So I got two boys soon be turning 15 and thinking about getting their car to start learning in. For those that have done this dance, I look to your wisdom and to you that may have not done the dance but know the autos/ engines etc.

Sorta thinking bout 99 - 04 4d v6 ford explorers, some old school cars (found a really nice plymouth fury III 340 all stock <60000mi (factory a/c) and a 72 chevelle w/ 350 & 350 trans (not the original motor) car has 98000mi.

Trying to keep in mind what is easily fixed/available parts for insurance purposes, safe for the boys, decent gas, to be in, etc. etc...
I'm all ears.
Thanks

[img][/img]

How soon do you want to be a grandfather? All of those have lots of room for extracurriculars.........

If it matters, the most unsafe car made today is probably safer than the safest car made 20 or 30 years ago.

the brown mopar would be my pick.

Watch out for the rack and pinion on the explorer, had to replace that twice on the one I had.

Thanks. That the stuff I'm looking for. What year was yours?

Early 90's F150 with the straight 6 and a five speed, single cab.

Can't bust it if ya tried, simple to work on, fun to drive.

Girls wreck cars, boys destroy them. Get them something that you don't mind or care to crush. Have a 15 YO daughter and going through the same deliberations my self. She wants our Cad STS, I'm thinking she will be lucky to get my '01 Dodge Intrepid or '73 F100. We will see.

Any of those have a stick shift? It's easier to learn one if they start early. My 1st car had a 3 spd column shift. My little lady friend got pretty good at shifting in time with my clutching.

Giving a teen aged boy a muscle car is just asking for trouble

I'd not go the sports car route, asking for trouble for first car IMO.

Where I live it's rural so SUV/Trucks are everywhere. 1st son wanted older Chevy truck, middle son got our old jeep liberty, youngest we picked up a an older Isuzu Rodeo. Chevy and Isuzu were both totaled but boys were okay.

Buy for safety and talk with your insurance agent before buying one. If you give them the VIN they will also be able to tell you while on the phone if it has been in an accident.

Just my 2 cents based on our experiences.

Mike.

We drive beaters quite a bit, and we've had real good luck with 3 different Chevy Lumina's. Daughter's driving one now with close to 200 K on it and it's been very dependable. We got 225K plus out of the other two before they were done. No transmission issues, the motors held up well, both of them just got to the point where we decided it wasn't worth it to put any money in them.

My 22yo son is still driving the 2000 Frontier he got at 16. Seems to be gaining a new appreciation for it as he just bought a Duramax yet jumps in the Nissan every morning to go to work.

Good stuff.....

Not always.

Bootsfishing;
We've done this with both of our girls and in point of fact are in the beginning stages of looking for a vehicle for our youngest.

Going by the criteria you laid out - easily fixed/available parts, safe, decent fuel economy - I would suggest the following.

I would look for a low mileage but older Civic, Corolla or Golf/Jetta.

Research the years and try not to buy the first year of a major model change.

Further research the year of ones you find as there were years in those vehicles that did give issues.

Even up here in Canada, parts for those 3 vehicles are easily available from aftermarket sources and as a broad statement typically the models went several years without major component changes so again that helps lower parts costs.

Our eldest's first auto was a '90 Jetta diesel that we eventually gave away to our mechanic rather than install a transmission and axle shafts into it. It did have 446,000km on it when we did that though and would still get 46-49 mpg US.

Since she wasn't putting fuel into it - we were - we really, really liked the fuel economy it provided.

Look up the crash test ratings on any prospective automobile too. As a previous poster mentioned anything that is less than 20 years old is much, much safer for the passengers.

Anyway sir, that's what we've done and would do again.

Our eldest decided she needed an AWD or 4WD for her second ride and we found her a very clean Cherokee which again is quite safe and inexpensive to work on. Not a week goes by however that she doesn't comment on how it loves to burn fuel compared to her old Jetta.

Hopefully that was somewhat useful to you or someone out there this morning sir. Good luck with your automotive search whichever way you decide.

