Mind child, Delmar (not his real name) is turning 8 weeks soon, so naturally I’ve already started shopping for his first car. It’s hard! All the cars my single self thought would be great options to teach my kid that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” and that “hard work is how you get anywhere in life” are vehicles I can’t get myself to consider anymore. Maybe I’ve gone soft?
Upon my wife birthing Delmar, various wires in my brain either got crossed, or they un-crossed themselves and are now functioning properly, because my plans to daily-drive my family in old cars have pretty much gone out the window. And while I myself still feel OK driving old junkers, don’t think there’s not part of me that isn’t constantly thinking that I need to not die for at least 18 years, at least.
Naturally, my hunt for my son’s first car has taken a sharp turn from 1965 Plymouth Valiant to post-2010 machines. This is a large departure from where I stood about a year ago, which was: “Just get the child the cheapest crap-can possible and make him wrench on it to keep it running” and also “I drove an unsafe old Jeep in high school/college, so my kid can handle one, too!”
In my defense, I don’t think this is me going soft, I think it’s just reality that the safety innovations in the past 20 years have been absolutely tremendous, and I’d be a fool to ignore them. Take Electronic Stability Control, which helps keep your car under control in emergency-maneuver situations. From NHTSA:
In 2015 an estimated 1,949 lives were saved by electronic stability control (ESC) among passenger vehicle (PV) occupants. These lives saved consisted of 857 passenger car (PC) occupants and 1,0911 light-truck and van (LTV) occupants. The estimated 1,949 lives saved in 2015 is an increase over the estimated number of lives saved in previous years; 1,575 lives saved in 2014, 1,380 lives saved in 2013, 1,225 lives saved in 2012, and 896 lives saved in 2011. Added together ESC has saved more than 7,000 lives during the 5-year period from 2011 to 2015. NHTSA’s estimates of effectiveness for ESC have been updated in the report, Updated Estimates of Fatality Reduction by Electronic Stability Control (Kahane, 2014), discussed in the Background section of this Research Not
From IIHS:
IIHS studies indicate that ESC reduces fatal single-vehicle crash risk by about half and fatal multiple-vehicle crash risk by 20 percent for cars and SUVs. Many single-vehicle crashes involve rolling over, and ESC’s effectiveness in preventing rollovers is even more dramatic. It reduces the risk of fatal single-vehicle rollovers by 75 percent for SUVs and by 72 percent for cars.
Did you read that?! “It reduces the risk of fatal single-vehicle rollovers by 75 percent for SUVs and by 72 percent for cars.”
That is insane. There’s no chance I’m ignoring that. My kid’s car is getting ESC, period.
And you know what, he’s also getting side airbags and a good overall IIHS rating, especially on the Small Overlap Rigid Barrier (SORB) test. I realize in the future there will be more stringent tests, so the car won’t be the safest, but it’ll probably be safe enough.
I would love to get my kid something with a manual transmission, but it all depends on what fuel prices look like in the future. There’s a decent chance he’ll be driving something electric. Maybe I could get him an EREV so he can still do some oil changes, which we can all agree, are good for the soul.
Maybe he’ll inherit my BMW i3? The Mazda3 hatch above with a stickshift could also be a decent option, and it is included in IIHS’s “Safe Vehicles for Teens” list:
That list is pretty boring though, and though safety is paramount, I’d like my child to drive something at least somewhat interesting. Is the i3 too small for a road filled with SUVs and trucks? I don’t know; it’s hard, and I only have about 16 years to figure it out!
What car you buy your kid/have them save up to buy themselves?
Right now, I would go for a Vibe GT or SVT Focus for a kid. Sporty and quick, fun to drive, hatchback for practicality, cheap enough to justify just in case they wreck it but cool and rare enough to become a long term love for them. And new enough to have some good safety features. Want newer? Fiesta ST, a TDI Sportwagen, or Fusion.
Plus they are cars I like just in case they pull a dumb and I take the car back.
