First Car

[Cap't Jonny]

I think there are many cars that would do for a first car. The best way to get a good car for a good price is to not look for any make or model in particular but rather look at the price , mileage, and prior use. Also don't expect to find the perfect car overnight. I would follow the adds on craigslist for a couple of months at least. If you do that with an open mind you will generally spot a winner.

For My sons first car I bought him a 10 year old Ford Crown vic. I have read about them in the past and really thought that would be a good choice. They are used extensively by police, fire, and taxi companies and are probably the best large car around for the money. considering the antiquated chassis on frame design the car was pretty modern with 4 wheel dick brakes , an over head cam v8 and air bags.and about 18-20 mpg. It was a civilian owned car with leather and lots of mod coms and only had 25k miles on it. Price $3200.

He has had the car for almost 4 years now and has had fairly good reliability from it considering he knows and cares nothing about cars. About the only thing he will do to it is have the oil changed.

We have had the tie rods replaced (cheap ford design) and had the intake manifold replaced ( another cost cutter ).

Now, with about 60 k miles the trans is starting to go . He will probably have to junk it in a little while. It will be interesting to see if a 1998 crown with 60 thousand miles and a bad trans is worth anything.

[jstrubberg]

While an 18 wheeler might crush a larger car, most vehicles on the road will bounce. It's a game of percentages, and a larger car has a huge advantage in any accident, especially low speed ones. Our kids first car was a Taurus, and I wish it had been bigger.

Worry about fuel economy when they are also making a rent or mortgage payment. If the car is outta gas, a teen just doesn't get to go anywhere.

[legojenn]

Not going to do a Geo Metro but might due to gas prices but its not safe.

So what was your first car or your opinion of a good first car for a teen.

Don't be too hard on the Geo Metro. I had one, but it was called a Chevy Sprint because that was the fashion at the time, and GM didn't have the Geo line in Canada until a couple of years after they brought it out in the US. I think there were Pontiac Fireflys and Suzuki Forsas and Swifts that were the same car as well. Mine met its end at by getting rammed by a snowplow whose driver could not put down the cell phone while driving. The whole front end was smashed in, but the cabin was untouched. Even the front windshield survived. I don't feel any less safe in a small car than a big one then and I don't now.

I really like my Aveo and would recommend one, though they are called Sonics now. Compared to my Sprint, it's pretty big. It's not as fuel efficient, good looking or fast as other cars in its class like the Yaris, Mazda 2 or Accent, but it it's gutsy. I tow a trailer with it. Also, two adults can actually sit comfortably in the back seat. I like how you sit fairly high in it, and it rides high. I've yet to be stuck in the snow that wasn't caused by driving on a road not meant for cars. It's comfortable and you can see around it fairly well.

I don't recommend getting a teen too big of a car. The more kids you can fit in a car, the more likely there is going to be trouble.

[parnold]

Can you say Hyundai?

Can't get out of it's own way, and won't fit a ton of people. I beat mine up for 110K miles with only maintenance repairs. Very reliable.

Both my sons worked for, and paid for their own first cars, including the insurance. I feel they have more respect for the vehicle if they pay for it themselves.

[Cap't Jonny]

I have to second the recommendation on the Aveo. I bought one new in 2005. The dealers were desperate for sales and were discounting everything about 30 %. I bought a base stick 4 door sedan w/o air for $5700 out the door!!!

I drove that car 50 thousand miles over the next 2 years and sold it for $5100. The only thing I had to do was replace the door rubber on the passenger side. Dealer did it for free. I drove mostly highway to and back from work and averaged about 35-36 mpg going 55- 60 mph.

I wanted to give the car to Son but he thought it was not macho enough for him. He likes the Crown Vic but with gas at $4.50+ now he wishes he had taken the Aveo.

[Roly Nelson]

Ok, enough about your youngster's first cars. This is how I got my first car at age 16, in 1948. My old Swede Dad said if I wanted a car, to save my money and buy one! So I did, from my Piggly Wiggly box-boy weekly paycheck. It was a 1930 Chevy Roadster with a rumble seat, in which I could hide 3 of my buddies when we snuck (is that a word?) into the drive in theatre. With the top down, we could park under a farmer's apple tree and shake the apples into the seats. I carried 2 quart cans of gas under the seat, in case I ran out of gas, so I could get to a gas station and buy a couple of gallons of their 22 cent a gallon gas. Often it wouldn't start in the sub-zero weather in Illinois, so we would push it out onto the highway, flag down a caring motorist and he would push me, sometimes all the way to school, if necessary.

The huge front fenders were solid enough to straighten bolts on, and I used to drive down alleys, banging into trash cans with the bumper and fenders, and would score extra points if the can lid flew over the fence into their yard. Top speed indicated 70 mph with the choke pulled partly out. This car was a real chick-magnet, and one of the girls had to regain control of the car, when I was sliding corners, holding onto the laminated wooden steering wheel. A segment of the wheel broke off, I fell out of the door, (which was held closed with a screen door spring) and ended up in a bar ditch, as she screamed with delight at what a cool guy I was. One halloween night, we tipped over 22 outhouses, and had to pull the last one over with a rope tied to the car. (always tip them over onto the door, in case someone is inside). End of story with my 6 cyl Chevy roadster, which could just barely out run the Model A's, from other schools. Nope, no serious accidents, but 3 speeding tickets and there was a number of times my Dad would make me park it for a whole week at a time, if he found out about the freshly repainted fenders or broken axles.
Roly.....please don't let my kids or grandkids read this!

