Car for teenage girl

[Smit-Dog]

As just one small example of what some teenagers do when they get their license...

On really snowy nights, we'd pile about 5 guys in my '79 Mustang, and fly down deserted county back roads. It was called Brake Roulette. At around 30-50 MPH, somebody, make that anybody, would suddenly pull up hard on the parking brake without warning or notice. This would immediately put the car into a head-snapping 180-360-540-720-whatever degree spin. The object was to keep the car moving in a forward direction without going into the ditch. All while slowly going deaf with Ozzy and Iron Man cranked...

I bought the car without so much as a scratch on it, and after 2 years you couldn't find a 10" section without a dent in it.

 

[firecracker22]

Originally posted by Smit-Dog
As just one small example of what some teenagers do when they get their license... It was called Brake Roulette.

Now that sounds like fun . . .

 

[OnAnySunday]

Originally posted by firecracker22:
"topped out at 82 mph and took 15 minutes downhill to get there, got 30 miles to the gallon, and since they weigh about 5500 pounds there is no POSSIBLE way to die in one."

Sounds like my bike...............



:silly:

 

[Tom Dixon]

My first car is a '92 Pontiac Grand Am, 4 door, 5 speed stick, with a 2.3 ltr (I think) 4 cyl. It has 192,000 miles on it. It is quite slow, and by no means "mint". I think it is a great beginner car, and if it breaks or crashes, I am peddling my fat butt around on my bicycle.
My sister started out in '87 Caddilac Deville. That think was a boat!!! I think that older bigger cars are a bit better than some rice burner. They have more iron on them and help your driving skills by driving and parking a huge car.....

 

[kawakx125]

a mitsubishi eclipse is a good car for a chick to start driving on. you can easily get a 4 cylinder for cheap, plus they look pretty cool.

 

[FreestyleGrl]

whoa, u guys are actually considering gettin her those? Well i dunno how much i would worry bout "lookin hott" i'd be more worried bout the speed...and is it gonna kill me. and also...for myself...my parents would NEVER buy me any sort of vechile, quad, dirtbike, watever...everthing I've ever owned, I payed for myself...and i gotta buy a car in the spring :O But if u get her something...get a Jeep, those are sweet.

 

[Blitz393]

i STILL have my permit, but i have had my truck for about 4 months now. (stupid NM laws) it is a 1989 Mazda B2200 four-cylinder longbed. (easily fits 2 fullsize bikes) fading red paint, and chrome spoke wheels. also a sticky ring and billowing smoke when it hasn't been started for a day or two.

quite a mod list eh.
get her a cheap 4/6 cylinder front wheel drive car: civic, escort, taurus, etc. great gas mileage, cheap, and not much potential for speeding tickets. my truck probably tops out about 95 mph, but i have yet to see. i had it to around 85 and it was starting to whine.... it's a 5 speed manual RWD. it will break the rear meats loose but with lots of leadfootedness and clutch abuse :confused: i am 16, ever since the third of march, and i have driven my dad's '83 CJ7 lifted 3" with 33's and it is not a good first car. i love it though :) 5spd manual 2/4wd and my moms '97 Grand Caravan ( :eek: ) and my friend's '70 truino and my OTHER friend's '96 Saturn Sport DOHC. the saturn is a great "chic car" also, handles great, Fwd, but is capable of 120mph. (says my friend's dad, who was driving it at the time :silly: )

NO teenager should be in a $40,000 SUV IMO. a little rice burner will defenitely suffice until she has the skill/experience for a "cool" car.

BTW did i mention i bought my truck for $450 and drove it home? :confused:

Rob

 

[YZandrew]

Hey Blitz, I used to have an 89 Mazda too! Lots of great memories in that thing. I pretty much ran that thing till it wouldn't run no mo'. After I traded it in, I had to go back to the dealer a couple days later, and I saw it sitting in the back lot. Looked so sad sitting there all dirty and abandoned.

