What car would you buy for a 16 year old?

[Neesy228]

DS will be getting his license in less than two months. We are looking for a car that will (hopefully) be used by all three of our children over the next 8 years as they learn to drive and become licensed. Looking for something newer, safe and reliable, but trying to stay under ~$17k. I don't want anything too fast, but I also don't want it to look like a "grandma car" - as DS calls it. I was looking at the Ford Fusion, but only because my little sister drives one and has had good luck with it.

I know there are a few car gurus around here, so I figured it would be worthwhile to pick your brains. Thanks!

 

[soccerdad72]

We got our 16 year old son a 2011 Toyota Corolla S - got it used with really low mileage for a little less than $10K.

 

[DawnM]

DH was looking at the best used cars for teens last year as we were going to get my son a car, but we ended up just letting him drive the Sequoia as it is the safest of what we already had. My car died last year and so we needed that expense first.

He was looking at a Honda Accord, 5 years or newer when we were looking. There were several on the list, but he liked several aspects of the Honda better.

 

[Westcoastwild]

What did they learn to drive on? I'd get them something similar.

I learned to drive a four door sedan and I'm still best at that.

I'd get something with a trunk so they have somewhere to secure valuables, and once they turn 21, somewhere to put beer out of reach from passengers. College kids can be real idiots.

 

[DLgal]

Honda Civic. Reliable. Easy to drive. Safe in collisions.

 

[MomofKatie]

We bought our DD a KIA Forte, used. Less than 2 years old, under 25k miles, was a fleet vehicle, so has a lot of nice extras and is maxed out on safety features. It gets good gas mileage and is sporty looking, but a sensible car overall. Bought it from CarMax for less than $12k. We figure she will drive it for the rest of college (3 years) and the first 2-3 years after graduation.

 

[hereyago]

Why not let it be a " grandma" car? Insurance going up is going to be a factor once he has his license.

He can buy whatever car he wants when he gets to pay for it,lol.

 

[Klayfish]

With that budget, there are SO many options. Personally, I'd go with something along the lines of a Civic, Corolla (though it's a bit grandma-esque), Kia Forte, Hyundai Elantra. They're big enough for 4 people in comfort, 5 in a pinch. Very reliable, fuel efficient, safe, quick enough without being sporty. But there are plenty of other cars out there that would fit the needs. Accord, Camry are both unbreakable cars, as is the Sonata and Optima. If you don't mind something just slightly sportier, check out the Mazda3...my personal favorite small sedan.

Perhaps the best "value" would be to go with Hyundai/Kia. As good of a car as they are now...and they really are incredibly good...they don't hold resale value all that well. So you can get a 2 or 3 year old one with low miles for a good bit less than a comparable Honda or Toyota. The Ford Focus and Fiesta also don't keep value particularly well. They're solid cars, reliable enough, and can be had dirt cheap.

Or just get him a minivan. I keep teasing DS13 that our minivan will be his car in a few years...he's not amused.

 

[Poohforyou]

I'd go with a baseline honda, Toyota or subaru. Personally I don't think you can get more reliable than those 3.

 

[Hikergirl]

Subaru, they are safe and very reliable.

 

[Brazen Wench]

I was in the same boat last year and my Mom got me a 2011 Toyota Camry and it has been really reliable for me and I feel really safe in it and was easy to learn to drive.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I always joke with DH that I wish I could buy DD a tank like I had when she turns 16. My 1987 Buick LaSabre. I could hit a mountain and drive away with nothing more than a dent.

 

[dina444444]

My first car was a 2004 Toyota Corolla S that we bought when I got my license at 16 in November 2006. Car had about 30k miles on it and I had it until the end of 2014 when it had about 100k miles on it. It was a good reliable first car. I didn't have to put much money into it beyond regular oil changes, one battery change, and a standard break replacement. Only major work that got done was the water pump cracked in the last year I had the car and it was a $250/$300 replacement job.

 

[luvsJack]

DS will be getting his license in less than two months. We are looking for a car that will (hopefully) be used by all three of our children over the next 8 years as they learn to drive and become licensed. Looking for something newer, safe and reliable, but trying to stay under ~$17k. I don't want anything too fast, but I also don't want it to look like a "grandma car" - as DS calls it. I was looking at the Ford Fusion, but only because my little sister drives one and has had good luck with it.

