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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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Replying to: pasquali56 (Jul 24, 2009 6:46 am) |
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Replying to: tankbeans (Aug 01, 2009 12:47 am) Both of my kids were taught at the end of their 8th grade that from now on their grades determined where they would attend colleges. They knew that a 3.5 in a 4. scale they had to maintain at least a 3.5 GPA just to get a license. Driving is a privilege granted to those who have successfully completed their Duties, Responsibilities, and Obligations. I chose the cars I allowed them to drive as the cars were titled to me. Was I too tough, did I expect too much? No, because both graduated from the University of Washington, Seattle.  
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what do you think about a 95 Volvo 850 GLT? 160K miles. We are looking for 16 yr old son
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Replying to: euphonium (Aug 01, 2009 12:37 pm) Your philosophy, which is to say..."You are going to earn the car that you drive or you are going to find your own way." is something that I can agree with. Please forgive me for paraphrasing. If I'm confusing let me know. |
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Replying to: elburn (Aug 01, 2009 1:41 pm) I'm only 21 as I've stated and I would have like that car plenty when I was that age. If I'm wrong somebody please tell me as I know sometimes I can get it wrong.
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Replying to: tankbeans (Aug 01, 2009 5:00 pm) |
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my 02 explorer went in for service the other day and they told me the rear brakes were toast. i had put quite bit of money in it a few months ago and was not happy to hear that. i told my daughter, who is the primary driver, that i was putting it in goverment mule mode. (just run it until it dies). it has 95k on it and replaced the brakes at 55k. going back over the maintenance records, i found that the front rotors were replaced  70k. so 95K for the rears isn't really that bad. in the mean time she shined it up including cleaning the wheels with a paint brush. ok,, no government mule.
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Replying to: elburn (Aug 01, 2009 1:41 pm) Get a 1993 Volvo 940 or 240.(last years they made them). Find one in minty condition. They are really amazingly simple cars to work on and fix, yet have the modern safety features as well. The big plus, though, is RWD and manual. Force him to learn manual. It requires much more concentration and it's loads cheaper to fix a clutch($600 or so) versus an automatic. He will drive better(takes serious skills to eat a burger and drive stick vs two-fingering the wheel with an automatic), can do the work himself(the 240 was literally made to be taken apart with hand tools!), and it's dirt cheap to insure. I'm a huge fan of teaching manual to kids if for no other reason than 90% of the world uses them still and if they ever travel, they will need one. There are other issues as well like being able to push start it and a having plenty of warning when the clutch is about to die versus my last three automatics that died all did so within 2-3 *blocks* and then were bricks that had to be towed out of traffic. Plus, it's slow and stable, though with manual, not dangerously so. The wagon versions also are a bit "retro" looking, and while his friends might laugh a bit, hauling half of their gear to a gig is a huge way to change their mind. |
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Replying to: oldfarmer50 (Feb 25, 2009 3:30 pm) Yeah, that 4 banger was fairly lame... I should know as the wife had one (1991). It was a pretty decent car overall though. We took a Plymouth Acclaim rental to the Smoky Mountains one year. But, it was the much more powerful 6 cylinder with the Mitsubishi engine. Not sure of the horsepower, but that sucker could move pretty good in those mountains. |
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Here is my dilemma. I have a set of 15 year old twin boys who will be getting their driver permits next summer. I drive an 04 Acura TL, 250+ hp. My wife drives 09 Honda CRV SUV; brand new, expensive, high center of gravity. So we don’t have anything to give them, or even teach them to drive in. Ideally, we would like to put them in the safest, most practical car. By safest I mean ABS, side curtain airbags, stability control and traction control. This kind of narrows our choices down to a brand new midsize sedan such as Accord, Sonata, etc. Problems with that is the expense (17-20K). No matter what, the car will be trashed in three years. Also, which one gets to keep this car when they graduate from high school, and which one of them gets a brand new car? Here is the curve ball. My mother can’t drive anymore, and she wants my kids to have her 06 Corolla LE w/ 13K on the clock for free. Well, almost free, I have to give my sister half of the wholesale value of the car, $4-5K, to keep it “fair”. The problem is: no ABS, no side airbags (even front), no stability control and traction control. From the practical and financial points of view, Corolla wins hands down. However, how much the safety of your children is worth? Are those safety features such a big deal, am I obsessing about it too much? What do you think? |
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