First Car for 16 year old

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by gunlover05

watching this thread, great question i have started thinking about...I also wouldn't mind getting my boy a car that isn't like every other kids 10 year old Honda accord/Toyota camry, but not too expensive and relatively safe. I want to make sure he learns how to wrench on cars in the process, it has served me well over the years. He is only 12 now so I have some time, but he is a car fanatic. I don't have a lot of spare time, but thinking toward getting something in a year or two we can fix up together. He saw a 944 the other day and was definitely intrigued. I also saw a full size bronco (late 80s/early 90s) that I thought was cool.

I think there are several late 80s cars that could be easy enough to work on, relatively safe, and not too expensive.

edit; I would buy an air-cooled bettle in a heartbeat to fix up, but not sure his mother would think it safe enough (e.g. no airbags, etc.)

I bought a 944 as my first car.

The single biggest safety issue I have with the 944 today, is interstate onramps. Modern drivers like to roll in at 25MPH to the end of the on ramp, do a "merge" in, then tromp on it up to 80MPH.

The 944 is a sitting duck in that situation. Perhaps the S2 or Turbo its different.

The safety issue of the 120WHP of the 944 compared to what modern cars have these days, and the way modern drivers do not build proper momentum in situations where the 944 absolutely has to, is my single biggest safety complaint.

I also find the 944, gets run over, either drivers don't see it, or they think the little car will get out of the way. This doesn't happen in my bigger XK I got last year, far more peaceful. I was going to have the Xk as the 2nd in line daily driver, but the difference in how other drivers do not try to occupy the same space I do, was a major factor in it taking over the #1 daily driver choice. The 944 only comes out during off traffic times.

Ultimately, its going to vary with your roads and locale.

I also think if a driver cares about their car, they'll be more inclined to make effort to keep it in one piece. If they don't care, show them where the bus stops are.(if you have them)

My cell phone goes to off when driving.

The 944 has higher polar inertia from the rear mounted gearbox, this means that things go wrong in a much slower easy to deal with way. Its harder to make lasting mistakes in the 944.

I know a not so responsible youngin' that put their 944 off road and tore it up from treating the world like their own race track.

I would recommend the 944 for a kid who can learn and respect the limits in a safe manner, and isn't doing a lot of multi-lane road driving.

Once you get into lots of multi lane road driving, to many people choose collision courses that you have to avoid on an almost daily basis. I drive with my headlights on in the 944, yet still have this problem. It wasn't as big a deal years ago, but I live in an expanding area from out of state influx, more traffic density, and more dang yankees.

[72doug2,2S]

I can't believe no one has mentioned the 01-05 Toyota Celica GTS! These are around $3k

[Tervuren]

I don't normally say the following phrase; but that is a girls car.

Literally it is.

Ergonomics on that are specifically made by Toyota for young female drivers.

[72doug2,2S]

So you're saying a 6'1" boy won't fit? Looks bad ass.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by 72doug2,2S

I can't believe no one has mentioned the 01-05 Toyota Celica GTS! These are around $3k

Minus the body kit, that's one of the few good suggestions in this thread.

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Minus the body kit, that's one of the few good suggestions in this thread.

*for a teenage girl.

[72doug2,2S]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

*for a teenage girl.

Can you provide source on the girls comment?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

*for a teenage girl.

Looks decent, drives decent, cheap, reliable. Better than a 35 year old Mercedes or Volvo, which seem to be popular suggestions on this thread.

[matthewb0051]

Thanks to all for their input. The results are in.

I spent days if not weeks looking at ads. I'm sure this goes without saying but Craigslist can be pretty hit or miss. The number of folks that do not respond to e-mail or text is astonishing. Likewise the same goes for folks that do not take down that ads after the vehicle is sold. I also wish CL would somehow eliminate or show on the results list that the cars have salvage titles so you would not have to waist time looking at them.

Based upon the suggesting I looked at Subaru, which I would have never done without this thread. I was always a day late on reply. Those things go very quickly, more than once I responded on the same day as the 1st posting but the car was gone.

I also responded to two ads that were SCAMS. I'm not that daft so no worries. However, you would have to be pretty thick to fall for the "my husband and son died in a car crash" and as a result "we are trying to move and just want this car gone" story. My grammar does not do justice to the e-mail I received that did not contain the requested photos.

At my price point, the pickings were pretty good but as you narrowed it down to quality the field was actually pretty narrow.

I probably put myself under an artificial time constraint, which resulted in the purchase:

2003 Audi A4 3.0 V6, non-Quattro. The car has 120k on the clock and was a 1 owner family car. We settled on a price of $2,000.

