What would you buy

[Tony T.]

I have sort of been thinking ahead about what kind of vehicle to get my son when he becomes 16. He will be 15 this year and the way time flys before you know it he will be saying dad I need something to drive. I bought my daughter two cars but they were both automatics, and I feel especially that a boy really needs to know how to drive a manual transmission. I had planned on trying to find him a two-wheel drive full sized pick-up with manual trans but the way fuel is up so much who knows what it will be in a year and a half. Anyone have a teenager about to start driving and what did you end up getting them to drive.



Tony

 

[Motorhead]

Tony, I put BOTH of my daughters in older Mercedes 240D's. They were solid as a tank, not too fast, got decient mileage and were SAFE. I drove for UPS for 29 years and saw how young drivers can struggle..... mainly because they are inexperienced. I dont know where you live, suburban or city, but I think that a newby has enough on their hands just getting the feel of the road. I feel that an automatic is the best bet. Both 240D's were. My oldest, now 23, sold her 240 about 2 years after she started driving and bought an '85 300D Turbo. She is still driving it. I do her work on it and I have had to do VERY little to it.

The main issue that I see with buying them a small pickup (for mileage) is that pickups don't have to meet the same safety standards that cars do.

Hope my 2 cents helped... ... ... Chris

 

[sarj]

First thing I would do is ask him if he has any ideas what he'd like to drive. Let him think about it. Secondly, I'm a proponent of the older VW crowd for a guy. Not expensive, the mileage is fair, and it's a good step into learning how to wrench on your own vehicle. If you end up having a shop work on it, that's not too expensive either. Either way, I'd use it to teach a kid that with privilege, comes responsibility.

 

[Byershome]

I gave my oldest my 93' RamCharger with 200000 miles on it (In a deal that let me buy my 2003 CTD ). I bought it back from him with 260000 miles and still going strong (He had to have a 2004 with a HEMI courtesy his nickel). I bought number 2 a 96 half ton Dodge with about 200000 on it (After he rolled our Neon traversing a unfamiliar dirt road at night, realizing to late the road made a hard to see ninety degree turn, seat belts on no one hurt "physically". It stopped upside down :-laf ). Both are large safe easy to work on vehicles that got reasonable fuel milage considering. As for my little girl. . well she just had to have Neon and since we had no problems with the last one I decided get another for her to use (we'll give it to her after she graduates and it's paid off). Not near as safe or easy to work on but the fuel milage is a wee bit better.



In short an under powered 1/2 ton pickup would be my first choice because they are easy to work on, hard to hotrod, and bigger than most everything else on the road which adds up to safety. I would avoid the Furds because they are roll over hazards waiting to happen (My company truck is a 1/2 ton 2WD furd and it is the most unstable vehicle I have ever driven) and the Chebby's because they just don't hold up (If you can afford a new one, or slightly used, I suppose it would be acceptable).

 

[Tony T.]

Yes! safety is the most important to me also, so I had figured a full size truck would be safer that a smaller one. I had ask him before what he might want to drive and he just sorta shrugged his shoulders and give me I really don't know for sure maybe a pick-up. Four-wheel drive vehicles are out of the question while in school, to me all that promotes is more pier pressure "hey lets see how far it can go through that pond, you know it's like a tank, don't be a weenie". :-laf



In a way I wished I would have went ahead and got a six-speed when I bought the 03 just for fact of training him how to drive a manual trans. My first vehicle was a manual trans and thats how I learned to drive in a 1960 yr model 3-speed on the column six cylinder GMC step side pick-up.



Just here recently my daughter and her boyfriend moved to South Texas, so me and my son went to help them load stuff on the U-Haul truck. My daughters boyfriend made the comment I would have got a little bigger truck but all the had was standard shift (manual) trucks and I don't know how to drive a standard transmission, and he's 25 years old. Thanks so far guys for the recommendations though.



Tony

 

[crobertson1]

Here's what my oldest son is getting. Not fast now, but it has potential.

I can't imagine anything much safer. There is not much room for extra passengers either. And with it being straight piped, there will be no sneaking in and out at night.

#ad

 

[Tony T.]

Here's what my oldest son is getting. Not fast now, but it has potential.

