<p>My kid got the license. Time for us to get a car, any car, since we don’t have a spare vehicle. Gave up on getting a used car. Looking at a Honda and a Fiesta. A Fiesta seems more for the young. I would apprecaite any feedback. Thank you.</p>
<p>I love the new Fiesta in the lime color. It’s adorable! We’ve had Fords for the last few decades and have found them to be very reliable.</p>
<p>Lime color! That’s fun. We are looking at the hatchback 5 door one. I can see every teen will be in love with it.</p>
<p>Honda Fit?</p>
<p>I was thinking a Honda Accord.</p>
<p>I would recommend against the Fiesta for anything but local grocery store trips. I’m a teenager, and rented a Fiesta with my family over the holidays in California, and let me say that it was probably the scariest experience of my life trying to drive that glorified golf cart on the LA freeways. The engine strains itself with ANY bit of acceleration-- think starting from a traffic light, and sounds like it’ll explode.</p>
<p>(This is coming from driving my own decade old honda accord btw)</p>
<p>There was a thread a few weeks back where someone was devising on a new small car. They test drove a fiesta and also said they did not like the acceleration.</p>
<p>Oh?! Edmonds.com gave the acceleration thumps up. Slow acceleration will be a problem, not safe. Thank you for the caution.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1044479-honda-fit-vs-kia-soul-vs-nissan-cube-vs-scion-x-4.html?highlight=fiesta[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1044479-honda-fit-vs-kia-soul-vs-nissan-cube-vs-scion-x-4.html?highlight=fiesta</a></p>
<p>it was post 48. (I was following the thread as I am hoping to be able to get a new car sometime and want one with really good gad mileage).</p>
<p>Thank you for the link. Again, Edmonds review contradicts that about automatic shift and acceleration. The price on a Fiesta is good. If I get it I could go with their top model. Maybe the problems others mention from their rental car is not present in a higher priced models? The gas mileage is excellent. We don’t need a roomy interior.</p>
<p>I would think a good test drive would put to rest (or raise) any questions about the acceleration for you. It is a cute looking little car. I am quite interested in it but suspect it might be a tad small. Would probably work for just me although I am quite tall. But my husband is tall and wide. When I go car searching I will definitely be having a look at it. Do report back when you have done a test drive. I would be interested to hear your opinion.</p>
<p>We were interested in the Fiesta, but it was not yet available when we bought D a car. Got the Focus instead, which D adores.</p>
<p>Can you kid drive a stick shift? Usually small cars with small engines are more responsive with a manual transmission…spoken by someone who’s first car was a 1972 Ford Pinto with four in the floor. Second car was a 1982 Ford Escort manual 5 speed and third car was a Ford Taurus ('87) station wagon w/ manual transmission. </p>
<p>If you decide on a Honda I’d get a Civic rather than Accord for a teenager.</p>
<p>Must the teenager have a car?</p>
<p>Getting a car as soon as the teen gets a license is not automatic, and sometimes it may be better if the teen does not have a car of his/her own. </p>
<p>Although having family members share cars can be awkward, it provides a handy way of monitoring your teen’s activities without seeming to intrude too much. (You’re not asking when your teen is coming home because you’re concerned about what the teen is doing, you’re asking because you need to know when the car will be available for the next person who needs it.)</p>
<p>If it is necessary or desirable to get another car, maybe it might be better if the teen drove one of the family’s existing, larger cars, and a more experienced driver drove the new, small car. Teens tend to have high accident rates, and larger cars offer more protection during crashes.</p>
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<p>No, Not if there’s a spare car we can rotate among ourselves. No such luck. </p>
<p>Honda Civic is a good suggestion. We may look at a Focus as well. 2011 Focus is not as well reviewed as 2011 Fiesta. European flare of a Fiesta is also attractive.</p>
<p>Look at the Subaru Impreza. Standard AWD, really good safety features, good reliability. It’s a little more money but you may be able to find a good deal on a 2010 hatch.</p>
<p>I used to drive a Subaru. Loved the car not so much the dealership. If the dealership was a little easier to deal with, I would go back in an instant.</p>
<p>Why a brand new car? A new driver is bound to get a bunch of scratches and dings – you could save a a lot of money by getting a used car, even one that is just a few years old from a dealer. When my d. needed a car to commute to school, I got her a used car that had been a rental – so it was a good price, but low mileage (around 35K) … that was in 2006. When the kid went off to college, I kept her car and gave my other car to my son – and here it is 2011 and I’m still driving it.</p>
<p>If you can, keep the new car for yourself. High school parking lots are notorious for accidents, scratches etc… it’s less heartbreaking if damage happens to an old car. </p>
<p>Or think again about buying a used car for the teen.</p>
<p>Check out this Edmund’s article:</p>
<p>[Choosing</a> the Safest Car for Your Teen Driver — Edmunds.com](<a href=“http://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/choosing-the-safest-car-for-your-teen-driver.html?articleid=121346]Choosing”>http://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/choosing-the-safest-car-for-your-teen-driver.html?articleid=121346)</p>
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<p>Bottom line, IMO, Accord over Fiesta for safety. Fiesta is a thousand pounds lighter than the Accord. Crash ratings only compare within weight categories.</p>