 

[LuserKid]

I say put her behind the wheel of a 1970 super beatle. That is what my 2 sisters and I all got to drive when we got our licenses. Small no power and no AC. The kind of car that makes you not want to drive. And when I got it I took the back seat out so when I went somewhere with my friends one of them had to drive.

 

[JPIVEY]

Well lets see, my daughter has had her DL for 15 months now, in that time she totaled my 00' Z28, blew the motor out of my 99 f150 and is now driving a 95' mustang convert. it has a V6 and 4 wheel disc brakes, it don't go fast , but it stops on a dime.

Her next mode of transportation will be a new pair of DC's in a color of her choice

 

[Smit-Dog]

My 16 year old niece has had driver's since October 2002, and since then has been in 4 accidents where she was at fault (2 minor, 1 with $1500 in damage, and 1 finally totaling the car). Never received a ticket for any of the 4 accidents ( :think: ), but has received 2 speeding tickets. Her insurance is $5400 per year, paid for by her parents. :|

Personally, I think that her license should have been yanked at accident #3. I predict that the state will eventually suspend her license, but hopefully she ( and her current car) will still be in one piece.

 

[2smoke]

A Volvo.....then a young girl doesn't have to pay attention to the road anymore because she cannot die....and if she has an accident people will look at the make of the car....and say nothing because they understand...she is a Volvo driver. Go Volvo!!!

 

[KelvinKDX]

Due to recent events my 98 Honda Prelude will be up for sale:  great milage, safe, $$$ sound system.

Actually i think that she'd be better off in a vehicle that has some wear and is known to be safe.  When she has that fender bender you do not want her hurt or worried about the car.

 

[BunduBasher]

I would think the new Toyota Prius is the way to go.

I think the deal will be when my daughter qualifies for a car, my wife will get the Mustang convertible, and the daughter will get her car.

If she wants a sporty car, I'd be looking at a Mazda Miata - small, sporty, and carries no passengers. No way do I want my kid to be the local taxi. For my boy, I think it will be a small truck, extended cab if he is lucky.

If nothing else, she gets the Hyundai Accent coupe my wife is driving right now.

New or fancy cars for school kids to my mind is not a good idea, unless of course they buy it themselves. A cheap solid used car is a much better option. I have heard too many horror stories of kids in crashes within weeks of getting a new 16th birthday car.

BTW, my kids are out of luck, I got to drive my Mom's car, but had to buy my own when I had the money !

 

[Rodzilla]

Just my two pennies (and probably not worth that much)

I live two blocks from the high school. And EVERYDAY I see 16-18 year old drivers ripping by my house. Last week a car with 6 girls in the trunk drove by at about 50 mph (it's a 25 zone)

As if the Fart-can tail pipes on the rice rockets were not bad enough, then you get the ghetto blasters going boom boom boom down the street.

My point? At 16 *most* kids are gonna drive like we did...like idiots (God I don't know how I'm still alive)

WHile I agree either will make her look "HOT" which one will keep her alive?

That said..I personally won't let my kid drive a Jeep as a first car (unless it's a gladiator pickup :confused: ) Just too much risk of dumping it. (And I drove a '72 CJ-5 with a V-8 through school and am a self professed Jeep nut!)

 

[snb73]

Volvo station wagon. The S-70 in red looks very cool, but it may be too fast.
You'd (she'd)definately be safe with a diesel volvo.

 

[jackdrinker]

awd pontiac vibe with the sport kit and optional super charger....
it's only $21k at the corner lot...

 

[drk98]

Forget the Wangler, she'll roll it in a week. Hey this is DirtRider.Net, put her on a bike. Thats my first means of transportation(maybe not legal for a while) but until I can get a truck to haul it in. Of course the bike will probably cost more than the truck.:silly:

 

[OutlawXR4]

Get her a 77 Buick Electra, that was my first car, won't have a bunch of horny as hell guys chasing her around, accept maybe me, haha. For real though, get her a big ass old boat, back from when cars were made of steel, at least if she smashes it up, she'll be safe. Or get her a truck, girls that have there own trucks are Hot, plus she'll still be safe in it.

