His First Car

In Detroit - I'd go with an all wheel drive if you can because of the winter weather. You could get a used Ford Fusion AWD - I have one now. It does great in the snow, and it's 8 years old without any major issues so far (knock on wood). Subarus are also all AWD, but I don't know enough about them to recommend anything specific.

I didn't have a car of my own until I was in my mid-20s. My parents didn't believe in buying cars for kids, so I had to wait until I could afford the all the associated expenses on my own (fortunately I moved to a city with good public transportation after college). It was a used Chevy Cavalier - maybe about a 1991 model.

I vote Subaru or Honda. My first car was a chevy citation, lol. The thing was a p.o.s. but man I could out-drive anyone in the snow in that little car with front wheel drive.

My first car was a Honda Civic that I bought brand new, ordered it from the dealer sight unseen and paid for with my money. I loved that car and it served me well up past 121,000 miles.

My hubby and I were huge planners and I continue to be after his sudden death in 2015.

Our daughter just turned 22. At 16 she inherited my 2007 Mercedes CLK 350. I know I know I'll get flack but it's a good, solid, safe car. She adores it, takes care of it and it still looks brand new with 73,000 miles.

We tend to buy new and then drive our cars for years. We do not carry notes on them, we plan. Our motto was "if you can't afford it without a note then don't do it"

I drive my hubby's Mercedes sedan mostly and for our business and the sports Mercedes SL550 he surprised me with for weekends with the top down reminiscing about my man.

We love this brand because they are good, last for years and hold up well. Pricey at first, indeed but worth it. Repairs are pricey but rare.

We go by the old saying that you get what you pay for.

mine was a poop brown Buick Skylark...don't remember the year, sufficiently old to make sure that car would never be "cool" again lol.

I guess if it was me (and it will be sooner than I'd like to think about- and I have, since I have somewhat of a game plan already!) I would start by aiming for tax return season..lol. And then either look around at people selling cars locally (trust neighbor, someone you know?) then you might be able to find something reasonable. As far as what kind? I figure at this point most cars are "pretty much" even as far as dependability - yes, you might have some lemons in every make and model. But they wouldn't be around if they were unreliable. I'd go for something small, manual transmission, if it was me. Just what I've thought of in our own situation. Good luck!

My first car was a 1974 Gran Torino. Green.

We did the hand me down cars with our kids as well. They both used our 1992 Saturn. It was manual so both learned. My son got that car after my daughter inherited her great grandmother's Delta 88. Barney purple. Yes, she was popular in college. =)

Chacha - what was the purpose of your answer? Snarky much???

A used Subaru, Toyota or Honda. If he learns on a manual that is even better. Do make sure he knows what is under the hood and where to fill the radiator and windshield wiper fluid. Changing tire is also good. The bag in the back or trunk is an excellent idea in the area you live. We had them when we were stationed in Canada (Quebec) and included an insulated blanket and candle with the other items listed.

Make sure your son gets to drive in all kinds of weather and temperatures. Let him learn how to parallel park as well.

My first car was a 1969 Mercury Cougar that i bought from me to me when I was 21. I waited until I was of age so that I did not have to have my aunt's name on the title with me. I got my license at 17 but waited until 21 to get a car from the dealer.

Many times the parent gets a new or newer car to them and passes down the older model to the child. But do let him know about the upkeep and maintenance and insurance.

Keep us posted.

the other S.

PS Our son got a car that hubby bought when we got back to the states that was an 80s model Dodge. Not a status symbol. That same son has a son (19) and that has a 2003 Jetta hatchback. He is paying for the car and insurance on it. This boy is lucky he has a car after having two accident s within 5 months on two different family cars. So he has to do it all himself and his driving record will put him in the higher risk group than if he had not had the accidents and just been a regular teen inexperienced driver. His friends wanted him to get a super charged Mustang or Camaro dad told him no not with his record.

Our plan was the hand-me-down method as well. For my son, that meant getting his cousin's old 1997 Toyota Camry, which had previously been owned by my aunt and uncle. Not his first choice of car, but that was the intent anyway. It was hit by a slow plow while parked on our property so he took the insurance proceeds and was able to buy a car that he wanted, which was a 2003 Infiniti i35. Much cooler than the Toyota, but cheap because it's a money pit. At first I thought that having a new driver in a sporty luxury car was a bad idea, but he actually loves the car so much that he takes excellent care of it and drives very carefully, and has paid for all of the work it has needed. My SD was very reluctant to get her license and didn't bother doing so until a couple of months before leaving for college, so she doesn't really drive regularly but when she's home for the summer, she can use my parents' old Buick LeSabre. Again not a cool car, but will get from point A to point B and is free to her.

If you don't have a car to rotate down to your son, then I would look for a Honda or Toyota sedan, or perhaps a Volvo or Subaru - safe, reliable, good on gas, holds its value, not an embarrassing beater of a car but doesn't have too much power or speed.

Anyway...the first car that I bought was a Chevy Cavalier.

