Quote Originally Posted by B3AST
only problem with that is I'm 16 and a Mustang especially with a v8 is going to be hell on insurance(and gas) so I'd rather start with a motor thats just a wii bit smaller than a 5.0L V-8 LOL
Haha, true. I didn't consider the insurance factor. My first car was a 68' mustang with a 302 (aka 5.0L), and the insurance wasn't too bad (although I also didn't have full coverage). It definitely helped me learn a lot of the basics.

Since you're looking for a smaller engined car (which really probably is a smarter choice) I'd reccomend basically what a lot of other people said. The civic, eclipse, and 240 would all be good cars for learning how to tune. They all have an enormous aftermarket parts selection too.