i have this
i got it for my 16th birthday
now im almost 17
Wow - BestBuy must be paying alot better these days !!!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Best Car for a 16 and a half year old?
- Thread starter G5Unit
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Wow - BestBuy must be paying alot better these days !!!
It's not a sound financial decision to buy a NEW car. Even at 25+ years I look for a low mileage used car; I will leave to someone else to lose 15% of the value when they drive it off the lot.
Look for the 2007 Civic Si with under 15k miles. These are safe - reliable - fun and will be under $16k.
Look for the 2007 Civic Si with under 15k miles. These are safe - reliable - fun and will be under $16k.
Emm... yes... I figured that out already dude...
Or rather... your "parent" did since you havent spoken to your father for 11 years...
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=5030641#post5030641
Stop posting BS
I am in the same situation, i am prob gona go for the yaris...but the rabbit sure does look nice...can't wait till my b-day in august!!!
yeah i havent talked to my ****in real father in 11 years
like who cares..about my parents
its my real mom plus remarried man (dad)
THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE OFFENSIVE TO THE POSTER(S) OR ANYONE ELSE. IT IS STRICTLY INFORMATIONAL.
Did you know that both of those cars are on the GAYWHEELS TOP 10 LIST?
1. Toyota Yaris
2. Saab 9-3
3. Mazda MX-5
4. VW Rabbit
5. Audi A3
6. VW EOS
7. VW Jetta
8. Dodge Caliber
9. Toyota Camry
10. MINI Cooper
Sources:
http://jalopnik.com/350787/mini-cooper-cracks-the-gaywheels-top-10-list
http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat/archives/2007/10/toyota_yaris_so.html
^^^ very informational, no wonder the dude who drives an A3 at the gym stares at me all the time.
(seriously, how insecure can one get?
)
G5Unit any particular kind of vehicle/concern in mind?
i.e. pickup, coupe, sedan, hatchback, euro, asian, reliability, safety, handling, etc.
(seriously, how insecure can one get?
)G5Unit any particular kind of vehicle/concern in mind?
i.e. pickup, coupe, sedan, hatchback, euro, asian, reliability, safety, handling, etc.
that's just disgusting
Why is that disgusting? If you have the money, it's just a material possession. Doesn't mean anything about the character or personality of the parents or the child. You would not have a problem if your parents gave you one, nor would you have a problem giving one to your kids if money wasn't an issue.
I have a Toyota Camry... good car but since you have to get a new car, thats out. I recommend the Corollas well... or any of the Scion models. All have great gas mileage, are extremely reliable, and the tC is actually a good looking little car. Honda is good too, even though I'm not a fan of the latest Civic and Accord's. Also, the Mazda3 is a cool little car. Fun to drive and has decent reliability.
I would stay away from anything German unless you want electrical headaches later. American cars are improving, but build quality isn't as high as the japanese.
I would stay away from anything German unless you want electrical headaches later. American cars are improving, but build quality isn't as high as the japanese.
German
I would only go with something german. If you study far enough into german vehicles you will find that there is a SUBSTANTIAL difference in just about everything. They tend to weigh twice as much, have 10x the standard features and drive much better down the highway as the handling in even the cheapest of german cars is amazing down the highway. Being that they are designed for the autobahn, they are designed for constant redline in top gear several hours a day for years and it takes a-lot to put any wear on the engine as long as you keep up on maintenance. Most german cars can also make a rollover at the speed governor perfectly survivable and you'll notice the governors on german cars are much higher than that of japanese or domestic vehicles because of the fact that it is much safer to drive one at very high speeds. VW's tend to have governors at 130 and higher end german vehicles are governed at 155. Try rolling a honda civic or a ford focus at even 60...these cheap plasticy light cars do well in the simulated crash tests but if you roll one your dead. Try driving a high end american car (corvette, viper, whatever) at a very high speed, you'll think oh this is nice. Then take something like...idk a VW rabbit and drive it at 130. It steers with two fingers and feels like your going 50mph. Sure the vette or the viper technically handles better at lower speeds but the rabbit will have a much more commanding, smooth and natural feel at speed and will feel overall much more solid and safe. Besides! A cute little white rabbit with an apple sticker on the back is adorable!!!!! Not saying you have to get a rabbit but any german car would do. If you really wanna get something badass get like an old m3 or a c36/c43 AMG mercedes, a used one with 50k miles will go for about 16k. Happy driving!
