First car for teen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I will be in this boat in about 2.5 years for DSS. We agree so far on a reliable, new-ish (probably mid 2000s) car that will get him from A to B and not embarrass him or cost us an arm and a leg in constant repairs, but we're not going to spend a lot of money on something that, chances are, he'll eventually wreck. Plus, I just don't see the benefit of giving a 16 year old a brand new car. In addition to the fact that they're usually careless with their cars at that age, what do they have to work for if they're handed a BMW for their first car. Where's the satisfaction that comes when you finally get to the point where you can buy yourself your first nice car if your first car was a luxury car given to you by your parents?

I doubt we'll spend much more than $6000-$7000 on his first car, and it won't be a minivan or anything embarrassing like that, but he's not getting a 350z or something ultra sporty either.

talk about entitlement. He will be lucky to have a car at all.

I'm that PP and I agree. Kids are not guaranteed their own car. But I'm not going to make the poor kid drive a minivan just to prove a point.

[Anonymous]

We went through this last year. DS ended up getting my smallish SUV with 70,000k miles on it and I got a new car. It was all win win!

[Anonymous]

Our kids' HS student lot is filled with the 5 year old SUVs and minivans and a few older BMW/MB sedans. Clearly the parents are passing down their cars.

[Anonymous]

mazda 3

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A teenager doesn't need a car. Neither does a college student.

Spoken by the parent of a preschooler. Live and learn and report back, please.

PP who posted the above. My sons are 19 and 17.

[Anonymous]

We bought our angel a brand new BWM 335i convertible for her sweet 16. She's now much more popular at school and loves us so much more now.

No accidensts and no speeding tickets for about 18 months now. She's our angel!!!

[Anonymous]

Probably impossible to find but a great car would be a used Volvo S40 AWD or V50 AWD. Or perhaps an early Toyota RAV4. Subarus are also very good for AWD.

I agree with others here: buy used.

What I also recommend is buying a manual/stick. Learning how to drive one will pay her dividends later in life. Also, it's a fact that drivers of manual cars are safer since they have to pay attention more (engine RPMs) and engage more parts of the body (clutch, shifter). She won't have much time to pick up her iPhone!

[Anonymous]

if you go to a private school she will be made fun of unless she has a newish luxary car like a 5 year old beemer, infinti etc...

[Anonymous]

There are some studies out there that indicate a family sedan or minivan weighing around 4,000 pounds gvw are statistically the safest cars. SUVs are a little less safe because of the risk of rollover. But of course you can research any particular car you are interested in.

I was most concerned with safety and reliability. I wanted both side air curtains and vehicle stability assist, which have been instrumental in reducing deaths and injuries over the past several years. I couldn't afford a newish car with VSA, but we did end up getting a 2005 Honda Accord.

[Anonymous]

My parents bought me a brand new 1998 ford explorer when I turned 17 (NJ that was the driving age). Worst idea ever, I regret it everyday because my parents were it oneday and it rolled over and my mother was killed. We will be getting our children sedans for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if you go to a private school she will be made fun of unless she has a newish luxary car like a 5 year old beemer, infinti etc...

That was not our experience at all. Lots of old family volvos and used Hondas.

[Anonymous]

Must be nice to have money.

[Anonymous]

I had a colleague years ago who swore that the best car for a teen was a Ford Ranger or something similar. A small, low-to-the ground 2-seater pickup truck. Low rollover risk. And no chance of packing it full of other kids to distract from driving.

Agree on the manual transmission.

[jsteele]

You might consider a Mazda MX-5 (Miata). They are cheap, easy to repair and plentiful. While they are subject to the laws of physics, they are a safe car unless you are hit by a dump truck. They are also not very powerful and can only hold one other person. That prevents the driver from being distracted by a carload of friends.

Get a stick shift and send her to a driving school (e.g. the Tire Rack Street Survival schools organized by the BMW clubs).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are some studies out there that indicate a family sedan or minivan weighing around 4,000 pounds gvw are statistically the safest cars. SUVs are a little less safe because of the risk of rollover. But of course you can research any particular car you are interested in.

I was most concerned with safety and reliability. I wanted both side air curtains and vehicle stability assist, which have been instrumental in reducing deaths and injuries over the past several years. I couldn't afford a newish car with VSA, but we did end up getting a 2005 Honda Accord.

I thought minivans were supposed to be unsafe?