<p>OK, I’ve looked and looked and even though I remember a thread about this, I can’t find it. </p>
<p>We need to but either a cheap new car or a reliable used one for our 16 and 18 year old sons. The 18 year old will only be using it during the summer and for vacations. </p>
<p>The idea is: we will help buy a very cheap new one, but they have to pay for half (looking at a Nissan Versa, base model ~$11,000.). We (the parents) would own half of the car, so we’d have an interest in the cleanliness and other upkeep, etc. (bothersome for the boys).</p>
<p>If they buy used, they are likely to get a “cooler” car, and the parents will not be involved with the ownership, since they will pay for it themselves. Max $6000. We live in the Northeast, so older used cars are pretty beat up by road salt.</p>
<p>So, any advice on model? They’re boys, so a “cute” car is not acceptable Not looking at Toyota just now…</p>
<p>I’m no help…in our family the GROWN UPS get the new cars and the kids get the hand me downs. Our kids used a Nissan Quest and a Subaru…both hand me downs when the parents got the NEW cars. Neither was a “swanky” teen car…but that had its benefits…they were embarrassed to shuttle their friends around. GOOD!!</p>
<p>I think a kid with a nice newish car is asking for trouble. In our family as well, S got a 1992 car when we ended up with 4 cars & 2 drivers at home. We like that his car is older & more solidly built than a lot of the other cars on the road. Because it’s older, it’s less attractive to thieves (at least we think so) and it’s much heavier & more likely to protect him in a crash.</p>
<p>So far, S mostly uses his car to get to interviews, buy groceries & just now drive him & sister to visit relatives for spring break. I don’t believe his car is in great demand but seen as reliable transportation to run short errands.</p>
<p>Likewise when we were growing up, the parents got the newest vehicles & the kids scrambled for whatever hand-me-down they could get access to; you only got a NEW (or better) car when you had a full-time job & could handle ALL the expenses associated with it–insurance, gas, maintenance & the purchase price.</p>
<p>You’ll get the best bang for your buck buying a 2 year old used car. Most of the major depreciation is done, and you can have many years with the car in good shape.</p>
<p>When my son was a senior in high school, I just bought a Geo Prism. Of course, cars last a lot longer in the west so rust is not a problem. I would start looking at 4 doors since the insurance premiums are a little cheaper especially for male teens. I not a big fan of new cars because I rather spend my money somewhere else. Since your son will only drive the car during summer and vacations, try to find an used car. Ask your friends and see if they have an extra car to sell. If you decide to buy a low model new car, these cars depreciate quite rapidly. One more thing to add, I sold my son’s car when he went away for college. He had the car for about 10 months so I didn’t lose too much too money.</p>
<p>Oh, for sure, I have a very inexpensive car, and there’s no way they’re getting a better car than me! And I like my car, so they’re not getting it anyway (plus, it’s not cool in the slightest). I’m going to drive my car into the ground all by myself. </p>
<p>I understand about used for the kids and new for the grown-ups. I was raised on that. I just remember the many break-downs I would have in the middle of nowhere, and the panic I went through. Well, they’d probably prefer used anyway, since the Versa isn’t at all cool. </p>
<p>Eh, so many things to consider. Price, safety, gas mileage, reliability…</p>
<p>Consumer Reports is a good place to look for reliablity and safety (two very important issues). Do NOT get a Volvo for reliability & maintenance and these days or recent model Toyotas. I love my old 2000 Toyota van – it has been quite reliable and is rated as crashworthy (tho we prefer not to test it). These days, I believe there are a lot of folks trying to unload larger gas guzzlers (heavier cars, vans & SUVs), so you might get a good deal, especially if your kiddo is only using it when he’s not away at college.</p>
<p>We’ve successfully used the hand me down car method in our family.
Son, now 23, first drove my very uncool handed down 9 year old RED Ford Escort WAGON. He was 16 at the time.
Of course, he is a nerdy musician with much stuff to haul around so he DID think it was cool. As in, the garage band made up of 17 year olds could accept a gig 50 miles away and actually transport all the drums,guitars, amps etc in that thing.</p>
<p>His current hand me down is a lovely purple/blue 10 yr old Mercury Sable wagon.
