Looking for ideas on what to buy my 16 yo for his first car. Wife shot down the M3 idea. Civic, Kia, Toyota? I think an auto is better. FYI he is 6'2" and wears a size 13 shoe.
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Looking for ideas on what to buy my 16 yo for his first car. Wife shot down the M3 idea. Civic, Kia, Toyota? I think an auto is better. FYI he is 6'2" and wears a size 13 shoe.
Something disposable.
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
...and slow.Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
'76 Caddy four door, with GPS and governor limited to 65 mph. :clap:
Something that they will have an investment in. If he has a stake in the car, it will help out with most of the issues we have as parents...
civic... I'm 6'2" (and a size 11 shoe if it matters) and I drove an '89 civic hatch with no problems. They are solid and if you stay away from the Si one's, not fast enough to get yourself in to any real trouble.
I'd also suggest the manual... better to teach them while they are young...
Ford Zx2
VW Jetta/ Golf
Mazda Protege 5? in fact on this, there's a nice looking one for sale now for pretty cheap....
I agree.Quote:
Originally Posted by smartmx5
My son's first car was a repo from the local bank. It needed some work, but nothing major. I would not work on the car unless he was there helping. When the work was finished, he had that investment in the car. I think he treated the car well, he knew that if it broke, he would be involved in the repairs.
That was about 15 years ago. He was also required to get his amateur radio license, we put a 2 meter mobile radio in the car. And, change a tire, in the drive way, all by himself.
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave04
A 1976 Chrysler Cordoba with Corinthian Leather.
http://www.tocmp.com/pix/images/1976...SportCoupe.jpg
+1. Get him a non-SI Civic with a manual. Cheap, dependable, and slow are key words for a first car for a teenage boy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave04
Also, teach the kid to drive a manual. Autos are for ::Daisy::.
My new 335i will be an auto. Why? Because I sit on 75 for an hour and I am tired of shifting. Also I will keep my M3 6MT.
::Banana::Quote:
Originally Posted by ken o
I can tell you the worst car. 1970 240z with a weber 6 pack and a 280 head. Oh man that was a bad idea.
http://mpghead.com/240z.jpg
However, I learned to drive in a Fiat Uno with a stick shift in the mountains (in Venezuela). Wow that sucked!
The next car after the Z was a crappy DSM (Plymouth Lazer). Oh man... huge piece of crap, perfect for a kid with a lead foot lol.
IMHO Everyone should have to learn to drive a stick.
I myself never learned to drive a automatic...can someone teach me? ;)
My suggestions are a 1.6 Miata or a Civic Hatch.
Cheap easy to maintain, and good to learn on.
Require a certain amount of AutoX, that will provide the skill to avoid the morons out on the roads.
If I had a 16YO He/she would have a early Miata and for Xmas would be getting a HardDog and some Metric tools.
If your thinking of a SUV like we see flipped on the freeway every morning.
Re consider and get a
http://www.americandreamcars.com/197...hona110608.jpg
No SUVs! It kills me to see the ass clown alone in the HOV lane in the SUV.
That is sweet!Quote:
Originally Posted by goofygrin
5 speed Toyota Corolla. They are bombproof and fun to drive. My wife and her 2 sisters and 4 brothers all learned to drive a 73 corolla and her father still has it. Any Toyota mini pickup would be a good choice with a 5 speed and 4 cyl except a 4x4. My '91 Toyota mini 4x4 with 2re 4 cyl does well to get to 75 mph downhill with a tailwind and has been put through hell on the farm and has never failed me. I would stay away from the 4x4 for a first young driver however, due to to sportscar feel and easy rollover due to the height and narrowness. A standard mini pickup is cheap to insure especially for a first time teen driver. With no back seat can't load up distracting friends and have much of a party. With a mini pickup he can load a mower and earn his gas money and insurance.
Wait, you raced in FP!?Quote:
Originally Posted by goofygrin
Yes, but what scares the ::turd:: out of me is when the ::Censor:: jumps in/out of the HOV.Quote:
Originally Posted by ken o
I gotta Jeep CJ-5 for sale. He can't drive it fast and if he does roll it, you just roll it back over on its wheels and drive off.
My kid got mainly cheap older stuff that I would keep a short time and try to sell relatively close to what I paid for them before they needed too many repairs. Economically that made since but that was before the advanced safety equipment. In today's world and in DFW I would do with a cheap under 12k new car with all the airbags I could get. It could come with a warranty that would get the kid at least into college. You would be getting reliabilty and as much peace of mind that you could get with a kid out on the road.
My kids (17 & 19) both drove the 1991 Ford Ranger Supercab I had. It had steel bumpers which saved money on the couple of mishaps they had. It was easy to drive and they had good visibility of the road. Also, it is a lot cheaper your insurance carrying liability only. Pickups can roll over easier than cars, but my kids were careful enough not to let it happen. I would NOT put a new driver in a Miata. New drivers do not know how to drive defensively enough in such a small car.
My brother rolled his ranger at Park and Alma. He had some help from the guy he cut off, but still...
I say a Corolla or a Civic. I lean more towards the Corolla because nowadays kids get Civics and start doing really stupid things to them and think they are Speed Racer. I had a 91 4 door Corolla for years, never had any problems with it except the timing belt popped on 635 on after noon. Non interference motor so my Dad and I replaced the timing belt and off it went again until 224,000 miles and I sold it to a friend that wrecked it shortly after. I drove that thing all around DFW never had to worry about anyone stealing it, I never even thought about racing it, the AC was all the time. It was to slow to break the speed limit also.