I can't imagine anything much safer. There is not much room for extra passengers either. And with it being straight piped, there will be no sneaking in and out at night.

#ad

Hey! he should be proud of that ride, thats a clean looking 1st Gen. I don't know about not having the extra room for passengers, I remember one night back in my teenager days we had seven people guys and girls in my buddys Toyota single cab 4x4, I was shifting gears from the passenger seat while he was driving with the girls in between us screaming and laughing. You know the foolish years.



Tony

 

[FATCAT]

Look in the papers for old Crown Vics. Good large car. They get good milage too. Very safe in an accident (my neighbors kid can atest to that, I sold him my old Vic and he wiped out my old 1990 Crown Vic into a Tel. Pole sideways, snaped the pole and walked away with a few scratches).



Check out the Obit's in the paper ... 9 times out of 10 when some old guy dies he owned a Crown Vic ... and you can buy it cheap and know it was taken well care of.

 

[HEMI®Dart]

Here's what my oldest son is getting. Not fast now, but it has potential.

I can't imagine anything much safer. There is not much room for extra passengers either. And with it being straight piped, there will be no sneaking in and out at night.

#ad

crobertson1,



I may be your long lost son.

 

[RandyHamilton]

Here's what my oldest son is getting. Not fast now, but it has potential.

I can't imagine anything much safer. There is not much room for extra passengers either. And with it being straight piped, there will be no sneaking in and out at night.

#ad

I like how you think!!!

 

[CSnyder]

Well I personally have made the choice to put all 3 of my kids into a Dodge diesel for a first vehicle because of the dependibility of them. My 8 year old daughter was super ****** at me when I took off the "smoke stacks" and keeps asking me when Im gonna put them back on again. She also understands how all the toys and guages work inside and has even on a few occasions got a creeper out to watch how to change the oil. When I pulled my tanny for the third time last fall it was her that reminded me that I forgot to top off the transfer case after loosing some fluid on pulling it. Both of my twins age 2 1/2 if asked what daddy drives will tell you CUMMINS TURBOOOO so I know Ive got them learning properly already. I feel that if you are dedicated to the Cummins and intend to own one for a very long time and get your kids involved with at least watching you maintain it that they will grow to love them as well and fully know how to maintain it properly by the time they learn to drive. I found that if I dont pressure my oldest to learn and just patiently answer questions for her that when she knows Im heading to the garage to work on it or clean it she puts her shoes on and follows and gets right in there with me. In fact yesterday when I changed oil she asked to put the BHAF back on after the filter change while I got the oil ready. WOW... I am soooooo lucky!

Chris

 

[crobertson1]

Thanks for the kind words guys. When I saw this truck as a trade in at a dealer that I do work for, I instantly knew I was going to get it for him. It's exactly what he wants. Plus, like I said, I can't imagine a safer vehicle for him. We got it when he was 13. He's about to turn 14, so we got it a little early. But hey, it's not that often that you find exactly what you're looking for, so you have to grab it when you get the chance. He has to pay for half of it, so he's saving up.



My criteria was, above all a safe vehicle for him, reliable, decent fuel mileage, easy to work on, loud, cool, and 4x4(for where we live, it's required).

 

[TWilkening]

Soungs like all of you kids are lucky. My dad loaned me the money to buy my first truck. And I had to buy my grandpas POS S10 from my grandma.

 

[daveshoe]

Look at the total cost

The best vehicle to get for your kid is the one with the cheapest depreciated value. Keep the title in your name. For example,my daughter thinks we are pretty smart to just let her have our last car--a '96 Lumina with 180000 on it. Your insurance will be much less when she is listed as the primary driver on your car with the least value. She can drive all your stuff,but the rates will still be cheap. When she first went to college,she was a little embarassed with the dented door,but I pointed out to her that this was her dent and was the result of a brain fart--she dented our car [in the driveway] in the same accident. When she witnessed one student back in to another's car and drive away laughing,she decided that having a nice ride on campus is a perk that she can do without.

She likes this Lumina so well that she has asked me to keep a lookout for a low mileage late model[2001 was the last year made] It's great to have a kid with common sense.

I thin we all really know that the car that will give your kid the most pleasure and accomplishment is the first one they buy for themselves