Car for 18 year old guy? Suggestions??
05-30-10, 09:05 AM
#46
I'll throw this out there, I recently had a 99 Avalon Platinum Edition. Let me tell you the car was pretty much bulletproof. Big Sedan, comfy ride, 3.0L V6, and I averaged 25-26mpg out of it, 75% highway 25% city (On a trip to and from Georgia I pulled 29-30mpg out of it). Comparatively speaking though, my first car was a 96 Maxima. Also was a great car. We sold it with about 175k on the clock if not more. Granted it didn't get as good of gas mileage as the Avalon did. I got about 22-23mpg.
05-30-10, 11:24 AM
#48
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how about a nissan xterra, its a nice SUV very durable, and Im sure u can get a used one for that price range, it has also won a few comparo's against the likes of the FJ cruiser and the LR2, and has enough room to haul stuff with real 4 wheel drive ability
05-30-10, 11:52 AM
#50
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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 highers center of gavitiy adds the roll-over element, which happens constantly with SUV's accidents (especially older ones w/o ESC).
Good luck!
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 highers center of gavitiy adds the roll-over element, which happens constantly with SUV's accidents (especially older ones w/o ESC).
Good luck!
I've been debating on whether to get him a compact or a midsize. When I was that age I adamately didn't want a big car. Small cars are more nimble and easier to handle and manuever in tight places for young drivers.
But yeah midsizers would provide more protection in an accident.
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.
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.
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.
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.
05-30-10, 11:53 AM
#51
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That's what I'm leaning toward...
05-30-10, 01:46 PM
#52
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I've been debating on whether to get him a compact or a midsize. When I was that age I adamately didn't want a big car. Small cars are more nimble and easier to handle and manuever in tight places for young drivers.
But yeah midsizers would provide more protection in an accident.
I agree, I just have to balance having a safe car with having a nimble car. I think a car with less 200hp would be a good, and something bigger than a subcompact (meaning no Versas or Honda Fits).
But yeah midsizers would provide more protection in an accident.
I agree, I just have to balance having a safe car with having a nimble car. I think a car with less 200hp would be a good, and something bigger than a subcompact (meaning no Versas or Honda Fits).
05-30-10, 01:51 PM
#53
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All else equal, from simple physics, a larger, heavier car will come ahead in a crash, but many factors are involved....much depends on invididual vehicle design. That's why the Government and the IIHS does crash tests. There are some small cars that perform better in crash tests than some larger ones. Several VWs, among small cars, have tended to do well....but I'm not sure I'd recommend them because of their unreliable electronics and hardware.
Last edited by Fizzboy7; 05-30-10 at 09:23 PM.
05-30-10, 01:53 PM
#54
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It's not always simple, though. One cannot always just take a magic-wand approach. There are often a number of factors to take into account on a car purchase. That's why we have discussions like this.
05-30-10, 03:44 PM
#55
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All else equal, from simple physics, a larger, heavier car will come ahead in a crash, but many factors are involved....much depends on individual vehicle design. That's why the Government and the IIHS does crash tests. There are some small cars that perform better in crash tests than some larger ones. Several VWs, among small cars, have tended to do well....but I'm not sure I'd recommend them because of their unreliable electronics and hardware.
I also researched some cost of ownership and fuel economy information and the Civic also comes out with the lowest cost of ownership.
All great elements for a future college student.
Civic is at the top of my list along with the Toyota Matrix (roomy/nicer interior), and the Mazda3 (hatch or sedan).
I'm still open to suggestions, but I'm going to start shopping this week with some of my friends and colleagues so that we can get this kid a surprise car
05-30-10, 05:07 PM
#56
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Not sure why no one else mentioned it, but the Solara is a very nice starter car for an 18 YO. Not overly powerful, and can be had for pretty close to your budget.
EDIT: Sorry, links were broked and I had no idea. My search criteria was $11K and certified for the first (within all miles) and came up with a Red 2004 in the IL area. Second search was $10K and came up with a Silver one with less than 50K miles for $7500.
The second one has a lot of room left in your budget for things that might be nice little upgrades - tinted windows, remote start (Chicago gets cold, yo!!), and it's a reliable car.
Just a suggestion that I didn't see proposed.
Big Mack
EDIT: Sorry, links were broked and I had no idea. My search criteria was $11K and certified for the first (within all miles) and came up with a Red 2004 in the IL area. Second search was $10K and came up with a Silver one with less than 50K miles for $7500.
The second one has a lot of room left in your budget for things that might be nice little upgrades - tinted windows, remote start (Chicago gets cold, yo!!), and it's a reliable car.
Just a suggestion that I didn't see proposed.
Big Mack
Last edited by Big Mack; 05-30-10 at 07:48 PM.
05-30-10, 05:16 PM
#57
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Older Lexus IS300 models can be had for under 10K now (I had an IS300 myself for almost 5 years). They have been very reliable, although the 5-speed automatic transmission in some models has some electronic shifting quirks and I didn't particularly like the way the shifter-gate was programmed.
It is a nice car for a teen, IMO, but NOT a good car for slick roads, even with winter or all-season tires, so keep that in mind if you live in an area that gets bad weather.
Gas mileage is not good, and premium gas is required, but it's a nice pleasant car to drive.
05-30-10, 05:29 PM
#59
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Among others, I'd agree with the Mazda3 suggestion, especially the non-turbo model. I'd avoid the turbo MazdaSpeed3 version as a used car for several reasons, even over and above the fact that most of them would probably be over the 10K limit. Used turbos are often a risky buy, and they often have a history of having been driven hard.