NFB What car for my 17 yr old?

[RangerBob]

My daughter has her permit and it won't be long before she has her license.

I really want to find an old Caddy and take off 4 spark plug wires to give her a nice slow tank, but she won't go for that.

I want to get her an used American car, something that I can make the payments on (after my Bird is paid off).

It should be safe and relatively low maintenance. I was thinking about a Dodge Neon or something like that.

$5000 would be the upper limit.

Any recommendations?

(PS she won;t get it until shortly before graduation, so I have some time to look around.

My first car was a $100, 1963 Ford Falcon. That was my last Ford too!

Bob

[AmericanZ28]

I was 17 When I got my first car!

And it was infact my Current car, a 1996 Z28. And it wasnt one of those "My daddy and Mommy bought it for me" things either, I paid for it and my insurance by myself. But my dad did sign the contract so that I could make the payments.. Prior to that I use to drive my moms 91 Nissan Sentra. This car was really good to me! I always liked the 95 Ford Probe GT though and wanted one, even as a second car. They have a V6 and handle like theyre on rails. But Ive heard about realiability issues. I still would like one though, they run for about $4K. Hope this helps some.

[AndyLT1]

My first car was an '84 Chevy Caprice. I had in '94 when I turned 16. It was great. Big and safe and had decent power with a 4 barrel 305. I loved it 'cause everyone else in high school had some tiny foreign car and I had a tank. Anyway, it was good because if you learn how to drive on a big car you will be able to drive anything. And I learned how to do donuts and powerslides in the winter

Andy

[Mirroredshades]

Go with an S-10 Blazer. Solid. Safe. Slow. Reliable. Plus, they can handle minor bumps without bruising. My $0.02

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Consider a small pickup truck. She might not like it but here are some reasons for it.
1. She can only carry 1 person, 2 people max. State Farm did a study of teen drivers and their statistic shows that their chance of a wreck goes up something like 25% for having 1 other person in the car. 60% for 2 people , and 200% for 3 people.
2. It's up a little higher and you can see a little better.
3. More metal around than a sub compact.
4. Kids move a lot when they are young and it will help with that. Like going off to college.

[N20LT4Bird]

I've always suscribed to the "full frame theory". If you've got a nice full frame and lots of metal around you, its safer. I'd make her work for it too, they appreciate it much more and are less likely to take it for granted and do dumb things with the car.

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

There was a nice 86 or so buick riviera in the local chevy lot here earleir this week. I saw it for the first time on Monday. I had been thinking that would be a nice 2nd car to beat up on. By Tuesday it was gone! They were asking $2900 if I remember.

[JeffM]

early 90's honda civic. I know it's not a domestic, but it works and is slow as a dog, but very reliable. And cheap.

[wolfdogs]

Originally posted by JeffM
early 90's honda civic. I know it's not a domestic, but it works and is slow as a dog, but very reliable. And cheap.

i gotta go with jeff here... cause kids dont check oil..or anything...and the honda's run and run and run. and they are safer from a crash standpoint than most American cars in thier same class.

[JeffM]

yep, my girlfriend has a 94 or so, 150k miles or more maybe, does oil like every 20k, never had a problem with reliability ever.

And take it from me, it's slooooooow!

[tabahr]

Originally posted by Jeff 95 Z28
Consider a small pickup truck. She might not like it but here are some reasons for it.
1. She can only carry 1 person, 2 people max. State Farm did a study of teen drivers and their statistic shows that their chance of a wreck goes up something like 25% for having 1 other person in the car. 60% for 2 people , and 200% for 3 people.
2. It's up a little higher and you can see a little better.
3. More metal around than a sub compact.
4. Kids move a lot when they are young and it will help with that. Like going off to college.

I'd have to agree with this. Full frame, Hauls furniture, cant cart toooo many friends, not to fast, cheap. I do not believe in handouts though. She should have to pay for it. Insurance too, even if it is liability only. If you just give it to her she will not respect the hard work it requires to earn a car, and the will really hurt her work ethic and outlook on the meaning of a dollar.

[Ruz]

About who pays for it...

I don't agree with the fact that the kid has to pay for something to appreciate it. I was fortunate enough to get a car from my parents (when needed for college, not in high school) and did not have to pay for it...but believe me I appreciated it.

My recomendation would be a Honda Accord. Every person I know that has a Honda has more than 100,000 on the clock, with no major problems ever coming up. The last one I sold to my friend had 190,000 miles on it, and he sold it to someone else a few years later with 230,000 on it. The tank is probably still running somewhere for someone. My nephew got 160,000 miles on the original clutch! They just build them right...

Good luck
Ruz

[99WS6TA]

cars for daddys little girl

here are just a few suggestions on cars. I know they are imports but my friend has a 87 honda with 257,000 miles and all he has ever done was oil changes. He bought the car new in 87.
http://www.autotrader.com/findacar/v...or=&cardist=90

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

I would definitely recommend NOT going with a Neon, at least not one of the earlier ones. When I was working at the used lot of the local Chevy dealership, just about every older Neon that was traded in leaked oil like a siv. Something to do with a faulty engine seal. My first car was an '83 Honda Accord I paid $600 of my hard earned money for. Thing ran like a champ but for a bad CV joint. So I think I agree with the other guys, a good used Honda would make a good first car for a teenager. The small truck idea sounds good too...

[Craig 2000 TA]

Well... heres another thought...what about a fully restored classic thats not really a classic? I know that sounds weird but I mean something that fully restored sells for less then 5k? Ford Falcon is a good example Chevy nova.. Now I'm not talking boats... I am talking V-6 cars. The good point to this is the ease of fixing anything that should go wrong...and the inherant ability to upgrade the engine at a later point. I have often thought that if I ever have kids this is how I would go about it. I do agree that it should be more of a commitment then a gift. Paying something for it and being required to halp with maintaining it should definitely be priorities...but thats just me.