[dguff]

It is not relevant today but the first car I actually owned was a 1929 Ford Model A two door sedan. Of course at that time it was little more than a 30 year old used car. Like a 1982 now.

Jerome

[raskazone]

now then , what would be an average price for first time insurance driver at say seventeen, here in the uk its running at some thing like £1700 per year , and petrol (gas)l at £1.45 per litre it would be cheaper to take a taxi every where

[rebapuck]

My first car, self purchased at 20yo, was a 1969 Triumph GT6. Cool cool car. but obviously a sports car that my dad didn't like. He wanted me to buy a nice American car "like a VW beetle". I'd buy the beetle now if I could find a nice one.

[legojenn]

... and petrol (gas)l at £1.45 per litre it would be cheaper to take a taxi every where

I was in the US last weekend and paid $US 4.07/US gallon which is roughly equivalent to £0.60/L. It seems like such a bargain from the $1.30/L or £0.85/L that we pay in Ottawa, ON, and our prices are considerably cheaper than yours. It's no wonder that I have never driven when I have visited the UK.

[PKCSPT]

My first car 68 Beetle,, wish I still had it sometimes.
My oldest sons was and 85 oldsmobile I had about run the tires off, he resurrected it numerous times til it finally gave up.
Daughters was a 92 leSabre I got tired of repairing every 1000 miles. She drove it til she totaled it in an accident
My youngest had a 93 Century his grandma gave him, car was 14 years old with 60,000 miles,, sold it to his brother. Deer totaled it out.

All three of those were great first cars, I like your choice of a suburban. The power you now have,, use it wisely. My daughter was 10 minutes late for curfew one night and I took ALL driving privileges for 10 days. She was never late again and her younger brother never tested curfew.

[tkteardrop]

My dad got me a ford grand torino elite 1976. The condition was that I pay for gas and repairs.
It was large and safe but.... If you touched the gas pedal you would watch the gas gauge go low quickly. (real quick)
Needless to say in 4 years no tickets and no repairs needed. Then I purchased a Mustang Convertible with a 351C, 4 barrel, headers and
well I almost went broke paying for gas and tickets, but boy was it fun.

[rebapuck]

When I purchased the aformentioned GT6, I paid $2400 for it. The seller asked if I wanted to drive it to the bank. "Sure". I was too embarassed to tell him I'd never driven a shift. Almost gave the guy a heart attack. Then I had to write the check three times. I'd never written one so big and kept running out of room.

[jeff0520]

My first car was a 1974 Chevy Impala coupe a lot like this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aroundourarea/7664152584/ Except mine was a brighter yellow, with a white top and white leather interior. It had a 350 with a 4 barrel carb. I know from personal experiance that the 120 MPH speedometer didn't go high enough to record how fast the car would actually go. It's a wonder I survived.
As for a first car for a kid, I'd say what you really want is a compact pickup truck like a ford ranger, with a 4 cyl engine. The Ranger is mechanically reliable, well built, and best of all, the kid can't carry a bunch of friends around. Look into the safety stats. There's a direct corrolation between the number of teenagers in the car and the seriousness of the accident. Distraction, and showing off are both reduced with fewer teenagers in the car.
That's my opinion, and I'm pretty sure it's worth exactly what I charged you for it

[Gary and Cheri]

When my youngest daughter turned 16 we went out and bought an Eagle Talon. The base car not the turbo. It was very sporty looking and we added a good set of mag wheels which kids seem to feel makes a car. (big kids too) It was black with a huge spoiler on the back that obstructed your view but was way cool.

It had several advantages to me;

First, it had no power which made for great gas mileage and I felt my daughter could not get into trouble with really fast.

Second, it had bucket seats and manual transmission. I was never worried about the driver having someone a little to close. Also a girl who learns to drive a manual is a plus. Both of my daughters went to college and this was a real plus socially. Most of their friends had boy friends with cars to lone their girl friends and none of them could drive a stick.

Third, while it was a four seater although I and most of her friends did not want to sit in the back so it was usually just two people. Studys have shown that many teen accidents occur as a result of to many teens in the car goofing off and distracting the driver. Some states now have probationary liscencing and a new teen driver is only allowed one passenger.

Lastly, a cool car can make a social difference. I know that's shallow, but..............a parent likes to see their kids succeed and if a car helps, why not?

I would buy them the same type of car again if I had the opportunity.

Gary

First car my Dad bought for me was a Dodge Dart convertible with 225 slant six and push button transmission. First car I bought for me Fiat X1/9 mid engined and red with a targa top. Current car is the Porsche 986 in my avitar.