1st car for the kid

[MattS.]

My 17 yr old daughter is about to get her license, and I want to get her a car. I have been looking at mid to late 90's Hondas and Toyotas. I only have $5,000 to spend. What would you recommend, and what should I run the other way from?

[cali yaris]

Can't miss with Honda, Nissan or Toyota. Make sure the engine is sound (I insist on a compression test if there are over 100k miles).

Compare to KBB.com and you'll know if you're paying a fair price (or better).

[ilikerice]

i concur with garm. Mid 90's camry and corolla's are in my opinion the better way to go. Most civics and accords from private owners are over priced cuz of the reputation "honda's last forever".

Most un-abused cars that will also last forever and are good A to B cars I think are the corolla and the camry in the 90s. People dont ofter look for these as thier next car and people are trying to get rid of thier old cars so they are actually willing to let them go fairly cheap. Craigslist is your friend!

My 2 pennies

[Thirty-Nine]

Agreed with above. The only thing about pre 2000 Honda Civics is that they're easily stolen (I had my '98 stolen).

Corolla is a good choice as is the Echo.

Another good choice is the Mazda Protege; always liked those.

[Bluevitz-rs]

^Every Protege and Mazda 5 I see are rusted out already.

And the Echo is a good choice.

[nemelek]

Get a big SUV. A great value now and safer in an accident.

[MattS.]

Thanks for the replies. I have also read that some of the years I'm looking at were known for the transmissions (autos) having a high failure rate. Looks like she'll get a manual

[silver_echo]

i say go for an echo. i rocked one for 6 years, and it was a great little car. stands up to the abuse it would get(you are not buying her a car, you are buying a bumper car), as mine survived more than it's share of incidents. the final straw was slapping a wall, sideways @60MPH.

another good option would be to see if a 96-01 subaru impreza or legacy has dropped into the range you can afford. with those, the only real thing that you need to watch out for is head gaskets on those(but they still run like a champ). another super plus side, is that they will be super easy for her to drive, and they are super easy to drive in the snow. looking at where you are living, snow should come into the equation. they should also be super easy to find in your area, and because of that, you might even be able to be a little picky on condition.

[TLyttle]

Looking for a cheap car to run, or a cocoon of safety?

Lots of economy cars out there, but the safest car of all is a Volvo. They burn less fuel than an SUV, fairly standard to fix, lots available in your price range.......

[Shinare]

I bought a 2003 Ford Taurus for my Daughter over 3 years ago for $3500. At the time it had 95K miles on it as it was a fleet vehicle for the state. She she's off to college now and its still running strong for her. We've not had to do anything major to it (*knock on wood*) and I really appreciate the "largeness" of the car for her safety. Its not the best gas mileage wise (it probably gets between 17-20MPG), but that just means she spends less time gallivanting around with her friends, which was a bonus for me. :) The ride is the most comfortable out of all the cars I've ever owned save for one, which was a Cadillac Sedan DeVille. Smooth and flowing over bumps type of thing. The "boat-ness" of its size lends itself to a little safer driving as there's not much pickup and go, and it certainly does not corner like a sports car.

All-in-all its been a fine car and I might have to do something similar for my son which is getting closer and closer to that day as well.

[MattS.]

Found a 1997 Civic HX 5-spd that looked well cared for. She loves it. Now I just have to teach her how to drive stick. She's doing pretty good so far... I wouldn't be ashamed/embarassed to drive it. I'd give her the Yaris in trade, but the wife doesn't want her to have a "better" ride than us :)

[silver_echo]

Step one with that car. Proper car alarm, and register the ECU serial number in your records. People snag the computers out of those cars, because when they were tuning theirs, they fried the one they were using.

[JumpmanYaris]

Originally Posted by PK198105

before getting her a car, make sure she's a proper driver and not another teenage texting organ donor. i mean this in the most respectful way, but kids these days behind a wheel are slightly on the airhead/i need to text and update my facebook status douches. And getting her an SUV is just getting yourself open to lawsuits/misery. Invest in proper driving school/courses that teach how to drive and not merely pass the State license requirements.

+1 on that, take phone away while teaching her or what not

[MattS.]

I am not turning her loose on the streets until I'm confident that she is ready. I don't care if she has passed the state's minimum requirements and has a license. We've had several fatal accidents involving young people around here lately, and she is very concerned about driving on her own.

[EPyarisdriver]

Im 17 and I love my 3 door LB. sorry just wanted to put in my input!

[cali yaris]

My son got his first car last Christmas. I spent several sessions with him in my Toyota 4x4 truck teaching him. I figured if he could handle that, he could drive anything.

Main critical skill was hills with a manual. After 1st and 2nd gear, it's just driving around to learn your gears.

We got him an xB 1st gen, he loves it and he's a really good driver. HE insisted on a manual; makes me smile every time I tell it.

[MattS.]

She passed her test yesterday, and has a valid driver's license. Still not ready to be turned loose with the manual transmission. She asked if she could take one of our other autos. to work by herself today. Mom burst into tears and shut her down.... She's not ready for our only child to venture out on her own. Guess I'd better double up on the driver training sessions so momma will chill out.

[RedRide]

My memories of when I got my first car at 16 yrs old.............

I worked part time for two years to buy a an inexpensiove car.
It was a '57 chevy. It wasn't a classic yet then, it was just a decade old car.
My parents wisely wanted to teach me responsibilty that is still with me to this day.

Teenage years are for having a bit of fun and should be more or less care free as far as cars are concerened. To this end, don't get a car that one needs to wory about any inevitable scratches and dents...... don't get a pristine car. A car should never be a burden to a frst time driver/owner.

Anyone who really is your friend will not care in the least what you drive.

I was sometimes playfully teased about my somewhat carfull/responsible driving habits.
However, those same people always wanted me to drive if possible to an event as they knew I would get them there and back safely!