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Good starter car for a newly licensed 16 year old?

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Doppel said:
F that. All of my friends including me were in accidents in our first year. 16 year old males should not be driving at all! I was not at all safe.
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Not really...I was in adult nightclubs by the time I was 16.

It's got to do more with maturity, but most younger dudes even until early 20's act like 12 year olds.

Also had a lot to do with me falling into bed with chicks usually 5-10 years older than me until about my mid 20's.
 
sleep said:
16 is too young to drive.
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Very true in my opinion.

I got a license when I was 16, but I consider myself a more responsible driver. I took care of the car by myself(oil changes, check fluids, tire pressures, etc). Never gotten pulled over in the last 4 years that I have been driving. :ninja:
 
SIMPLE&
 
I saved starting with a paper route at age 11, and then my A&P job. Bought myself a 5 year old Mustang GT when I was 16. Promptly rammed it into a guard rail. Repaired it. Took I think over a year before I ran it into a wooded area. Crazy stupid kid. Re-painted some, buffed out the rest. Lol. Sold it a couple years later when in college, and later bought a 10 year old slow as f*** Nissan Pulsar which I never wrecked.

I wouldn't buy my kids a car unless I was well off. I predict that when my daughters are of driving age, we'll be able to afford a third car for them to use sometimes. I also predict a lightly used Miata will be the proper ticket. I'll get a car I want again, and they'll be able to enjoy it sometimes too. Girls are a bit less crazy than boys though when it comes to driving.

I don't buy the idea that kids will ruin a car. Perhaps get into accident(s) - yes. But my Mustang was more babied than any car I've had since. Hell I wouldn't take it out in the rain because I'd have to re-wash it.
 
No love for the classic beater? My first car functioned, barely. Busted AC, wonky distributor, the sunroof leaked like crazy whenever it rained, radio stuck on one station, plus a pink bondo scab from trying to repair said sunroof. Ran good though, once the distributor got replaced.
 
NAC said:
I saved starting with a paper route at age 11, and then my A&P job. Bought myself a 5 year old Mustang GT when I was 16. Promptly rammed it into a guard rail. Repaired it. Took I think over a year before I ran it into a wooded area. Crazy stupid kid. Re-painted some, buffed out the rest. Lol. Sold it a couple years later when in college, and later bought a 10 year old slow as f*** Nissan Pulsar which I never wrecked.

I wouldn't buy my kids a car unless I was well off. I predict that when my daughters are of driving age, we'll be able to afford a third car for them to use sometimes. I also predict a lightly used Miata will be the proper ticket. I'll get a car I want again, and they'll be able to enjoy it sometimes too. Girls are a bit less crazy than boys though when it comes to driving.

I don't buy the idea that kids will ruin a car. Perhaps get into accident(s) - yes. But my Mustang was more babied than any car I've had since. Hell I wouldn't take it out in the rain because I'd have to re-wash it.
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Unless your daughter is a car enthusiast, why would you buy her a Miata? It's much less safe than a normal car, doesn't get that good gas mileage, and is very impractical.
 
mmntech said:
No love for the classic beater? My first car functioned, barely. Busted AC, wonky distributor, the sunroof leaked like crazy whenever it rained, radio stuck on one station, plus a pink bondo scab from trying to repair said sunroof. Ran good though, once the distributor got replaced.
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I like this idea, but with my son approaching driving age, I see a much different world out there compared to my mid teens. Now it seems like every vehicle is a 5,000-6,000lb truck or SUV (I like in Texas), so sending my kid out in a beater seems harsh, unless it's a big safe beater lol.
 
bought my daughter a '93 taurus SHO, I figure when she's done with it I'll pull the engine and drop it into my triumph tr7.

paid $600 for it plus some minor repairs.
 
SpatiallyAware said:
First off, he WILL be in an accident. It's his first car, I'd say $5k absolute max. Think 2000 focus/corolla/economy car of the day.

In my opinion reliability isn't a huge deal as this is a good time to learn the basics but I'd want something with dual airbags and ABS.


What does his mom drive?
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I was never in an accident when I got my first license
 
jmarti445 said:
Geo Metro FTW!!!
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Geo Metro for the lose. Sorry, but those things are death traps. A couple I know had some major injuries just putting theirs in a ditch. I would not advise any inexperienced driver in something like that, as there is simply no body there to take on the brunt of the damage in any accident.
 
