mmarshall

Glad to help.

Consumer Reports also recommends non-turbo Subarus for young people.

tuan92129

Besides gas, insurance cost is also a large factor in cost...The 2dr RSX will cost at least 25% more to insure over a sedan...
(95 ES300 was my first car, RSX in college)

caddyowner

Another point to consider is sedan v. wagon. A wagon may hold more for the trips to / from school. But, a sedan's trunk hides stuff better and many kids I know keep half their possessions in their cars.

Another wagon idea is a Pontiac Vibe. Same as the Toyota Matrix, but without the Toyota premium price. You may also be able to find a late (00-02?) Chevy Prizm, AKA Corolla.

mmarshall

A wagon's cargo area is only more exposed if you do not use the cargo covers that are standard or available as accessories. And, even without a formal cargo cover, a simple blanket should do the trick.

The only real advantage of a sedan is that, all else equal, there is often less road noise coming from the rear end, because there are more panels to seal out noise between your ears and the rear wheel-wells. Wagons and hatchbacks tend to amplify the noise a little, because of the hollowness and more openness inside, without any bulkheads.

(Cj)

Aw, thats sad

Ok so the RSX is OFF the list.

Yeah it would be a good idea to get a hatch, if I can find one. I'll add the Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe to the list

Thanks for the info!

I've found a used 2006 Imprezza online and I'll probably call the dealer tonight or Monday (if they're open) about it. The dealer is selling it for $9,500 which seems like a pretty good price!

lamar411

2002-2004 Toyota Camry. great cars for the money, spacious, 158hp, safe, and looks decent. Good luck!

ssmoked

yep my gf bought a 94 Accord with 214000 miles a year ago and put on about 15k more on it. the engine is still running strong

P Weezy

iTrader: (1)

I say go for the Imprezza!

metalgear

spend 1k on an E30 and the rest on mods.

madoka

I vote Maxima.

1. They are cheap and bulletproof.

2. Maxima.org is a great resource for questions and problems.

3. It's a nice mix of luxury and power. Several of my friends that were given weak cars turned into sissy, grandma-like drivers.

Recently turned 250,000 on my Maxima:

bnizzle87

i second that! parents and i split the cost of an 03 camry, and it has been ever so reliable. plenty of leg room, has a decent exterior (much better than the most recent gen camry IMO), and gets pretty good gas mileage. its great for family trips and easily transported me to and from college every single day for three years. pretty good daily driver all around!

Fizzboy7

I third the Honda Accord or Asian used mid-sized sedan. They are ideal first cars. Not too much power, not too small, and reliable. The only drawback would be older Accords get stolen often. So invest in an alarm and lojack.
More importantly, what people forget in this segment is you want a car that has some size to it. Since his odds are high he'll get into an accident, you want more metal around him. In a semi vs. a Versa, the Versa is going to get flattened. In a semi vs. a mid-sized sedan, you'll get flattened just a bit less. You want to get the odds on your (his) side as much as you can. You also absolutely for sure without a doubt do NOT want him in an SUV or anything higher off the ground. The higher center of gavitiy adds the roll-over element, which happens constantly with SUV's accidents (especially older ones w/o ESC).
Good luck!

syzygy

This may sound counterintuitive but ideally you want to get a vehicle that has the least power, least acceleration as possible. Why?

Simple - that way, when he "graduates" to his next car which will likely have more horsepower, he will appreciate it infinitely more.

I drove a base honda civic "value package" with 115 horsepower all throughout high school and college.

Graduating to an IS350 was an enormous step to the point where driving around in an IS350 a year later still thrills me to no end.

I would not have appreciated the power of a 300 HP luxury sports sedan had I started off in a reasonably high powered vehicle.

Plus, of course, there's the little fact about teenagers that age having underdeveloped prefrontal cortices that lends them to exercising unsafely aggressive driving behavior.

I'm no exception - even in my civic when I was still 18, 19 years old - I would mash the pedal around all the time. I definitely went through that "speed racer" stage that all guys seem to go through. Fortunately, my car was so relatively underpowered that I'd often go nowhere and my speed would be virtually maintained, especially if I was going slightly uphill.

Jetfire

iTrader: (3)

i agree with carlx. i had a ~100hp/100lb of torque mazda protege. it had crappy acceleration and no torque. but it got me to school without any problems. i did some things that were sketchy.

i moved up to a IS250. not as powerful as a 350, but way more fun and torquey. i can appreciate the car way more.

caddyowner

Is there a 0-60 time one shouldn't go lower than for a new driver? Don't consider cars faster than 9.0 seconds? 8.0 seconds?

OTOH, a car that has crisp 0-30 times can be safer than a slow car. I was looking for an 83-85 MB 300D for one of my sons. (Never did find a good one.) I test drove a beautiful 78 240D, with one less cylinder and no turbo. Yikes, pulling out into traffic was a death wish.