My son Is about to turn 15 and will get his learners permit. Basically that gives me about a year to find him an affordable car so I can quit driving him everywhere. His idea of a used car is a 69 Dodge Charger big block with all the trimmings– if anyone is getting a Charger it will be me.

My question guys is this – he wants a cool car/truck that is fairly unique. My requirements are about $2500 - if more I would need to finance which means the car cant be older then 5 years (per my bank anyways). Reliable etc, etc, etc. Also a car that won’t absolutely kill me on insurance. Any suggestions on what we might look at?

We just let our kid use either of our two vehicles pretty much any time he wants. I'm sure he'd rather have his own but he's ok with this arrangement. I didn't feel a need to run out and buy him a car right off the bat. When my wife and I are ready to upgrade we'll hand him a vehicle instead of trading in.

Several issues, in no particular order...

Insurance... From my experience, the insurance hit comes not from the added car, but from the 16 yr. old boy. If he will be listed as the primary driver of any vehicle, then obviously the car make/model will have an effect on rates.

Style... All boys are certain they need a truck or car that screams COOL or SECKSY or (insert adjective here). As a parent, I would sieze the opportunity to discuss personal character and personality as the more important factors in perception/image.

The all-important "driving is a privelege, not a right" conversation comes to mind. Beware the adolescent attitudes of entitlement, and the pressure to keep up with, or outdo, Jonesy over there.

Lastly, and speaking entirely from personal experience, (more of my own teen years than of my children's), kids do not truly respect or appreciate things that come to them too easily. Working for something, or waiting for something, serves to develop appreciation and responsibility. ...and I am convinced that, regardless of how responsible a 16 year old boy may be, all bets are off when you sit him behind a hemi with teammates, or girls (or teammates AND girls) in the car with him.

Bottom line recommendation... '77 Nova, or something equally unappealing, with a good service record, that he can learn to take care of and service.

FloridaHokie-Agree 100%-My parents always told me-"Beggar's can't be choosers." If you feel the need to get him a car then get him what YOU want him to have.

The "pick-up truck" craze that has become commonplace around here is laughable. Half the
vehicle is never used?????

quote:

The "pick-up truck" craze that has become commonplace around here is laughable. Half the
vehicle is never used?????

Just call me "poster boy" s u cker for the 15 mpg pick-up program. I took it to fill it up one day and dropped $50.......way back when gas was $2.00.

That after starting with a little 1990 asian speed racer that came back with $2,000 in frame damage a month after dropping the collision insurance to save $50 a month. How he bent the frame without bending sheet metal, I can only imagine.



I'd recommend a '89 Ford Crown Victoria with 7 spark plug wires. Maybe the 8th plug wire for the 18th birthday.

small pickup gives some utility, decent gas mileage, and reduced number of passengers [a key ingredient]. Cool is at the bottom of the list when Pops is footing the bill. 10 YO Nissan Altima is the perfect car for Jr and his sister to share [for now].

Insurance is a b!tch, but no way around it.
Think about safety rating for vehicle, cars past a certain vintage have no airbags or no passenger airbags, a real concern for some.

Find somethign reliable that should be reasonable on gas; cool factor increases risk factor. Should be your choice based on your parameters - next car is on him, so he has some say in the matter

How about an older Volvo 240 .Safe and slow. We were T-boned in a Volvo 960 last summer by a SUV and our car damaged but we were OK.

when i was a kid my first car was a roles.but today small p/u, decent milage,only two passangers tops,make a few bucks hauling things. still not to fartsy.
the roles was a roles canardly
roles down the hill canardly get up the other one.

Got my son an 89 Bronco with a new 351 and headers. Big...Heavy...Safe...8MPG!!! Yikes! I get to use it once in a while to pull the boat though!

quote:

Originally posted by catcher09:
His idea of a used car is a 69 Dodge Charger big block with all the trimmings– if anyone is getting a Charger it will be me.

ME! ME! I'll take it!! Would that be the hemi or the 440 six pack?

Moc, I can tell you're not from Texas. Talking down trucks...

For $2500 max., you are gonna be in a crapshoot. Tough to find a good vehicle for that price anymore.

Since GM dropped the Olds nameplate, the prices on used Olds have plummeted. I got a great deal on a used Aurora a while back. {Wonderful car, but with the large Northstar engine it is way too much go-go for a teen.}

The older Blazers were larger and seem to be popular with some kids.

Good luck.

I'll be robbing banks in six months to pay for the car insurace (after my son starts going solo).

I agree with you Windmill,
Small pick-up, very few passenger's.

I (we) must be an ***. My son can't use any car he wants anytime he wants. He is to ask. We live right in town, the field is very close, so is school, walking is NOT crowded and much better for him. He has had access to our third car but this weekend college daughter gets home and she will need the car to drive to one of her 2 summer jobs.

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Two words of advice, for those of you with 16 year old, hubris filled, risk taking (all of them) drivers...

AIR BAGS

Spend the extra Money...frankly you'd rather be poor and have them alive then have another few hundred dollars and not...

I know this from gut wrenching experience. It is simply not worth the risk.

44
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I'm with 044 - airbags are a requirement - the more the better...

My first suggestion was for a M1 - after telling him I meant the Abrams not an M3 BMW, he wasn't nearly as happy

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Having persoanlly been though the Truck-into-a-tree-at-freeway- speeds, "There's been an accident...", Life-flight scenerio with my younger

...at that moment believe me, you will wish TO GOD that you had paid for every safety feature available...

Now....

I for one am taking the WoodMan and and 08 up on their advice. There is a WWI battleship mothballed about 100 miles up the coast...that's youngers next transportation.

Anyone know how many miles to a gallon they get?....

44

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By the way...

Dad 04.....

LOVE the visuall!

44

I think I'm going with Nuclear powered Sub.
Less maintanence, and only have to refuel every couple of year's.

044 -

The Iowa class battleships get roughly 1 mile per ton of oil - assuming a speed of 25 knots...

On the other hand, the shells are roughly the same size as a VW bug... weighing 2700 pounds, and traveling at 2690 ft/second (maximum range of about 24 miles in 90 seconds)...

Could I borrow it occasionally and pop my son into a shell and send him to school in a hurry when he gets up late and is rushing to school?

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O8.....Lets see if I get this right...

6 pounds per gallon, 2,000 pounds per ton = 333 Gallons of Diesel per mile...at $3.00 per gallon is...$1,000 per mile?

Not bad! And all that protection and only a 25 MPH top speed to boot. Does it come with air bags? I wonder if I can get a Hybrid?

EH...I think the sub is a good idea. And my son would be getting "glowing" reports...

44
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But think of all the kharmer protecting them...