I would suggest a ford ranger with the 2.3L or 2.5L and a five speed.

I have a 95 and I am rough on it and have put 80k on it and bought it for 6k five years ago and dont have more then 600 dollars in upkeep.

also it doesn't have enough power for your child to get hurt with (will it has enough but less then most vehicles out there.)

Sean

 

You're a very generous parent!! My first car cost me $300 and mom paid for the firsy year of insurance. My idea of a good first car for a 16 yr old would be about $2500 tops. I don't know your son and am not making any personal judgments but it's my experiences and those I associate with that what ever your kid starts out with it will be reduced to almost zero value by the time he's had it a year or 2. Mind you there are exceptions but they are few and far between. If your child has saved his paper route (do kids throw papers these days?) or lawn mowing money since he was 12 and has a had a certain car as a goal the whole time you might have an exception! Not all the trashing will be directly the childs fault, his friends will be very tough on on the first car!! Piling everyone in to go to the beach or the burger joint. Food being spilt and cig burns, a stray foot through the upolestry, a friend that "knows how to work on cars" helps do a tune up, install go fast parts or install a system !! And then there's just the plain dumb things kids do to show off.

My advice isn't meant to cause you any nightmares, it's just about looking at things from a real perspective. Put half that $5K away to help him when he graduates high school and is moving on to real independence and really needs and knows how to take care of reliable transportation. HS is a time when he can be taught so much about responsibility without it having a negative impact on his life. You want your kid in a basically sound car, but if it breaks and he can't drive it for a few days a week or month, it isn't going to be a show stopper. He can still walk, ride a bike or get mom and dad to transport him to school and back. Once he's not living at home or has a long commute to college every day you will be glad he's not dependant on you like he is now!!

Ask your ins agent about the best vehicle from the ins co's point of view. You can get the boy a killer '86 - '92 IROC for $5K but it may cost half that again for ins the first year.

Check out www.edmunds.com they have tons of info on used cars. www.kbb.com does also. I'd recomend a small pickup as it will have a bit heavier duty suspension, frame and brakes. Read into that "takes more abuse" From there maybe a non 4x4 suv or the biggest older sedan you can find. Well that's about it from me, the last bit of advice is for your son or any kid about to get his/her first car. Show him this so he doesn't think it's coming from you.

"Let your parents pick your first car (even if you are paying for it)". I got this advice from a 19 yr old when I was turning 16 and it was some of the best handed out from someone that close to my age. He told me after the parents get over the trama of their kid driving and you've had the car they picked out for you 6 months or a year, they will be much more open to your choices for the next car. That can be a deal maker or breaker when you are a bit short of the asking price or when you need some repairs. Basically it's a win-win for parent and child...

For some of my own experences; for the last 7-8 years I have lunch 5 days a week with with some high school kids that come from very wealthy families. Not by choice, the high school is down the street and these kids have more money to spend on lunch than I do. These kids drive very expensive and new vehicles and you can tell when they have completed their 6 month solo driver the law makes them go through. The expensive cars all start looking very beat up and you see them drive over curbs, scrape trees and drive through parking lost with guys bouncing on the roof or hood. The other day I about got run over and the kid slammed on his brakes and chinese food and sodas went flying all over the inside of a 2 year old landrover. They are not bad kids, they are just kids...

 

I agree 95% with DJ. Only difference is I'd get him an extended cab S-10. But that's just me cause I'm Chevrolet to the bone... LOL Plus, he'd be a little less likely to haul a lot of friends around due to the passenger amount. If he does want to put a system in it, there is plenty of room with the extended cab. You should be able to get a decent price on a 93-95 for less than what you are wanting to spend.

Something else DJ hit right on the head is the vehicle may not be worth squat by the time junior goes to college so keep the investment to a minimum.

My dad loaned me the $500 for an 84 S-10 my Junior year. Then the 1200 for rebuilding the 2.8l. Then the $1500 and THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME to install a 350/TH350 combo when I graduated high school.

There is an upside to both situations, it's just up to you to decide.
Goodluck
Aaron

 

guys i hear where your coming from, my first car was a 63 falcon my dad bought me for $200. it ran great but i beat the hell out of it, i didnt start learning respect for cars untill i had to pay for the repairs etc. actually his first car was a 91 tempo that was handed down from my oldest son but this thing is such a pos that i need to get rid of it and find him something reliable. i dont have to spend $5000 on this vehicle but i do need to have something dependable as he needs to get a job and i do not have time to comute him back and forth to work and school. i like the idea about the ranger but as my oldest son has one and its been a good little truck but not many out there to choose from. just as a side note i keep hearing about how these imports ie; toyota,honda,nissan etc run forever and thats why i was wondering about the tacoma with 156,00 miles on it(seems way high to me).

thanks again, jeff

 

some reliable cars that get good mileage that have low resale value and will do what you need.