After getting it home I found a few minor issues but overall not too bad. The car needed the following attended to for state inspection:
- front brake pads (the PO was driving around with their kids on literally no front brake pads)
- 2 O2 sensors (causing CEL codes)
- 1 coolant temp sensor (causing CEL code)

I also replaced the following as a 'while you are in there':
- spark plugs
- air filter
- cabin air filter
- crankcase vent hose which connects to PCV (I broke this getting to the O2 and CTS above, it was very brittle)

I will also need to add 2 tires. The PO bought 2 new tires but neglected the other even though they could use it. The rub on this is he went with Michelin Premier A/S at $130 each rather than a good Kumho or Sumitomo for half that. Genius could have replaced all 4 at the price of 2 Michelins.

We are on the road now. The kid is happy. He and sister have named the car Heidi. And there is a hula girl on the front dash now (an homage to our time living in Hawaii).

[asphaltgambler]

THE answer: Any car he pays for with his own money from mowing lawns since he was 13.

As quoted from me, also see 'Old Coot' thread

[masraum]

Nice, good to hear. It sounds like you found a decent ride.

Back when I was young and poor and buying what I could afford (which was often $500-1000), as a matter of course, I usually did plugs, wires, oil, oil filter, air filter and possibly also brake pads or pads and shoes and maybe belts. I figured it was cheap insurance since I was usually buying high miles cars and wanted to mitigate anything quick and easy that would affect reliability and/or safety.

Pics of the car or car and happy kids?

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by masraum

Pics of the car or car and happy kids?

MTF. I actually drove it to work today

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Looks decent, drives decent, cheap, reliable. Better than a 35 year old Mercedes or Volvo, which seem to be popular suggestions on this thread.

Same 2ZZ engine I had in my Lotus Elise...runs like a scalded cat and will go at 7-8K RPM all day long without missing a beat. Even better with a supercharger on it and many options for doing so.

[Mark Henry]

My 15 year old and his first car, his plan is a bare tub resto and to have it done for his grade 12 grad. He's got it stripped, is building a rotisserie and has bought more than half the panels from Restoration design, using his own money.

Here it's not worth it for a 16 year old to have their own car till they are at least 17. Graduated licence system, 1 year learner's permit called a G1, then another year restricted use permit called a G2. He can learn to drive on mom and dad's car and as long as I'm beside him I'll let him drive my Porsche.

[ckelly78z]

Just on Wednesday, I finally sat down at my desk 5 minutes before leaving work, and was trolling through the Craigslist listings. I came across a 2014 Honda Civic with "rearend damage", 66,000 miles for $2500 about 5 miles away. I instantly texted the owner, and left work and went to look at it. The car is in very good shape with only the rear bumper cover damaged and a small lower corner of the driver's side rear fender bent in (tail lights/trunk all in good shape). The owner's wife was there, and showed me the car. I offered to put some earnest money down until I could get to the bank, and bring back cash the same day. She calls her husband, who is still at work, and he says that he pulled the add off craigslist after so much activity, and that is MIL has first dibs on the car.

WTF, why get everyone exited about a good deal, and then yank the add, and sell to family ?
The wife said it would be $6000 to fix the car, and these people were the type to not accept anything but perfect, so hopefully the MIL will say $2500 + $6000 is too much for the car, and I can still get this car for my 18 year old son going to college in a few months.....who quite honestly could fix it pretty well himself and have an almost new car, for cheap money.

[Icemaster]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

We are on the road now.

Well done!

My just-turned-16-year old is driving his mom's '04 A6 3.0. I applaud your choice.

[matthewb0051]

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

- 1 coolant temp sensor (causing CEL code)

Nut up and buy a $25 "VAG-COM" code reader on ebay instead of using an OBD2 reader.

They can provide a wee bit more info than the OBD2 as it's German specific (Dub/Audi/Skoda).

Plus the reader will provide Trans, Airbag and ABS codes which the basic OBD will not.

The reason I am posting this is the CTS code can be married to a tired thermostat. The VAG COM reader may spit out the thermo as a culprit where the OBD will not.

I think you made a good choice with the A4.

When the fuel pump craps out, don't go cheap. It's a $250 DIY job. Don't do the $90 el-cheapo like I did and then have to do it again.

Also, timing belt/water pump. Should have been done at 105k. If not, and it has the plastic impeller, go metal.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

Awesome. How tight does that look?

My 2003 Passat, as battle weary as it is in the salty midwest, shows absolutely no rust.

I cut myself every time I wash my 2002 Ford Taurus.