He’s about to turn 1, I’ll worry about this in 15 years haha
Nah, you gotta start the psychological experimentation now that makes him want the car you want him to have. Then you lightly push him toward something else and “give in” and give him what you’ve prepared him to want.
This!
When we were new drivers, my husband and I had convertibles for both our first two cars. We have a different Sunday driver convertible now. We always talked about how fun our cars were. We talked my son into getting a SAAB 9-3 convertible. It has those little pop up roll bars and it does well on the crash tests. It’s fun to drive. Earlier in our lives, we considered getting a 9-3 sedan (chose a CTS-V instead), and for my second car way back in the day, I chose a 1988 3 series convertible instead of the SAAB 900 convertible.
My son has had his car for nine years now. It’s hard to know when to stop with the old car repairs and replace it. We all still like driving it.
The sweet spot where safety, reliability and cheapness meets. Cheapness is more important if I will buy and maintain. Fun is optional, it really depends on the kid (after their mother accident, it will not be a priority unfortunatelly).
Daughter’s first car was a (95?) MK3 Jetta. 2nd car was a used 2014 Focus. First car taught her about what driving a shitbox is, and why she should save up for a better vehicle. Also taught her the perils of “deferred maintenance”. 2nd car was all about following service schedule and making it last, which she did quite admirably. 1st car was donated when it died, 2nd car she sold to her cousin who is still driving it today. 3rd car she bought brand-new, all by herself, and did quite well with, a 2023 Honda HR-V. She loves that little black crossover!
Interesting way to say your child is imaginary.
Too much spaghetti & Mashed taters.
Mind child, think therefore he be, mind child, a new philosophy!
Our daughter wanted a small car (I guess the two things I gave her were sarcasm and a love of non-SUV conveyances). That ruled out a whole host of brands – Ford because they don’t sell cars; my son – a Hyundai technician – talked me out of the Korean brands for various reasons mostly centered around reliability; used Civics were hilariously expensive.
So I bought a Mini Cooper S. The only tradeoff was it’s not a stick, but it’s a fun, tossable car with enough safety equipment that my wife and I aren’t terrified every time our daughter goes for a drive. I was going to buy a non-S but it was so underpowered that merging onto busy NJ roads was nerve-wracking.
Added bonus: I use it when she’s away at college and give my car a break.
Wait, you bought a mini cooper S because the Koreans were too unreliable?
I inquired about pre-owned vehicles at the dealership where my son works. He immediately regaled me with tales of engine replacements on many of their models, telling me to stay away. That, coupled with my general distaste of their styling had me look elsewhere.
I forgot to mention I bought the Mini from a Mini dealership, not a kid on Craigslist. It’s a 2016 and the paint wasn’t perfect, but I had the dealership I work at do a pre-delivery inspection and they found no mechanical issues. I’ve had the car for two years now and it’s required nothing but regular oil changes. And premium fuel, of course.
Serious answer: Probably a Bolt or an i3 (with the range extender if I was worried about them taking it out without charging first). Cheap to maintain, cheap to buy, relatively new, pretty small, enough power to get out of their own way but not enough to be completely stupid in it.
Alternatively: A 30 year old manual kei truck to force them to learn to drive a manual and getting a truck into the household so I could use it when I need to.
A slower EV would be a great first car.
In 16 years we’ll surely have flying cars and a machine that gets us ready for our day by waking,dressing,and feeding us before our busy day begins.Just in case that doesn’t happen a gently used Corolla will do the job.
The driver-assist items (ESC, etc.) may also mean the difference between stratospheric insurance rates and rates that are merely eye-watering.
No kids here, but it’s my understanding that new drivers are quite expensive to insure (because statistics).
Kids are expensive to ensure, and I’ve heard some companies will raise your rates when your kid becomes a teenager even if they aren’t driving yet because “What if they take your keys and go joyriding?”
How would they know anything about what children I have or what ages they are unless and until I specifically add them to my policy?
