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Smart Shopper Best Car for a new teenage driver
439 messages, Last post on Nov 09, 2008 at 10:21 AM
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I'm 22 and I drove a 1999 corolla for almost 6 years. The car was slow and ugly, but it was also reliable and fuel efficient. I wanted a brand new car but now looking back I realize how great my old Corolla was. I had an accident at 18 and learned my first important lesson driving. From that point on I was much more careful driving and became a much smarter driver. I learned so much while paying a relatively small amount. That's why these days when I see high schoolers drive benzs and beemers I just cant help but shake my head. I know obviously their family can afford a car like that but handing the keys to a $30k+ car that is also probably 200hp+ to a road virgin is just not a smart idea. It is dangerous to their 16 year old kid who WILL try to show off and do extremely stupid stunts while driving AND it is dangerous to other drivers on the road who may be a casualty of a teenage driver. A first car should be something easy to drive and CHEAP because 99% of the time it will be involved in some sort of incident. Once your kid has shown you that he/she can drive responsibly then you should get them whatever your able to. Recently I just bought a new 08 G35 and I love it. But whenever I drive my new car I'm thankful for all the lessons I learned in my old Corolla. Just my .02 Nick
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Replying to: 1nickatnite1 (Sep 05, 2008 6:07 pm) They need to drive an old beat up car, that is safe an reliable, but if in the event it is totaled or recked, than no harm done. They always get in some kind of wreck. Its really not worth it. As a parent, I am not sure why I would let them take the nice family car to school. They have no experience, only a few months of training. Even now, I am tested every now and then from some moron on the road! I just let them pass me, go ahead, its not worth it. I forgot, that their destination and life is so much more important than me. Sadly enough, its usually the pieces of crap cars passing me, I sometimes laugh. lol. Its true, you usually don't see some Mercedes or a nice new car passing. They mostly drive efficiently. Another thing I have noticed its mostly people passing with crappy pontiacs. Why is that? Pass me, atleast I can treat my car with respect. Anyway. Yep, You have to be careful, and that is why we should all start out in a beat up car, its no reflection of our success as a parent, but rather showing we care about our kids, and think practically. |
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i want them the drive a well maintained vehicle. our suv is great for that. 6+ years old, still looks good, all maintenance up to date. as a matter of fact, one of my kids, home from college for the summer, went to pick the other at the high school and was run into by an adult in another suv. our suv was still driveable, plus the other driver had to pay for repairs and rental. if my kid was driving a beater, they could have been hurt, plus i would have been out a set of wheels for a while and probably would have gotten screwed on the vehicle settlement. |
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Replying to: explorerx4 (Sep 06, 2008 2:34 pm)
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Replying to: suydam (Sep 06, 2008 5:46 pm) We did virtually the same thing - it has turned out to be a great chioce - he's content in a sporty-ish looking coupe, we're both happy with an newer, but not brand-new, economical car (without too much power) that's very safe and reliable. The fact that it has a door-ding or two already means no one will freak out when the first scratch happens. Already has!
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Replying to: suydam (Sep 06, 2008 5:46 pm) 
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| My wife and daughter picked out our 2000 VW beetle as being my daughter's car when she got old enough. She was 11 at the time. She took her dirver's test in the bug and passed the first time with a 5 speed.No real problem teaching anyone how to drive a stick, just have to be patient. She decided that she did not want to drive the stick to school so she could concentrate on the rest of her driving tasks. We found a 97 Corolla with low miles. A couple of parking lot mishaps but nothing on the road. It is now at college and I don't have to worry about someone wanting to drive her "cool" car. If something major happens to it, I am only out the $4000 we spent three years ago. | |
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Replying to: hoopla1991 (Sep 07, 2008 2:47 pm) turned out to be a sleeper and didn't like wet/snow much. i had a lot of fun with it, though. |
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Here is an absolute mandatory read for all those parents who feel their kid can handle a high-performance ride.
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Replying to: qbrozen (Sep 10, 2008 8:43 am)
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