Is a 1958 VW bus a good starter car for a teenager????

Question

Please I really need to know!!

Answer 1

NO kind a of van is good for a teenager to have. Think about it.

Answer 2

No.
First off, it might well have standard shift, which I think all teenagers should learn anyway, but it would be "on the column" and that's not good.
Second, likely it's a piece of crap. An inexperienced driver should not be driving a piece of crap. For that matter, no one should.
Thirdly, if it's not a piece of crap, then it's a collector's item, and someone who loves old vehicles should be restoring it, not a teenager driving it.
I'm 41 and I think I'm too young to be driving a VW Bus. If you're not old enough to remember the Kennedy assassination, you're too young to be driving it.

Also, these VW buses were horribly underpowered by today's standards and it is a nightmare to keep them tuned to get any performance at all. Their performance is miserable and they're not stable on the road. If you live in a cold climate they produce next to zero heat in the front as they are air cooled and can't move the engine heat forward to the front. It's not much better than riding a motorcycle in the winter. You'll be very dissasfied with the performance, comfort, utility, handling, fuel economy, and ride. If you're stoned enough on drugs, you might like it, though.

Answer 3

It depends on a lot of things. The first is who is paying for the car? If a kid wants a car bad enough to spend money they earned on it, then let them! yeah it might be a P.O.S. but they will treat it far better than ANYTHING you could buy them. They might get dirty, skin their knucles spend all their money on the car, and still end up with no wheels, but at least they wont be another jerk who's mommy and daddy pay for every thing for them.
I feel that teens are safer in cars they are invested in, even if the car is not the safest car on the road. Face it, a new driver can make any vehicle unsafe. A brand new Volvo will get up to at least 110 MPH. a VW bus (of any of the rear engine ones) can only get up to 80mph (with the clutch in, going down a steep hill, with a strong wind at your back)
The second main thing is how far it will be driven every day/week. If the teen needs to drive it more than about 15 miles a day, there are more chances for the car to break down plus the cost of gas will catch up with you before too long.
The third thing is that seat belts weren't commonly in cars until the mid-sixty's. you can install aftermarket ones, but it is a pain. also, Cars of that age rust viciously. A Rusty car is a no good car.

The point is, if you are a kid, Stand strong, do your homework, be proud and dont let your parents or anyone else give you some "safe and reliable" bullshit. do what you want. It will be worth it.

the other point is, if you are a parent, Don't waste your money buying your kid a new car, they are just going to drive it around for the next 10,000 miles with no oil, hit a lamppost with it, and then whine because you won't pay to fix it. If your kid is going to do stupid stuff there is nothing you can do about it now.

Answer 4

no it will break down a lot.. good thing is vw parts are easy to get.. but it will cost you because of the age of the car.. also it will most likely be a standard.. you need a small car that is a automatic.. they are easier to drive..you have to worry about messing up the clutch or transmission..look for a small 4 door car.. they will be cheaper on insurance because when a car only has two doors the insurance company looks at it as a sports car.. also when you park them at the school people tend to try and break in by the door if they break the two handle you still got the other two as a way to get in.. and don't get a rag top they will just slice the top of it to get in.. my daughter had a 4 door hard top.. and they broke both the front door latches and a Friend had a rag top they slice the top to get in

Answer 5

If it's in good solid shape it's a pretty cool first car! A '58 Microbus is a classic, though, so you might not want to give it to someone who may not care for it properly. Also, VW buses are not very stable so if he drives fast or recklessly he may tip it over and there's almost zero protection for the driver in a front-end collision.

If you want to give him an old VW for his first car I'd recommend a '70s Beetle instead. I'd consider a '58 Microbus to be a wonderful resto project but it might not be appreciated in the teenaged community of SUV fanatics and kids obsessed with tuning Japanese cars.

Answer 6

God no. It is a cool Car, and I would love to have one but as a first car, or an only car, never. Think about the materials they made VW's out of, then think about how close you sit to the front bumper in the VW bus? You are the crumple zone.

Answer 7

good god no!! Unsafe, unreliable.
A toyota corolla is a good starter car, a honda civic, a nissan, anything but a VW bus, anything made in THIS century or late in the last.
Teens need a reliable economical car, safe car.

Answer 8

for a teenager looking to spend time doing DIY restoration and repair. (and have some cash to do it) it would be an excellent project car. However, if you are looking for a good first car to go errands, might not be the best option.
It will not be the most reliable and safe car, for today's standars

Answer 9

Just wonderful. That way you can play the whole IKYWAL(I Knew You Were A Looser) game on the kid when it breaks down about two blocks or miles from home and then gets left on the side of the road. I mean why don't you dump your whole desire to make your child into a looser so you can make yourself look like you tried. You probably gave him or her your whole debunked collection of scratched records too. Or perhaps your old record player that cant even be used anymore.

Answer 10

It certainly won't go too fast, so you shouldn't have to worry about speeding tickets.

Personally I don't think it's a good starter car for anybody.

Answer 11

No. That is a classic vehicle better left to people who are going to invest the time and money in its upkeep. What you really want is something that is reliable for which maintenance and parts won't be difficult.