Maybe some insurances make you disclose that. I’ve never dealt with it, but I’ve had the same insurer since well before my kid was born.
I googled around and it sounds like some policies or states require that you disclose everyone in your household even if they do not drive. I can tell you State Farm in Michigan does not make you do that.
At some point teen Delmar will get into a fight with you, tell you he hates your guts and threaten to run away from home. Get him a Toyota Mirai, jokes on you boy.
When teen Delmar gets into a fight with him, he’ll tell David he hates cars. Teens always go for the parental weak spot.
“The Jeep 4.0 SUCKS!”
“i3 is OVERRATED!”
That at least narrows down where he’d run away to.
Either a terminal station (Long Beach or, currently, Azusa) or Alissa Walker’s house.
if I was going to put a teenager into a car *today*
it would be a 2014-2016 era Mazda 3 with a manual transmission.
these are solid cars from a reliability and safety standpoint, most of them came equipped with a backup camera and they can be updated software and hardware wise to use carplay and android auto if they have the touch screen setup.
Yup, I have a 2014 Mazda3 hatch with the 6sp and it’s an excellent car, and would be an excellent teenager car.
I also have the android auto upgrade which is awesome – note that these have the scroll wheel mazda system and not a touch screen, but it still works well with android auto.
Supercab Ranger with a 2.3(duratec or lima) and a stick. Caveman simple and good enough fuel economy with the ability to haul 4 people if needed but not comfortable enough for a bunch of kids to want to ride in it which causes nothing but trouble in my experience. Also has the ability to double as a work vehicle for typical teenage jobs like landscaping or being the local poolboy.
Depends on the kid but Prius has been a good answer for a while now. There was that one guy that said kids always crash cars so put them in cars you want to see distroyed. I don’t think that is true. I put my daughter in a 2nd gen Prius she liked it and was good with it then somehow her mom talked her into a newer Subaru that’s been a kick. I was always kind of jealous of the kids that got to rebuild their car from a young age. I was given opportunity but didn’t really have the time and it turned into a truck I still have but don’t use. But ultimately alot of kids might not want to work on cars and forcing them to probably isn’t going to make them want to either. I’ve seen that mistake made and no one is happy.
Good choice.
My wife envisions handing down her 2018 Forester to my daughter 9-10 years from now. A little uhhhh, optimistic considering the apparent lifespan of Subaru CVTs, but honestly, it would make for an excellent first car. It’s boring. It’s safe. Visibility is unmatched by practically any other modern car. She and her brother are already trashing it, so no worries about her screwing up anything too nice or precious.
The real question is whether or not it will survive another decade of road salt.
Edit: And I consider handing a kid a free 17 year old Subaru an excellent gift. I had to buy my first car on my own.
It’s a real issue I blame those commercials. Someone else needs to do them. My brother and law and I were able to talk my sister out of it recently and he found a fj for their daughter. I was not successful with my daughter’s mom who was determined she needed a Subaru and it being newer and a color she liked better then the Prius she was driving she was in.
Hey, if those commercials manage to keep my wife in the same car for 17 years that we bought new for 24k? Even if I have to throw cash into it to keep it alive, that’s a pretty good deal for me.
I’ll be pretty surprised if it survives that long but hey, I’m willing to try.
Someone bought an FJ Cruiser for their daughter? Man is that ever a tough vehicle to learn how to drive on. Thing is basically a mobile blindspot, lol.
I guess that’s a positive way to look at it. The Aussies follow Japanese suburu CVT maintenance schedule and have less issues. Learning in something with reduced vision helps people become better drivers they check their mirrors more often. They aren’t that bad. I’ve found Foresters have weird blind spots other vehicles don’t really have despite them claiming it’s a fishbowl with no blind spots. The newer ones seems to be worse.
My 10 year old is convinced he will get the Outback that we’ve had since he was a baby. The CVT is playing up now… we are just ringing the last of its usability out and it will be going in a couple of months. Sorry buddy.
