What do you believe to be the safest vehicle to purchase for a new (teen boy) driver if cost is not a concern?
4 doors, 4 cylinders, air bags front and side. Here’s a site that ranks them based on various safety tests:
http://www.informedforlife.org/
Any vehicle that doesn’t drive is the safest one for a teenager, male or female.
If you have to have one that drives, the newer the better, and with an acceptable amount of power.
If the driver is short, you want one that they can judge the corners of, and see out of reasonably well, which is a problem most parents don’t take into consideration when buying.
A Nissan Versa sedan or hatchback would be a good example of a car with good viability.
A Chrysler Crossfire would be an example of a car with bad visibility.
BC.
1968 Camaro rolling chassis. The project will keep him busy and therefore out of trouble. Just don’t let him purchase an engine or transmission for it…
Agree; low power, good visibility and reasonably safe design.
Plain , simple , basic, transportation. Nothing more.
You know how teens are.
All five of them have, or have access to vehicles.
"Dude, lets take yours." usually comes out for the 'cool' car....or the fast car....or the prestige car.
If your teen's car isn't the 'cool' car, they, and he, may not be taking it quite so often. He knows he has transportation whenever he needs it, after all you bought him a car. so he'll be choosing a lot more logically if not swayed by the 'cool' factor.
“…if cost is not a concern…”
A Sherman tank with the guns removed? It’s not extremely fast, hard to roll, and won’t take much damage in an accident 
Downside is the mileage, at about 8 gallons to the mile.
Seriously, though…/agree with the above.
Your car insurance agent will best help you out
Think big. Between 2007-2009, the vehicle with the lowest medical payout is the 4WD Honda Pilot, followed by the 4WD Buick Enclave and 4WD Chevy Avalanche. This is th einformation that your insurance agent would provide. You can find it here:
http://www.iihs.org/research/hldi/composite_cls.aspx?y=2007-2009&cls=8&sz=3&sort=medPay
The source of the data is all the insurers in the US.
I know everyone envisions the monster truck vs the Smart car scenerio and ops for the former but in practice where mileage is such a concern, relative safety is reasonable and structural integrity and front and side air bags are reasonable in a compact that does well in crash test. Many modern compacts do that. The best safety device may be the “lack” of things like…cell phones, speed and alcohol. Find a away to keep those out of your teenage son’s car and your choices expand.
So before you think of buying a large SUV type to wrap your son in a safety net, I would think of the judgement needed to operate, purchase and maintain any auto correctly and make those the real safety items. That’s why insurance rates are so high for teenage boys, even when driving Honda Pilots. The type of car is over rated. We put our kids in “unsafe” compacts and pick ups but insisted upon safe driving and responsibility while we hoped for the best when they left home. To this day, 20 years later, non has had an accident. That may be the same story of many here too.
"I know everyone envisions the monster truck vs the Smart car scenerio…"
I bought a Chevy Cobalt LT for my children, and I believe it is safe enough given the reasons you mention. But the OP said safest of all. Gotta give Ned what he wants.
My boy had a very large old Tank with lots of metal. It out weighed every thing on the road and cost a mint to drive. Really cut down on the amount of driving he did which is the best safety feature of all.
What do you believe to be the safest vehicle to purchase for a new (teen boy) driver if cost is not a concern?
What ever they pay for themselves. learning the real value and cost of a car then making the decisions for themselves is the best bet.
Something like this is better than any kind of car you can possibly purchase for your teenage son: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/10q2/redesigning_driver_education_for_teenagers-feature
"I
bought a Chevy Cobalt LT for my children, and I believe it is safe
enough given the reasons you mention. But the OP said safest of all.
Gotta give Ned what he wants."
I hear you, but this is for a teenage boy and if safest is the only criteria, implied safety in a vehicle works in reverse in the minds of many teenage boys I’m familiar with. Your Cobalt in the hands of a responsible teen like yours is safer than a “tank” in another. I’m also considering the potential jeopardy he may put others in with their Cobalts.
Example; when I parked my SUV in the school yard in the winter time, one of the first questions out of one of my more responsible otherwise Calculus students after class was. Mr…, my parents have a car like yours I drive to the ski lodge on weekends. With all all those traction control devises, I can’t make it do spin outs. What can I do to change that ?
My son purchased a 2005 Mustang last year with money from an insurance settlement. (It was the other driver's fault). When I listed it on my insurance, I was pleasantly surprised that the Mustangs are highly safety rated and has been a good investment mechanically and insurance wise.
If he is responsible, give him a Mustang. You only live once.
16 years old male and a Mustang… how much mind altering substances have you taken recently?
A back seat and several … several driving lessons until 18 or until she can parallel park on a dime!!! Then she can drive most any safer vehicle. Riding lawn mowers provide excellent driving experience. if you screw up the lawn?? duhhh…
“you only live once”? Sure, and let’s make it as brief as possible !
But the OP said safest of all. Gotta give Ned what he wants.
Safety is relative. I think other drivers’ safety should be taken into account because the kid is likely to hit them. That’s why I think giving an SUV to a kid is irresponsible even though it might marginally increase his safety in a wreck (of course, it also significantly increases the likelihood that he’ll cause a wreck since it’s bigger, heavier, and doesn’t handle as well).
If I were buying a car for a kid today, I’d get something like a Civic DX (140 hp is more than enough for a kid), and he’d not be allowed to modify it for performance until he proved himself to be a good driver.