Best Cars for Teens

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Best choice - public transportation.

If the above is not possible for some reason

Second best choice - something slow, old and possible ugly with a manual tranny.

The last thing you want to do is buy your kid a nice flashy ride, even with better safety record, so that they can show it off to their driends, then get a bunch of them in the car and start joy riding, usually there will be at least one teenager that will suggest to check how fast this thing goes and we all know how these cases end.
 
Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: HWEaton
Any Panther...


+1

My eldest son's first set of wheels will be an ex PI Vic most likely.


I agree with this..Kids get into ALOT of accidents so a nice used C.V.P.I. [or any Panther] would be the best thing for them for their first car..Alot of 16-21 year olds here in Miami drive used Police Interceptors..To my surprise they drive them very carefully.


Imagine that.


You. Recommending a panther.
wink.gif
 
Agree on the panther. The idea of a rear wheel spinning punching it in a corner might teach a little physics. If they can learn to parallel park a full size car, it will stick with them the rest of their lives.

A stick shift saturn will teach patience, what three pedals do, and how to use a dipstick.

A 4 cyl buick century; they used cavalier 2.2 motors at the end, will make them ashamed to have friends inside.

A total heap that you fix up with them, will give them pride of ownership, and be way less likely to wrap it around a telegraph pole.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino

A 4 cyl buick century; they used cavalier 2.2 motors at the end, will make them ashamed to have friends inside.


I agree. Get one that's got a bunch of scrapes on it already, so when the kid adds another one (or a small dent) it won't look any worse (and we KNOW its going to get dented).

It is probably a good thing I'm not a parent because I'd go flippin ballistic if my kid put a dent in the shiny new Mercedes or Volvo I bought for him or her!
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino


A total heap that you fix up with them, will give them pride of ownership, and be way less likely to wrap it around a telegraph pole.


Truer words may never have been spoken.
thumbsup2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: SLCraig
Protege/Civic/Sentra/Corolla


Yep. My oldest daughter had a Civic, and my youngest has a Corolla. Both are inexpensive to buy used, they're good on gas, and super reliable. My oldest daughter abused the Civic and it just kept going. My youngest is easier on her Corolla, so it should last quite a while.
 
Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
+1
..Kids get into ALOT of accidents...


That's why I said Taurus.

I saw a 2000-ish Taurus hit a wall on the freeway. I guess the driver decided that he needed to exit NOW! and yanked the wheel hard from the far left lane.

He missed the exit but slammed into the retaining wall at freeway speed.

Got out looking very disoriented but otherwise intact.
 
Taurii have the benefit of actually handling. Good idea. Don't forget the contour/mystique too, but for you $600 car buyers.
lol.gif
 
My "first car" was a 1974 Olds Cutlass Supreme. However, I didn't get to drive it much, left it at my grandparent's for the summer, when we moved down east and my grandfather sent it to the wreckers.

This would have been the summer of 1997. Later that year, mom decided she wanted an Expedition, and so they leased a 1998 Eddie Bauer.

So I ended up with mom's car....

Mom's car was a a 1986 Olds Custom Cruiser wagon. It had a tired 307, and a sketchy transmission that would hold the gears way too long cold, and have you in 3rd in 50ft when hot. Due to my fascination with Lamborghini's during my childhood, my dad affectionately called it the "Lamborghini Countach Wagoon", much to my chagrin.

It was an utter pail. But dad wouldn't let me drive the Lincoln (his "baby"), so the Wagoon was it.

Using the terms "V8" and "power" together when describing this car was an oxy-moron. It could barely get out of its own way. Merging onto the highway was an experience. And it loved gasoline.

But it was wheels, and for a 17 year old kid with his G2, that was all that mattered. It wasn't like I could get into trouble with it. And I guess that was the point.
 
I had my choice of my parents' 78 Chev 1-ton cargo van with 5-gal "bucket" seats and got not more than 7 mpg, or the 84 Caravan that announced itself like a magician by appearing out of its own huge blue cloud of smoke. At least it had a 5-speed and got pretty good mileage, but it burned a qt every 3-500 miles.

I jumped at the chance to buy a neighbor's 84 Mazda 626 for $110. They didn't tell me the hood latch didn't work. The first time I drove it on a narrow, windy 2-lane highway the hood flew up. I steered by looking at the road lines in the side mirrors. THAT's how you learn driving skills!
 
Originally Posted By: antonmnster

I jumped at the chance to buy a neighbor's 84 Mazda 626 for $110. They didn't tell me the hood latch didn't work. The first time I drove it on a narrow, windy 2-lane highway the hood flew up. I steered by looking at the road lines in the side mirrors. THAT's how you learn driving skills!


My dad bought my little sister an '83 626 for her first car around 1987
Had almost 100,000 miles on it. Her boyfriend tried to kill it. Drove around running it to redline with the gear selector in 1st before moving the selector to 2nd all the time. Hitting low water crossings at high speed. It should have died...but it just kept going.
 
my first "car" was a 1949 plymoth 215 ci worn out. to accelerate you put the pedal to the floor, then get the hour glass out.
 
Originally Posted By: Shar
I think this article is really dumb. Most of the cars aren't within a reasonable price range for a teen.

The Volvo, Benz and Porsche scream high maintenance costs.


Ya, whatever. You're just jealous that you don't have a few mill in the bank.
grin.gif


My conditions would be: cheap, reliable, slow, and reasonably safe for both them and whoever they run into.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Best choice - public transportation.

If the above is not possible for some reason

Second best choice - something slow, old and possible ugly with a manual tranny.

The last thing you want to do is buy your kid a nice flashy ride, even with better safety record, so that they can show it off to their driends, then get a bunch of them in the car and start joy riding, usually there will be at least one teenager that will suggest to check how fast this thing goes and we all know how these cases end.

I basically learned to drive with my Mom's automatic 85 Corolla hatchback, topspeed in 1994 was about 96 mph...
We timed its 0-60 at about 16 seconds, but flipping the air filter lid and advancing the timing to where it wouldn't audibly ping with 91 octane got the 0-60 down into the high 13's! I don't even remember having any close calls with it but I learned to left foot brake on the back roads and had some safe low speed fun, without ditching it.

I think I'll have to have something slow and cheap for my kids to drive, but in half decent condition so you can see if any dents have been added lately just so the kid knows they can't be stupid with it. Maybe a 2016 Corolla? It will be old and relatively slow when the time comes...
 
I'm sure my oldest daugher will get my 2011 Camry when the time comes. That'll be in 10 more years from now. So today, that'd be like getting her a 2001 model...yeah, that sounds about right.

What about her sister, 3 years behind her? Now we'll have to come up with something to address that...
 
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
+1
..Kids get into ALOT of accidents...


That's why I said Taurus.

I saw a 2000-ish Taurus hit a wall on the freeway. I guess the driver decided that he needed to exit NOW! and yanked the wheel hard from the far left lane.

He missed the exit but slammed into the retaining wall at freeway speed.

Got out looking very disoriented but otherwise intact.



+1
 
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