My first car was a brand new Pontiac Sunbird that I purchased myself at 25 years old. I had my license since 16 years old.

It must be very nice to have parents buy you a car. I don't know anything about that and neither do my boys. I just figure any car given is a blessing that comes with a ton of responsibility.

Actually it is very expensive to maintain a car here in NJ. The annual auto insurance for teen boys is about an additional $4,000 a year and up. Seriously I can't afford that and the car and the maintenance on an additional car too and neither could my single mom.

Congrats to you and yours. Must be very nice.

I don't think you can get much safer than a Subaru, especially if you are going small. But, you might say I'm biased, b/c we have 3 of them. My first car was a 1980 Toyota SR5 coupe, used. Our son's first car was my husband's 288,000 mile 2003 Mazda 6, V-6 manual. It was 11 years old at the time, but had been immaculately maintained and still looked sporty. But, my 2005 6 spd manual Xterra hit 300,000 miles, and we decided it was time to upgrade the "family" car as well, and we decided that replacing the Mazda with the Xterra would be the smarter way to go. The mpg weren't much different, and visibility was better in the SUV (everywhere we go is on the interstate with semi-trucks, or rural with deer in the ditches). It looked much newer than it was, and much newer than just 2 years newer than the Mazda. Sold the Mazda, gave him the Xterra. A few months later (at 310,000 miles) the clutch finally needed replacement (original clutch) and it would have cost $1700 by the time it was said and done... (trust me, many hours of labor on this). Rather than invest it into a 310,000 mile engine, we sold it to a backyard mechanic who could do his own labor, and started shopping.
Son ended up with a 2007 Impreza. It's an automatic, and I'm glad, simply b/c it's way too sporty and he has become a Subie fanatic. Tempting enough without the manual on it.

Personally, I drive an Outback, and my husband replaced his Mazda with a Legacy. Prior to the Xterra, I had a Forester. My son even mentioned to us "too bad you sold the Forester way back then." Our daughter turns 16 this summer, and we plan to hand the Legacy down to her. Not sure what husband will want to do for himself. My son wants his next car to be a WRX STi. Surprise. LOL

I will tell you this... in the rain, I would not want to be driving any other vehicle. Ever.

If not a Subaru, we would have been looking at Nissans or Hondas, most likely. But if you've never driven a Subaru, give one a try, and slam a few doors. Not many doors are a solid as a Subie, and as safe in a crash.

Regardless what you do, research the insurance before you buy. Teen boy insurance will blow your mind.

My first car was a 1982 Honda Civic. Oh I loved that little six year old but new to me four door world of freedom. (It had a CD player...first of my friends to have one in their car...and only because the previous owner has installed it himself.)

Hey I live in Texas you can't even walk to a bus stop without melting in the heat. And everything is literally at least a 10 minute drive away. Or further...

Do a consumer report check and make sure it will make it safely through your heavy winters. Sounds like you have that under control...good luck, sorry I am not much help.

Oh my dad survived a very bad wreck in his Nissan Altima...side airbags saved his life and he walked away with bumps, bruises and a few scratches. He was hit on his driver side door at 40mph by a girl texting who missed a stop sign. It rolled his car. He was going about 40mph when she hit him. (She had a stop sign and he didn't.)

My first car was an 80 Chevette and it was for me to commute to college - so I was out of high school.
It's going to mean more to him if you let him earn the money for it (it'll take time) and then he has to pay for insurance.
He needs a job - a car is a big responsibility and expense.
He needs his own insurance so that if he's in an accident (even if it's not his fault) - they can't come after your house.

My first car was an 81 (maybe 83) Toyota Corolla, bought with my own money! I had always thought we would make my daughter earn money for her car and we'd match what she had and that's what we would spend. Well she did work hard and earn money, but even with our matching, we would not be able to provide a car I would be comfortable with her driving!

She also goes to a school where kids mostly drive status cars, we told her long ago not to even imagine that scenario for her- we are all about safety. We ended up getting her a 2015 Mazda CX5. We have never owned Mazdas before but found this after researching cars with the best safety ratings (that aren't luxury cars!). It's a smaller SUV, so she's comfortable driving it. She has to pay for gas, and if she gets a speeding ticket or has unauthorized passengers before she's allowed, she loses it. She is very responsible and takes good care of the car.

I will say that I socked money away for a couple of years before she turned 16 so that we could pay cash. No way we could have done that on the spot. Sounds like you are teaching him to pick safety and sensibility or flash, and making him partly financially responsible, so ignore the snark. :-) You're doing great mom!! Loving reading all of the other advice- especially what everyone drove back in the day!!

My daughter recently bought her car at 17. We told her we would match her dollar for dollar on what she saved for it. She is driving a mustang. She absolutely loves it and has a lot of pride in ownership. She also had to have $500 in savings (deductible) in case of an accident. She is making great decisions and is very protective of her car. She's not allowed to have more than 1 person in her car.

Because of traveling with our businesses, she knows how to drive our trucks with trailers attached. She had to know how to change a tire, check the oil, check the radiator fluid and locate belts.