Is the answer a Slate? The answer might be a Slate. 2 door Bronco if you want something that is, you know, actually in production.
That’s what I’m thinking if they actually have cars on the road in 5 years when I need to answer this question.
First generation Fiat 500e. Can’t go very far or very fast, cheap to buy, cheap to run, interesting to look at, minimal maintenance but still some Italian quirks, can’t bring too many people, small size and instant torque makes it fun to drive especially in the 0-30 mph range while still providing a healthy fear for your life when surrounded by typical SUVs. Most importantly, the short range teaches valuable lessons in planning ahead and being responsible.
Our teen daughter really wanted something unique, like a MINI Cooper or VW Beetle (modern versions). I also wanted something unique, so I don’t have to look at an old Civic or Prius in my driveway.
We ruled out MINI for many reasons.
Landed on a 2014 VW Beetle 1.8T, in bright yellow. It’s quirky, drives well, and is reliable. It has a decent amount of HP, but not enough to encourage risky driving.
If I had a kid of driving age, 2nd gen Toyota Prius
Something with modern safety equipment, large size but minimal seats, good traction, but not a ton of power.
Probably a 4×4 regular cab truck or a 2 door Jeep or something.
I think it makes sense to have a kid drive something of decent size, but my anecdotal experience of watching others with teenage kids, it seems they all manage to get into repeated fender benders with the unwieldy 3 row SUVs and pickups that they have. The spirit of the Camry dent lives on in with these families.
My experience with being a teen years ago tells me that kind of thing is going to happen no matter what they drive, so it might as well be something bigger/more robust.
In real life I’d be curious for the insurance rates for various types of vehicles, which will probably inform my decision as well. I still have a few years, thankfully.
I’m always curious about the kid insurance rates. We all know that performance cars have always been crazy expensive to insure for kids. Minivans are typically cheap, but if it’s a teenager with the implication of packing friends into it? I don’t know. Pickups are typically reasonable, but that now appears to be the official vehicle of local youth crashes into tree with friends around here.
I’ve had more than one dude ask me about my BRZ and if it would make a good car for a teenage girl. Honestly, yeah I’d recommend a Toyobaru for any teenager of any gender. They’re sporty looking but in reality don’t have the HP to get into too much trouble. They handle great and are plenty safe by modern standards. They also have a healthy and affordable aftermarket if the kid wants to break out the wrenches and ruin it.
A coworker asked me the same a few years back, I said probably not. They’re not quick and have all the basic driver assist stuff, but they really reward/encourage spirited driving in a way that a basic econo car doesn’t. If the kid isn’t really into that sort of thing a triplet could work nicely, if they have go-fast tendencies… Maybe not so much.
I’ve been threatening to keep my rusty manual-everything-but-the-locks-and-windows hatchback to gift my kid when he turns 16. My kid is currently 8 months old. My wife is not amused.
Buy him a Changli. Teach him maintenance skills. Every kid needs to know how to (safely?) handle a chainsaw.
Something several years old (but not rusted out old), with a 5 star safety rating, under 250hp, no truck bed, and 4 or fewer seats. You want this to be a boring car.
They will get my current car when I replace it.
I’ve still a few years to go.
It’ll teach them humility of a used car, but also that their parents wont just buy them new things (which they’ll inevitably break).
This is the game.
It is an excuse to get yourself a new car with the justification that your kid gets a used one with a known history.
I am crossing my fingers that Subaru will offer a WRX hatch by that time.
I bought my youngest kiddo a Volvo 740 wagon. He loved it to death.
My condolences.
Yep- it was heartbreaking.
I’m hoping “death” refers to the Volvo and not the kiddo.
Indeed – the Volvo
It kept him safe even though he drove more by sound than sight. The poor car didn’t have a square corner left on it when we finally sold it on.
Is that why the neighbors bought a Dodge?
“Dodge-em”