It’s mid sized and makes me the anxious mom feel he’s safer now that he’s a few states away and does real traveling.</p>
<p>We also don’t usually spend our hard earned $$ on new cars. I bought a 2008 Scion XD last August for a good price. Much warranty left, 5K miles, and cosmetically perfect.
Son will have to wait many years to pry my almost new car from my grip.</p>
<p>Our kids are driving a hand-me-down from me.</p>
<p>But we’ve also had good success buying cars that are 2 - 3 years old. We buy them from a dealer when they come back in from a lease. The depreciation is way down, they usually have 30K miles or less, and the dealer re-conditions them and does all the scheduled maintenance so the car is in great shape. </p>
<p>We bought our last car (actually a mid-size SUV) from a dealer who specializes in “one owner” cars, i.e. he buys them at the auctions from the auto companies when they come back in from leases. He has a no-haggle policy, he publishes his prices on the internet and if you like the price you buy the car. If not, go elsewhere. When we got the truck it was spotless, and when we took it to our mechanic to check it over he said everything looked great (brakes re-done, fluids new and topped off, etc). We bought it when gas prices were close to $4/gallon and paid $5000 LESS than Blue Book value. Now gas prices are down and we have a good truck that we didn’t overpay for.</p>
<p>We got old and used for our boys. Both got bumped and battered over the years and we were glad we hadn’t got them something really nice. One of those clunkers died after a few years of good and faithful service and the other we sold to Car Max when we got DH’s “new” used truck. It’s pretty common for teenage boys to get in a fender bender or two. It hurts a lot less if what they are driving is not in pristine condition to start with,lol</p>
<p>Both S’s are now driving 4wd pick-up trucks (9 and 10 years old). Trucks are handy for hauling stuff back and forth to college and they are rarely called upon to drive friends places because only a couple of guys can fit in a truck. Also they win points in the “manly looking” category :)</p>
<p>Hondas are one of the most stolen cars & frequently used in speed races in our town, with fatal results. It has given them a very bad rep in some circles but are often “souped up.”</p>
<p>A friend told me the “Must Haves” for a kid’s car are antilock brakes and airbags. We were very lucky buying a 10 yr old Saab for $2500. Both boys drove it through high school. I spent almost nothing maintaining it - determined to drive it into the ground. It survived a rear-end collision that the other kid’s insurance paid us $2000 while we kept the car and kept driving it. After kid #2 went to college we donated it to charity and got a $3800 deduction.</p>
<p>Love the Saab story, NJres!
It’s the car that wouldn’t stop ticking and then you collected $1300 over purchase price as a deduction when donated. Sweet.</p>
<p>You can easily use ebay to search within a geographic point, ie within 5 miles, 10 miles, etc
MANY of these cars are listed by dealers, few are private sale.
I have never completed a car deal on ebay but it is a great research tool.</p>
<p>My last car I was at a dealer a few towns over. Found it listed on ebay also.
Visited it in person at the dealer. The ‘suggested price’ in the showroom was $2500 over the listed ebay price. AFTER we test drove, had mechanic check it out, carfax, etc, we knew what bottom price they would accept already. So it did eliminate a bunch of that negotiating drama. We also got $1000 for our leaking, falling apart trade in.
They no doubt made more money in parts off of that one, but that was fine with us.</p>
<p>So, you could plug in a zip for where you are looking and then visit in person with the info from online.</p>
<p>S had saved for a car since he was 12, he had $6800 to put down, we decided new was better. We figured he’d have it for 2 years in HS and then all through college. When he graduates and needs to find an apartment he won’t also have to buy a car. He is in Boarding School and most colleges don’t let you have a car freshman year so the mileage stays under control. We agreed on a monthly payment we were comfortable with and one that he can pay in the summer when he is working. We bought a 2008 Nissan Rogue, it was a “leftover” so it was a good deal. It has all the safety features D and I wanted and it’s “cool enough” for S. That worked for us.</p>
<p>^^That was my original thought, and they have both been saving to about the $6000. range, combined. IDK, my mother’s instinct is saying the new safe car, but my bank account and common sense say “buy used”.</p>
Not looking at Toyota just now…</p>