I've owned 2 Subarus and loved them. I also had a Saturn that I drove and felt safe in. I would not have chosen this car for her first one but my husband is a gear head and I lost the battle. At least it's a V6 and not a V8.

I think kids having skin in the game is important. I taught my daughter to avoid debt. We always buy used and because of my husband's knowledge, we've been very pleased with our purchases.

My son at 12 bought a 73 charger for he and his dad to rebuild. He hopes to have it done by the time he gets his license. He bought it with his own money (we split the cost).

My first car was a Datsun station wagon. 1965 old beater car with a standard transmission. I learned to drive on it and it served me well. To this day I'd rather drive a standard.

Enjoy this new adventure. It's hard to watch them drive off. I love the way my daughter enjoys her independence and now she's happy to help me if I need her to stop by the store or shuttle her brother somewhere. It's really so nice to have another driver.

yay for you guys for researching good safety options and no car payments!
no suggestions, really, i think there must be a lot.
my first car was a '67 mustang fastback, 289 high performance engine, 4 barrel carb. it was in rough shape, and i had to get a fair amount of work done on it so was probably not a great choice, even though i only paid $500 for it (in '76.)
my older boy got my husband's old pickup for his 17th birthday. he was moved to tears. my younger got my parents-in-law's shabby little hatchback, for which he was appropriately grateful but not exactly in love. :)
ETA, i'm pleased with all the mazda recommendations- it's what both my boys have now, purchased as adults!
khairete
S.

'78 Buick LeSabre, baby poop colored. Had to pop the hood & stick a screwdriver in the carburetor to start her up, but she was big & handled the road well, & I was safe.

If I had a kid about to start driving, I'd look into something known for safety. So my mind goes immediately to 2 vehicles - #1: minivan (better visibility than a car, without giving up easy handling). #2. anything Subaru. Keep in mind, Subaru has fantastic resale value - so they won't be cheap.

Have fun shopping! T. :)

My kids will get my van when I get a new(er) van.

My first car was a hand me down 1977 Toyota Corolla.

Well we know from your October post about that blog you read, that you think very highly of your son. So, no surprise that you are considering getting him a car.

But I would encourage you to stop and ask: WHY.

Does he have a job to drive to? Will he be more helpful to you with errands if he can drive? Or will you just be clogging the roads with one more inexperienced driver (in the body of a brilliant young man who is about to set the world on fire, I mean).

Your son is a 15-year-old high school freshman. How about a bus pass?

ETA: Learning to drive is an important skill and I would certainly encourage your son to practice driving a variety of different roads and weather conditions etc. But that can be done with your supervision and without buying him his own car.

ETAA: Southern Yankee, you said your son was in a car accident in 2013 and it was "one of the worst calls a parent can receive", and your son was not 15 at that time. You personally know the feeling of even a "grown" son having a car emergency like that. So yes - if encouraging someone to think critically before buying a teenager a car makes me "snarky", then I will wear that label proudly.

My son is driving his dad's 2004 Honda CR-V. It's a manual transmission.

He'll be going off to college and most universities he's looking at don't allow Freshman to have cars. I'm not going to add to the insurance ($1200 a year - FOR HIM) and another car. We will discuss when he's a sophomore at University. He has a little over $3K saved. We expect him to pay for at least $1K of it.

My girlfriend and her husband bought their son a 2014 Nissan Sentra. He loves it. It's sitting in their drive way right now because he's a freshman at ODU. They paid cash for his - I believe it was $12K.

My first car? '76 Plymouth Arrow - bought with my own money.

I didn't have a car until I was married and had my first baby...It was a Toyota Camry. Loved that car until someone ran a red light and basically took off the front of it. Car was totaled, but I was perfectly safe and uninjured. And I've heard they're even safer now.

My daughter's also getting her permit very soon. We're considering a Subaru Outback for her. There's no car in existence which would make me feel perfectly confident that she's safe, but the Outback comes pretty close. EVERY SINGLE PERSON that I know who owns and drives an Outback highly recommends them.

My first car was an 82 Chevy Cavalier. My oldest DD just got her driver's license this past October. Just before she got it, we just got rid of our family mini-van because it needed 3000.00 in repairs to make it safe to drive. And we sold our Mini-Cooper because it was a money pit of expensive repairs, and WAY to fast and tempting for a teen to get in trouble or potentially wreck. So we bought a new Mazda CX 5 for DH and myself. And a 2002 Huyndai Elentra for a second car that my teen mainly drives. Now my youngest will start drivers ed this spring and I'm dreading the day my kids have to "share" the used car in the family, but I guess we have a little over a year to figure that out

1992 Oldsmobille Achieva SL. and i used to miss my car till i got a 15 Toyota Corolla.. now i love my toyota more than i loved my achieva.
i have no suggestions though.. as i am not car savvy.. i do know that my hubby used to work with a guy who hit ice whilst going about 80 mph.. slammed his 15 corolla into a cement wall.. totalled the car but he and his wife both walked away without a scratch.