My son is 12 and while I will NOT be buying him his first car (mainly because why parents made me by mine) I told him he should get a Corolla and I will help him get one and work on it. I bought my 91 for 275 bucks because the dude couldn't get it started. Put a distributor on it and off I drove. I don't think that parents make there children work as hard as we had to. I know I am only 30 but I could only imagine what my parents would have said if at 11 I asked to get an iphone.
I know my daughter is spoiled driving a new Hyundai Accent to high school. I cannot complain when she has a 4.06 GPA and has earned her Girl Scout Gold Award.
LOL, I guess what they say is true. Basic transportation is a priveledge not a right.Quote:
Originally Posted by motorollow
I would personally vote an old corolla, civic, sentra etc would work.
Heh, that 2009 Hyundai is a pretty nice ride for a 17 year old headed for college. She was driving a truck older than her!Quote:
Originally Posted by CosmosMpower
NOT a Miata. You don't fit in a Miata - he won't fit in a Miata.
I had cars that I had to work on. I learned how difficult and frustrating it can be and why it costs so much to have someone else work on it for you.
One of the cars was an Opel Rekord (see Autoweek). It was a POS that I worked on and hated every minute. Another lesson learned: some cars are junk and nothing will change that.
He's seen some pretty sweet rides in the garage. Get him a Civic so he'll appreciate the difference between dependable transportation and what you can afford if you do well in school.
Just a 4.06? Sounds like she's not giving it a hunnert-n-ten percent...Quote:
Originally Posted by motorollow
Kenno,
I'm in the same market.
First, I'd get something new enough to have plenty of airbags and crush zones. That means 1995 or newer, approx.
Second, disposable is good. I plan to get something that can be balled up and thrown away without too much consternation. Safety first, but "walk-away-from-it" value is good too.
It also depends on the skills of the young driver. If he's able to maneuver in a parking lot and not hit anything else, I'd vote for lots of metal, i.e. Caddy. You can get a 2000 DeVille in nice shape for waaaaay under $3K. If he needs a more manageable sized car, I'd still go for a Camry/Accord to keep sufficient quantities of metal between him and an accident.
I don't suppose this is really an issue for you the way you trade cars, but if you're considering a Corolla, in many model years, you can get a Prizm for way less, both in purchase cost and insurance/maintenance cost. It's a Toyota without the expense of a Toyota label.
If you are looking for new, I would look at the Kia Forte SX with a Stick shift. 10 year 100K warranty. Also, GM is desperate and offering a 60 day no questions asked return policy starting on Monday through the end of November. Ken O, you could go through 4 or 5 in that time.
To all of you nay sayers. I did not have my first wreck until I was 29 years old and had driven well over 750,000 miles in my life. I started with a stick shift and had to buy my first car, a 1980 Dodge Challenger(Mitsubishi import). I still have a stick shift in my car and pick up.
The first car that was actually mine was a 67 Opel Kadett wagon. I not only learned how to drive a stick on that car, I also learned how to mechanic...
I like the 2002 Protege 5 for sale in the classified. I considered buying for my nephew but he doesn't like the color....sheesh....he can walk to college!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogue
You joke.... but the first couple times I was in rental cars it was a pain in the ass. I'd driven stick, and only for 5 years. The rental car moved by itself and you can't shift gears on the highway merging......... I tried.......
Well, is he a car person?? I was when I turned 16 and can remember when I got my first car...1985 honda prelude....was actually a pretty funny car, no matter how bad it looked...and it worked well for transportation until I put it under the side of a blazer..haha..it still ran!!! I think I had quite a bit more know how and care for my second car, a 65 gto, since I had that car first...I remember being broke and learning to fix just about anything that went wrong on that car..battery, plugs, cv axle..all things that I would consider minor now, but back then they seemed like chores. I learned quite a bit from that car. If he's a car person, I was going to suggest maybe something along the lines of an 196x lincoln. sturdy cars that are easy to work on, are cheap to fix (as long as your buying mechanical parts) and are +++ on the cool points w/o having to be fast. I think when someone has a car that is supposed to be fast, they want to drive it fast to look cool (don't lie, everyone's done it at one point or another)..but damn..a 6x lincoln, suicide doors,etc, etc??? They're just really cool slow sleds that can be sitting still and ooze cool....
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ctd/1355524550.html
there you go man...haha...put some cool wheels on it, drop it, paint it lime green..whatever?!?!?! if he's doing something stupid, you'll hear about it...haha...I guess you all are in Dallas, when I was in Midwest City, I swear if I ever did anything stupid it got around to my dad rather quickly, he seemed to know everyone that always seemed to see me doing the dumbest stuff at the most inopportune times..he is probably the most established veterinarian (or at least I think so) in the town..probably similar to McKinney's size or so???
Yeah, she is only 41st in her class of about 600. The top kids have GPA's around 4.7. They get extra points for taking advanced placement classes.Quote:
Originally Posted by redmenace
Weighted GPA's are, to be short, BS. There is a reason most colleges throw out the weighting.Quote:
Originally Posted by motorollow
As far as a car, I had a B14 Nissan Sentra that was great. But my first car was a 1979 Toyota P/U. Such a POS, yet it got me everywhere, and I paid $500 for it back in 1998.
OK I am going to screw the curve up. 1998 Mustang GT convertible, 4.6L V-8, Steeda cold air induction, power pulleys, and flow masters. Son is 6' 1", now 18, still alive, still has the car, got no tickets, has a half ride academic scholarship at a private university, and is on their soccer team.
At least it was a 5-speed.
And it doesn't say much for the intelligence of the father.