Trucks and SUVs may not be good choices because of the high center of gravity. Inexperienced drivers may roll over easier in an emergency maneuver. Honda Accord coupe, etc. could be good choice. The chances of your teen having more than one passenger in a 2-door car is slim. Most teens are too big to fit comfortably in the backseat. Isn’t distracted driving the number one cause of accidents with teens?
Slightly used or CPO Japanese vehicle. Civic, corolla, or hrv or chr.
5 Likes
#1 in class/great grades: brand new Civic Si, with a manual.
C student: used Accord with 40k miles
Poor grades: 2015 Elantra with 100k miles
17 Likes
Was going to say poor grades = monthly bus ticket on the yellow bus but then thought the 2015 Elantra might be worse punishment
If Eric was still here, would’ve said a Macan. Would be a nice troll
8 Likes
I had great grades and got an Accord with 110k miles lol. Still an amazing first car and all I needed. No way in hell I would ever get my kid a 3 series as their first car.
Also, these days I think the safety features on a 2023 vs. 2013 are pretty significant, but when I was in high school, the difference in safety between an older used and a new car did not seem that significant.
5 Likes
Pretty frequently asked question, search is your friend. My answer hasn’t changed:
If you don’t like that thread, I suggest
Slightly older, but still hold up
And definitely don’t forget the impact to your insurance
4 Likes
Beat up old Tacoma, really
OP - don’t be scared by the insurance comments.
When we shopped for cars a few years back for a teenager a brand new car was really not much more overall to insure than something that was beat down and less than ideal.
2 Likes
This month, the basic ID4 which has a shorter range, but all the safety features. You can get $4k off msrp, $7500 EV lease incentive, and $1000 from VW. Monthly in the low 300s with inceptions at drive off
3 Likes
I always recommend the small-mid sized Mazda SUVs when this topic comes up. CPO or maybe a nice private party car. Solid, reliable Japanese maker without the typical premium associated with Toyota and Honda.
1 Like
What’s your budget?
toyota 86 manual
Thank you all for your replies.
This is just the beginning of my journey. I’ve recently started researching and trying to figure out the budget.
I used to buy my cars, but now I’m leasing. My older child inherited my old car when I got a new one.
These days, things seem a bit different, or perhaps it’s just me growing older. It feels like used cars have become much more expensive, not to mention the costs of repairs and maintenance, along with the hassle of selling the car.
A few other thoughts: We don’t have a preference for a specific car. We won’t need a car after our child goes to college, so we probably only need it for up to 24 months.
I was considering Jeep Wranglers (any model, as long as the price is reasonable) for a 24-month lease. They are relatively rugged and short-term options. But it’s on a higher side.
I’ve noticed that most of the good lease deals are for 36 months. Japanese cars are always a good option, but if I were to buy a new one, it might be challenging to sell it after 2 years.
1 Like
Please don’t do that, for the sake of your teen and other drivers on the road.
How so?
6 Likes
Buy any iihs tsp+ sedan. New or used.
1 Like
Do not buy them suvs. The driver cage is never as secure in a rollover
1 Like
I think driver’s assist safety functions would be very helpful for new drivers. Those aren’t standard on Wranglers. For me, it would be safety first, but within confines of a reasonable budget. My kids are getting a leased car, not because I’m doing them a favor, but because I don’t want to be their Uber driver. They’re going to be responsible for driving themselves to and from school and practice. I live in San Diego county where they don’t have school buses. I told them that they’re not getting anything cool; but it will be safe. If they want something cool, they can get a job and buy it themselves.
Here is a $7500 one pay for NJ for a Niro ⭐ GCAuto Kia Niro EV Wind $235 MO + $2k DAS | Niro EV Wave one pay $280 effective NJ only - #15 by GCauto
1 Like
A 24 Volvo XC40 on 24 months is a much better car.
3 Likes
My kid just finished the classroom part of driver’s ed but there’s a wait to get behind the wheel before he can get his level 1 permit.
He’s not a car person at all and doesn’t really care from what I can tell. I’ll definitely get him a new car when he can drive to school (so he has all the newest safety features) but I go back and forth between getting something like an Accord/CR-V/Camry/Rav4, some vault-like Volvo, or leasing something like an ID4 or Ioniq 5 (which I had).
Fortunately I have time to figure it out. The only problem is unless he learns on my wife’s Odyssey, the options I have to teach him are in an iX or a G63 
.
2 Likes
Not into cars = Don’t get a new car. A couple of years old CPO should be fine since it will probably get dinged up.
Latest safety features - These go by generation (or mid-cycle updates), not model year. Depending on the car, a five or six year old one may have the exact same safety features as a brand new one. Again, skip a new one.
1 Like