Help needed in car choice for teenage son

[3kids4me Super Moderator and Super Mom Find all posts View Profile Close 3kids4me]

My son is getting his license next week and because we live in a suburban but bordering on rural area (everything is spread out and I put over 700 miles/week on my car just driving kids around), I'd really like him to have a car to drive so he can get himself to school, work (he has a job for the summer and which he will keep through the school year) and football practice (which starts and ends at all hours!)

Obviously whatever we get him will be used. He has his heart set on a Ford Explorer. He will be responsible for paying for gas but I can see it now...the car is a gas eater and he's probably not going to be able to fill it all the time! While this might be a great "lesson learned" for some kids, it certainly doesn't help me, who would either end up paying for the gas or having to cart him to school/work/football.

He is 6 foot 2 and weighs over 250, and he says that getting into our car (Subaru Legacy...a '97 so very old) and some of his friend's cars that aren't SUVs, is very difficult for him, so I can see why he wants something higher up. Because we live in an area with windy roads and lots of ice in the winter, I would like whatever we get him to have 4WD.

Can anyone either make me feel better about finding a decent Explorer for him (how is the mileage anyway?) or recommend something I'm not thinking about?

(BTW, this car would still be "our" car even though he would have access to it...so I understand all the insurance implications, etc.)

Thank you!

[Holly Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Holly]

How about a crossover?

We have a Honda CRV...it's bigger on the inside than it looks, and is better on the gas. Honda also has one called Element that is larger than the average small car. All the the other manufacturers have similar models.

The good news is that if he wants an Explorer there are tons of deals around. You might pay more for gas, but you will get a deal up front!

[pcgirl54 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pcgirl54]

Helpful hints for teen's first car based on our experiences

Sharon,

Can't help with the Ford but here are things we learned as parents of male teen drivers between our 3 sons and their friends. We live in the country.


One of the things that we did was have each son call the insurer to get premuium quotes for the year based on their age. Some states it is in 6 month intervals. You'll need the vin# ,model year and approx mileage. It teaches them how to research as well as cost factors. Based on the model the insurance varies greatly.

In our state the youngest driver is listed as the primary driver on the newest car even when you are adding an older car to your policy for them to drive. This makes all the rates increase. Ask about liability coverage or an umbrella policy for the household.

Please list the child as an occasional driver on all cars to prevent possible incidents of them taking a car they were not insured on. Our insurer told us 2-3 stories of accidents and local families being sued.

Who is paying for repairs and insurance? Will there be a mechanic checking the car out especially a 4 x 4 that is costly to repair?

New teen drivers normally have older cars to practice with (good idea)and those cars often need repairs.

Transmission issues were common with older high mileage cars.

Youngest son bought a Ford Taurus. Great gas mileage and safety factor nice and clean. Except we did not check out the reports that clearly showed that model year had engine issues. Within 3 months the car had those same issues and he sold it for half because of the repair costs to replace the engine.

Older car= lower insurance = higher repair costs.

As we searched we looked up recalls for the model considered on sites like Edmunds.com. or Carfax reports. Certain engines or transmission issues will be noted there as well as safety reports.

Change the timing belt right away. Son #1 lost a car to this.


Our boys all bought used cars, some were disasters and others were fine. One in particular a 4 x 4 Jeep looked gorgeous but fell apart on a weekly basis and ended up costing $3k in repairs in a month. It ended up by taking the seller to small claims court. Hence my make sure you have a mechanic check it out. Had we done this our son would have gotten all his money back instead of 50%. We always keep all the repair records.

Good luck in your search!


What lasted the longest and has a lot of room is a big older style 2001 Lincoln Town Car with low miles. Bought it from as adult who treated it like a baby. Our son still it 4 years after college. It is roomy and has a great ride and nice leather interior. Got it for him in college. The trunk was massive to hold all his college stuff and it was large enough to protect him in case of an accident in the long ride back to school. Our nickname for the car was "The Sled" because it was so big!

[BoardGirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BoardGirl]

So long as your son understands the economics of a larger vehicle, why not indulge him in the early part of the search. SUVs can be had at a steal right now. He may just be looking for Cool Points but as the process continues he should come to realize that you are NOT what you drive. Practicality must factor in. If he gets an SUV and ends up not being able to handle the gas bills, it could be difficult to unload.

I have to ask, is he a good enuf driver for that much vehicle? These babies don't stop on a dime, and sometimes getting into or out of a parking spot requires extra finesse for the larger vehicles. I stink at parallel parking and avoid it whenever possible, but loved my Chevette for it. Some SUV drivers tihnk they are immune to changing road conditions and it's important he not think he's magically safer because the car is bigger. 4WDs also slide on ice. Taller vehicles also roll easier if a driver over-corrects or takes a turn too fast.

Definitely check safety and maintainability ratings on any vehicle under serious consideration. I found out that my car is "easy to work on" (mechanic doesn't have to pull out a ton of parts to get to things routinely serviced) and has excellent crash test ratings.