I know there are a few car gurus around here, so I figured it would be worthwhile to pick your brains. Thanks!

We bought dd a 2010 Ford Fusion. She loves it, it gets great gas mileage and we haven't had any problems out it whatsoever. It did have a recall, we took it to the Ford place and they fixed and ran a search for any other recalls while we were there. I don't remember now what it was but nothing major. Anyway, we have been very happy with it.

 

[Klayfish]

Actually, the more I think about it, it may be easier to suggest what not to buy, since with the fairly broad requirements and decent budget you have, there are so many good choices. I'd stay away from anything German...VW, Audi, MINI, BMW, Mercedes. Lots of fun, but not lots of fun to keep them running properly. Also stay away from Italian...namely Fiat. Cheap price, but awful car.

MamaBelle4, a lot of people feel that way, but the truth is modern cars are many times safer than older ones. I'd rather be in a 2017 Corolla than a '87 LeSabre any day. The LeSabre would...and did...fold like tin foil.

 

[MamaBelle4]

MamaBelle4, a lot of people feel that way, but the truth is modern cars are many times safer than older ones. I'd rather be in a 2017 Corolla than a '87 LeSabre any day. The LeSabre would...and did...fold like tin foil.

Oh, I'm sure that's right. Didn't feel like it when I was driving it though, lol. Still loved that car!

Maybe I'll find DD an actual tank.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

The civics are great cars. I also would look at a CRV. I liked our kids to have the all wheel drive and they sit up a little higher that helps with visibility. Accords are also nice, just a little bit bigger.

 

[luvsJack]

My oldest son drove a 70-something Camero when he was in high school. He had a bad wreck in it. The car was totaled but the weight and actual metal the car was made with made a huge difference. He didn't get hurt at all other than his shoulder as he turned and took the brunt of the impact in his shoulder. Those older muscle cars were heavy. If I could get one with the added protection of air-bags, I would love it.

 

[Klayfish]

My oldest son drove a 70-something Camero when he was in high school. He had a bad wreck in it. The car was totaled but the weight and actual metal the car was made with made a huge difference. He didn't get hurt at all other than his shoulder as he turned and took the brunt of the impact in his shoulder. Those older muscle cars were heavy. If I could get one with the added protection of air-bags, I would love it.

Actually, no. Like I said earlier, those older cars were much, much less safe than any car made today. Those older cars weren't as heavy as you think and they had all their weight in all the wrong places. A 70's Camaro weighs about the same as a Honda Accord today. A 2017 Camaro is heavier, by hundreds of lbs. Older cars also didn't have any crash structure built into them. They folded like cans and offered no structural integrity. It's a very common misconception that big old cars were much safer. The truth is the exact opposite. The older cars, while some of them were physically larger than today, did horribly in crashes when compared to anything built in the past 15-20 years.

This example has been floating around for years, but gives a good illustration. The IIHS did a crash test back in 2009. They took a 1959 Chevy Bel Air, which was the midsize sedan for Chevy then and crashed it into a 2009 Chevy Malibu, which was the midsize sedan for Chevy 50 years later. Everyone feels those old cars are "tanks". Well, watch what happens to the tank. Take special note of the in-car cameras, showing what happens to the dummy. The results are crystal clear....

 

[Southernmiss]

3 boys. Ages 22, 19, 18.

Oldest ds has had a 1994 Toyota Camry, a 2000 Ford Taurus, a 2003 Ford Expedition and now a 2008 Honda Civic.

Ds#2 has had and still has a 2001 Honda Accord with 150,000 plus miles on it.

Ds#3 has a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe.

The insurance for each boy with good student discounts has been about $1600 per year- liability only.

The most reliable cars have been the Toyota, Honda and Hyundai. The Camry was a 1994 model with almost 300,000 miles. If ds would have checked the oil, it would still be running today.

Dh has a 2014 Corrolla it has been a good commuter car. My van is a Toyota Sienna 2008. I absolutely love it and will look at a Toyota or Honda when I need to replace the van, but I'm hoping to drive it for many more years.