What Car – Teen Addition

Ok my son is in need of a car. I have done a lot of thinking about it but I haven’t found the right combo.

Here are the guidelines I am using.

Under $5000

Must be safe. An air bag would be great. This is the time in his life where he is most likely to get in a wreck so safety is huge.

It would be great if it could seat four.

Miata level reliable.

Kinda easy to work on.

Lastly something cool or just kinda cool.

Thank you all for your time and thoughts. RS

i would say a small pickup . like a ranger or s10.. cheap to fix. cheap to insure. decent mileage.

2002-2003 Elantra Sedan or Hatchback. 4 airbags, and even though testing by the numbers the scored low, I've seen dozens of these hit HARD by teen drivers and everyone walked away. Easy as pie to work on, tough, reliable and can be made fun if they don't wreck it.

W124 Mercedes? Very reliable if looked after and I think you should be able to find one within your budget. Late ones should have airbags.

Not sure where you are located but here in Ohio there are some new rules that limit how many passangers new drivers can have. The idea is to cut down on the distractions and the "hey watch this" kind of moments.

With that said, two seat pickup truck.
So as to be not too big; a Ranger or S-10.
Perfect size might be the mid size Dodge Dakota

I'm only 20, so I'm not that far removed (although from the other end).

On the four seats--I'd almost suggest two seats. Less folks to distract you. A manual is a must for me, I'm a noticeably worse driver with an auto. Also, autocross and a BMW/Tirerack type drivers safety school. Let the biggest safety equipment be the driver, and equip him/her well.

My suggestions would be the following:

-BMW E30. Slow by todays standards, safe, later ones had airbags.
-BMW E36. Same as above, but probably safer.
-Crown Victoria. Should fit all your requirements except for the cool thing, depending on your definition of cool.
-Pick up truck. A full sized one for the safety issue.
-Nissan Maxima. Maybe not so cool, but a few minor details and it is.
-It sounds like you have, or at least know a miata, but I'll suggest it anyways.
-Subaru Impreza. An older one, obviously, to get into your price range.
-We looked around for a Ford T-bird. Always thought those were pretty cool, but I don't know much about them.
-Not easy to work on, but a SAAB. One of the safer ones out there.

BoxheadTim wrote: W124 Mercedes? Very reliable if looked after and I think you should be able to find one within your budget. Late ones should have airbags.

Excellent suggestion, although maintained ones are few and far between around me.

there is a nice 1999 Hyundai Tiburon on ebay right now.. 85,000 miles, 5 speed, cloth interior with sunroof and the diserable canadian rear spoiler.. often called the "shark spoiler"

Subaru Legacy sport wagon.

I'm in the same boat...so to speak.

As I look for cars for the daughter, I keep going back to Honda CX's and Focus ZX 3's, maybe an older Celica.

If my son were of age, and given the fact that at least half of his personality is passed from my loins...I'd be picking something slow...cool...but slow.

E30!!!!!!!!!

Ok, maybe not.

I'll also suggest that a lot of seats isn't the best idea. I'd find him something with a miniscule back seat. He can carry people in a pinch, but he won't have a full carload everywhere he goes.

And like everybody else said, lots of driver education. Make him spin it many times.

Since the education topic has come up again, here is the link to the SCCA's highly regarded school for teens.
http://www.streetsurvival.org/

Wow thanks for the reponses! I like the idea of a W124 but I worry about the cost to maintain it. I am I wrong? I know there are two of these at his high school. He doesn't notice them but I really like them.

2 vs 4. I would like to get a 4 seater because I will use it in the winter when it is nasty out. BTW I live in the Seattle area close to the Cascade Mountians. Also sometimes having a two seater as my DD can be a pain....but I am not selling my Miata:-)

As for driving school I do have him taking a car control class and I will have him sign up for the Street Survial class next November.

Thanks again for your ideas! RS

Pickup trucks are great as every household should have one, so it's a two birds with one stone thing if you don't already have a truck. However, teens love riding in the bed of the truck, so that's something to watch out for.

Jeep Wagoneer was my high school ride. I had to buy my own gas so it really curbed how much time I spent driving around since I got 8mpg. It was big and safe and I thought it was cool, but definitely not fast. It was simple enough that I did most of the work on it myself. With $5k you could make one very reliable.

Hey one small note we do have a F350 crew cab so an other truck might not work.

Sultan wrote: Wow thanks for the reponses! I like the idea of a W124 but I worry about the cost to maintain it. I am I wrong? I know there are two of these at his high school. He doesn't notice them but I really like them.

If you find a well maintained one, they aren't so bad. No, its not going to be as cheap as a miata, but its not going to break the bank either. My dad considered one for me to take to school before we decided to keep the SAAB. Ask Tom Heath on this board, he just got into one recently.
I just sat in one for the first time in about 7 years about two weeks ago. This one was rode hard and put up wet, and it still felt like a solid car. Keep in mind that this was the last vehicle MB put out that was the best car in the world. Back then, nothing was more reliable.

volvo 240

slowcamaro wrote: volvo 240

+1. Didn't think of that.

+1 on a Volvo 240 if you need four seats

Why not a Miata with a roll bar? I actually think it probably better to keep the number of people riding along to a minimum for the first couple of year hes driving.

MK2 vws dont have airbags, but they fare quite well in accidents anyway. I think safety is important, but I think it goes way beyond airbags, and there are safe cars that dont have them. I was at the junkyard a month or so again and i saw quite a few wrecked focuses, and every one had siginicant deformation of the cabin, and the airbags soaked in blood. Id be as comfottable driving an old euro car (which i do) as a 90s cheap car with airbags.

slowcamaro wrote: volvo 240

Or 740. Or 940. All dirt cheap, easy to work on, reliable where it counts, and of course, safe. Anything from '89- will have an airbag, and probably ABS.

If RWD concerns you, an 850 is marginally more $, and a little bit more complicated to work on.

Will anyone buying their sons/daughters a car buy me one too? I'll be the best damn stepson you ever had!

All I really have to add to this is that buying your kid their first car IS spoiling them no matter what you believe. Give them a parental loan that allows them to buy a decent car thats not an utter piece of junk, and actually have to work for it by getting a job to pay you off.

My 2 cents.

Otherwise, buy them a Sprint or something. I put on over 60,000kms in grade 11 and 12 driving my Firefly (probably half of that highway) and I'm still here today without a single accident. Huh...

My kids first cars with be X1/9s. Safe, slow, can avoid accidents, can't fit more than one other hooligan and not much room to "play" with the significant other.

They will both work for and purchase them (or repay me) and learn to wrench on them.

HiTempguy wrote: Will anyone buying their sons/daughters a car buy me one too? I'll be the best damn stepson you ever had! All I really have to add to this is that buying your kid their first car IS spoiling them no matter what you believe. Give them a parental loan that allows them to buy a decent car thats not an utter piece of junk, and actually have to work for it by getting a job to pay you off. My 2 cents.

Just out of curiosity, how old are you? I ask because for my dads generation, he could have bought a car and gone to school. With me and the cost of school today, I'd up to my eyeballs in debt if the parents hadn't paid for school--let alone even thinking about a car. Granted, I have worked my ass off and nearly all of it goes to school, but I'm still far short of where I'd need to be.

This isn't to say I don't think I'm spoiled--I was 17 and driving a BMW convertible for crying out loud!

My kids are 23, and 21, and both bought their own first cars.

Under those guidelines, I would look at a Cobalt. You can get a lot of car for the money. Lame, and boring, but safe, and reliable.

Integra

Civic hatch