What is a reasonable car for a 16 year old?

LindaJD

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#41
I always matched what my kids had saved for their cars. If they saved $3,000 we gave them $3,000. While they are in school, we pay for half of their insurance, they pay the rest and all their gas. Has worked good for us and even though most of their friends were given brand new cars when they got their license, my kids never expected that from us. They all worked for a for a few years before they got their license and some were better about saving than others, so they got better cars.
 

~Jessie~

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#42
At my high school, the cars in the student lot were nicer than the ones in the teacher lot. It seems like most kids get brand new cars at 16- at least in South Florida.

Ian grew up in Wisconsin, and there was one kid who had a new Camaro at the high school. He was known as "the kid with the new Camaro." Ian was in middle school at the time and that's how well known it was. LOL.

Down here it's just SO common for kids to get expensive, new cars. It's strange.

A good handful of my friends had brand new cars, but their parents were definitely living out of their means as well. I had a friend with a brand new Mustang convertible when she was 16- but both of her parents were teachers and drove beaters. They felt like she deserved it, though.
 

Miakoda

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#43
My parents didn't mind me in the Camaro (my brothers couldn't drive it though! Lol). It might've had 4 seats, but the backseats were pretty much in name only. There was NO leg room and you sat lower than the front seats (imagine cramming into a bucket and skimming inches above the road :D ). Let's just say that I wasn't first choice to ride with after the front seat was claimed. My parents liked that I wasn't the "friend shuttle". Anyway, my soccer bag and other related stuffs took up the back seat.

I was also one of those that went to a private school on the other side of Baton Rouge (took me at least 40 min. to get there....bad morning traffic meant at least an hour's drive......and it was only 18 miles away!). Then I had soccer practice after school every single day. So I drove myself to practice and usually got home around 7 pm (I left every morning at 6:25 am).

Another plus to having a car was that I was independent to make my own choices. If friends were doing something/going somewhere I didn't want to go or didn't agree with, I was able to up and go home. I wasn't dependent upon a friend for a ride.

I had a serious boyfriend (4 years) and I'd say that we each drove 50/50. Some people gawk at me when I said/say that, but again it gave me the choice to get out/away from a situation I didn't want to be in.

As for my boys, I can't say anything right now. That's something I'll have to adress closer to that time. :)
 

CharlieDog

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#44
My first car was a Ford Explorer. I bought it myself for 800 bucks, and I flipped it myself about a year later. Though, to be fair, *I* didn't do anything to cause it to be flipped, I got hit in the rear passenger area, and they tend to roll over faster than Ozzy does. :p

Now I drive a Ranger, with a long bed, it's much more stable, even though the chassis' are basically the same, the rear wheels are further back, and it's less likely to roll over.
 
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#45
The first car i could take out was a olds cutlass supreme desiel. I had to jump out and "jump start" the alternator everytime I started it. It was loud, smelly, and great for taking girls out on dates....not really, but it got us around. The first car I bought was a 67 ford mustand convertible. I rarely drove it, i acted like an old man it in mostly, but not always. Gotta break em loose occasionally, but it's a cruising car, not a hot rod. Since it was mostly stored and still is, my next gem was a ford escort.

I can't remember the year 80 something and I bought it for 650 bucks. That was my everyday car for and lasted me into college. Then it died, but i got more than my monies worth with that car.

Today, I would think an older saturn, honda, toyota car, and those types of cars are good for first time drivers. Decent gas mileage, mostly reliable, safe and they do the job. If they want to know what an SUV is like to drive, then they can feel the pain of maintaining and filling it up after they prove they aren't going to kill someone else while driving that huge thing. No audi's or BMW's unless they want to know what it's like to repair one and pay for it.
 

Zoom

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#46
My first car was a '94 Saturn sedan and it lasted me through two years of highschool, all of college and a year afterwards. I put down the downpayment and was responsible for insurance, gas and upkeep.
 

RedHotDobe

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#47
Technically my first car was an Audi A4, which my parents actually just traded in on a new A4. I miss it. I have a Volkswagen GTI now.
 

Lilavati

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#48
I'm really mystified by the people who buy BMWs or Audis or other expensive cars for teens. Not only are they almost certain to ding them up, and not only would the insurance be prohibitive, but . . . there are plenty of people who make VERY good money who don't own a car like that (not because they can't afford one, but because they don't see the point).

As someone pointed out, it may well be the nicest car they ever own . .. and moreover, it would seem to be teaching all the wrong values. There are very functional, and even very handsome, cars that aren't in that price bracket! Its like buying a Louis Vitton purse for your teen . . .

A really used one, maybe, but its still going to be very expensive to repair.
 

HayleyMarie

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#49
My first car was a 91 Plymouth Sundance. Which I payed for myself. It was a great car, reliable and safe. Never had an issue with it. I was hit head on a few years back when someone lost control on the ice and over corrected. So needless to say it was totaled. I upgrades to a 04 Dodge SX2.0. Which so far has been great. After that dies I will be upgrading to 4WD car or a 4X4 SUV, since were moving to the mountians.

