First car for teen
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Anonymous
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My almost 16-yr old-daughter is saving to buy her first (probably slightly used) car. For the next 2 years, she will use in mainly for driving back and forth to school and sports practices. She will then need it for college (maybe not the first year, since freshman often don't bring cars).
Any tips from someone who has been through this recently with their teen? She wants a convertible. I've never had one and don't know much about the pros and cons. I think a little, easy-to-park car would be helpul. Or a Highlander with 4WD. We will check the safety and reliability ratings of any car, with Consumer Reports. But as far as practicality, I am looking for some starting points. I have also considered having her drive our old, reliable second car until she is figures out where she will go to college. Then we will know what area of the country she will be in, and whether she will need 4WD. Any other things I am overlooking? What are the pros/cons of a convertible? Thank you! |
Anonymous
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Have her use your second car until the end of high school then let her use her money to buy her own car then. She may want a convertible now but will realize in a couple years it is better to get a year round car that is good on gas etc...
I am doubting she is buying this car as I haven't met many 16 year olds who have enough cash saved to buy the cars you mention. |
Anonymous
| she will wreck it or at least ding it up. Get a used beater. |
Anonymous
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if you get her a 4wd, please find someone who knows hwo to drive one teach her how to drive it. 4wd ONLY helps you gets started and does nothing tohelp you stop
That is why you see soooooo many of them in ditches when it is bad weather out. People think they can go anywhere etc because they have 4wd |
Anonymous
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We bought a used Honda CR-V for our teens to use. It's been a great car. Our priority was safety ratings and reliability and the CR-V scores well there.
A 16 year old definitely does not need a convertible. I also don't think little cars are a good idea given the accident stats for teen drivers. The other factor to consider is insurance. The more expensive and "riskier" the car, the higher the insurance. Ours is cheap on the CR-V (for a girl so far). What does your almost 16 YO do that she can afford to buy a slightly used convertible? |
Anonymous
Only if it has adequate air bags and other safety features. |
Anonymous
| If she's just starting to save now, then either you are planning on paying for most of it, or she is independently wealthy at a surprising age. The odds are very high that she will get in at least a fender-bender in the next two years. She is also 16, which means she knows nothing about the actual pros and cons of any kind of car ownership or maintenance. Let her have your old beater to drive to and from school, and have her pay for gas, maintenance and at least some of the insurance/registration fees. Once she knows what it's really like to be responsible for a car, she will be ready to decide what car to commit to for the long term. I also agree that her choice of college will affect her choice of car. Small, light, great gas mileage works great in NYC, but a heavier SVU with 4WD and all-weather tires is going to be more practical if she ends up in Montana. |
Anonymous
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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. |
Anonymous
| 2003 Ford Focus. |
Anonymous
talk about entitlement. He will be lucky to have a car at all. |
Anonymous
| I had a convertible as a teen (VW Cabrio). I LOVED it but is drew a lot of attention which I wouldn't want for my daughter. |
Anonymous
| A teenager doesn't need a car. Neither does a college student. |
Anonymous
That may be true but we got one for our teen because she went to a private school with no bus or public transportation options, and had extracurric activities, and we were relieved to not have to chauffeur for those last two years. |
Anonymous
+1 I used to think that teens did not need a car either – until I had two teens at different schools and both are heavily involved in extracurricular activities. My teens share a car and we decided that was a better alternative than having them trying to hitch rides with friends who have cars. It has saved us a lot of time and freed us up to do things with our younger kids. Back to the OP’s question. We bought a 4 year Accord with 30K miles from the dealer that we bought our primary cars from and where we get them serviced. My DH always gives the service manager something for the holidays so the guy makes it his mission to take care of us. Add to that that he found out the car was for the kids and he makes sure the car is tip top when we take it in (even doing some things gratis) |
Anonymous
Spoken by the parent of a preschooler. Live and learn and report back, please. |