Okay, so your teenager is going to begin driving, and we are sure you are excited and nervous at the same time! For the best investment, you should get a used car. But even there you have to make the right choice.
Here is a quick checklist of what you should look for.
The used car must be affordable, safe and reliable. And now onto details.
On safety
16 to 19-year-olds are pretty much at higher risk of being involved in a car crash than older drivers. In fact four times more so. And that is data from The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The concern is they are unable to gauge their movements which come with maturity and skill. Both experiential learning that is lacking when one begins to drive. So a high-performance car or a heavy SUV that your teen wants may not be the best idea. These are harder to handle in unexpected situations. So go ahead and review crash test reports before zeroing into a mid-sized car that your teen can handle easily. Go for one with airbags, preferentially side airbags as well. Look for traction control and anti-lock brakes as well.
On reliability
There are some fantastic consumer report auto surveys on the internet. A breakdown is something your teen may not be good at handling right when they start driving. So check for a vehicle that is highly recommended in the used car market. Go for models which are 2004 or later. Dodge, Ram, and Jeep have occupied the place of pride in the market in this segment.
By affordability
So here are a few cost heads you need to factor in – namely, insurance, car registration, maintenance and safety needs that are immediate as well as long-term ones and gas mileage. Hop over to the AAA, get car history reports from CarFax or any other preferred provider. Get a technician to check it out. And add on some amount for a full inspection in terms of the costs that are going to be around the corner as well.
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When you get a used car for your teen, you are helping them hone their skills.
If you are looking for ideas to talk to your teen aiming for an SUV about this plan, here is what you need to know. Pickups and SUV s are not great choices for drivers who are a novice. Simply because they are taller and thus have higher centers of gravity. This makes them prone to tripping on a curb or any sort of an obstruction and rolling over. Stability control in newer cars, especially from 2009 onwards, is an important way to handle this situation.
So go ahead and get a great used car and wipe off the nervousness!
If you are looking for a new or used car, then check out Patterson Ford of Bowie!
Christopher
Monday 27th of March 2017
When my kids get old enough for a car, I've always felt that getting a truck in Houston with some heavy duty bumpers is the way to go. I know dodge has some nice looking trucks with those kinds of bumpers