Jeep for 16 year old

[wings&wheels]

I agree w/ MCompact.

TJ and XJ's are great first cars IMHO. I would not look at prior versions of the Wrangler for a new driver, those are probably best left to the enthusiasts at this point.. The TJ is miles ahead of previous generations in safety, but still simple, minimalist fun in a way that the modern Wranglers has lost a bit of. XJ's are also great, but lose the open air fun while gaining more utility. Both have a great aftermarket support and are also decent to learn basic R&M on....life skills. Biggest problem will be finding a decent on at a reasonable price, they hold their values and decent XJ's especially are rare around here.

 

[NormanBuntz]

Originally Posted by javacontour
Too unsafe for a new driver.

No way I'd put my kid, as a new driver in a Jeep.


Yep.

 

[hemitruck]

Bought my daughter a 2007 jeep liberty in 2012 with 87000 miles on it as a first car.7 years later, 180000 miles she is still driving it. Other than replacing window actuators and rear window assembly on both rear doors, no repair work has been needed.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted by 2oldtommy
Check insurance rates for a 16 year old in a Jeep before you buy. You may be very surprised.

FWIW

Oldtommy


Yeah this x 2! If he "needs" 4WD look at a unibody cute ute like a santa fe or freestyle.

 

[macarose]

I created this site.

http://www.dashboard-light.com/

The answer to your question is, "H e l l n o !". Followed by, "Give your child the pride of ownership by having them earn it."

 

[atikovi]

Originally Posted by Chris142
Originally Posted by atikovi
Getting a 2006 Wrangler TJ together right now. Last year of the bulletproof straight six. Automatic, cold air and low miles. From what I read it's a 5 figure truck. Hard to believe a 13 year old Jeep is worth that much.

The 06 is the year that has camshaft problems. the OPDA assembly eats the gears off the cam. Tha'ts why I recommended the 04 and older.


That was mostly 2005 models and a recall addressed that. Regardless, a new one is $100 and an hour to replace.

 

[Andrew1972]

The biggest issue with Wranger is the garbage handling if a your 16 year old gets in a bad situation. They roll easier then standard vehicles and have garbage rollover protection.

My first vehicle was a 1984 Jeep CJ-7 age 16 and I nearly rolled twice(on two wheels) in first year loosing it in loose gravel at edge of road and also black ice transitioning back to pavement. Never had an accident in my life and was a careful driver.

Pick Jeep with a solid roof and under $5000 so no need to carry collision($$$) and comprehensive.

 

[PimTac]

Check prices on insurance premiums. I'd expect them to be very high in this regard.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by Chris142
Originally Posted by atikovi
Getting a 2006 Wrangler TJ together right now. Last year of the bulletproof straight six. Automatic, cold air and low miles. From what I read it's a 5 figure truck. Hard to believe a 13 year old Jeep is worth that much.

The 06 is the year that has camshaft problems. the OPDA assembly eats the gears off the cam. Tha'ts why I recommended the 04 and older.


That was mostly 2005 models and a recall addressed that. Regardless, a new one is $100 and an hour to replace.

Not the cam! The head has to come off to get the lifters out.

 

[Nick1994]

Why a Jeep?

I mean honestly, they're money pits. Ask me how I know. It's like setting money on FIRE.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted by NormanBuntz
Originally Posted by javacontour
Too unsafe for a new driver.

No way I'd put my kid, as a new driver in a Jeep.


Yep.

Yep

 

[Fawteen]

Originally Posted by Lolvoguy
What 16 year old needs a Jeep?


The one who has a daddy who buys them anything they want.

 

[wings&wheels]

Originally Posted by Al
Originally Posted by NormanBuntz
Originally Posted by javacontour
Too unsafe for a new driver.

No way I'd put my kid, as a new driver in a Jeep.


Yep.

Yep


They are not that bad...certainly compared to most cars and certainly minivans and pickups from not that long ago. Do you sacrifice some ultimate safety for fun? Yes, but so goes life....

