First Car

[Forrest747]

Ok my son asked me today in a text if he can have my Jeep when he gets his drivers license. Im like NO. Love my Jeep. So it got me thinking what is a good first car for someone. Not going to be new, cant afford it. My was a 1974 Chrysler Newport, what a boat!!! I asked a coworker what she thought would be a good car and she said reliable. Well taht is no help. So thinking something like a Jeep rugged 4 wheel drive fun. 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.

[mikeschn]

I gave one of my kids a pontiac sunfire, which was really reliable! And with the gas prices, she still likes it. I would do it again!

Mike...

[Shadow Catcher]

We decided that the kids had to buy their own cars and carry their own insurance. This delayed their driving till they were 18 and they are all alive! Number two son had a couple of accidents despite that after the last one, he asked why I was not yelling at him, I said I don't have to the insurance company will inflect quite enough pain.
Jeeps are not the best for a first car.

[Oldragbaggers]

+1 on not giving a Jeep for the first car.

They are finicky to handle as I'm sure you know. It's not impossible to turn them over, and they are not the most gas efficient vehicles around.

And I would think, especially for a boy, that the temptation to take them off the road might be irrisistable. Probably not the best course of action for an inexperienced driver.

My first car was a 1963 Chevrolet Bel Air (very well used) and I loved it, but if you could find one of those right now it would be a collector's item and if it was running you'd pay a bloody fortune for it. (Wish I still had mine. Also wish I still had my 1969 Olds Cutlass Supreme. Sigh....)

[CliffinGA]

Boy- a toyota or ford ranger,a) its a truck, b) both are reliable and mostly good fuel economy c) only 1 other person can ride with them. Here in GA they actually have laws on how many can be in a car with a teen driver. Girl- a honda or a VW bug!

Mine was a (75,76, and 77) Chevy truck I helped to piece together from my dads truck that my mom loaned my sister to use until I got my license, he would drive home drunk and the TX road signs did a number on it! So we pieced it back together from the orignal, my aunt's old truck and a donor I paid $200 for, yes I also had to get a job to pay for fixing it back up. I had that truck 2 yrs after I started driving and it was bad, we had put a 455 olds rocket in it and I won many a race with it (Not a good idea I know ) until I wrecked it when I lost control on Amarillo Blvd and wrapped it around a telephone pole. After that it was sold for $1000 for the motor and parts and 6 months later my mom bought me a plymouth horizon 2 doors! Not so fast and uh no style, I drove it in punishment for 6months until I traded it for a non running 77 El Camino !

Cliff

[wagondude]

Well, I found a cheap Subaru that needed some work and bought that . It aint his, but he gets to drive it. It aint pretty, but he gets to drive it. It has almost 300K miles on it and runs like a top. He thought he would get a job this summer and be able to get something else to drive, but that didn't pan out. We will see about next summer. The really bad part is there just are not any cheap cars left for first cars thanks to the cash fo clunkers deal. You either pay $8 grand for a car, or $3 grand for a car that needs at least $3 grand in repairs.

[jdarkoregon]

I have two boys, both were in wrecks within a year of getting their rig. Get something that they will be safe in and you will feel confident that they will make it home. I got manual 5 speeds because I wanted to make sure that if they ever got stranded and the only thing to drive had gears, they would make it home

Just me, take care and good luck

John

[Verna]

'61 Corvair, convertible, AM/FM stereo with 4 speakers, check the gas, fill up the oil at "service stations". Yup, that was my first one. Safe--not really. But it sure wouldn't go very fast and I stayed out of trouble with it. $450 cash for it.

If I would have had a Jeep, we might not be having this conversation. I liked to drive too much and too fast, and I'm sure I would have wrecked it or rolled it.

[Gladtobehere]

My first car was a company car, a Ford Maverick.

But my sons first car (family provided) was a Toyota Corolla. He has since purchased a newer Sport Corolla. He is 6-4, so there is sufficient room for fairly tall people.

Gas prices are (or should) always be a concern. But the reliability and longevity of the Toyota cars we have owned has always brought us back. Sorry, but I can not say the same for any of the big 3 and have owned them all.

As far as road safety is concerned I do not believe that bigger is better. An 18 wheeler can crush even those domestic Hummers or Subarbans that many love to drive 8 feet off my bumper. It is the attitude of the drivers that is their best defence. Unfortunately, you can only control your OWN attitude.

[mikeschn]

If safety is your first concern, here's some ideas for you...

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-fir ... 012-1?op=1

Mike...

[Rolly]

My first car was a 62 Corvair Spyder with a turbocharger, looking back I am amazed I survived. Get a car that you can buy parts for at Checker/autozone/PoopBoys. +1 on the manual trans.

Rolly

[Forrest747]

Totally agree on learning a manual. My wife can't drive one and it limits her to just two of the three cars we have. The issue i have about the Hondas and Mazda is they like to be stolen. I had a high school classmate who first car was a hearse. Serious family issues there.

[Oldragbaggers]

Totally agree on learning a manual. My wife can't drive one and it limits her to just two of the three cars we have. The issue i have about the Hondas and Mazda is they like to be stolen. I had a high school classmate who first car was a hearse. Serious family issues there.

My father and his brothers were all painters back in the 50's-70's (houses, bridges and the like). They all drove hearses because they said they could fit more paint and supplies in them.

[M C Toyer]

It is the attitude of the drivers that is their best defence. Unfortunately, you can only control your OWN attitude.

I'm with you 100% on that!

There can be inherent risks with any car. High center of gravity vehicles, flawed design and poor maintenance are all dangers but not as much as aggressive driving, distractions, and a lack of common sense.

I would say the choice should be based on the driver, not the vehicle.

Fuel efficiency, reliability, style and cost have there own limitations and can certainly be a teaching tool for beginning owners and drivers. You may not be able to persuade or convince a youngster the best choice - they will have to learn that on their own. You can only hope you have instilled a proper sense of responsibility and maturity - tough job with only 16 years to get it done.

M C

[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.