Recommendations for son's 1st car (insurance, vehicles, mileage, buy)

[CarolinaCruzes]

I would like some recommendations for my son's first car. He will be seventeen soon and the deal was if he drove a year with no tickets or accidents and saved the money to cover insurance and maintenance, we would buy him a car. We have always purchased new cars but don't think that would be a good idea for a teenager.

Tell me your thought on what kind of car and why?

Thanks

[NSHL10]

7 year old Ford Taurus. Old and cheap enough not to require theft and collision, heavy and strong enough to survive a hit, and plenty of them around for parts after the hit.

[thelostsouls]

Used hondas. Cheap, fairly reliable, and usually very good on insurance.
Do some research... see which cars are the cheapest to insure in your area.

[Beretta]

We love Honda products. We gave one of our sons our hand me down Honda Accord and we bought the other a new Honda Civic. We did lots and lots of research at the time and feel good about our decision; and that is what matters for you. May your son have many years of safe driving ahead of him.

Regards.

[SpeedyAZ]

Any sort of price range? What type of cars is he into? Performance make a difference?

I'd assume he'd want something a little sporty with him being 17 and all. How about a used Ford Mustang or Pontiac Grand Prix? Both can be had for under $10K and would make good high school vehicles.

[CarolinaCruzes]

Originally Posted by SpeedyAZ

Any sort of price range? What type of cars is he into? Performance make a difference?

I'd assume he'd want something a little sporty with him being 17 and all. How about a used Ford Mustang or Pontiac Grand Prix? Both can be had for under $10K and would make good high school vehicles.

One issue is he is tall a little over 6 feet. He is just starting to show interest in cars, but doesn't really car, although I suspect that if we came home with a VW Beetle, he wouldn't be too thrilled. We don't want to spend more than $15,000 but would love to keep it closer to $10,000.

[Beretta]

Also remember to check insurance rates prior to purchase.

[GreenMachine]

Originally Posted by CarolinaCruzes

I would like some recommendations for my son's first car. He will be seventeen soon and the deal was if he drove a year with no tickets or accidents and saved the money to cover insurance and maintenance, we would buy him a car. We have always purchased new cars but don't think that would be a good idea for a teenager.

Tell me your thought on what kind of car and why?

Thanks

Mazda3 has loads of great reviews. I'm driving one now that I've rented. Handles awesome, lots of fun to drive and great stereo system. Then of course you've got your Corolla and your Honda Civic.

Greenie

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by thelostsouls

Used hondas. Cheap, fairly reliable, and usually very good on insurance.
Do some research... see which cars are the cheapest to insure in your area.

i'd go with a honda accord. very reliable, great resale value, everything youll need inside a car.

[yo vanilla]

in that price range i vote for a mazda3. fun, stylish cars for their class. reliable, and if you get one with side airbags, rates well in safety too. maintenance is inexpensive, gas mileage is good. oh, and it gets stolen a whole lot less than a civic.