In your opinion, are they safe enough for teen drivers- and if they are, safe enough for a first car or not?
2007-06-15 11:32:06 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
NOpe too small
Get a truck please
these are too dnagerous with the other cars on the road
2007-06-15 14:49:01 · answer #1 · answered by Michael M 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Teen drivers are statistically less safe drivers.
A mini cooper would be safer for the people outside the car since it doesn't carry as much momentum as a larger car so doesn't have the same killing potential. For my own preservation, don't put teens in SUVs.
A used Mazda Miata would be cheaper, snazzier and just as (un)safe, but with a really low rollover potential since it has such a low center of gravity and you know the teen can't get up to anything on the back seat because there isn't one.
A stick shift should be a feature of a first car so the driver doesn't become the sort of crippled driver that can only drive an automatic and so can't drive in Europe when they travel.
2007-06-15 11:44:01 · answer #2 · answered by anotherbsdparent 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They crash very well, especially for a car that size. In that sense, yeah, they're safe.
They're also some of the most agile FWD cars you can buy. If a driver is attentive, they're very good in terms of accident avoidance, and in terms of preventing one from getting into too much trouble exceeding the limits of the car.
However, they are still very small cars, and in a multiple vehicle crash they aren't likely to fare so well as they would against a stationary object. (And they'll do better against a stationary object than a lot of larger cars and SUVs).
Also, I'd recommend against getting the Cooper S. The extra power would just make it easier to exceed the limits of the car, and an inexperienced driver wouldn't be able to tell when they're in the danger zone, or know what to do to get out of it.
Also, I'd have to concur with those saying to get a beater. It's a shame to destroy a nice car, and the first car is more likely to be destroyed than any except maybe the LAST car.
Consider a Mazda Protege, Toyota Camry or Corolla, Honda Civic or Accord, or Subaru Impreza, Forester, or Legacy. Maybe a Ford Escort or Focus, post 1998 Dodge Neon, or a late-model Chevrolet Monte Carlo or Impala. (I'd pretty much forget any other small to mid-size domestics) If it HAS to be a cute/fun car, the Mazda Miata is a remarkably safe car for its class, and is rock solid reliable, cheap to maintain, and cheap to feed. (But please don't destroy it.)
2007-06-15 12:14:04 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cooper Minis are very agile, low center of gravity cars, and you can correct a decent mistake with little chance of rollover. The question is would you use it with respect, and use it's agility to get out of a sticky situation or use it to get into trouble, because they can give you a false sense of security.
2007-06-15 11:44:35 · answer #4 · answered by Greg L 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No car is safe enough for a teen driver.
It all depends if the driver is safe enough for the car.
Don't get such a nice car for a first car. Start with a beater...well...not a new car.
You don't want to get it and then it be wrecked.
2007-06-15 11:36:38 · answer #5 · answered by dejectedpunk 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