Early 90s Saturn sedan (not the most fun to drive, but will get you there)
Early 90s Honda Civic (I know, I know... but again, will get you there)
Toyota Corrolla
Chevy Cavalier
etc.

Basically, econo-box 4 bangers. Although, I'm sure that Pdq would suggest his geo corn-popper too.

I like the idea of the Ranger or S10 also. Good pics.

 

I agree with DjD 96% -

I have a real problem with the cars some of the "Kids" in my area drive also - they just beat the $hit out of them.
A 17 year old Discovery Bay kid was killed last week after hitting a pole @80+ in his new mustang, a grad. year present.

My personal recommendation would be to look at a few mid to full size Pick-ups. I guided my son towards a older Furd F-100 because it's built like a 'Brick-Outhouse' and easy as sin to get parts for. We also looked at several 70's and 80's Chevy Step-sides before he found the F-100. (there's a 1962 F-100 step-side in the paper right now under $2k I'm eyein' also...)
We picked it up for @$2000.oo including taxes,license and fees for the 1st year. New water pump, carb. rebuild, hoses, and fluids along with a set of tires put it great driving shape.
He drove it around pretty stock, except for new wheels & exhaust, for the first couple years - wearing out rear tires and bending bumpers and fenders all they way...
But it was slow enough he never got hurt or hurt anyone else in the process - hey - it's a truck, it's not supposed to be as fast as his friends 5.0, it just tows more...
Now we are in the middle of a complete "Do-over" - he loves his truck and wants it to be a clean 'street-rod' he can be proud of - and I know he has learned to take care of it.
He has learned to respect and repair his vehicles during this time and he likes the fact it's 'not something all his friends drive' and loves to explain the work we're doing when they stop over at he house - like I did with my friends 'back-in-the-day'... (this has the added plus of giving us great bonding time together!)
And he can haul the parts for his next project in it

IMHO you can't go wrong with a classic truck as a kids first "car"

John

 

Well, it's not new, used, but this is the kind of vehicle my son is getting for his first. Dependable, cheap parts, but slow top speed and not very good gas mileage.
http://www.dodgepowerwagon.com/classifieds/herefordvfd52m37.html

Initially it doesn’t look impressive but what my son and I are shooting for when finished is a look and performance like this one: http://www.hammerdownoffroad.com/bobsm37.htm

[ 04-27-2004, 10:27 AM: Message edited by: Geezer ]

 

There ya go! No worries about being broadsided, no worries about street racing it, no worries about hitting curbs or shopping carts! No worries about being stuck in the snow.... not that ya get any there. No worries about keeping it clean or damaging the paint!

 

Early 90's Honda Accord or Civic. They run forever and are very reliable.

-Mark.

 

I was just gonna say, can you find a 3-banger Chevy Sprint/Suzuki Swift five speed hatch or a later model Metro b/c they will run forever!!

Beside, it will be toast shortly anyway and I hope not but that's kinda how it seems ta go.........

And it may not even be his fault..

Good luck.

pdq67

 

I would never buy my kid an old truck.

Just because they're big, that surely does not mean they are safe. They are more likely to die in an old vehicle (either a truck or car) than a newer vehicle that had much better safety standards.

Same things go for SUVs today. People thing that since they're large, they must be safe. But the truth is, most midsize cars are safer than your average SUV. Trucks too.

 

Originally posted by Silver69Camaro:
I would never buy my kid an old truck.

Just because they're big, that surely does not mean they are safe. They are more likely to die in an old vehicle (either a truck or car) than a newer vehicle that had much better safety standards.

Same things go for SUVs today. People thing that since they're large, they must be safe. But the truth is, most midsize cars are safer than your average SUV. Trucks too.

-----------------------------------------------

Just gotta disagree with you 'Silver';

'A newly released study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows that when a car is hit by a light truck or SUV, the car is the loser. But IIHS spokesmen told the Washington Post that the report is meant to bring perspective to the car/light truck crash debate. The study shows that passengers in cars are four times more likely to die than those in pickup or sports utility vehicles.

This is what is being called a fight between automotive Gullivers and Lilliputians between 1990 and 1995. Statistics showed that if a small cars weighting less than 2,500 pounds is stuck in the side by a SUV, occupants of the car are 47 times more likely to die. By comparison, when a car hits another auto in the side there are six deaths in the car being hit for every one in the striking vehicle.

