What kind of car should I buy?

Question

I have 40k. I want a car that will do good in crashes, safe, and not too fast so i wont go off speeding. Im 16. Yes I know it sounds lame but 4 people from my school died in car accidents so i want a safe car. the reason im asking instead of looking myself is becuase i want to hear peoples experinces with diffrent cars like the ones i just described. thanks.

Answer 1

Ignore anyone who tries to tell you to buy a sports car (Donx510: you're an idiot for advising a new driver to get a WRX, far too many young people kill themselves in those cars), if you're a new driver you don't even want to consider a high powered car.

If you want something that'll do well in crashes look for lots of air bags and find out how well it does in crash tests. Safety is also just as much in the driver so you should make sure you have plenty of experience with an instructor and with parents before you drive on your own, try for at least 100 hours of driving before you even try to get your licence and make sure you have driven in every condition before getting your licence (i.e. make sure you have driven at night, in heavy rain, on dirt roads, in heavy traffic in the city, at the maximum speed limit on country roads and freeways, etc) so that you know how to handle them when you're on your own.

If I were spending that kind of money I'd probably look for a small European car filled with airbags, some people would suggest you get an SUV but those things have terrible handling meaning you'll have a harder time avoiding accidents (and if you're a new driver you've got things hard enough as it is so an easy to drive car is something you will need). You should also factor in maintenance and fuel so you might be better off not spending all that money (especially if you buy a larger car with higher fuel consumption or a European car with more expensive maintenance).

In terms of how fast the car can go you shouldn't worry too much about that, as long as it has enough power to merge onto freeways and accelerate in traffic it'll do (and pretty much everything does), too much power can be dangerous in the hands of inexperienced drivers but if you're half competent you should be able to stick to the speed limit in pretty much anything.

All in all your approach to car buying is a lot better than what a lot of people your age seem to think should be done. You'd be one of the ones that I'd actually want on the roads. The fact that you're even asking about safety implies to me that you probably won't be crashing your car and if you're careful the only accidents you get in should be the other guy's fault.

So:
Small car with good handling and good safety features unless you need something bigger. That would probably mean buying from Europe but you seem to have the money to do that (though check that you can afford the maintenance as well). You'll probably get front drive which tends to be easier for inexperienced drivers to control when it is pushed although you shouldn't be getting a car to the point at which that matters in the first place.
Don't get a turbo unless you're getting a Diesel engine and stay away from any performance versions (which the insurance companies will charge you a lot to insure).
Checking with your insurance company would be a good idea because if they are charging you a really high rate for one car it probably means that a lot of people your age get themselves killed in it.

Most important of all make sure you can actually drive before going out on your own (if that means you spend a couple of years with a parent in the passenger seat wherever you go it's worth it).

Answer 2

Here are a few sites to help you on your quest. From reading the data Volvo, Infinity and Lexus have very low fatality rates. You'll need to compare this with information in your area as demographics do play a large part in these rates.

http://www.rhodyman.net/volvo.html#anchor514555 (Scroll down about 3/4 of the way or search the page for Fatality)

http://blog.vehiclevoice.com/2006/02/government_study_confirms_larg.html

Hope this information helps your decision.

Answer 3

Buy something with:
less than 120hp
RWD
no airbags
no ABS
manual transmission

All these things will teach you how to be a better driver without relying on a computer to protect you.

Some suggestions for safe cars: Subarus and Volvos, any year or model

Answer 4

Wow, 40k is alot for a car that is safe. With that kind of monet, you can already get yourself a really good sports car. But you said SAFE.

I would reccomend the Subaru Impreza WRX STI (not the 07 models+) They look nice, safe, AWD, great gas mileage and fun to drive.

Or the Infiniti G35 Coupe (Nissan Skyline 350GT)

Answer 5

I'd look into Volvo and Mercedes.

You might want to do more research before you make a big decision on a car! SearchAutoReivews.com is the easiest way to search for car reviews on all the top automobile sites from one place. Here are links for:

2007 Volvo: http://searchautoreviews.com/results.html?cx=006616979543893323550%3A3aew_r12l8e&cof=FORID%3A10&q=2007+Volvo&sa=Search+reviews#1048
2007 Mercedes: http://searchautoreviews.com/results.html?cx=006616979543893323550%3A3aew_r12l8e&cof=FORID%3A10&q=2007+Mercedes&sa=Search+reviews#1081