<p>Had our S get AAA extended service with up to 100 miles towing service when he got a car in LA and have had it renewed when he moved to VA. The chances of his and D’s older cars needing some service that is more than 4-10 miles from where it may break down is just too great. S and D are on the same AAA card, so both have coverage. They also share a Costco membership, which is great to me.</p>
<p>He is not comfortable in the Land Cruiser but I wasn’t either when I bought it—and I’m still not great at parking it!</p>
<p>CT does not allow newly-licensed drivers to carry passengers for one year. Now, far too many people ignore this law, but I really, really hope that he will not. (Parents knowingly have their newly-licensed driver transport siblings before the six-month sibling exclusion has elapsed.) Storage space is not an issue. Am just trying to figure out which will be safer.</p>
<p>If you’re not sure which one is safer, I’d look into how long you’re expecting your son to keep the car. If it’ll be 6+ years, do you think the Land Cruiser will hold up without needing big money repairs?</p>
<p>We have 3 vehicles. The one we let our 18 year old drive is the Ford Expedition. It’s huge and yes it’s a pain to park. However the reason that we picked that one instead of one of our cars is that I believe he has a better chance of survival if he were to get into an accident. I’d pick the land cruiser.</p>
<p>Thanks Michigan Georgia! That is the way I am leaning but thought I would seek counsel from more experienced parents, as I was having last minute doubts here. Has your 18 year old hit anything yet? </p>
<p>Niquii–while I would usually think a seven year old car was a better bet than a thirteen year old one, we have spent more than twice as much repairing the BMW as we have the LC, ignoring brakes, tires and scheduled maintenance, as I don’t consider those to be repairs. </p>
<p>Thank you both!</p>
<p>CT1417, which car would you rather be in if you get hit by a Verizon truck, or an oil truck, or a Chevy suburban? how about when hitting a tree or pole? I do know BMW is one of the better built cars out there though. Take airbags into consideration too. My dad has always taught me the bigger the better…size wins. I learned to drive a chev suburban back in the 70’s. I am only 5’3" and I could handle it. You just have to park far away! Dad took me to a parking lot and had me practice stopping short. He’d yell out that a small child just ran out and I’d have to slam on the brakes. I’m sure my lessons were unlike many other people’s!</p>
<p>My first car was a Ford LTD2 station wagon. Probably the biggest ugliest station wagon on the road back then. Dad got it for me and couldn’t believe that I was horrified rather than grateful. He wanted me to be safe. They got me a car because I needed it to commute rather than go away to school like my brothers. I can’t imagine anything that could be comparably as embarrassing these days. It looked like a hearse!
Unless OP’s child is buying it he can’t complain…
We had a seatbelt fine for our kids. $20 if we saw them not wear it. Not sure if we ever enforced it, but we should have.</p>
<p>In our state you can only be out until 11 until you are 18 and driving for at least a year. We thought that was early (it was recently change from 18) but any fines were on him if he stayed out. He got a ticket at 430 am just outside our neighborhood. Supposedly he couldn’t sleep over where he was after all. Going to court (mandatory court, another way for municipality to make $–court costs) was probably a good learning experience. Zero point ticket, just a fine and inconvenience of court.</p>
<p>When my first son got his license I was a wreck. MySpace was new and DS was driving off to meet people who were basically strangers and going places he’d never been and driving a car I didn’t trust (used so i didnt really know how reliable it was–used cars worry me if they are out of warranty) I was so much better with ds2! It’s probably easier for people who have kids who always follow the rules. I hope you have one of those!</p>
<p>One more thing, ds2 is driving our Tahoe. I don’t think he has hit anything, though there is a small ding in the bumper that can’t be explained. He has been driving it for 4years including while he had his permit. We wanted to keep the truck in the family when dh got a car instead. We help subsidize his gas because we didn’t give him the option of a more efficient vehicle. Sometimes I think it gets him to make other people do the driving so he doesn’t have to use his gas.</p>
<p>How about also having them be responsible for any insurance surcharges for any citations or crashes? (This will probably effectively stop them from driving if they get any citations or cause crashes, because they would not be able to afford such surcharges.)</p>
<p>Quick question? How do cops even know a kid is driving past curfew?</p>
<p>I’ve driven past curfew more times than I can count. I’ve never been pulled over. I’ve even driven to work around 5 in the morning. Nothing. How do these kids get pulled over?</p>
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<p>The Toyota Land Cruiser’s worse handling and likely worse behavior at the limit (more prone to tipping over) can make it a more dangerous vehicle for a new driver. A BMW’s sportiness would make it safer under the same driving habits, but could tempt some drivers to drive in a more risky fashion (i.e. driving habits may not be the same).</p>
<p>Probably the optimal car in this respect is one with high handling limits and good braking, but which does not feel sporty.</p>
<p>Regarding reliability, a Toyota is likely to be more reliable than a BMW.</p>
