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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
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"He'd be just as happy with an old car with no airbags or ABS or ESC. I want something safe, not to please a 16 y/o boy." Hell I'd be pleased with a Fusion if I were him. Some upper-middle class kids may think its a low end thing, but most middle classers already consider Fusion a statement of "cool". I remember last year Fusion was the hot car at the HS my sister went to, "Hey, Smallville" or "Erica Durance" were the 2 comments I heard the most. It no longer does now, but you get the idea. When I was 16 I was given a "97 4 door, stickshift, rear drum brakes, ABS? forget it. Today's parents might get heart attacks from hearing this alone, but it really helped me learn how to handle cars properly. Admittedly saying "today's parents" makes me feel much older than I really am 
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I can see your point about midsizers. Can you tell us the climate of the area you live in? Snowy? Moderate? Sunny? If you define winter as 6in plus of snow, you might want to focus on AWD instead of ESC. Actually I'd still choose the convenience and stability of AWD over ESC, much safer imo. A Subaru Outback or Forester should be on your list too. The engines are notoriously durable it'll last longer than the rest of the car itself. Fuel economy is on the plus too, and it'll last long enough so your kid can take it to college with no worries. Add optional side airbags and call it a day. I stand with my words that ESC is more a gimmick than a true savior. Another thing you should do is to take your son to the dealership with you. No, not to ask for his opinion, hell no. Its to get your son to sit in the car and make sure he can get a comfortable driving position and proper visibility. Such things really matter but many people neglect. Just an example: dont get anyone taller than 5"11 a Corolla (seats too short, no headroom left), while shorter ones should avoid any pre-2005 Mustang (steering wheel and pedals are located a mile ahead, imagine sitting on a bar stool). Any novice should avoid SUVs and large cars (too much to drive), yes its safe when he gets hit, but he'll most likely hit something, or worse, someone.
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Replying to: supereagle (Oct 13, 2008 8:38 pm) But that's the rub. By putting your teen driver into a big vehicle you may be putting others at greater risk - the same laws of physics apply. And when everyone armors up it's not a pretty picture for anyone.  Driving a smaller car may induce a teen (or anyone else for that matter) to drive more carefully. tidester, host SUVs and Smart Shopper
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Replying to: m4d_cow (Oct 13, 2008 10:51 pm) I'm in Oklahoma, so it's pretty moderate. We get some snow, more ice than snow, though. I like Subarus, but used ones are hard to find in this area, they are pretty rare. He drove a used 2007 Sonata on Saturday, he liked it, and it's pretty reasonably priced (under $12k) and still under warranty. We may go that way. I stand with my words that ESC is more a gimmick than a true savior. Why do you say that? I've seen a lot of articles citing tests and studies concluding that ESC reduces the risk of a single vehicle accident significantly. Just wondering what you base that opinion on. I've never driven a car with ESC, so I really don't know.
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Replying to: marys236 (Oct 14, 2008 5:51 am) That 07 Sonata could be a pretty reasonable choice. I haven't looked up on the price. |
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"Really, it's almost impossible to find a used Subaru in my area anyway. They are pretty rare around here, we don't even have a Subaru dealership in my city any more" Oops, sorry I missed this part of your post, forget my Subie recommendations then. For your budget there are tons of midsize cars out there. As for Sonata, as long as you're prepared for the resale sting, its a decent car thats also cheap to maintain and insure. Here are my concerns with ESC: Dont get me wrong, ESC helps somewhat. But you lost the sense of control when the ESC does all the thinking for you, so you'll have a hard time learning to be a better driver. ESC will save your son for now, but for the long term? This becomes a problem when the emergency situation is inevitable. Will he be able to save himself or left gripping the wheel and scream? Like someone said earlier, ESC doesnt make a better driver. Maybe 16 yr is too young for most, I'm not sure, so I suggest your son to at least maintain driving experience in a car w/o ESC once he's older. ESC helps prevent emergencies, but doesnt help when the emergency actually comes in. In fact, I find myself having less control of the car during such occasion, as the stability control's taking over and do all the thinking for me. My Acura comes standard with ESC and thats exactly what it did when the car suddenly lost traction on icy surface last winter. I was prepared to take emergency maneuvers when the system suddenly "stabilized" itself and left me guessing for controls. Fairly speaking each brand's esc setting is different, so this may not be your case afterall. This is the most important imo: many kids actually drive worse with ESC. No, its not ESC's fault, but knowing the system's there makes them think that ESC will save them no matter how sloppy their driving is. They become less aware, distract themselves with ease. This actually happens here, where a local newspaper studied this subject and even made a poll 2 years ago. Just my 2 cents 
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Replying to: supereagle (Oct 13, 2008 8:38 pm) I agree. But, on the flip side of that argument, some will say you're putting an inexperienced driver behind the wheel of a big heavy SUV or full sized sedan...putting others in smaller cars needlessly at risk. |
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Replying to: carexpert08 (Oct 12, 2008 7:12 pm) Me? Jealous of a 19 year old with a G35? YOU'RE DARN RIGHT I'M JEALOUS!  As to being outdated I'll have you know I have all the latest records by the Beatles and Elvis.  Seriously though, us old fogeys speak from experience of what we have seen and done in our youth. Some of us got lucky and are here to post, some weren't so lucky. So cut us some slack and take our comments for what their worth. Odds are you won't. You'll just learn the hard way. Hope you are one of the lucky ones. 
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Replying to: oldfarmer50 (Oct 16, 2008 6:20 am) You still have a functioning turntable?  Odds are you won't. You'll just learn the hard way. Hope you are one of the lucky ones. If I recall the G35 comes with ESC.
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I think that having a largish car which is not high in power would be the best compromise. That way you won't be a speed demon and there will be crunch space. I'm think 03 Taurus, $6k maybe, and 160 hp to motivate 3500 lbs of car. It's old enough where it wouldn't be too expensive to insure and common enough where parts are easily found at a junkyard. My friend's brother got one that was torn up for $800.
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