I forget which car it was but I was looking at new models and saw one that had an option to set max speed. It was meant to be used for new drivers.

ahh found it. It's Ford's MyKey feature
And not only will the MyKey feature limit radio access, it also limits driving speeds too. This easily programmable key lets you limit a vehicle’s top speed at four different settings – 65, 70, 75 or 80 mph. It will also limit radio volume and ensure that your teen puts on a safety-belt usage by muting the radio until they buckle up.
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I would at least get something with air bags and abs. If its bad weather there tc or 4wd would at least give you that piece of mind.

My biggest problem with 16 year olds driving is they have no sense of fear or consequence. I bought myself a car started wrenching it when I was 14 and was around good drivers who tought me how to drive and I still drive like a CRAZY person now matter what car I drove.

I had my sister put on a gps tracker on her 16 year olds car. If kids know they are being watched they are less likely to kill themselves.


What made me stop driving like a crazy person was losing a good friend to a auto wreck junior year. Guess what? He was driving way too fast and killed himself and two other people.

Kids think they are immortal and will live forever until they learn better. I always hope those lessons arent too costly not in terms of money but blood and tears.
 
Anubis said:
why do you say this. i got my first car at 16

im now 30

NEVER been in an accedent

anyway get something cheap and slow, my first car was a Ford Tempo,
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Great for you. I would guess that 75% or more teenage drivers get into some sort of fender bender while learning to drive. Like everything in this world, there are of course exceptions (perhaps we should forbid absolute statements here on AT??) but there is a good reason new drivers have sky-high insurance rates.
 
JTsyo said:
I forget which car it was but I was looking at new models and saw one that had an option to set max speed. It was meant to be used for new drivers.

ahh found it. It's Ford's MyKey feature
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Of all the new car suggestions, this would be about the only feasible one.

Only issue is, something like this still doesn't keep a kid from doing 65 in a 25 or similar. But, a 65 mph accident is far less lethal (in most scenarios) than a 100 mph accident.
 
JCH13 said:
FTFY.

My first car was a crown vic, it was great.

:awe:
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I had a friend in college who got a 1993 Cadillac Fleetwood as a hand me down from a family member. It got about 14 mpg and by the time he got it it was burning so much oil that he had to buy cases of oil at Costco to keep it running but good lord was that a comfy car. Tons of space and the softest seats you could imagine.
 
Kids in family learned to drive on a 237.4" long pickup (that's nearly 20 ft long). We all put dings in the side. The first car I owned was 9 years old, and down to 140" long. That one was banged up when I got it, but I never bumped in to anything.

First cars shouldn't be status symbols. They need to be cheap, and they need to be one that the eventual dings won't matter too much on.

The safety is a statistics game, but anything in the last decade is going to be safer than what most of us first had. Just how safe is safe enough? 😛
 
Throckmorton said:
Unless your daughter is a car enthusiast, why would you buy her a Miata? It's much less safe than a normal car, doesn't get that good gas mileage, and is very impractical.
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As I tried to write - I wouldn't buy her a Miata. I would buy a third car for the family, and they she (and then my other daughter) can use it. Heck - I'll probably just call it my car. Win-win I want one now, but it is hard to justify since I don't drive to work, they are still young and therefore we can rarely use a two seater.
 
Ferzerp said:
Kids in family learned to drive on a 237.4" long pickup (that's nearly 20 ft long). We all put dings in the side. The first car I owned was 9 years old, and down to 140" long. That one was banged up when I got it, but I never bumped in to anything.

First cars shouldn't be status symbols. They need to be cheap, and they need to be one that the eventual dings won't matter too much on.

The safety is a statistics game, but anything in the last decade is going to be safer than what most of us first had. Just how safe is safe enough? 😛
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Your first car can set the stage for your life. No different in sending your kids to school in cheap clothes. The ones the dress the part, end up playing the part in their lives.

If you are not in a circle of people with decent financial means then it doesn't make much difference. However, the kid in that circle that gets a beater will be quickly shunned.

It's no different than later in life.
 
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