Buying a Car For a Teen Driver: Some Tips & Ideas
When I was learning to drive my dad took my out in an empty field in a '47 Willys Jeep that was painted school bus yellow. Seems that my dad had bought it from the local school superintendent who had the Jeep painted every year when they were repainting the school buses. But that was off road time: learning how to start, stop, change gears, how a choke works (like algebra, I never used that knowledge again). When it came time to choose a car that would be mine-all-mine my parents went through the usual list:
Flash forward and my daughter is now 14 and so I am having to start thinking about what I would want her to drive and the options are pretty darn similar to the choices that my parents had:
SUV Pros: These are safe if hit by a smaller car, a compact car or a scooter. They are inexpensive these days due to the price of gas. Teen drivers have better visibility behind the wheel and can be seen better. Kid can roll like a gangsta.
Cons: Too many seats means too many teens which can cause distractions for the driver. Fuel is going to be very expensive. If the teen hits something/someone, damage will be higher because if the weight and size of the SUV. Your kid will look like a gangsta.
Compact Car Pros: New cars will have the latest in safety. Very fuel efficient. Shiny and properly maintained could last through college. Less room = less kids = less distractions.
Cons: Size makes them difficult to see. New cars cost more. Dings happen and maintenance issues may arise with newer models. Not suitable for teens who play the tuba or the double bass.
Used Car Pros: Will have up to date safety features if less than 5 years old. More car for the money with amenities. Dings and scrapes will hurt less because it didn't cost as much. Your kid won't drive a nicer car than you.
Cons: Could have unknown maintenance issues. Probably won't last through college. Won't have that new car *BLING*. Kid might decide to invest in a huge spoiler.
Scooter Pros: Fuel efficient. Easy to maintain. No chance of hurting a passenger. Parking is easy. Your kid will get a label. I promise.
Cons: C'mon! Its a kid on a scooter in grown up traffic!
My daughter wants the scooter and that might work for us because we are only 6 blocks from her high school but new California laws say that she has to have a motorcycle license so she will be without wheels until she is 16. Major bummer for her! (that so dates me!)
Honestly, I like my Twitter buddy Snosnap's idea: he bought himself a 2003 Scion xB that he is tuning to his kid in a man's heart's content and is planning on saving it for his son's first car. That won't be for another 7 years but as he recently told me, "I drive it because I love it, but I do also want to keep it running 'til my son can drive. It's a Toyota, it should last :)"
I like his logic. Think Little Miss Motor Mouth will like a 1999 BMW Z3 Coupe and I can upgrade?
Michelle Naranjo
Stumble It!
- Sherman Tank
- Golf Cart
- Slightly used smaller car
- Moped
Flash forward and my daughter is now 14 and so I am having to start thinking about what I would want her to drive and the options are pretty darn similar to the choices that my parents had:
- Monstrous SUV
- New compact car
- Slightly used smaller car
- Scooter
SUV Pros: These are safe if hit by a smaller car, a compact car or a scooter. They are inexpensive these days due to the price of gas. Teen drivers have better visibility behind the wheel and can be seen better. Kid can roll like a gangsta.
Cons: Too many seats means too many teens which can cause distractions for the driver. Fuel is going to be very expensive. If the teen hits something/someone, damage will be higher because if the weight and size of the SUV. Your kid will look like a gangsta.
Compact Car Pros: New cars will have the latest in safety. Very fuel efficient. Shiny and properly maintained could last through college. Less room = less kids = less distractions.
Cons: Size makes them difficult to see. New cars cost more. Dings happen and maintenance issues may arise with newer models. Not suitable for teens who play the tuba or the double bass.
Used Car Pros: Will have up to date safety features if less than 5 years old. More car for the money with amenities. Dings and scrapes will hurt less because it didn't cost as much. Your kid won't drive a nicer car than you.
Cons: Could have unknown maintenance issues. Probably won't last through college. Won't have that new car *BLING*. Kid might decide to invest in a huge spoiler.
Scooter Pros: Fuel efficient. Easy to maintain. No chance of hurting a passenger. Parking is easy. Your kid will get a label. I promise.
Cons: C'mon! Its a kid on a scooter in grown up traffic!
My daughter wants the scooter and that might work for us because we are only 6 blocks from her high school but new California laws say that she has to have a motorcycle license so she will be without wheels until she is 16. Major bummer for her! (that so dates me!)
Honestly, I like my Twitter buddy Snosnap's idea: he bought himself a 2003 Scion xB that he is tuning to his kid in a man's heart's content and is planning on saving it for his son's first car. That won't be for another 7 years but as he recently told me, "I drive it because I love it, but I do also want to keep it running 'til my son can drive. It's a Toyota, it should last :)"
I like his logic. Think Little Miss Motor Mouth will like a 1999 BMW Z3 Coupe and I can upgrade?
Michelle Naranjo
Labels: MotaMama, teen driving, Used Cars
Stumble It!
posted by Miss Mota Mouth@ 10:39 AM 2 Comments
2 Comments:
Michelle,
This reminds me of my first car... the hand-me-down 1978 Buick Electra station wagon from my parents (that Z3 coupe would have been a fantasy back then).
My parents thought it was safe because it weighed 2 1/2 tons but in reality, the combination of bald tires, seating for 9 teenagers, and the handling characteristics of a 1970s Buick were not a good combination. Even big SUVs these days have better handling, brakes, and even fuel economy than that pig... not to mention ABS and air bags.
But, I digress. There are a couple of other options for first cars for teenagers:
1- A used compact SUV. Think about something like a 4-cylinder Honda CRV, RAV4, Vue, etc. These are seeing resale values dropping along with their larger cousins but don't have quite the fuel-economy or potential property damage issues.
2- A used 2-seater like a Miata or MR2. Reliable, fuel-efficient, and cool while eliminating some concern about too many friends in the car or, um, other extracurricular activities possible in SUVs and station wagons (not that I speak from experience) ;-)
I think a teenager will take better care of their car if they like it, so perhaps a sporty car may actually be safer in the long run.
I would also encourage saving some cash on the car by buying used and investing in driver's ed. Not the after-school kind but a weekend performance course somewhere like Skip Barber. They have special courses for teenagers that teach a healthy respect for the physics of driving and some skills with which they can deal with unexpected circumstances.
Agree with you on the Drivers Ed courses. Driving on a course or track can give a lot of real world examples that street education cannot teach like what ABS brakes feel like when you slam the brakes! The car will actually do a couple of little jumps that for unexperienced drivers can feel like the brakes are not working so they will panic and swerve.
The Ford Driving Skills for Life is a great program that teaches young drivers how to deal with situations like this.
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