East Coast, i'd try to avoid a rusty car. it just makes it a serious pain in the ass to do anything. just start saving your cash now for all the parts, go to SHOPhoenixproject.com and research all the maintenance links (front upper and lower 60k etc...) and expect to be doing them within a year or two of owning the car.

these cars aren't the cheapest cars to keep running, but if you keep up on the little things, dont get crazy with the aftermarket mods and dont drive it like a track car, you should be able to avoid any major expense repairs.

 

[sperold]

How handy is Dad? Your choice of SHOs will be determined by this.
If you are not offended by the Gen 3 styling.... they are great cars once the cams are welded.
The gen 1 & 2 cars are pleasantly styled,
My advice is to look for a good body (unless dad is a bodyman) as everything else can be fixed with a wrench.

 

[DJSHO91]

It's great to hear someone so young having such a focused view on vehicle choice. As has been stated before, a properly maintained SHO(no matter what series) will offer you a dependable starter vehicle. Your major requirement then would be a combination of proper maintenance combined with responsible driving. That said, my suggestions would be as follows:

1) If you can drive(or are willing to learn) a manual transmission, I would recommend a late-build(manufactured after 1/91-see door plate) 91' Gen1 or any Gen2 MTX model. I especially like the 91' because it adds the upgraded brakes, rod-shifter and power-budge hood, unlike the earlier Gen1s. This gives you a good balance of Gen1 rawness combined with Gen2 refinement.

2) If you want an automatic, then I would suggest a late-model(94-95) Gen2 or a un-modified Gen3. Either of these offer upgrades over early Gen2 models.

The most important issue to consider on any of these vehicles is maintenance. Proper maintenance history will provide you with a better basic vehicle for you. I have often found a well-maintained 150k mileage vehicle that is worth 2x as much as a questionable 75k mileage model. Stay away from abused and poorly maintained vehicles, no matter what the price. Again, a vehicle offered by a fellow forum member will give you a step-up compared to the general market.

Set your basic requirements and priorities, take your time and don't rush it. If you stay true to your plan, you will find the right vehicle for you. Then the fun begins!

 

[1993MTXSHO]

any generation's gonna be equally reliable with the proper maintenance and care. it's pretty much a personal preference towards body style, trans options, engine note, etc. i can say my 95 5 speed is more fun to drive than my 98 is, but my 98'll smoke it in corners and sounds hundreds of times better. it'll all in what you want. just bear in mind that the newest 2nd gen SHO is the same age you are, so it's gonna need some upkeep no matter what.

First off, I think this would be pretty good... if your willing to commit your self to the upkeep. The SHO will help you learn about Auto mechanics LOL.

I for one, think they handle great, but then my only experience has been with mine and the suspension on mine has already been modified, so...

Also, from a safety standpoint, any SHO is a Taurus. Just search the forum for members on here who have had accidents. You could do worse IMHO.(Just look at a Neon for example)

Also, I love my Gen1, mostly because I'm older and remember when these came out, but also because(at least down south) they are pretty unique.

I'd say go for it, but when the time comes, be REAL picky. And shop the forum first. Your buying experience will be much better!

This post will be aimed mostly at gen 1 and 2's because they're the best sho's ever built anyway

Let me start out by saying sho's arn't reliable, plain and simple. I've owned everything from a well maintained SHO that had a 60k done at 60 (if you don't know what I mean by a 60k, look it up, it's something you'll want to know about), to a sho that was beat to **** and probably never had an oil change. Neither I found to be reliable. There wasn't one day that went by that I didn't pray it started in the morning. I calculated that on average, a sho will break down 1.3 times a year. This was based on the 3 sho's I've Daily driven over about 5 years (I've owned 5 total however). This didn't include parts that had to get replaced. I'm talking mechanical failure that left the car stranded in my driveway.

My advice, if you're set on a sho, don't hesitate to spend 5 grand and buy one that's beautiful, with little to no rust. It's an old car, it's going to need work so startign with a nice one is probably a good idea. I've driven plenty of cars that handled better, went faster, and were just plain overall better, but the sho holds a space in my heart that will never be filled by any other vehicle. There is something about the sho that no other car has. The only thing I reccomend doing is upgrading to the 96 brakes, other then that, the car is great. But especially for a teenager, 96 brakes are good, and a fairly cheap mod.

 

[fun173]

Wow, Thank you everyone for the replies It really gave me lots of info about which one to choose. So im guessing i will be going with an automatic Gen2.

I will Definitely look to buy one from another member on the forum.

To be honest i don't know too much about cars so i hope a sho will help me learn. Its kinda weird to be driving a car thats as old as you

 

[SHOspazz92]

Wow, Thank you everyone for the replies It really gave me lots of info about which one to choose. So im guessing i will be going with an automatic Gen2.

I will Definitely look to buy one from another member on the forum.

To be honest i don't know too much about cars so i hope a sho will help me learn. Its kinda weird to be driving a car thats as old as you

I would definitely look in to a 5 speed before an Automatic.... And not just for the speed Factor.

-Sam

 

[fun173]

I would definitely look in to a 5 speed before an Automatic.... And not just for the speed Factor.

-Sam

I will look into learning a manual transmission also. If i find it easy i will look into getting a manual also.

Let me just say, this is a very helpful, quick responding form.

:thankyou:

 

[93rev2sev]

Pretty good attitude for a 15 year old.

I highly recommend getting a SHO that was built in your birth year...a 95.

Not only is it the latest of the first "kind" of SHO, it'll be special because it's YOUR year.

I was born in 74'. There are ZERO ZIP NADA cars from that year I would like to have, though. However...I wouldn't turn my nose up at one of these...


You have a great opportunity. There is a car you really like that was built in your birth year. GO FOR IT!

 

[SuperHO]

if you're hellbent on a V6, check out www.shotimes.com. if you wanna research the V8 cars, www.v8sho.com

 

[kevinspann]

My advice, if you're set on a sho, don't hesitate to spend 5 grand and buy one that's beautiful, with little to no rust. It's an old car, it's going to need work so startign with a nice one is probably a good idea.

5 grand? I'd have to be nuts to spend 5 grand on an SHO. 5k would net a really nice one, but for a guy that is 15 years old, it might be a little steep. Sooner than later, something will break and need replacing, adding more to the cost.

 

[PhenomSHO]

Hey everybody. Let me just say i found the SHO on the wikipedia sleeper list about a year and wanted one ever since.

Well, My dad says if i do well in school this year then he will get me a SHO :woo-hoo:

I'm defiantly going to work my but off because i love these cars!

I had some questions though. I know a year is a long time from now but im just so excited.

First off, What SHO would you all recommend? I like the Mid 90's ones but which one would be best for reliability and such.

Second, How do they handle?

Third, How fun are these to drive. From watching youtube videos they look awesome. This is less of a question and more of a tell me how much you love driving your SHO!

:thankyou: in advance and i hope to be getting an awesome SHO in the future

Just like FastAndFurious, the SHO was my first car. I (unfortunately) was not so picky on the one that I bought, I jumped into the sale and bought one that still to this day is not on the road. LOL. So all I can tell you is make sure you do lots of research on it before you buy it. Either that or buy from someone you know and trust.

Hope you have a good job LOL Also I hope you know you CANT have JUST ONE, you'll understand after you have the first one for a little bit.

I am finding this as well. Haha. Keep this in mind too. Need a second for a parts car. Or as a second one to tinker around with. Whatever your heart desires

I'd say go for it, but when the time comes, be REAL picky. And shop the forum first. Your buying experience will be much better!

Exactly! Couldn't have said it better myself. Thank you very much!

Good luck with the grades!!