A first car for my teen?????

Question

My son will be getting his first car on his 16th birthday. He is a straight A student and has taken 3 months of drivers ed and as gotten his lerners permit- very responsible kid. What would be a good car to start him off in????? Thanks so much

Answer 1

You may want to start him off in a honda accord or civc. Both are relatively inexpensive, and come with great customer service from Honda. The cars are also very reliable.

Answer 2

Wow, I am in the same situation. My son turns 16 in two weeks and has a B+ average and has done the learners permit and drivers ed. I have been looking for something with a smaller engine for a couple of different reasons. 1st--Less engine means less horsepower and that is a good thing for a new driver. I am thinking about a 4 cylinder. 2nd--Less engine is cheaper on the insurance--3rd less engine is cheaper on GAS!

My son wants a small truck so I am looking at Ford Rangers/Chevy S10/Nissans and Toyotas. If I have my preference I beleive the Toyota makes the best truck of all I have listed. They are very dependable and last a long time. But, I have give him a price range of $3000.00 for him to spend. He has to maintain his insurance and I am giving him some options of spending less on a vehicle and paying for his insurance for the year or spending the entire $3000.00 on a vehicle and then working to earn the insurance money each year.

A couple of things I would strongly suggest for you to do with your son. You or someone else should make him change the tire on the vehicle you purchase so he becomes familiar with the process. It never hurts to know in case he is stranded. I would also encourage showing him the basics of checking his oil, brake fluid, wiper fluid, etc.

I also plan on having my son sign a contract on what I expect and will not allow while he is driving. Such as speeding tickets, amount of friends in the vehicle, never drinking and driving, etc. This keeps me in control if he ever strayed away from what I feel is unsafe.

Good luck and I hope you find something safe and "cool" for your son. I hope I do too!

Answer 3

For safety & reliability, don't go too small or too big. Check the government's free website for safety ratings:
http://www.safercar.gov/Index.cfm

It is GREAT! You can check just about any year, any make, model....
The newer Honda Accords & Nissan Altimas perform well in crashes, get pretty good mileage, & should be easy for a "newbie" to handle. You don't want them to have too much power, but you want them to have enough to be able to safely merge into traffic.
Just make sure that your A student knows not to have too many friends along for the ride-- distractions are proven accident sources... and just say no to the cell phone while the vehicle is running. Better to ignore the ring until he can pull over & call someone back. And it goes without saying that ANY drinking has to be out- establish some sort of "free ride" deal with him before this ever becomes an issue.
Believe me, I have seen the nasty results of not taking care of these problems...
Good luck, and be safe!

Answer 4

Honestly, no matter how responsible, and what a great student your kid is, think that having their own car at 16 years of age, is young. Why can't he learn, as it takes more and more times on the road and experience before you just send them out with their own car? I think it is one of the first major responsibilities given to a teen and at a time when, the hormones are going crazy, they think they are invincable, they know all and etc.......our oldest sounds just like your son at that age, and you know what? He still didn't get a car of his own until he showed the sense of responsibility over a period of time. However, if you are really stuck on getting him a car anyways, I think you want to get a used one, because like it or not, the percentage is high that he'll get into some kind of fender bender......get a good solid one, good on gas mileage. I always went American made, especially when I was younger! Good luck!

Answer 5

I have 4 sons 19, 17, 15, 13....Nobody is getting new car when they turn 16. 16 isnt really old enough to realize the finality of bad driving or an accident. Start slow make sure they are really responsible, dangle that new car carrot in front of them as long as you can. They might think you are a bit of a dick, but they will be alive to complain to you.

Answer 6

Buy something resonable. Alot of teens reck their first car whether it be his fault or someone elses. I passed my drivers test almost perfect only missing one thing pulling the emergency break when parking but wrecked my car 10 days later. Hondas are good reliable cars and repairing is not to hard and if hes into modifying the car most parts are easy installation. Stay away from dodge neons good cars but maintenance parts are spendy. nissans if the check engine soon light comes on or such cant be checked for free at autozone or anything you have to pay for the dionostics test. go with something efficient on gas remember hes young eventually he will have to pay the gas price himself for his car. its hard being young.

Answer 7

Whatever kind of car he can afford. I don't think that children should be given vehicles without having to pay for them. Why does he need a car anyways? Just because he can drive now.

Answer 8

My Daughter also got her DL last yr and my advice is , look for a car with the best safety standards in your price range. also we made sure the insurance wouldnt be to high for us to afford with her on it . 4 door cars for somereason have a lower insurance price.

Answer 9

Think big, stats say he will crash it. Volvo, VW, something sturdy. Don't let him talk you into small or sporty. Maybe a classic? Old Pickup truck maybe. Don't spoil him, even if he gets good grades. Make him continue to earn it.

Answer 10

Hondas are cool. Scions aren't bad, either. My brother got a new Scion for his graduation gift.