what car for my 16 year old

[kenikh]

Taking a different tack, get him an older Miata. Not a lot of power, only two seats (so only 3 or 4 of his closest friends can ride along), looks cool, fun to drive and pretty good reliability. You can get 'em cheep.

That is my second choice. I own a 1992 right now and they are relaible, bullet-proof, have an airbag and aren't even close to speedy in a straight line. In the twisties is another thing altogether. To top it off, they are still ludicrously inexpensive to fill up on gas. With a roll bar, they aren't a bad vehicle at all in terms of safety, either. As another note, this is the car my wife drove when she was 16 and she survived long enough to make the fatal mistake of marrying me.

[jhora]

Mike,

Get an old Volvo 240...it is a tank....and your 16 year old will bend some sheet metal gaurenteed

Actually the Civic line is a very good car for this category driver....


John

[BBausser]

I bought mine a cherry 85.5 944 with 58K on it. Over the course of the next three years it progressively showed signs of abuse, neglect and many expensive repairs. Then I sold it and bought a 65 F100. One year and 15K's later all I've had to do was fix a flat tire and change the oil once. Look for an old truck. They come in handy on weekend trips to Lowes too.

[greens]

I am a strong believer in protection for young drivers. My son (admittedly not a car guy) got a 95 Lumina with ABS and airbags. As one of us said previously, lots of metal cause they will hit something only question is how fast. There is also something to be said for working up...kids who didn't buy their own cars after carrying brick or doing some other kind of manual labor tend to be less concerned about breaking them.

[kenikh]

If the kid is a car a person, I still recommend giving them something they can love. I got a 1971 VW Fastback when I was 16; I loved it and the VW scene was robust. I can tell you without a doubt that even though the car was given, I was careful because it was a car I could be proud of. I still have it today at the age of 16 x 2. If it had been a POS like some of my buddy's cars, I would have thrashed as a catalyst to something I could love.

[tfmcmahon]

A quick trip through the suburbs at speed in this position usually helps to reduce the desire to speed in whatever you buy.Good luck! I`m done with that stuff.TFM

[VIper Green E]

I just bought Uncle Dicky's silver 300E. Drives great, Safe, Holds lots of stuff, Cost me $2,500. Made the Step kid sign an agreement to wash her, wax her, keep the interior clean and obey the laws of the road. ( including no cell phone talk.) I pulled the radio out for the first 6 months, no distractions. Teaches her some responsibility. If she keeps up her end the the contract she gets the Mini Cooper she wants upon graduation.

She will appreciate the Mini way more after 2 years on the road in the old MB.

Even the trust fund babies need to learn a little respect and responsibility.

[BBausser]

old MB's kinda grow on you, don't bet on the mini

[kenikh]

Joe should know. He wouldn't even quote me a price when I offered to buy his 280SL...

[VIper Green E]

Joe should know. He wouldn't even quote me a price when I offered to buy his 280SL...

Kenik,

It is my wifes car. If It was mine I would have most certainly quoted a ridiculous price. I have your name on it if she decides to part with it.
Had her out on Tuesday. Drives nice when the sun is shinning.