 

[BunduBasher]

How about a Mazda MX3 ? if she wants a convertable, get the old Dodge Dakota convertable truck - those were pretty sweet :)

 

[CaNaDiAn,Eh?]

I've had my liscence for a couple of months now and am hoping to someday soon get a vehicle of some kind. I would prefer a truck to due cheaper insurance, and less space for passengers. However, older trucks have a reputation for being gas guzzlers. It also more money to get a nice looking truck in good shape than a car. Car's are cheaper to buy, but in many cases the insurance was more money....depending upone the car of course. Another issue I had with cars is that there is more room for passengers, I have no desire to be a chauffer to all of my friends who want a ride but don't feel the need to help pay the gas. That's why I told my parents that I should get a 2 seater car like a stingray...so I don't have room for passengers... :laugh: I also don't need the destractions....i've been driving legally (learners permit) since I was 14 and a little sooner before that just around the fields. I think that if she lives in the city and/or has the ability to get a job within walking distance she could at least chip in some money if she wants a brand new car. My problem is that I live on a farm if I want a job I have to drive, and if I have no job I have no money which means I have no way to pay for a car. If she seems like the responsible type a jeep might be ok....but if her only concern is looking 'hot' then she should probably have a cheap safe car even if it is ugly. There are a lot of kids in my area that get nearly brand new vehicles when they get their liscences and drive like idiots. You should look at her maturity level and driving ability before you decide what car to get her.

 

[RYDMOTO]

I second the Volvo.Safe car and they run forever.My 1990 760 has over 200,000 and still runs great! And I love my '99 S-70T-5R :)

 

[Chief]

I know it's ugly as sin, but I can't help liking the Element by Honda. Real boxy and dorky looking and I'd guess underpowered but I'd like to have one just the same.

 

I don't see a new vehicle in my future but it's nice to dream a little anyway. I'm just glad my '97 Dakota is staying in good health and Try to keep up on it.

 

Chief

 

[j_freak]

My turn to chime in, yay :eek:

I'm 16 going on 17. Don't have my license yet, but grew up on 5 acres driving lawn tractors, real tractors, backhoe, bulldozer, trucks, go carts, bikes, quads, etc. Right now I'm practicing in my mom's 87 Dodge Caravan. The epitome of un-coolness, but I personally think the green slime growing on the hood makes up for its ugly aesthetics :laugh: When I get my license I will most likely be driving that for 2-4 months until I get a small pickup, (really old mazda or something similar that I can stick my bike into) or finish restoring my 1960 Ford Falcon :yeehaw:

The personality of the teen girl determines which car she should get, however I feel rather strongly that NOBODY should get a new car handed to them on a silver platter. I believe that kids should have to either buy their own car, or have a beater car given to them by their parents if they deserve it. An old inline six cylinder is a cool, safe car for a teen. Decent gas mileage, 2-3 tons of steel protection, repairs are cheaper, (If you get in a 15 mph accident in a ford focus, you'll pretty much need to replace the whole front end. Get in the same accident in a Falcon or similar and at most pay 2 bucks for a can of spray paint to cover the tiny scratch or chip that came off) and although they'll go fast, they take longer to get there than newer cars (depending on the car of course). Mid 80's cars would work fine too, but not as cool.

Jeeps and trucks have too high of a center of gravity, plus for trucks at least the fuel costs will be a lot higher.

My dream car is a Volkswagon Thing covered completely in duct tape, then sealed with some sort of clear coat. :thumb:

 

[KelvinKDX]

Volvo station wagon. The S-70 in red looks very cool, but it may be too fast.
You'd (she'd)definately be safe with a diesel volvo.

The Volvo station wagon would be a V70 - just bought one for Wendy. Nice car!! V=Vagon, The S70 = Sedan.