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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


Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other the person to die ......

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me."

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Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other the person to die ......

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me."

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Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other the person to die ......

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me."

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


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

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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.


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Originally Posted by bubbajay
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?


Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other the person to die ......

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me."

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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.


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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.



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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.


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


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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.


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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.


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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.


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Good stuff.....


Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other the person to die ......

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me."

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Originally Posted by Snyper
Giving a teen aged boy a muscle car is just asking for trouble


Not always.


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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. wink

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



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

It will only hold two passengers at the most.


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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 smile

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1990 or so Volvo 240..

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


Originally Posted by captain seafire
I replace valve cover gaskets every 50K, if they don't need them sooner...
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