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by wings&wheels
Do you sacrifice some ultimate safety for fun? Yes, but so goes life....

With a 16 year old driver with zero experience, safety should far outweigh any "fun" aspects.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by wings&wheels
Do you sacrifice some ultimate safety for fun? Yes, but so goes life....

With a 16 year old driver with zero experience, safety should far outweigh any "fun" aspects.

Why should it?

Weren't we just talking about cars as a hobby dying off? I can see why...

 

[PWMDMD]

What are the crash test scores for a Wrangler - any year? My guess is they are abysmal. Also, resale value is ridiculous and used vehicles are still VERY expensive. My oldest starts driving in 2 years and he'll be getting something not cool, cheap to insure, <130hp and with good safety scores...if he's lucky.

 

[jeepman3071]

I had a 1990 Jeep Cherokee as a first car back in 2006. Great first vehicle, it taught me a lot about driving, maintaining cars myself, etc. It was very reliable, and parts were cheap. It was easy to fix myself. I ended up buying a 2000 Cherokee a few years later when I started college. I was stopped at a stop sign in a snow storm when I was T-boned in the driver side door by a Volvo doing 50 mph. The Jeep was pushed 10 feet sideways from the impact. I walked away with a few scratches, and went out and bought another one which I still own. Is it the safest thing on the road? Not really, but it is safe enough and still gives that connection to the road which I think is very important for young drivers to have.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted by rooflessVW
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by wings&wheels
Do you sacrifice some ultimate safety for fun? Yes, but so goes life....

With a 16 year old driver with zero experience, safety should far outweigh any "fun" aspects.

Why should it?

Weren't we just talking about cars as a hobby dying off? I can see why...


From my own experience as a 16 year old growing up right when cell phones came out, I think putting a teen in a car that is disconnected from the road is a mistake. Obviously, putting them in a Yugo is not a good idea, but something brand new with a ton of power and no road feel is a great way for them to quickly get used to texting while driving, playing with the infotainment, etc.

My first car being a Jeep, I had to always be paying attention. Oversized tires with marginal brakes by today's standards, loose steering and the aerodynamics of a barn are what kept me paying attention on the highway and made me a better driver. Every young kid I pass on the highways today in a modern car is looking down. The disconnect from the road also removes them from the fear of what can happen when things go wrong, and results in overconfidence.

In my BMW (which being a 2009 is old by today's standards) I could probably let go of the steering wheel for 10-20 seconds on a straight road and it would still be following the same line. My Jeep would probably be on the next street over, but I knew this and it is what kept me off the phone as a young driver.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted by rooflessVW
Originally Posted by hallstevenson

With a 16 year old driver with zero experience, safety should far outweigh any "fun" aspects.

Why should it?

Weren't we just talking about cars as a hobby dying off? I can see why...


It's a permutation of the "I drive an anodyne appliance- you should have to as well!" argument, only now the angle is, "I drove an excruciatingly dull car when I was a kid, my kid will suffer the same punishment- or worse!"

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted by PWMDMD
What are the crash test scores for a Wrangler - any year? My guess is they are abysmal. Also, resale value is ridiculous and used vehicles are still VERY expensive. My oldest starts driving in 2 years and he'll be getting something not cool, cheap to insure, div>


My son's first car only had 100 hp, but his friends definitely thought it was cool- especially after a cabriolet version of his car starred in Katy Perry's Teenage Dream video.
Funny thing; we had told him that we'd help him buy a newer car if he drove the '02 for two years with no at-fault accidents or tickets and stayed on the honor roll. He kept his end of the bargain and we started looking for a nice E46 coupe(preferably a ZHP). He finally said he'd rather have my wife's old X3, because he thought that if he bought something that went 0-60 in under 6 seconds he would probably get into trouble.
Although for some reason whenever he was home from college he wanted to borrow my M235i...