Good First Car??

Well if as much was lost in translation as 2nd>3rd gen around here, I can only imagine what the 4th gen forum will end up like

 

Holy shit gentlemen, I don’t think the guy came on here to be berated about his parenting choices.

Just answer his question and leave him alone.

 

Jack of all trades, master of none.

 

You ask an internet forum for life advice, you’re going to hear from a lot of parents’ basements and people who live 80% of their life online.

I think you need to expect a mixed bag of helpful and nonsense. There’s usually some really good insight here if you pick through it all. If you have a thin skin ask your friends instead

 

I will add one other thought.

We have a '13 Tacoma, the more car like 5 lug, and a '14 RAV.

In working with a pretty car knowledgeable and coordinated 16 yo for some enhanced driving skills last summer, he preferred driving the RAV, because it was much more maneuverable.

Similar power, similar equipment, similar stopping power, but much tighter turning radius and ease of backing while turning.

Maybe a good test drive in an open parking lot, using boxes as 'other cars' and trying some tight low speed maneuvers would be helpful.

 

Agreed on being easier to drive. I'd like to expand on that thought if I could.

In the 2020s, the worst bang for buck vehicle on the current market is the pickup truck. As a general purpose runabout you don't get a lot for the money with a truck.

My personal example: for the same price as a Tacoma SR - which is the low end "heater and a speaker" trim level, I bought a new car. It was optioned with a turbo AWD, leather heated seats, heated steering wheel, dual climate control, 10 speaker Bose system, all of the safety and driver assist options, heads up display, and internet connected services... For the same price. 30 grand, flat. Half the price of a truck if it were similarly equipped, or close to it, depending on brand.

With a CUV, you're getting a much nicer vehicle for the same price bracket, much better equipped, and it's much easier to drive as Bill mentions. And more importantly, it's easier to recover from a skid than a truck.

If I were handing the keys over to my kid, I don't think I would hand them a truck. I'd start them on a CUV, at least until we can revisit the topic in the college years. But that's just me.

 

Let me start by saying NO interstate driving here for either of my kids when they started driving....local suburban/rural area. 16 year old daughter got a 16 year old Jeep Wrangler 5 speed (what she wanted). 2 used Wranglers later at age 29 she bought her first new vehicle - a Subaru Forester. 16 year old son got a 16 year old Ford Ranger 5 speed (what he wanted). After a second used ranger, he bought a new Ford Ranger at age 23. Neither had any accidents to this point in life, which is why I had bought the older vehicles - figured they would get banged up pretty often, but never happened. Were they the SAFEST vehicles on the road, no, but they worked just fine for our living area. THEY spent the $30,000+ on their first new vehicles, not me.

Unfortunately, neither has a 'stick shift' now, but they both know how to drive one!!!

 

We've had two Subarus. An 09 WRX that had weird, Subaru type stuff go wrong with it (center diff blew up at 13k miles) and a few other oddities like rattles here and there and minor stuff. Then we had a doozy of a 2020 Ascent. The list of things that went wrong with that car - both warranty and recall - was way too long. Transmission replacement was the straw that broke the camel's back for us (recall item). AC stopped working due to a fried wiring harness (warranty). All 4 rotors and pads were replaced at 12k miles (recall) a month after the dealer told me that the pulsating feeling in the steering wheel was NOT due to a problem with the rotors. Pad material had stuck to the rotors after being parked outside for 3 weeks and it got wet. There were oil leaks and CELs, audio system failure and more. Never, ever again.

 

Way to teach your child the value of a dollar. Good luck.

 

My daughter learned how to drive on a compact... She has tried driving my 2015 DCLB but feels its "to long and she doesn't like driving it" . Something like a Corolla will probably be her first car...

 

right. i thought the same thing.

get her a new tacoma if you can afford it. they are nice trucks and safe.

 

if buying your kid a nice safe car ruins their perception "of the value of a dollar" you fucked up a long time ago.

 

I imagine the Venn diagram of people who complain about the entitlement of younger generations and buy new cars for 16 year olds is a circle

 

I’ve had 3 Subarus (05 LGT Wagon, 15 WRX, 22 BRZ) and done head gaskets on several. Will never buy another Subaru with my own money again.

 

Is she buying?
Otherwise her opinion is worthless.

Main thing is to make sure that said vehicle gets some good wet traction tires.
Not the OEM crap they put on to maximize MPG.

I had an old Honda Accord as my 1st car - my dad make me put aquatreads on it b/c Florida and all.
Taught me the value of good tires real quick. And the $$ of good tires to boot. Solid life lesson learned.

 

lot of bad parents and disgruntled adults without kids giving parenting advice in this thread. very interesting to see.

you all know you can teach your kids lessons daily for 18+ years straight and buying them a shitty car does not have to be one of them, right?

 

I’d say, get her a Corolla hybrid LE. Built in Japan, reliable, great mpg, and pretty affordable!

 

It's like shouting into the wind, my man. This isn't the first thread that has posed this question. It is however the most polite one I've seen. It usually gets far worse than this.

 

for sure my friend. ive been on this site for 13.5 years and i'm still surprised by people's responses sometimes - but that's on me ha