Yes, the car is often about the parents’ convenience (was in our house) but lets’s not forget the leap in time management skills that a teen makes when they take responsibility for their own calendar. Planning ahead and being on time is a great life skill! Significant self confidence is also often gained by the teen making the adjustment to college a bit easier.
oh yeah. When I turned 16, my Mom happily handed me a set of keys to a (10 year old lemon) car and said GO! My first day on the road I was on the Capital Beltway in rush hour traffic. Who cares? She didn’t have to leave at 4:30am anymore for swim practice!
We did the same for our kids for the same reason. Their schedules weren’t as bad as mine, but our lives got so much easier!
Same applied to cell phones. Once they started after school activities, my kids had cell phones. Was for my wife and me not my kids. That they got a benefit from them was a bonus.
Thoughts on Infiniti? I see reasonably priced G35 AWD sedans. I know they’re just fancy Nissans, but are they reliable?
We had an infinity that was a great certified used car.
We had an infinity that was a great certified used car.
UNICORN #2
I check Craigslist for several local areas at least twice per day looking for “the one.” Last night around 11pm I checked for a third time and came across a car posted 2 hours earlier…
Car: 2007 Lexus ES 350
Mileage: 47,000
It was purchased in Florida by an 80 year old man and spent the last 12 years down there. For health reasons he needed to move home to live with his daughter. They have decided to sell his car. I emailed right away and the son-in-law got back to me to let me know I can test drive the car this weekend. I’m cautiously optimistic because it seems too good to be true.
Good luck. Sometimes low mileages garaged cars need things replaced just gecsuse they’ve sat around so long and things deteriorate.
We decided on a 2018 Mazda3 that will eventually be D22’s car to drive to school. She will need to commute about 30 minutes.
I was the second person to email him. The first bought the car right away. The search continues.
Daaang.
We need a CC “marketplace.” 
We sold our last Corolla to a complete stranger diet cheap… I bet there was a CCer or a friend with a kid in need of good wheels. Would have gifted it to a good person- like we did with the Lexus van.
We gave our kids our old cars. If they didn’t like the cars, they were welcome not to drive them. Driving is a privilege not a right. Yeah, its convenient…but kids are not entitled to a car or a license. If our kids wanted a brand new car or something flashy, they could come up with the money themselves…
@natty1988 the OP is not looking for a new car for his kid. I think he also mentioned somewhere that he his older son got his handmedown car when he got a new one for himself. Doubtful that’s an option this time around as I think his current car is probably just a couple of years old.
I have four kids each two years apart so mine don’t have the option of getting handmedowns unless we buy new cars every two years. I currently have three kids with licenses, with one “kid” car. It’s working out at the moment b/c two are away at school, but the oldest will need a car soon. I’m not ready to give up my 6 y/o SUV (too big for her anyway) and dh’s car is only 3 y/o and not suitable for her either. I’ve been following this thread out of curiosity. We will most likely be buying a used Toyota or Honda, unless my 83 y/o MIL decides to stop driving and we buy her Volvo from her.
In our house driving is a privilege, but with four kids, multiple activities and a Dh who frequently travels, my kids having a license and access to a car was a major help to me. The two who are still at home go to two different private schools 30 and 45 minute drives each way. It will save me a lot of time and gas when the older one can drive himself to school (has his license but have been waiting until he’s had plenty of local driving under his belt before I’m ready for him to do that drive).
Correct, S18 got my 2003 Honda Accord when he was a junior in high school and I purchased a 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser.
There is no way I’d allow a newly minted driver to navigate the streets and parking lots of the world in my truck. It’s one big rolling blind spot. Besides, I love my truck, it has another 100,000 miles left in it.
My wife’s car is a 2016 so there’s no way S22 is getting that.
Since I started this thread I’ve spent many hours on the road observing the cars around me that are more than 8-10 years old. Older Corollas are EVERYWHERE, I wish they didn’t feel like the engine would outlive the interior. The Camry is ubiquitous as well, even more so than the Accord. There are a surprising number of older Audi A4s which runs counter to the conventional wisdom that they fall apart. The Lexus ES, IS and GS lines all show favorably as well. The Acura TL is very well represented on the roads. The Subaru Legacy has a strong presence. Even the Infiniti G35 has a decent showing.
Thankfully I’m not in a rush. Trying to balance value in relation to features while aiming for a 6 year, 60,000 mile shelf life with minimal maintenance has proven challenging so far.
It still amazes me that a Camry with 139,000 miles is priced the same as a Lexus with 139,000 miles, at least in our area.
If it is a Lexus ES, it is basically equivalent to a Camry, so it is probably valued similarly by those looking at older used cars.
Note that older Corollas tend to outlast older Civics, since the latter use timing belts with interference engines. Maintenance neglect resulting in timing belt failure can happen to Civics, while timing chain engines in Corollas just get a bit sloppier over long use.
I sold my Corolla to a friend of a friend 12 years ago for $16,00 bucks. The car was 10 years old with 150K miles. 12 years later with over 300K miles and it’s still driving!
We did the same with a Subaru Legacy. Sold it to friends about 10 years ago with about 175,000 miles on it…for $1000. They used it for two ears and sold it to a friend who used it for at least four more.
Four years go, we bought a 2005 Golf TDI Diesel. It had 65,000 miles on it. Drove it for four years, and sold it for $2000 to another friend. When we sold it, it had over 150,000 miles on it.
I’m still diligently scouring Craigslist for deals.
The current 2 cars vying for my attention are a very reasonably priced 2006 Acura TSX and an overpriced 2008 Infiniti G35x. The G35 owner and I would need a “come to Jesus” moment to get things done.
Dear Accord and Camry owners,
Please stop overpricing your cars with equivalent mileage in relation to Acura, Lexus and Infiniti. I would actually prefer cloth seats, rather than leather, for my son. I’m not paying leather/luxury pricing for bare bones Hondas and Toyotas though.
@GKUnion our kids’ car is a 2009 Acura TSX. We bought it used in 2014 with about 35K with the intention of it being a kids’ car eventually. Dh drove it for two years then got himself a new car when oldest got her license in 2016. She drove for it two years then left for college, then S19 drove for two years and left for college. S21 just got his license in November. Just this week he started driving it to school (his commute is 45 mins on two congested suburban/urban highways into a big city-I’m still nervous LOL). It currently has 140K miles and has served our family well. Gets excellent gas mileage. I even love driving it. Our mechanic specializes in Honda/Acura (tho services my Toyota also) - we haven’t found repairs to be costly and has always been reliable. Still have one kid left to get a license and planning for her to keep driving it when S21 goes off to college.
I agree about preferring cloth seats, especially in a kids’ car. The Acura came with leather and is really showing its wear on its 10 year. My kids hate it in our hot summers when their legs stick to the seats, but it is what it is.
The one thing that I will say is that our TSX is a “fast” car - I really notice the difference compared with driving my big SUV. I have to remind S21 all the time to watch his speed b/c it is a smooth ride. Speed limit goes from 65 on first hwy to 55 on second and then 30mph when he exits (and that street frequently has cops doing radar). It’s very easy to forget just how fast you are going, esp when keeping up with flow of traffic, who are all typically speeding.
@4kids4us This TSX is a one owner, no accident, well maintained and garaged car with 73k on it. The owner pulled out of their garage and drove to the office, where they parked in a garage. I’ll hopefully see it tonight or tomorrow.