<p>pageturner, if they continue to contribute to the cost it does feel better. S was rear ended a few weeks ago and being up that tiny little bit higher really helped protect him and the car. Getting something off lease makes a lot of sense also.</p>
<p>I’m on my 3rd car (21). My first car I got awhile after I turned 16. It was a hand-me-down 3x. It was an 1989 Bonneville that one of my grandman’s relatives had until she couldn’t drive anymore. Then my oldest sister had it for 2 years through grad school and a trip to Florida. Then my middle sister had it for a couple years going to school and work and putting a ton of miles on it. Then I got it my junior year of high school after she bought a new car when she got a fulltime job and my third sister was in college and didn’t need a car. We traded that car in about 6 months after I got it (had 175,000 on it) for a minivan so I got my mom’s car. It was a 2001 Malibu that we had bought from a dealer after it had been used as a rental car. I took it to school with me my sophomore year of college and it died the day after I got home for Christmas break that year. My parents ended up donating it to the high school for use in their auto body classes. My dad got a 2008 Trailblazer at that time and I got his 1998 S10. He had a hard time giving up his truck and somehow he thinks he’s getting it back. It’s got 111,000 on it right now. I’ve told him I plan to drive it til it’s dead. It’s a great truck; starting to get a little rust but otherwise in great shape! I’m taking it this summer to my internship (probably in Wisconsin) and plan to take it to grad school in 1.5 years.</p>
<p>i vote for a used car! have you seen a college parking lot? or an college-town apartment parking lot? a new car won’t seem new after a few years of college parking!</p>
<p>We buy new cars and kids get the hand me down. S1 just bought his own first used car (08) after 2 hand-me downs. We offered to see him our oldest at a good price, but he decided he wanted less of a “family” car. S2 is currently using a hand-me down, too.</p>
<p>Good point about the college lot. My perspective is a bit skewed. I see our high school parking lot daily, and since we live and teach in an affluent area, the students’ cars are usually better than the teachers’ cars. Definitely better than mine. </p>
<p>We’re looking seriously at Lafalum84’s suggestion. It seems like a good compromise.</p>
<p>i agree with the high school parking lot that is filled with nice cars. in my “rural” area, the kids take great pride in their cars–no matter what kind of car they have. everyone in high school seems pretty respectful–and since they all knew each other, they were careful to respect the cars in the lot. fast forward to college–they don’t know the cars or the people who drive them, so they tend to care a lot less on how they treat the other cars in the lot! </p>
<p>lots of dents and dings the first year my sons brought their cars home from college!</p>
<p>Gotta say…the LAST thing I would think about is how “cool” the car is…for a teen driver. Look for safety and reliability. If it’s a ugly beige sedan…so what? </p>
<p>True conversation with my son (some of you have seen this before).</p>
<p>Son: Mom, when I get my drivers license will I EVER have a car to drive?</p>
<p>Me: Sure…you will be able to use my van.</p>
<p>Son: I wouldn’t be caught DEAD in that van!!</p>
<p>Pregnant pause while this comment was pondered.</p>
<p>Son: (backpedaling because he knew what <em>I</em> was going to say!): Well…actually it’s not a “bad” van…it has a sunroof and a CD player"</p>
<p>Yep yep…he drove it for a year before we got him a VERY used old Volvo (no I would NOT buy one now…his was a 1988) bought from a friend who was the original owner. It was a four cylinder HEAVY car…not a speed racer.</p>
<p>Well the coolness is just a plus factor. Fortunately, my car is so uncool, that they claim they’d NEVER drive it, which is fine by me, because I like it and want it for my own. </p>
<p>Anyway, the cool part is relative. Cool for them is a Jeep.</p>
<p>Look at autotrader.com for used cars. Check with your local dealers for a car which was turned back in on a lease. We bought a beautiful Cadillac for one year old with 25K miles for about half the price of a new one. Still under lots of warranty.</p>
<p>forgot to mention re:coolness factor. Our son’s first car was a very used Lincoln Continental which had been my husbands. He was in a very bad accident. The car was tee boned. The driver door crushed all the way in to touch his hip, the front and back windshields shattered. The dashboard literally buckled. When my husband got to the accident site the firemen and policemen told him “the thing that saved your son from any injury or death was the weight and strength of this car.” He walked away with a glass shards in his hair and along his arm. Didn’t even have to see a doctor.
Case closed on the coolness factor for me.</p>
<p>Well, I think a Lincoln Continental is cool…</p>
<p>We have had good luck car shopping on Autotrader.com We’ve found four cars there over the years. It’s usually the first place we look</p>
<p>Our h.s parking lot was ridiculous. Many kids vehicles are broken into. A couple of teachers’ cars (one, brand new)were stolen. S2 had the window of his truck smashed and the stereo and Ipod (in the glovebox) stolen.</p>
<p>There are always random fender benders when you have that many crazy teenage drivers in one spot. S2 was hit by a Honda driving 16 yr. old girl. His truck was fine thanks to a big trailer hitch on the back of his truck. Her Accord’s front end looked more like an accordian. </p>
<p>Both S’s trucks got scratches and small dents in the college lots.</p>
<p>You can get a good car with all the safety features without having to lay out the big $$ for new.</p>
<p>S1’s first car was an old Ford Bronco II. He thought the coolness factor was off the charts. He was really sad when it died.</p>
<p>I totally agree with everyone who said that a new car will look like *a very used car *after spending a few weeks in a college parking lot.</p>