Looking for a new CUV
07-17-24, 06:47 AM
#16
We owned a CX-5 for 5 years (2019-23). It was a great car and never needed to go back to the dealer for anything. I just changed my own oil and had Discount Tire do free rotations. I would go with that over anything else on your list.
07-17-24, 06:49 AM
#17
CX5 would be a great choice IMO. One of my agents just traded her CX5 in on a new Kia Nero Hybrid which is pretty sharp.
16 year old won’t necessarily damage a car. I never did, my wife never did. Most of my friends never did. Get something with cameras and blind spot monitoring and parking sensors.
Only thing about leasing it, is I would like my kids to be able to keep the car long term while they get started in life until they can afford to replace it. Mom and Dad will buy them each one car and then it’s up to them. If you lease, he’ll be 19 and the car will be gone and he’ll have nothing, what’s he going to do about a car when he gets out of college? If you buy him a new car he can keep it until he’s 30 if he wants. My office admin still has her car her parents bought her (a Mazda 3) when she was 16 and she’s 30. Her and her husband just got a new Sienna since they had a baby and now he drives the old paid for Mazda 3. I was given my moms couple year old Explorer when I turned 16 and I kept that through college until I graduated and I got my ES300 on my own.
Just food for thought…
16 year old won’t necessarily damage a car. I never did, my wife never did. Most of my friends never did. Get something with cameras and blind spot monitoring and parking sensors.
Only thing about leasing it, is I would like my kids to be able to keep the car long term while they get started in life until they can afford to replace it. Mom and Dad will buy them each one car and then it’s up to them. If you lease, he’ll be 19 and the car will be gone and he’ll have nothing, what’s he going to do about a car when he gets out of college? If you buy him a new car he can keep it until he’s 30 if he wants. My office admin still has her car her parents bought her (a Mazda 3) when she was 16 and she’s 30. Her and her husband just got a new Sienna since they had a baby and now he drives the old paid for Mazda 3. I was given my moms couple year old Explorer when I turned 16 and I kept that through college until I graduated and I got my ES300 on my own.
Just food for thought…
I suggest a manual car. It’s little more difficult to text and drive when you have to row gears. Plus majority of his friends won’t know how to drive it so you don’t have to worry about someone else driving it and possibly stealing it. With that being said, manual Civic sport hatchback or manual GR86. Or if you want AWD GR Corolla or WRX STI.
My first 2 vehicles were manuals.
But based on your list, CX-5
07-17-24, 07:03 AM
#21
07-17-24, 07:10 AM
#22
Lexus Test Driver
Thats what I’m thinking - I can’t wait to get my boy a car, definitely will not be a CUV. They have rest of their lives to drive boring EVs and SUVs. It should be safe and handle well with sufficient power, most entry level CUVs don’t drive/handle as well as a coupe/sedan.
07-17-24, 07:32 AM
#23
Lexus Fanatic
16yr old not damaging a car…idk about that but the bold points you made I 100% agree with.
I suggest a manual car. It’s little more difficult to text and drive when you have to row gears. Plus majority of his friends won’t know how to drive it so you don’t have to worry about someone else driving it and possibly stealing it. With that being said, manual Civic sport hatchback or manual GR86. Or if you want AWD GR Corolla or WRX STI.
My first 2 vehicles were manuals.
But based on your list, CX-5
I suggest a manual car. It’s little more difficult to text and drive when you have to row gears. Plus majority of his friends won’t know how to drive it so you don’t have to worry about someone else driving it and possibly stealing it. With that being said, manual Civic sport hatchback or manual GR86. Or if you want AWD GR Corolla or WRX STI.
My first 2 vehicles were manuals.
But based on your list, CX-5
Hard to find cars that are manuals. I wouldn’t get them anything sporty. Safe, good sight lines, CUV makes a ton of sense
07-17-24, 07:46 AM
#24
Lexus Champion
It's a crap shoot. Both my teens have had tussles with the bumpers of their cars.
07-17-24, 07:46 AM
#25
Lexus Fanatic
Bumpers can be fixed. No big deal. The overall safety is way more important
07-17-24, 08:32 AM
#27
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Great replies and some things I didn't think about so the wheels are turning in my head.
Here are some more of my thoughts.
I am only considering the Kona N Line because to be honest, I thought it looked kind of cool for what I am looking for even though it is smaller than the other cars. Sometimes you can't take the car enthusiast out of me even when it isn't my car and I will be in the car a fair amount so that's why I didn't consider the other competitors in it's class.
As for a lease vs. buy, I was considering leasing because I do expect my son to hit something and hopefully it isn't something moving or something bad and if that happens I would have insurance fix it any way and just turn it in after three years since it isn't my car.
Also, since my daughter will be driving when my son goes off to college, she could take it over for a year before it is turned in and at that point, if the car is still in decent shape I could always buy it out for around $15k.
As for the reason a CUV and not something cooler like a BRZ, I like the AWD aspect of the CUVs I'm looking at and I also like that it is a little higher for him to see. The other reason is that I don't want to send him the message that I am just going to buy him something cool because I can and if he wants something cool he has to earn it and buy it himself. While I could say leasing a car for him in the first place is spoiling him, I don't want to overdo it either.
Here are some more of my thoughts.
I am only considering the Kona N Line because to be honest, I thought it looked kind of cool for what I am looking for even though it is smaller than the other cars. Sometimes you can't take the car enthusiast out of me even when it isn't my car and I will be in the car a fair amount so that's why I didn't consider the other competitors in it's class.
As for a lease vs. buy, I was considering leasing because I do expect my son to hit something and hopefully it isn't something moving or something bad and if that happens I would have insurance fix it any way and just turn it in after three years since it isn't my car.
Also, since my daughter will be driving when my son goes off to college, she could take it over for a year before it is turned in and at that point, if the car is still in decent shape I could always buy it out for around $15k.
As for the reason a CUV and not something cooler like a BRZ, I like the AWD aspect of the CUVs I'm looking at and I also like that it is a little higher for him to see. The other reason is that I don't want to send him the message that I am just going to buy him something cool because I can and if he wants something cool he has to earn it and buy it himself. While I could say leasing a car for him in the first place is spoiling him, I don't want to overdo it either.
07-17-24, 08:39 AM
#28
Lexus Fanatic
I agree, if he wants something cool or luxurious he should earn that on his own. We can buy them safe, reliable transportation.
07-17-24, 10:24 AM
#29
Lexus Fanatic
The Corolla Cross mentioned earlier would probably be a pretty safe buy for many reasons, although they are not the easiest model to find in stock at dealerships, and getting a discount on one may not be easy. The Hyundai and Kia products, however, would offer a much better long-term warranty if bought new (that 10/10 drivetrain warranty is usually not transferable to a second owner as a used car), but if you get a used one, make sure that any engine and/or-fire-related recall has been addressed.
07-17-24, 11:02 AM
#30
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
The Corolla Cross mentioned earlier would probably be a pretty safe buy for many reasons, although they are not the easiest model to find in stock at dealerships, and getting a discount on one may not be easy. The Hyundai and Kia products, however, would offer a much better long-term warranty if bought new (that 10/10 drivetrain warranty is usually not transferable to a second owner as a used car), but if you get a used one, make sure that any engine and/or-fire-related recall has been addressed.
Out of the cars I am looking at I find the interior of the Hyundai's to be the nicest at it's price point and the engine at right under 200hp is enough to get up to speed quickly but at the same time not too fast.