I would only go with something german. If you study far enough into german vehicles you will find that there is a SUBSTANTIAL difference in just about everything. They tend to weigh twice as much, have 10x the standard features and drive much better down the highway as the handling in even the cheapest of german cars is amazing down the highway. Being that they are designed for the autobahn, they are designed for constant redline in top gear several hours a day for years and it takes a-lot to put any wear on the engine as long as you keep up on maintenance. Most german cars can also make a rollover at the speed governor perfectly survivable and you'll notice the governors on german cars are much higher than that of japanese or domestic vehicles because of the fact that it is much safer to drive one at very high speeds. VW's tend to have governors at 130 and higher end german vehicles are governed at 155. Try rolling a honda civic or a ford focus at even 60...these cheap plasticy light cars do well in the simulated crash tests but if you roll one your dead. Try driving a high end american car (corvette, viper, whatever) at a very high speed, you'll think oh this is nice. Then take something like...idk a VW rabbit and drive it at 130. It steers with two fingers and feels like your going 50mph. Sure the vette or the viper technically handles better at lower speeds but the rabbit will have a much more commanding, smooth and natural feel at speed and will feel overall much more solid and safe. Besides! A cute little white rabbit with an apple sticker on the back is adorable!!!!! Not saying you have to get a rabbit but any german car would do. If you really wanna get something badass get like an old m3 or a c36/c43 AMG mercedes, a used one with 50k miles will go for about 16k. Happy driving!
i'm referring more to the yaris/focus/cobalt type cars suggested.
my first car was a 1988 volkswagen fox, i didn't know the meaning of the word airbag. 1.8L, four speed, no A/C, hell it didn't even have a headunit, just a black filler plate. i drove it for about six months with no stereo until i proved to my parents that i was a good driver and could drive and use a stereo.
i loved that car to death, he was a little trooper. drove it til the transmission gave out in the middle of a busy intersection, haha. had a five speed transmission from an audi 4000 diesel ready to go in, i was just hunting down a 16V GTI engine, it was going to be a great little sleeper. then some idiot neighbor kids vandalized it beyond the point of bothering to fix it. it was a sad day.
Yeah, the big difference is they are far less reliable than Japanese car also (see Consumer Reports for reliability ratings). So even though they might drive better, they provide significantly more headaches - I have personal experience in this area (Audi vs Acura)
That's a real responsible thought...what are you ten? Instead of trying to be "badass" and imitate a complete fool like axboi87, I think the OP should follow other, responsible advice.
I would sure hope the OP wouldn't be driving 130mph in anything. Especially when I have to share the same roads. So #1 rule when getting your license: Drive safe. Don't be a show off to your friends in your new car, because you might look cool but when your wrapped around tree it won't be that great.
Oh, I have several friends with VW Passat and one had a Bug. All have had annoying issues pop up with window regulators, pieces falling off, and expensive repairs. So yeah, they might be more fun to drive, but i'll stick with a boring Camry that hasn't had an issue since new.
My first car was a Saturn. It was used, but since it was my dad's old car, there were no surprises in its history. Anyway, it was a great car that lasted me 4 or 5 years (and now my sister drives it) -- the only major problem was the timing chain broke around the 8 year mark. I still miss that car sometimes!
I was never in any major accidents in it so I can't remark on the "safety" of it. I did have the front end ripped off in a hit-and-run collision, but it looked good as new once fixed!
I was never in any major accidents in it so I can't remark on the "safety" of it. I did have the front end ripped off in a hit-and-run collision, but it looked good as new once fixed!
Ignorance...
1. Theres nothing in a japanese car to go wrong, its a plastic box with wheels and a motor...I've never had any problems with my riding lawn mower but *vomits* its a damn lawn mower! I would never buy a car strictly on reliability and you just lose way too much with a japanese/american car vs a german one.
2. It's much safer and more "responsible" to drive any german car (in the proper conditions, no passing on the right, no swerving, etc) at 130 than any domestic or japanese car at 60mph.
Speed does not kill, losing control because your car can't handle, or bad driving or improper conditions does.
1. Theres nothing in a japanese car to go wrong, its a plastic box with wheels and a motor...I've never had any problems with my riding lawn mower but *vomits* its a damn lawn mower! I would never buy a car strictly on reliability and you just lose way too much with a japanese/american car vs a german one.
2. It's much safer and more "responsible" to drive any german car (in the proper conditions, no passing on the right, no swerving, etc) at 130 than any domestic or japanese car at 60mph.
