Stupid engines die and novice somehow starts cars! (6)
I believe the answer is:
sedans
'cars' is the definition.
(sedan is a kind of car)
'stupid engines die and novice somehow starts' is the wordplay.
'starts' suggests taking the first letters.
The initial letters of 'stupid engines die and novice somehow' is 'SEDANS'.
(Other definitions for sedans that I've seen before include "carried chairs" , "Cars" .)