There are a ton of SUVs out there, some lighter and better on gas mileage than others. I would look into Subarus because they get good reliability ratings, seem to last forever, and they have a lot of different models. I kinda want an Outback. While I would not normally recommend a KIA, a friend of mine that got one of their suvs loves it and it seems to be holding up well (she's kind of hard on cars). And don't rule out Jeeps. I know a lot of people love the Liberty. Jeeps are durable. One friend has a classic Jeep and just loves it - it can do anything and has a large gas tank for a vehicle of that size.

And definitely get a CARFAX report - especially now that vehicular victims of flooding will be hitting the market.

Lastly, some of my largest friends seem to enjoy some of the smallest cars. I asked once about that and was told that sometimes, the smaller cars have better legroom. While you are on a car lot, have him get into vehicles that you think are practical and see how it 'fits him'. One of teh biggest guys I know loves full size sedans. He's over 250 and might be 6'4". His is a road job so comfort is very important for him, and a large trunk. Especially since the car will belong to you, get something that you are comfortable owning. He will get over it.


Good luck.

[senorak Member Find all posts View Profile Close senorak]

Sharon--- our 18 year old, Alex, doesn't have his own car....yet; but has been driving my Honda Element for 2 years now. He's 6'4", (much taller than when you met him), but still "thin as a rail"....however, he always complained about being "uncomfortable" in "regular cars". Because the Element sits "higher", it feels more like a van/small SUV. Also has tons of room, (more than it appears from the outside), and only 4 seats (which I prefer....he can't drive tons of his friends in the car, as he can in the conversion van---the other vehicle that he drives).

I would love to trade in the conversion van, (great for long family trips, but, as you can imagine, horrible on gas mileage), and get a 3rd car---that would be primarily for Alex. He's going away to college in 2 months, and won't need a car there; but it would be nice to have one for him when he comes home.


Deb

[joycapecod Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close joycapecod]

Sharon, my DB is over 6' and admits to weighing 317. He drives my Honda Accord often and has no problems getting in, out or being comfortable. He's even driven it from where In live on Cape Cod to where he lives near Annapolis, MD., without any issues. He likes it ever so much more than his son's Chrysler Sebring LXi.

Have DS try cars on for size; the Ford Explorer thing may just be a passing fancy as teenaged boys have a tendency to think certain vehicles are "cool". At least he isn't interested in an Escalade.

Joy

[zdxlc9p6 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close zdxlc9p6]

Look around on Edmunds.com Here is a quote:
Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis-Ever wonder why police departments and taxi companies use these "old-tech" V8, rear-wheel-drive sedans? Because they're basically bullet-proof. Really, could a car have a tougher job than serving cab duty in New York City? Or cruiser duty in Los Angeles? Not only that, but these traditional American full-sizers are also very comfortable to ride in, have plenty of luggage capacity and are cheap to keep in. light of their low maintenance requirements and commendable fuel efficiency.
I helped my adult son get a car recently. I used autotrader.com and located several off-lease/rental returns. Got him a 2007 Ford Taurus pretty well equipped, 22,000 mile, for $10,750 including tax, license, etc. I uses several on-line sites to get the average retail, and then stuck to 80% of that value as a target. I got myself a 2006 Mercury Montego this spring using the same strategy, and got it for 75% of the avg. retail.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

I recall that there is a site you can check the VIN to see if the vehicle was ever involved in an accident as well.

[kennyw Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close kennyw]

Ask him if he would fit into a Lamborghini or Maserati. If he says yes buy him a 4X4 Subaru. More seat space and much better mileage.

[Barbeque Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Barbeque]

How about an old Volvo with a 4 cylinder It should be fairly safe and wouldn't have too much power.
I was in 3 wrecks in one year a few years ago (NONE WERE MY FAULT) I am thankful I was in larger vehicles and was not hurt too bad.


Safety most important
Economy second

[skierbri10 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close skierbri10]

You do realise it will cost you a fortune to insure him, right?

[Icc5 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Icc5]

Crv

We to have a Honda CRV that my wife drives and we use it for all our trips.
We have been very happy with it in the two years we have had it.
Bart

[Nancy Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Nancy]

Son

A zillion years ago, when DS was 16, we got him an old gray car that was huge. Don't remember the brand but we dubbed it "The Tank". Of course, it wasn't the car he wanted, but it served him well and we felt he was much safer in it than something else. You need to get him to understand that getting a car is more important than getting the car he wants. Tell him when he buys, he can get the car he wants.

Nancy

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Based on the title - a tank!

I have no real opinion just so glad I am past this stage.

[rklein01 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rklein01]

How about an old Volvo with a 4 cylinder It should be fairly safe and wouldn't have too much power.

Agreed -- I'll echo the post I made OY - - for a teen new driver, especially a boy, you need high safety and low performance. You'll be amazed how many of your son's peers will "total" their first car.

Our son did fine with a 12-year old Volvo. He slid sideways off an icy neighborhood road once - - by chance there was no tree in the way so damage was minor, but had there been a tree the Volvo side rails might have made a difference.