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<p>It probably just becomes an additional citation if the driver is stopped for some other reason. Traffic stops sometimes reveal other things (e.g. the cop may be stopping someone for running a red light, but then notice the alcohol smell…).</p>
<p>Forgot this…dad made me SHOW him I could change a Tire before he let me drive on my own. My dad is one of a kind!</p>
<p>And, we also preferred to have DS2 drive one of our “old” cars rather than buy someone else’s problems. Learned that from ds1. I see OP already thought of that.</p>
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<p>Actually, design wins. [This</a> article](<a href=“Sturdy cars make it harder for rescuers - USATODAY.com”>Sturdy cars make it harder for rescuers - USATODAY.com) uses a crash between a 2007 Ford Fusion and 2001 Ford F-150 as an example for the main point about how stronger cars require more heavy duty extrication tools. Note that the occupants of the Fusion survived, while the F-150 driver was found dead.</p>
<p>IIHS front offset crash tests of the two vehicles in question, showing how better design provides better crash protection:
[IIHS-HLDI:</a> Ford Fusion](<a href=“http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=756&seriesid=561]IIHS-HLDI:”>http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=756&seriesid=561)
[IIHS-HLDI:</a> Ford Fusion](<a href=“http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=631&seriesid=561]IIHS-HLDI:”>http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=631&seriesid=561)
[IIHS-HLDI:</a> Ford F-150](<a href=“http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=7&seriesid=327]IIHS-HLDI:”>http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=7&seriesid=327)</p>
<p>Mjf- my husband calls that the “QuickStop!” </p>
<p>I would choose the larger car too. I learned to drive on a Chevy suburban in '77 and after driving that as a teenager, every other car was a breeze.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus–if I am reading your post correctly, you have summarized my thoughts. The LC is very tall and therefore more prone to tip over although I have never had that problem. Even my husband who drives far too aggressively has never had that issue. The car has never been in an accident other than with my garage! I think I am more concerned about him hitting something than tipping over.</p>
<p>Regarding the braking…one cannot drive the LC the same as the BMW. I do worry about the sportiness of the BMW as I find myself exceeding the speed limit and not realizing it. Very different acceleration in those two cars. So…are you saying what I feel which is that neither is an ideal choice? </p>
<p>I am not comfortable buying an older used car b/c there has been so much flooding here with the past two major storms. (Sandy & Irene) Most people moved their cars to higher ground, but no way to be certain when buying used. People are now raising their houses.</p>
<p>NJFootballMom–agree! A friend’s son hit a deer a few nights ago. $$$ body damage and a dead deer, but no harm to driver. You have answered another question of mine for the future. My younger son may never be very tall but if you could drive a Suburban at 5’ 3", then he should be fine.</p>
<p>Son is very grateful for whatever car he ends up with and realizes that it will be his only while he is here. It will not go to college.</p>
<p>Again, thank you all!</p>
<p>Many posts came in while I was typing.</p>
<p>As to police stopping…I agree that the various new-driver infractions are only caught when the driver is stopped for another reason. Our weekly police blotter is very entertaining reading, but I do not see teens stopped often.</p>
<p>UCB–I checked that IIHS site and no test info on either the LC or the Lexus version of the same car. There aren’t many sold in the US. The BMW fared well though.</p>
<p>I hadn’t needed to change a tire in decades until last summer. Picked up a nail somewhere and used AAA for first time in ten years. Excellent service but arguably a very poor financial decision to have paid for AAA for ten years.</p>
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<p>Neither is an ideal choice for a new driver.</p>
<p>I just added my new teen to my AAA membership- $27 extra. I have been a member for 15 years and have only used them a couple of times. I get a 12% discount off my T mobile bill, so it more than pays for itself.</p>
<p>I think we would tend to give our daughter a newer and safer car to drive, especially H. I know if it was up to him, he would give up his newer car to D1 to drive because he would be concerned of her safety driving at night or long distance. But I do see most people tend to give their kids family’s older car to drive. </p>
<p>My vote would be on the 7 year old BMW for handling and safety.</p>
<p>I think in many instances the bigger car wins. Many accidents do not occur like in a crash test. I have seen many collisions where the smaller car has serious damage and the bigger one looks untouched. However it is true that they are not all equal and crash tests should be considered. Unfortunately most of us aren’t buying the latest and greatest for our kids first car. My hubby calls the first car the practice car. We’ve heard plenty of stories of wrecked first cars! Compared to what some of his friends drive (a lot if teens have older less expensive sedans…altimas, hyundais, civics ) I feel much better knowing that he is in the Tahoe. </p>
<p>All good reasons to have plenty of rules for the new driver and to enforce them, especially seat belts and no texting. (good rules for all of us)</p>
<p>If teen is taking car away to college, make sure they have a couple of extra car keys to keep back in their apartment or dorm room in case they lose keys or lock them in car. Too if car battery is a couple of years old, maybe put a new battery in car before they go back to college with car.</p>