Car for Teenage Boy

TennesseeDad

Just want some opinions for a first car for a 16 year old boy. I'm thinking big, heavy and slow with good breaks.

TennesseeDad

...or rather, brakes.

Ranck

I'd prefer something small, light and slow. The "big and heavy" philosophy always seems to me to be saying, "as long as my kid is OK I don't care how much damage and injury he does to others." Now, maybe that's not what you are thinking, but that's the impression I get.

To me it's better to teach a kid to drive well and not get into accidents. That's easier in a smaller and lighter car that handles well. Yes, I have kids, and yes they learned to drive in and had as their daily driver a mid-80s Nissan Sentra. Small, light, slow.

andrew_j

Something inexpensive as it has a higher chance of getting wrecked. Also something with airbags and ABS too. I would suggest an inexpensive domestic car like Taurus, Cavalier, Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis, Neon or Malibu.

All cars go very fast eventually so you really can't use that as criteria.

SteveF

It won't really matter. If the boy is a calm and courteous driver he will not wreck. If he is wild he will find a way to destroy whatever he is given. Rather than preparing him for a lethal crash, prepare him to drive right.

TennesseeDad

I guess "big and Heavy" are a matter of perspective. My first car was a '68 volkswagen station wagon with the headlights held on with duct tape followed up by a Chevette.

By big and heavy I was thinking Toyota pick-up or Chevy 1500. Not a land yacht.

Craig58

Good point, I guess it really depends on the driver. There seems to be a whole range of possible answers, depending on the "type" of kid we are talking about, you can decide which answer you like:

- buy him something cheap because he will wreck it anyway

- buy him something big so he won't get hurt when he crashes, although the other drivers may not do so well

- buy him something smaller with a lot of "safety features" so he will be less likely to hurt himself or anyone else

- make him save his own money and buy his own car so he will be more responsible

- buy him a nice, but boring newer car so he will take care of it and won't do anything too dumb

- buy him something cool so he will take care of it and not want to mess it up by doing something too dumb

Joseph_E_Meehan

What can he afford?

Frankly he is more likely to be careful if it is a car HE paid for.

My first car was a 1965 Sunbeam Imp. I paid $550.00 for it (I borrowed $200 from my father) and I paid my insurance) It was a loaner car 875 cc engine that could almost make 65 mph with the light weight 1,200 pounds of car. It had a 11 gallon tank as I recall. I had that car about 10 years and 120,000 miles.

Too light to be safe? I was hit by a Greyhound buss on the freeway one night (the driver was new and fell asleep.) No injuries and after I sold it to a co-worked he fell asleep at the wheel and run into a GM Impala at full speed. It was a rear engine car and he only had a scratch.

I only say this because if the kid knows it was his money he is more likely to take car and not all cheap small cars are unsafe.

Ranck

To me, pickups=poor handling. Not the best for a new driver. A used Taurus, or other mid-size or even small sedan will handle better and be more forgiving of new driver faults.

jayhawkroy

I started my kids out in well used, midsized US vehicles. Big enough to be safe in, and small enough to park in average spaces.

Despite being good drivers, each kid had a minor at fault accident in the first six months of driving. I'm waiting to see if my grandson will either continue the tradition, or start a new one.

cappy208

I heartily concur with JEM.
the car is only useful IF the son purchases his own.

any teenager (a few years ago myself included) respects their own possessions when they buy them themselves.

if you give it to your son it will be less appreciated than if he buys it himself.

i am thoroughly disgusted when i see high school kids flying around town in new (or almost new) corvettes, hummers, or other signs of excess wealth (or stupidity) although my politics are showing, like 30,000 dollar sweet 16 parties, or prom parties, i think all this excess giving to kids, who don't even understand what it takes to earn the $$ is a huge disservice to the kids. (think of paris hilton!)
sorry to rant, but this does @#$% me off.