First car for son (insurance, first vehicle, sedan, seats)
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My son is turning 16 soon and already has earned a (restricted) license. Husband and I are planning to buy him a car for his birthday. H wants to get him a pickup truck because he says they are safe and it is easier to see because they are high up. Is that a good idea? Does anyone have experiences with buying (or receiving) cars for a teenager?
Trucks aren't necessarily safer, especially the ones with lift kits. I see it on the news all the time where they get rolled over, usually by younger guys.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Our son's first at 16 was a pickup, and it was a regular cab with only 2 seats so there was no way to be distracted by more than one other person with him. They also have great visibility. Worked out great.
Definitely manual. If he learns manual, he can drive anything else.
Otherwise, lifted Dodge RAM Big Horn edition gives great visibility.
Sorry, could not stand temptation. He's a teenager. He thinks on steroids and steroids say truck. That's it. Every pal and bud and dude he socializes with say - truck. MACHO MANLY.
Get him manual Civic V-TEC engine.
teens can fit alot of friends in the back of a pickup. just saying.
I know I did back in '82, my first vehicle was a '69 Chevy C-10, 1 row bench seat and 3 on the tree manual.
That said, if he's in any urban or suburban area unlikely these days to be hauling people in the back.
My son is turning 16 soon and already has earned a (restricted) license. Husband and I are planning to buy him a car for his birthday. H wants to get him a pickup truck because he says they are safe and it is easier to see because they are high up. Is that a good idea? Does anyone have experiences with buying (or receiving) cars for a teenager?
The only pickups I'd stay away from are ones that have lift-kits. They're top-heavy.
Beyond that, everything about pickups is personal opinion.
Pickups, with or without lift kits, are much more prone to roll than are cars, and rolls kill people. A newish sedan is much safer than an older pickup due to safety advances. They stop quicker too. And get better gas mileage.
My son bought his son a pickup for his 16th birthday. He promptly rolled it (totaled). He had to wait for the replacement until graduation. His dad bought him another pickup, almost new. Within 3 months he rolled it. No more pickups for now.
I bought my son an old beater for his 16th birthday, one that didn't need to have collision insurance. I put it in his name, and by doing that the insurance on my cars did not go up, even if my son drove them.
the first vehicle i had decent control over was a 67 chevy pick up, short wheelbase 2 wheel drive. if you want to get him a pick up, i suggest something from the 1973-1989 model years in the chevy line. they are still fairly cheap to buy, and they are easy to repair as needed. parts are available as well.
i suggest getting a 2 wheel drive pick up in stock form, preferably with the inline six, but a small V8 would do well also. i also suggest getting a manual trans as it will force him to concentrate more on his driving.
My son's first vehicle was an older Ford pick up,stick shift with bucket seats. 7 years later it is now his 2nd family vehicle. A friendly but firm reminder unsafe practices would result in school bus riding worked well.
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