Re: Coupe GT or 4000Q for a teenager?

["Mark L. Chang" <mchang@ece.nwu.edu>]

On Wed, 15 Jul 1998, William Elliott wrote:

> I have attained the pinnacle of "cool".  According to my 14-yr-old stepson, all 
> the teens in our small town have decided my 85 UrQ is the "coolest" thing 
> around, far surpassing the cherry GTO Judge and 68 Corvette Roadster which 
> previously held the title.  Several times in the last month, I've had teenage 
> boys ask if it was a kit car and if the rumors of 500hp were true.  

William - obviously, your "small town" has some taste amongst its younger
residents.  Back at home, the coolest car to most people were the
"pimped-out" Camaros and what not... ah, the joys of living in Iowa.  That
aside, I must say that my personal favorite was a silver UrQ and a white
CommEd 4kq... I think I liked those better than the few Ferraris and
Lamborghinis around because they were actually cars that I might be able
to afford.

> Anyway, next he asked a question which I found amusing.  Which car would be 
> "better" for a first car? Not wanting to start a war between the Coupe and 
> 4000Q camps, but thinking the question was thought provoking, I pose the it to 
> the list.

My first car was a 1980 4000... my best friend had a VW Scirocco -- so I
had experience in both camps (with the VW being sorta like the CoupeGT)..

One thing to consider is safety.  Although I never had an accident in the
4k, I think by virtue of its largeness over the CGT, it would stand up
better in a crash.

Also, like other listers have pointed out, the 4k is gonna have back seats
that are usable, which can encourage serious "camaraderie" in the car --
ie. stupid silly things when driving other teens around.  The CGT will
probably only have one other passenger and some school bags, so chances
are your son will be more "serious".  This all depends on how much self
control your son has.  We've all been there, driving self-control at 16 is
almost non-existent.

Shape is an issue too.  If your son (and the whole teenage population of
Lake Mills, WI) thinks your UrQ is cool, he (and they) will definitely
like the CGT.  The 4k series (Q or not) might be a little dowdy for the
teens.

In short, don't forget about the FWD 4k series as well!  It may prove an
interesting proposition...

--
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