They cite the example of a pickup trucks in the 3,500-4,000 pound class, such as the Ford F150 or GMC 1500, that hits another vehicle. More than twice as many die in the other vehicles than the trucks: 115 to 52. But when a car in the same weight range, such as a Ford Taurus or Chevy Lumina , crashes with another vehicle the death ratio is 57 in the other vehicle to 53 inside the large car. And, for crashes involving sport utility vehicles, the ratio is 92 deaths in the other vehicles to 37 in the sport utility.'
(from - "Insurance Institute for Highway Safety" web site)


"But the truth is, most midsize cars are safer than your average SUV. Trucks too." (Silver)
Uh No - the "truth" is...
'The study shows that passengers in cars are four times more likely to die than those in pickup or sports utility vehicles' (IIHS)

Sorry - I didn't make this stuff up...

They also quote statistics on SUV v.s. Small Trucks (pick-ups) and state that the SUV's are a larger death contributor than Pick-ups due to their 'Higher-Center-of Gravity' are prone to Deadly Roll-Over accidents more often.

So - at least accourding to statistics, anyone, including a Teenage Driver, is safer in a Pick-up...

John

Go here - http://www.hwysafety.org/safety_facts/fatality_facts/passveh.htm - to read statistics for Car v.s. SUV/Pick-up Deaths by year and vehicle type...

ps: Son's truck now has Lap and Shoulder Belts, Softer Impact Steering wheel, Power Disc Brakes, relocated fuel tank (out of passenger compartment) and other features to make it safer in case of an accident.

[ 04-28-2004, 10:05 AM: Message edited by: Vintage 68 ]

 

I didn't read all the stats on the site you refered to but did notice more deaths in single car rollovers in the pickups and suvs than other vehicles...

Head to head truck and suvs crashing into sedans or cars in general that are smaller the truck wins but that's just one type of accident that can occure.

Single vehicle crashs (1-3 yr old vehicles) also have less deaths in sedans than suvs and trucks...

I tend to agress that folks in suv's and trucks falsely feel safer than they really are.

Here's the nhtsa's crash test site...

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/ncap/

 

Originally posted by DjD:
I tend to agress that folks in suv's and trucks falsely feel safer than they really are.

Great statement DjD

I tend to agree most do - there a plenty of examples of your statement in my home town...

I drive a variety of vehicles including SUV's, Pick-ups and Passenger cars and don't feel any safer in one v.s. another.
I have tried to train my kids to pay close attention to the traffic and road conditions and not "out-drive" the conditions - no matter which vehicle they are in.

All my kids drive standard mid-sized passenger cars now (well - the youngest is restoring a 65 VW Bug right now, but it's her 'toy' and not her commute car) - but, they "learned" on larger SUV's, pick-ups and cars. I was hoping to "protect" them best as possible in the event of that first fender-bender - and it worked... They all had small accidents and were not injured. Several of the vehicles were 'write-offs' but, no major injuries.
Living in such a populous area and state, We knew it was inevitable there would be accidents as they learned and it was important to us to provide the safest vehicles we could during the first few years our kids drove.

There is no panacea for the safest vehicle a kid can drive - just good choices based off known data.
I agree that a "high-profile" SUV or Pick-up (4X4?) would be a lousy first choice.
But a slightly lowered and restified/modernized pick-up is not a bad way to go for a kid - and is backed by some data to support it.

Ya pays your money and takes your chances I quess...

John

 

I started both my boys off in a Ford Taurus, don't laugh you can pick up clean ones dirt cheap and if they crash it the junkyards has a sea of them for parts. They came with a great heater and defrost, A/C, seat 4, newer ones have air bags, park it anywhere who cares it's a Taurus. They aren't hot rods so they weren't abused just a thought for a cheap first car. The high school guys used to rag on my son about the car until he would ask them how much they paided for their car, then he tell them his old man spent $125 bucks on the Taurus, it was throw away transportation. Plus the guys who ragged on the car rode the school bus too, all talk. I was gonna sell it to another high school kid but his dad wanted his son in a better (looking) car. In my kids high school I've seen parents spend a lot of money on cars just to see the cars damaged, dented or crashed a short time later.

 

I see what you mean John, but I tend to disagree with the context of your argument. I'd like to point out a couple things:

1. "Statistics showed that if a small cars weighting less than 2,500 pounds is stuck in the side by a SUV"

This is my fault, I wasn't talking about a car with such little mass. To me, a car under 2500lbs is a pretty small car, something I wouldn't purchase for my kid. Something around 3000 would be good, and you'd be surprised how heavy some cars are now. Take our 1999 Merc Cougar: 3100lbs!

But the quotes you mention don't say anything about the age of each vehicle, and what safety features it has. Now, used cars with side airbags are becoming affordable.

If you look at the data table in the website you provided, you see that in cars/trucks 1-3 years old, 30-50% less people die in passenger cars than trucks. SUVs fare better, which I found interesting.

Also, it mentions roll-overs. We all know that young drivers can take corners WAY too fast. According to that site, pickups and SUVs get into 53% more roll over accidents than passenger cars.

That's an interesting website with lots of stats. A real eye-opener.