Speed does not kill, losing control because your car can't handle, or bad driving or improper conditions does.
1. I have never felt like my Toyota is a unsafe vs. anything else on the road. It's a simple fact: German cars are unreliable. Period. Yeah they built better and drive better, but the OP doesn't need a headache with his first car.
2. That is completely idotic, and one of the most ignorant things I've ever heard. I've had my car at 85mph on the interstate, and it's fine. Driving anything at 100+ mph on american roads is unsafe to everybody else on the roads, and that is the main reason why teenagers have high insurance. Driving fast might be fun, but when you're putting somebody else's life in danger, it's not cool.
Speed does kill, and telling a 16 year old kid to try driving a Rabbit at 130mph is irresponsible. I've driven cars at 100mph, and I have always felt stupidly afterwards. What if something had run out in front of the car and I had to slam on brakes or swerve to miss it? I wouldn't be posting this right now, I'd be dead or seriously injured. Doesn't matter if the car was German, Japanese, American, British, etc.
I have to admit...that is the dumbest thing I have ever read in my life. How do you define driving a car at 130 in "proper conditions"? What proper conditions? On a racetrack? Are you mentally retarded or insane - maybe a combination of both? I'll take the Lexus IS F and I'll smoke your M3 on any track or obstacle course. Oh, and my Lexus won't break down.
^^^ very informational, no wonder the dude who drives an A3 at the gym stares at me all the time.
(seriously, how insecure can one get?
G5Unit any particular kind of vehicle/concern in mind?
i.e. pickup, coupe, sedan, hatchback, euro, asian, reliability, safety, handling, etc.
Well that's where I'm having trouble, I don't know what I want. So far the Scion xB seems most appealing due to it's low cost and slew of standard safety features.
Although I could be mistaken
imho material possessions speak a lot about a person (see the quoted post below for example
). after all, they are personal items. i don't know where you live in CA, but cars are status symbols in socal (does automatic 325i ring a bell? ). and fwiw, i'd refuse to give my kid a ML.wow... just wow...
i'm trying not to be mean so i'll ****...
but all i'm gonna say is if you gonna buy a m3 or anything amg for $16k, you should have at least another $10k in the bank for maintenance and repairs.
"it was fine"
You felt stupidly afterwards because it felt fast. It felt unsafe. It didn't feel as if it was nothing and you could go 50mph faster and still feel confident with your children in the backseat. Confident that if a deer runs out in front of the car or you have to hit your brakes or you run over a bump that your car will be immune. American's are so ignorant when it comes to highway safety, this is why our highways are so out of date which is why the car makers don't see a need to better engineer our cars. Its a simple fact that german cars are safer at speeds of up to 155mph than even the most expensive and sportiest of american cars at 50mph. Its impeccable engineering. The car behaves in the same way as a domestic/jap vehicle but at 3x the speed. Braking distance, emergency avoidance, everything is physically the same.
You felt stupidly afterwards because it felt fast. It felt unsafe. It didn't feel as if it was nothing and you could go 50mph faster and still feel confident with your children in the backseat. Confident that if a deer runs out in front of the car or you have to hit your brakes or you run over a bump that your car will be immune. American's are so ignorant when it comes to highway safety, this is why our highways are so out of date which is why the car makers don't see a need to better engineer our cars. Its a simple fact that german cars are safer at speeds of up to 155mph than even the most expensive and sportiest of american cars at 50mph. Its impeccable engineering. The car behaves in the same way as a domestic/jap vehicle but at 3x the speed. Braking distance, emergency avoidance, everything is physically the same.
I felt stupidly because:
1) It wasn't my car
2) I was driving an Impala SS, a deer would have most likely come through the windshield and killed me
3) There is no #3, it's just simple: Please don't go over 100mph on American roads. I don't want to see another Breaking News story about how a young kid was killed due to reckless driving.
Speaking of German cars and "great handling at higher speed" please look at this link and read:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Columns/articleId=124526
It didn't matter how great the handling was, they're all dead. Wrapped around a damn tree.
To original poster: sorry I've gotten so off track. I still recommend a Scion, Toyota, and Honda product. All have proven quality.
There are a number of reasons that driving faster is more dangerous, especially with regards to vehicle control and collision avoidance, however, your "swerve" example would certainly apply even at the interstate speed limit. The injuries/fatalities don't get much worse in a severe crash as you increase the speed once you're already at interstate speed.
OP: If you choose a used luxury model, keep in mind that maintenance/repairs may be significantly more costly than other vehicles.