I know that this is a bit off topic, but it does have a Porsche aspect so I hope that those who run the site [and thanks for that!] let it slide. There is a confluence of events in my life that I have never faced before. I needed a car to replace the Subaru I had as a DD coming off lease. I was not using it much because I did not like it (very functional and good in weather, but ...) and I was having too much fun in my 991. I needed something for bad weather and roads.

Also, my daughter gets her learner's permit early next year and the car needs to be one she can learn on, and drive. Buying the cheap Subaru off lease was an idea. If she beat on it, I would not care. But I hate it. And, if I understand my reading, most of the great safety story of the Subaru is based on crashes with other cars of the same weight so it can have great ratings and still do very poorly unless it hits another subcompact.

My wife, half joking, suggested a Cayman. Not as bad a thought as you might think. In NJ, there are restrictions on the number of passengers that can be in the car with a new driver in recognition of their distractibility. A Cayman would end that problem. And it is built like a little tank. But, it is still too small, too fast, and it is rear wheel drive, which I love, but not so good for kids to learn on.

When I got my first car, you were ahead of the game if it actually started in the driveway of the guy you bought it off of. Now, there are so many safety features, and new ones all the time, that a relatively expensive, feature rich car is more attractive - even knowing what a kid might do to it.

I ended up with a BMW 328xi. Not too many nanny features like the Volvo S60, but great cameras and a good blind spot system. And I am still its primary driver. But a $44,000 new car that my daughter will be able to drive - I can just imagine what my dad would have said to such a suggestion.

I probably should have asked for your opinions before I bought the car. But, with a group so focused on cars and driving, you are a great group to ask. What did you/would you do?

Thanks

 

I personally would have "killed" for a car like that at age 16, but if you can afford it, I'd say nice choice.

At that age, my number one priority would be safety for the kid, not the prestige of a German brand. Most kids like small, automatic transmission vehicles as their first cars and this seems to fit the bill. The 328xi is small, can get a kid out of a situation (handling)...it really does help after I almost flipped my little Dodge when I was a kid, the AWD ability of the vehicle, and the fact that it is a 4-door and you can borrow it at anytime. Reliability? eh who knows. Any reason why you didn't lease it?

Another good choice would have been the Acura ILX imho.

 

For my son I opted for a Toyota RAV4 4-cylinder. Slow as molasses and 4wd for trips to the mountains skiing. For my daughter I opted for a used '09 328i xDrive sedan. 48K miles, CPO, decent price. She flat loves it and has driven it for a year now. It raised some eyebrows with other parents, but I'm comfortable having her drive it in any weather as long as she's close to home.

 

This. I've got a bulletproof '97 CR-V (AWD) that will most likely be my next vehicle for the next driver in my family.

Slow, but will start every damn time to get her home.

I prefer 4cyl, AWD, automatic.

Have a '96 Ford Contour that will not die either... Was planning on that for one of my other kids... Still have it available (perhaps for my youngest son).

My oldest daughter ended up with a relatively newer Sentra (she needed to travel further for school, so it made sense to get a newer vehicle for mileage/maintenance purposes).

Yeah, if you forced me into a new BMW for learning to drive... I'm going to need that M3/M4 upgrade before too long, because you're a POS dad who stuffed me with some bottom grade non-sense.


Sorry... Couldn't help it.

 

Quite all right - it the tire fits! Actually, my daughter is giving us "less" drama than some others we know. So I consider us lucky! JNSCOLO had my thought process as well. Good solid car - some meat and weight behind it. 4 wheel drive so it goes in any weather. 328 is not too fast - actually, the new turbo 4 platform is very nice. It has the SOS button and Nav that she will be able to use to get home from anywhere. It is more than I wanted to spend, even though we will share it - and I am sure the body shop guy will have the last laugh. But I will sleep better at night. Until she starts bringing home boys, that is

Thanks for the comments guys

 

My eldest was born in the same year as our 1989 Volvo 245 station wagon. We took her home from the hospital in that car. It was only fitting that I taught her to drive it and gave it to her after she passed the test 17 years later. We retired it about 5 years ago It had over 250000 miles on the original engine and transmission. Didn't burn a drop of oil and ran like a noisy Swedish watch.

