Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Smart Shopper Best Car for a new teenage driver
554 messages, Last post on Nov 08, 2009 at 7:33 PM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
|
|
|---|---|
|
Replying to: ghulet (Aug 15, 2006 4:09 pm) I remember the "good old days" when the car was a Ford LTD muffler optional or maybe a Chevette. And both were a HUGE improvement over the city bus or the "SLE" (shoe leather express). Ghulet, I have sold about 15 USED cars from my fleet. Five or six of them have been to parents buying them for children. At least two of them never made it to the child as "they wouldn't be caught dead in them." (A three year old car is "not good enough" for a teenager.) Egads. I like the Vibe/Matrix. O |
|
|
...at the risk of sounding like an 'old guy' here (at 37!), I bought my first car, an ugly tank '71 Buick, in 1985, for $450 of my own money and was ELATED to have it...my second car was a $1700 '77 Caprice that my mom bought for my twin and I because we weren't insurable on her new car at the time (a new Porsche 944); it wasn't like my family couldn't buy us cars, it just wasn't an option, people just didn't do that back then, at least not in my town. I wouldn't have dreamt of turning down ANY free car. Apparently things have changed a LOT in twenty years. God, I do sound old. Anywho, back to reality: I understand everyone wants their kids to be in a safe, reliable car. I still say that's perfectly do-able for a lot less than $20k, and without AWD or 4WD (in fact, I think those are more a bad idea unless your climate absolutely dictates), and without paying half a million dollars a year in insurance. Basic rules of thumb, IMO: should be reliable, low-maintenance, safe, economical (good MPG; remember your kid will likely pay for at least SOME of the gas out-of-pocket), something not so nice that you'd freak out if it gets knocked around a bit, nothing fast or fancy (unless you want an egomaniac junior, I'd advise against hand-me-down BMWs, Audis, Mercedes, etc.). By all means, CHECK THE INSURANCE RATES before you buy anything for a teenager. My short list: 03-06 Honda Accord (all have ABS, side airbags); they're 'big enough' to have some metal, small enough to be managable, and four-cylinders (don't get a V6) get great gas mileage. Used under $20k, 03-04s are sometimes under $15k if they can live with a DX or LX. Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable '01-05 (most are under $10k): get good safety ratings, are cheap used, reliable and cheap to fix. Toyota Corolla/Chevrolet-Geo Prism: reliable, economical, newer Corollas (03-06) have good safety ratings. Nissan Sentra, Altima: again, reliable, managable size, reasonably safe, not expensive, good MPG, not too fast. No Civics or Integras, insurance is insane. I think Subarus are fine, though they're not cheap to buy or fix, and do you have a dealer within 50 miles? Same goes for Volvos, and you will never convince me that a sixteen year-old needs a used AWD Volvo that retailed for $40k new.
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: ghulet (Aug 15, 2006 8:40 pm) Post 2000 Ford Escorts 00-05 Buicks, especially with the 3.8 engine I strongly advise a face to face meeting with your insurance agent LONG before looking at the 1st car. Egads. Volvos. See some of my fleet repair bills on those beasts! |
|
|
am not sure why you guys think MPG is a big issue. The car might get driven 10 miles/day. everybody has stories of teenage girls who got into crashes, but the simple fact is that girls are about half as likely as boys to get into wrecks, thus the much higher insurance cost for teen boys doesn't mean it won't happen, of course does anyone know what % of single car fatality accidents also involved alcohol? putting a teen driver in a minivan is a mistake. There is too great a chance that that minivan will get filled with teen passengers, and teen passengers are terrible passengers. They screw around and distract the driver. Hell, they even distract me when I am driving. Makes it tough for a new driver to pay attention to the road. |
|
|
...putting a teen driver in a minivan is a mistake. There is too great a chance that that minivan will get filled with teen passengers, and teen passengers are terrible passengers. They screw around and distract the driver. Hell, they even distract me when I am driving. Makes it tough for a new driver to pay attention to the road. Doesn't California have graduated licenses? That a 16 year old cannot transport anyone (other than relatives) in the car with them for the first 6 months or a year after obtaining their license? I know that Colorado has a similar program in place now for its teenaged drivers.
|
|
|
Replying to: michaell (Aug 16, 2006 10:24 am) |
|
....as well as some sort of curfew (maybe under 18 can't drive after 9 or 10pm unescorted, or something along those lines?)
|
|
|
Replying to: ghulet (Aug 15, 2006 4:09 pm) As I said, '97 - '00 model years. This was the redesign that added the better suspension. If the person that will be driving this vehicle LEARNS how to drive it, there wouldn't be any worry about tipping, plus you can even pull a small trailer with jet ski's / snowmobiles if needed. Odie Odie's Carspace
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: ghulet (Aug 16, 2006 1:38 pm) |
|
|
Check the insurance rates; they can vary a lot between cars. Given the way my 18yr old sister drives and text messages at the same time... I'd suggest trying to get her into a stickshift. I learned on an auto but later had to learn stick, and at that point I became attuned to the sounds the car makes, and that did wonders for my maintenance habits (another issue that will come up...). Regarding the Vibe... I drove one and felt rear/side visibility was a problem. Less so in the Matrix due to the larger third window. But those two cars will struggle up mountains if loaded with people or cargo. A lot of small hatches can't actually carry much by weight even though they have the room =/. And of course get her input. The more she likes it, the more she'll care for it. |
|
You are here:
Forums
Smart Shopper Best Car for a new teenage driver
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
