Basically I’ve been learning to drive (about 1-2 months) and have been learning in my dads camaro. I’ve always liked the idea of “spirited driving,” but when I drive his car it doesn’t feel fun. It’s hard to see out of and feels like it just doesn’t handle as well as I imagined. The car is a base model v6 with about 60,000 miles. It has had regular maintenance, except for suspension and brakes of my knowledge. The tyres have a little old as they’ve never been changed, but rotated. I am not sure it is because I’m a new driver or the car is just in need of love. I plan on getting an E46 BMW or Subaru Impreza once I get my license, which is in about 2-3 months. What do you think? Is it the car or just me being inexperienced? Also any suggestions on a first car?

 

Probably a little of both son,take your time because the last thing you want to do is rush into spirited driving without enough experience.
Too fast too soon can end badly,real life isn't a video game,you don't get do overs.
Wish I could have learned in a late model Camaro but I'm older than dirt and learned to drive in a '51 Chevy sedan delivery with a straight six and three on the tree.
Compared to your Dad's Camaro that car was like an old farm tractor. lol
My first ride was a '63 Dodge pickup truck,my first truly fast car was a '69 Camaro with a 427 Vette engine I built at age 23.
Frankly it's a damn good thing I didn't have that car at age 16 or this 63 year old man probably wouldn't be sitting here typing this right now.
The base V-6 Camaro certainly doesn't have the ***** or handling of an SS but it's light years ahead of anything I drove as a youngster your age.
As far as a first car I'd suggest an old square body pickup that already has the corners rounded off and then work your way up a little at a time to something faster and more nimble. Just 2 cts from a grumpy old man,I may be old but I'm still pretty fast and still kick'n.

 

Not to say that anyone will listen to us old grumps, but I knew a guy bought his 16 y/o son a very fast car, and that was the end of the son. Simply tragic. The brain and especially the male brain doesn't fully mature (if it ever does) and assess risk well until age 25, is the latest I've heard, so it's good that I started with 82 hp (and had a blast). My 323 hp now is plenty. If someone really wants to rocket then get on a track with an instructor. It's also the lives of others on/near the road to consider. A common cognitive error is that most of us have over-confidence about our abilities - the "it won't happen to me" delusion. It happens to anybody.

 

Reality check on a 2014, its heavy and while the V6 does produce over 300 hp its way up high in the RPMs. Low torque and heavy is always a bad combination. Smaller lighter cars will feel quicker and peppier. So I get what you are saying about the V6 camaro. But do not confuse the base model with the real deal camaros. The 2018 Zl1 LE1 camaro turned in a lap time of 7 minutes 16.04 second at Nürburgring. That is faster then Nissan GT-R or a Ferrari 488 GTB for under 70K, not a bad sports car. With the size and the weight its never going to out run a turbo Porsha in a parking lot but on a real road the Porsha better be modded so it can keep up.

Keep in mind with all the factory upgrades there are a lot of parts sitting in junk yards that will improve your handling and there are both turbo and supercharger kits that can put your engine near 500hp.

 

I agree, I think I do need to build skill and although it isn’t a 1le it’s not the worst thing ever. I couldn’t imagine driving such big car like the 55’. Thank for the suggestion, although mpg’s are might be horrible on a old pick up. Surprisingly the camaro get around 30-32 mpg

 

I agree, maybe with new/wider wheels and tires, coilovers, swaybars, poly bushings and other braces it would handle better. I did not know that the power band was higher up, as I have revved that high yet. The 1le is sick. ~600hp and handles super good for less than $70k is awesome. A lighter and smaller car will probably best suit me. Chevy does sell a kit that lets you swap 14 z28 suspension over, which would probably feel 100x better. Also do you thing a non 1le SS would handle significantly better than the v6?

 

Also power isn’t to much a worry now, because I would want to get a manual for over 400hp. And if I would put that much money in I might just get and SS or somethng else, although supercharged v6 would be interesting.

 

The “it won’t happen to me” delusion is real. Even though I do think I’m pretty responsible and won’t Mustang my way into a crowd, my instincts tell me to floor it wen coming out of corners or entering the highway. Once I get my license autocross and track day will be when I will “experiment” I would hate to not kno wat I’m doing on the streets and possibly putting someone else at risk.

 

I think a front sway bar is the best bang for the buck. I had a 1996 V6 and the sway bar helped get rid of the marshmallow feel. Of course the rack ratio, shocks and spring rate all working as designed is the best way to get it to handle. Keep in mind your V6 is less front heavy then the V8s so if we ignore the LE1 package your V6 should out handle and out stop the Z28 with all the same parts.

 

Hey bud justbon your comment about getting a e46. At the time it sounds like a good idea but as someone that was also planning on getting one I strongly suggest not getting one unless you got fat checks because when one thing breaks multiple things break and the parts are not cheap it's like those memes where people are literally throwing money at their car.