 

When you get beyond theories and anecdotes about economics, character and chastity, consider something like the Accidence Avoidance School at Summit Point Raceway. Kids (novices), parents and local police force recruits (advanced novices) learn more than they thought possible about car capability, control, and respect for the unexpected in a day of hard work and fun in the school cars.

 

This should be required learning... But not in an Aston.

 

Interesting thread. I like the accident avoidance school idea. My son will be 4 soon and I wonder if any of the cars in my current fleet will make it through to be his first car.

 

 

What about a used 328xi? Older model, not as many gadgets but built as well as the newer ones (probably built better if you read the car mags), has all the safety features and can be had for half the price?

 

Bought my daughter a loaner car that was sold by the dealer after 8 months of use. It was an Audi A4, the best value for the money, minimal miles, extended warranty 6 years rather than 4, since they sold it as preowned and with minimal features, but good ones - like heated seats (I live in NY), sunroof, etc. so, for far less than a new one and basically one model year older, if you're looking to buy a car, I suggest a loaner car from the dealer that they're looking to sell to make room for newer models. Audi's are cheaper than BMWs (at least the a4 is), big enough, safe enough (better than most) and reliable with a warranty. Good hunting.

 

the Swedish make watches??

I don't have any kids of my own--and don't plan to--but do all kids get nice cars as their learning vehicles? I would make my kids learn to appreciate the value and responsibility of owning a car before splurging on anything remotely posh.

 

That's exactly what I was thinking. I got my driver's licence 8 years ago when I was 18. (In Holland you needed to be 18 years old, like in most other European countries). My mom payed for the driver's license itself, but I had to pay for my first car. I was working in the weekends at a supermarket since my 16th and got just enough money for a 6 year old Fiat Barchetta. A very small cabriolet, which I only could afford because my uncle had a Fiat/Alfa dealership and I got some discount.

My mom could have easily bought me a new Boxster or whatever, but I'm glad she didn't. I learned that I need to work heard in order to earn more money. My mother and late father had to work very hard to become that wealthy, so the least I can do, is also work as hard as possible. Only when my mom thought the time was right and after I first had achieved a management position in another company, she asked me to take over her business, which I did last year.

I'm not planning any kids, but if i was, I would do it the same way I think. I understand that everyone wants te give their child the best possible and as much as possible, but I also think that it spoils a lot of people my age. It's something I experienced myself a lot. Most kids from wealthy parents have no clue of the value of things. They just hold up their hands and they get what they want. I think it never hurts to be a bit less wealthy and learn how to appreciate the value of things more. At least that's the way I was raised and it has never hurt me.

Suzy991

 

My daughter definitely has it easier than many - much more so than I did. We go on vacation most years and many involve a plane ride. She has nice clothes, and an iPhone - not the new one. But she is neither lucky enough to live with a wealthy family (we do well, but have no mansion or yacht) nor oblivious to the value of money. She worked this summer at 15 and she babysits.

But I don't agree that it never hurts to be a bit less healthy, wealthy or wise. JMO. More to the point, my decision process had very little to do with her likes or dislikes and everything to do with balancing her ability drive a car and its safety. Her mother wanted her in a Suburban or an Abraham's A1 tank. But they are very hard to learn to drive. I wanted something that is reliable, has current safety features (without too much nanny technology a the Volvo S60 will stop the car for you in stop and go traffic) and is a reasonable size. To me, that meant a new car, a car with good crash performance and mass, a car with an on-star-like feature, current national roadside assistance, good camera technology, blind spot systems, a good NAV system and yet a reasonable size for learning to parallel park. And since we will share this car, I need to like it also.

It is hard for me, who went to night school and worked long hours for years to give my family what it has and to secure its future, to think about any kid, even my own, in a fancy, expensive new car. It is even harder for me to have the ability to keep my kid safe and not do so standing on that principal. Again, that is my opinion only.