When Tyler and I have children and they reach that age of driving we plan on buying their first vehicle. Its not going to be a bran new car its going to be a used car that has low milage and in good condition. If they want somthing more expensive then we can pay a portion of it, but they have to pay the rest. I should add they will be paying the insurance.
 

milos_mommy

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#50
Its like buying a Louis Vitton purse for your teen . . .
I knew an unfortunate number of girls, not only in high school, but in MIDDLE school, who had purses costing upwards of $1000....and I did not come from a wealthy neighborhood by any means.
 

joce

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#51
I did not even actually get my license till I was eighteen I think-or almost eighteen. Not a bad idea I think.

My first car was technically a mercury topaz;). I hated it but it was free and good to learn in because the few dents did not need fixed and it had so many miles the odometer flipped. But I drove it to school and back and that was it! Hated it!

My mom bought a ZX2 that was a stick and she could not drive it so she gave it to me. Brand new car with just a couple dings and no one believed they were not from me!

If I ever have kids we(them to!) will buy them the biggest safest vehicle we can budget for them. Gas is not the only issue. We live out on country roads and most wrecks occur at 70mph and you do not walk away from that. one of our local high school teachers is in a coma right now after a head on collision after being pulled from a tiny toyota when the guy in the truck is now fine. Not always the chance but you will not catch me in a small vehicle again. I went to the funeral of a schoolmate when I was a junior who was killed by another girl in our school who got her license that day. Her mother was sobbing that if she would not have grounded her and let her take her expedition she would have been fine but instead she was in the back seat of her friends little escort. Nothing is assured,but with a bigger vehicle I think the chance is better.
 

MafiaPrincess

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#52
I'm really mystified by the people who buy BMWs or Audis or other expensive cars for teens. Not only are they almost certain to ding them up, and not only would the insurance be prohibitive, but . . . there are plenty of people who make VERY good money who don't own a car like that (not because they can't afford one, but because they don't see the point).
I understand that. A rich brat at my high school got a brand new dodge stealth smashed it up in 6 months, was put back together, then caused a wreck on one of our major highways involving a dump truck and some major casualties..

I didn't drive at 16. I got my license at 20. My first car was a hand me down 81 mustang I drove for 4 or 5 years, sold for scrap and have a 93 mercury marquis now.
 
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#53
Bigger cars can be safer in multiple car wrecks (not accidents- its almost always someone's fault), but they don't do any better in single car wrecks, such as hitting trees, and tend to roll over much more often than smaller cars.
 

Laurelin

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#54
My first car was a 2002 Honda CRV. I WISH I still had it, it was awesome. My sister has it now and hasn't kept it up nearly as well.
 

Sweet72947

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#55
My first car was a '91 dodge shadow. It was a good car, got me places I needed to go. Until one day it died while I was in the right turn lane.

My parents bought me my first car, and they bought the car after that (a Mercedes they mostly bought for themselves but allowed me to drive, lost the poor thing in a four car accident that wasn't my fault. I still miss that car). I always paid for my own insurance and gas though. I didn't get my license until I was 18, my parents had to practically force me to get it, lol.
 
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#56
I've already decided that my current car will be the kids car. Considering it's a year old with 30,000 miles on it & we have no kids, I'm sure it will be a hunk of junk by the time we have kids and they turn 16.


My first car was my Grandma's 95 teal Buick Skylark. That sucker was a tank and I loved it.
 

AliciaD

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#57
I'm 18, but I learned to drive my mom's Chrysler Sebring. I could never imagine myself in an SUV, it just seems like way too much. A 4-door car, a truck, and maybe a motorcycle would suit me just fine.

I understand that some people are able to provide their kids with a car, and some kids save up for their own car, but we live in a car culture, and I don't think many 16 year olds need their own car- so whatever mom and pop have should do it.

I'll need a car long before I can buy a new one, but I would like a Hybrid.

I have an odd affinity for cars I see in movies. My Cousin Vinny convinced me I wanted a Buick Skylark, and the TV show Supernatural makes me want a 1967 Chevy Impala, and Psych makes me want to name my car "the Blueberry".
 

Miakoda

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#58
I want to throw in that I was in 7 wrecks total in my '89 Camaro. Absolutely none were my fault (I've never even caused a wreck ;) ). That Camaro was a beast. In all of the wrecks, my Camaro always came out on top. I remember being rear-ended by a Toyota 4x4, and that truck was totaled while my car had aproximately $1,100 with of damage. The responding cop was astounded.
 

PWCorgi

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#59
My first car was a Suzuki x90, the most awesome and probably least safe car available :lol-sign: If you want your kid to die, get them an x90! Decent winds could move it over on the roads around town and it was so light that really you just didn't stop if there was any snow or ice or rain on the road. Best car ever! I still plan on bringing it out to MN when I can muster up the strength to drive 1,100 miles in it.

Then I bought myself a VW GTI which is 123,975 times safer. And goes above 60mph.
 

milos_mommy

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#60
I was driving straight through a parking lot one dark rainy evening when a honda SUV doing 40 blew a stop sign and hit my back passenger door. The honda wasn't totally, but the front bumper entirely came off and it was SMASHED. My mustang had a small dent above the back wheel....
 

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