Yahoo Autos These Are The Best Cars For Teen Drivers, According To Readers
Teen drivers may lack fully developed brains, good judgment, impulse control and experience behind the wheel, but that doesn’t change the fact that for most families in the U.S., their teenagers will need cars to get around in. Or their parents will need those teens to have a car because they have jobs and can’t take time off to cart their kids around to every single class or appointment.
When it comes to actually getting a car for a teen driver, though, there are so many options to pick from that it can be overwhelming. That’s why, on Tuesday, we asked what cars you thought were the best for teen drivers. We got all sorts of different answers, some of which we agreed with more than others, but if you’re trying to figure out what kind of car your teen should have, here’s what our readers recommend.
Volkswagen Beetle
A VW Beetle:
Get them something underpowered and simple enough forcing them to wrench on it to keep it working, you know, what the ungrateful brat deserves.
If the whiner complains their new wheels embarrasses them, then fine; now they have incentive to save up their own money for something better. Until then they’ll have basic transportation—that’s all the ingrate deserves.
If you’re worried your teen hasn’t broken enough bones yet, an old Beetle makes a perfect first car.
Suggested by: the1969DodgeChargerFan
Ford Mustang GT Convertible
A Mustang GT convertible is a great choice if it’s a manual
It’s true. No teen has ever crashed a Mustang GT that has a manual transmission.
Suggested by: Sinister Silverado
NC Miata
NC Miata. Here’s why:
1. Modern enough to be safe in a crash
2. Small enough to make them think to drive defensively
3. Manual transmission to make them actually pay attention while driving (and prevent phone use)
4. Only seats two, so your kid can’t be driving hordes of their delinquent friends around.
5. Kinda cool, but not real cool to where other kids are gonna ask to drive it (plus, manual trans, so they likely couldn’t anyway)
It’s an unconventional choice, but Give Me Tacos or Give Me Death makes a solid argument here. Maybe Miata really is always the answer.
Suggested by: Give Me Tacos or Give Me Death
Nissan Altima
Teens tick every box of a terrible driver: don’t signal, lack of situational awareness, drive way too fast or way too slow, tailgate, and generally beat their cars to hell within days of ownership. What is the one car that matches to that kind of driver in the most complete way possible?
Ah, of course...the answer couldn’t be any more obvious
This also seems like a risky one. Is it the driver who ruins the used Altima, or is it the used Altima that ruins the driver? Until more research is done, we’re going to recommend approaching this suggestion with extreme caution.
Suggested by: paradsecar
Scion TC
1st gen Scion TC. Looks sporty but has a Corolla engine so they won’t get in too much trouble for speeding.
Yes, they burn oil but the car is dirt cheap and just check the oil every few months to top it off and you’re good to go.
As was pointed out in the original QOTD, it was a Camry engine, but it was still a four-cylinder that offered a somewhat sporty driving experience without going overboard on power. The question is, can you trust your teen to keep the oil topped up?
Suggested by: Tacofan
Mazda 2
The 2013 Mazda 2 (stick shift) we’ve held onto specifically for this purpose. Wellgruntled & Spouse LLC’s Social Experiment v2 just got their learner’s permit a few weeks back and has already taken to the wee go-kart like they’ve been driving for years.
Arguably, the only way to improve the Mazda 2 as a choice for teen drivers would be to get rid of the rear doors so it’s even less convenient for them to give rides to their friends.
Suggested by: wellgruntled
Volvo S60
Find a 5-10 year old Volvo S60 or V60.
There’s nothing mechanical on the car that is going to break before your teen will test a safety system.
Reasonable for power, reasonable gas mileage, and Moose Test approved, because the best way to come out of a crash unscathed is to not be in the crash in the first place.
Your teen may not appreciate how much of an upgrade a Volvo is over some of the alternatives until after they’ve crashed it and have to replace it with something cheaper, but it’s still a solid choice.
Suggested by: PotbellyJoe and 42 others
