Yeep. I've heard 50% of teenagers in my kid's high school get their first fender-bend in the first 6 months, even the quiet and straight-A's ones.

Get her a good used Honda and be done with it.

 

Civic, I've had a few girlfriends w/ jettas and they have all been pieces

 

Have you thought about a scion TC?


It's a really *****in car, it's not something I'd own, but it's something I tried to get my girlfriend to get in replacement of her 02 accord. I think they are *****in. Semi-fun car to drive to

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WHy buy used when you get no warranty, etc? Buying a used car for the most part is buying someone elses problems.


And I wouldn't say spoiled, you become successfull so you can pass that onto your kids and give them they need in life. Most parents buy their kids their first car. Some have more money then others so some kids get nicer cars then others.

 

i would get her the jetta because let me tell you it is one solide car, if you get the basic 2.0 then there aren't many problems associated with the car, i had a big accident and were it another car i don't think i would have walked out. Safety is your no.1 priority. Go for the jetta.

 

that is a pretty big generilization. im a teenager and learned to drive in my dads modified 5ltr V8 chev. holden commodore which was an auto and then learned to drive a manual in a 470bhp+ holden and have never had a crash, havnt put one dent or spot on the car including the wheels etc in 3 1/2 years of driving.

what about a new VW Golf? very very safe car. think its one of the safest cars the european standards people tested.

 

Not sure, if this was mentioned or not. Definetly don't purchase her a Volvo either, unless you want to spend money in repairs all the time.

My 97 850 GLT is on the verge of being totalled from a rear-end accident I was involved in. The catch is, the car only had 60K miles, because it was in the shop most of the time.

Good luck with getting the vehicle for your daughter.

 

It may be a generalization, but it's a pretty accurate one. Even my younger brother, who's a really mild-mannered, careful driver, had his "oops" in a parking lot and dinged the front bumper of his new Jetta one month after getting it. The fact is that when you first start out driving, there's a lot of new things to think about at the same time, and until they become a habit, you're likely to slip up.

I vote for a two-year old Jetta. It will have taken massive depreciation, any major problems will have flushed themselves out. I tell everyone this--you cannot find that level of refinement in a car at that price in any other brand. VW is the way to go!

 

people that have been driving for 20 years still have "oops"

 

You're from down in new zealand. How much traffic and obstacles do you face down there? It's almost impossible for a teenager not to hit someth or get hit in most major US cities. It's the wild wild west out here.

 

From my experience, after two-three years is when things start to flush down the toilet in a VW. There's a reason why they depreciate so much upfront, because you can expect to pay $$$$ to keep a used VW running. It's all factored into the equation.

Honda. Get what you paid for.

 

well it is nowhere near as bad as america would be, driving in LA as a passenger scared this **** nout of me. but that said, i do live in a city of 1 million plus people with some serious traffic congestion. thats why our mayor jsut lost elections because he made a mess of the traffic system, u cant go anywhere without been in stop start traffic.
in the end i geuss it all comes down to the drivers ability and attention. and most teenagers do lack attention when driving, also thinking your invincible doesnt help.

whats the legal age in the states wen u can get a drivers liscence? its 15 down here and u go through various stages untill u get your full liscence and are able to drive passengers and at all hours of the day.

 

Since most cars come with at least 3 yr/36K mile warranties, you can buy lots and lots of used cars that are still under warranty. If you're talking about a Honda, you can buy a 10 year old one that'll run laps around just about any new car in terms of problems/reliability!

I don't think a new car is something a 16 year old "needs". I didn't get my first new car until I was 21. And I still didn't "need" it then. I didn't even own a car until I was 20, and nobody bought it for me, nor did I "need" a car before then, even though I worked part-time (sometimes full-time) while going to school. The parents being successful doesn't have anything to do with it. If you give your kids everything they need in life, when are they going to learn to get it for themselves?

Most people I know that are successful come from families that weren't successful, so they've strived to be successful themselves. I went to a college that had a LOT of rich kids (not me, I was poor!), including guys who drive Ferrari's, Lambos, and lots of $50K SUVs. Most of these guys ended up moving in with their parents after they graduated because they'd had everything they "needed" given to them their entire life, including the new car at 16. And most of them still don't have great jobs today, years later, and don't have a lot of money (or possessions) now that mommy and daddy aren't buying them everything. Almost all the guys who had great jobs at graduation, or have them now, 6 years later, came from middle class or lower middle families. That tells me the best thing you can do for your kids is NOT buy them things they "need", but make them earn if for themselves like these guys all did. This way you're ensuring their long-term financial stability and not just teaching them instant gratification.

Just my opinion based on experience... And this stuff gets me fired up having seen both ends of the spectrum since I remain friends with a lot of the less well-to-do guys I went to school with who are now successful, while the stuck up rich kids I knew have crap jobs and no money!