Regards,
Dwayne

Single cab mini or mid-size truck with a manual transmission.

It will only hold two passengers at the most.

My first vehicle was a 97 Chevy Cheyenne. Gas sucked buy boy did I have fun in that truck. Get them manly man vehicles�.go with a truck

1990 or so Volvo 240..

Don't be the cool parent, be the smart one.

I threatened to get my son a 1984 220 Diesel for his first car. Built like a tank, and 0-60 in 28 seconds. And in a manual, so he would actually need to know how to drive.....

Yep! Parts everywhere, easy to work on, run forever.

And when the knucklehead runs it into a tree, he'll walk away instead of ending up under a rock.

For insurance purposes you need an old clunker insured with just liability insurance with them listed as the primary driver. They can still drive newer better vehicles you own when needed, but you'll save a bundle with 16 year old boys going that route. I've known guys who kept a tag and insurance on a 25 year old car that was rarely driven until their sons turned 25 and insurance rates dropped. My son turned 25 in Sept. and his rates dropped by about 60-70% overnight. He then traded his old clunker for a 2 year old car with full coverage and still saved a bunch on insurance.

I think it matters less exactly which vehicle you buy them to drive. Bad things can happen to any of them. A bigger truck or SUV might be safer in a head on crash, but they also have their weak spots and you cannot predict which type of accident they may be in. Bigger vehicles are harder to maneuver for young drivers and minor fender benders are more common which will increase their insurance rates. My daughter, now 29 and son both started on an ancient Honda.

When my daughter saved enough for her own car I kept the Honda for my son. When he bought his own car I did the same and drove it for a few more years just to save gas in local driving. By the time I got it it had several dings and dents from mistakes. At one point the plastic front bumper cover was duct taped on. But it never left them stranded, gas and insurance were cheap and we never filed an insurance claim to get the minor mistakes fixed.

Excellent advice..

Although I will never advocate for a big suv for new drivers..

Overcorrection and rollover are killers for the learners.

Yea, I'm now starting to lean towards the honda passport, accord etc. route. Buddy of mine had several stories of honda crashes and they all had no injuries or scratches. One lady was dragged by an 18 wheeler with a child in the back of the car and both came out with out a scratch.

I'd look for a '90 - '00 Honda Civic or Accord, Geo Prizm, or Toyota Camry or Corolla. They'll run forever, parts are easy to come by, great gas mileage, they're "safe", and are cheap to insure.

This!!! A 4 cyl manual ranger will last forever. Can only carry one other passenger and cheap.

I started my son out in a cheap ford explorer, but it had ABS and air bags. The explorer also had advanced trac auto 4x4 which is nice in the ice and snow. The explorer needed some work when we bought it, which was a good way to start teaching him about cars and maintenance.

I'd lean towards a vehicle that can take a solid impact, like the car in your first post.

Nothing is "always", but odds are if you combine a teenaged boy and a car with LOTS of horsepower, it won't turn out well

Getum a used Mercury Grand Marquis or Ford Crown Vic (essentially the same car). You can buy them cheap, 20-22 mpg, and insurance is cheap on them. Your sons will be driving the biggest car on the road, in case of an accident.

My daughter drove 2 while in college and when we got her a Honda Accord, she didnt like it at first, because it didnt ride as good and was too small.

I wouldn't buy any 'classic' cars, anything domestic, or a truck/suv for a new driver.

Get a toyota or honda four-banger that's good on gas, safe, and cheap to insure. Plus, when they wreck it, that's not if they wreck it that's when they wreck it, you won't lose your a$$ over it.

But generally speaking.

Cut a few folks out of a few vehicles... The Honda would be fairly high on my list too. If you are considering that vehicle. Thats one that when we roll up and look and think as we are getting out... this ain't gonna be good, but often once you get into the interior to get em out, you are ..... well lets say amazed often, is a good phrase.

Anything that has side curtain airbags is a plus IMHO.