Car for 16yr old mini-me

Woah, so my son is coming up on driving age sooner than I would've thought. He's going to need his own ride, I'm willing to chip in a bit.

What do you recommend for a guys first car these days? What are the hidden gems on the used car market? Under 10k budget?

 

I can’t say enough
Good things about 03-08 corollas.. I had an 06 that went 880k miles before it met it’s end at 70mph. Great little cars that if shown even a hint of care will last forever.

clean examples can be had for well under 10k too.

 

Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla.

 

Single cab 5 speed ranger, 4 cyl, 2wd.

The old way of thinking was the less passengers you can run, the less trouble you can scare up.

 

Little Japanese cars, everybody knows this

 

Not all sons listen to everything their fathers say, so yeah, I'm also looking for a little support, thanks.

 

Yea, just joking around. My kids aren’t that age yet. But yea, as reliable as you can get for as budget friendly as you can be. Highschool parking lots are full of little Acura’s, Honda’s and Toyota’s. I’m sure there are some cheap reliable suvs in that price range also. And if you deal with snow, consider that also. Maybe not an issue where you are at

 

Yeah, 2wd is fine. My wife and I have 4wd and AWD covered.

I should probably have given more details.

I was thinking civic/corolla of course, but I guess I was curious about other lesser known ideas. Like maybe there is a mazda/subaru/vw/etc... in the 2008-2012 ballpark that is known for a super solid engine but generally underappreciated.

When I grew up, Honda and Toyota were the pinacle of reliability. I just don't pay enough attention these days to know if that is still the case.

 

Not sure how they may be valued right now due to the broverlanding market, but 3rd gen 4runners are great. 1996-2002
I sold my stock 4wd limited trim T4R for $3000 (slightly under market) in 2016.
I snagged my mother’s ‘97 when I turned 16 and drive it until I got my Tacoma and sold it to a friend who has now given it to his younger brother.
It currently has over 350k miles, with only one head gasket repair, a full driveline bushing replacement, and one cracked radiator in its lifetime.
I honestly want to buy it back for a daily

 

Good in theory, but not necessarily true. I had an '85 Nissan pickup as a 16yr. old. My buddies used to pile in the bed of it and we would raise all kinds of hell.

I'm probably lucky that none of them ever fell out and got seriously injured...or worse.

 

Any Corolla, Camry or Civic made before about 2004. Made before lead free solder and endless computerization.

 

This was my first truck. 2011 with 87k when I got it. Paid about $10,500 for it when I was 15. Salvage truck at auction and built it up over the years. Treated me very well, but got into something newer just a few months ago.

 

Okay so I survived through three rounds of this. Daughter I put behind the wheel of a 96 F250 2 wheel drive...my old work truck...cheap and safe. Emphasis on safe. Once I was confident in her attention to detail and ability to think 2 steps ahead, she picked out a 92 Toyota 4x4 truck in decent shape for a good price. Oldest son started in 96 F250 Diesel my next work truck, then transitioned into an 01 Honda Accord. Youngest son started in a 92 Fj80 land cruiser then into another 01 Accord. Each kid started off in a tank! Why? Safety! And the belief that the larger vehicles require a different mindset while driving them. I believe it made them better drivers as I spent hours reminding them not to follow too close, stay in the middle of their lane, and anticipate braking distance. Since they weren’t fast I didn’t have to worry about drag racing. And knew that the abysmal gas mileage meant I wasn’t going to have to drive too far to rescue them should they get a wild hair brained idea...like driving to Portland for Voodoo Donuts after a game or a choir concert...just sayin’...The accords were cheap (less than 4K), problem free, safe, and lasted through several years of teens/twenties driving still maintained their value when they upgraded to a new car. Good luck and most importantly...have fun! BTW each was taught to drive a manual transmission at some point as this is a skill that I think every new driver should acquire.