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So my son just turned 16 and will have his license next month.
His Grandfather, who recently quit driving, has generously given him his 08 Jeep Compass.
Here's the problem - we both hate the vehicle. I hate it - and felt it was a bad vehicle for my father. The windows are tiny - made very modern and slanted - with HUGE door pillars that block all vision. The vehicle has terrible visibility.
This concerns me. My father had his first accidents in it - now I can't say if that was due to age OR to the fact that it's just hard to see out of.
Secondly - it does NOT have automatic lights and I'm scared to death that my son will forget to turn them on. I forget to turn them on sometimes. Don't most cars have automatic headlights now?
Thirdly, it gets stuck in Park and you have to perform a 'manual override' to get it out of park . . . quite the maneuver.
My son would LOVE to drive my 06 Ford Escape. Now I know that's not a new, fancy vehicle but I love that car and not sure I want to give it up. It has leather seats (great for a swim taxi and two dogs)
I'm toying with the idea of buying myself a newer vehicle and giving him the 06 Escape.
BUT, isn't all this in vain? Isn't he just probably going to wreck the car anyway and THEN we can get him a different vehicle?
Is the whole 'visibility' thing just my paranoia?
Cause I could just let him drive the Compass and not spend a dime other than to insure it. It's a 4 wheel drive also.
Anyone that's familiar with cars OR teen-age drivers - what should I do???
My thoughts on teen cars are they should be safe, reliable, paid for and not something that anyone is going to care if they get dinged in the parking lot or get in a minor fender bender. If you feel that the Compass is not safe then maybe you can sell it and purchase a car you feel better about?
Why not sell the Jeep, let your son drive your Escape and buy something new for yourself?
If you are not comfortable with your son driving the car then don't have him drive it. It's hard enough to get comfortable with a teen driver without feeling the vehicle he is driving is unsafe. If you feel the car has poor visibility and you don't like to drive it because of that then you are probably right. Trust yourself.
As far as them wrecking it, while most kids will have some dents and scrapes it's not inevitable that he will actually wreck the car. For instance my son scraped the side of the car taking it out of the driveway, and he dinged the bumper in parking lot but he has not wrecked the car he is driving (a Scion xB).
The 08 Compass actually has a pretty good safety rating, which is something I take into consideration when looking at cars for our kids. Front crash rating is 4 out of 5, and side impact rates a 5. On the other hand, it also has "significant blind spots", as you have already noted. I think if one is aware of the blind spot problem, it can be compensated for by taking extra care.
But, since neither you nor your son even likes the vehicle, I would agree with the others. Trade it in towards something else.
It is not a given that teenage boys will always end up having an accident. We haven't claimed one yet!
So my son just turned 16 and will have his license next month.
His Grandfather, who recently quit driving, has generously given him his 08 Jeep Compass.
Here's the problem - we both hate the vehicle. I hate it - and felt it was a bad vehicle for my father. The windows are tiny - made very modern and slanted - with HUGE door pillars that block all vision. The vehicle has terrible visibility.
This concerns me. My father had his first accidents in it - now I can't say if that was due to age OR to the fact that it's just hard to see out of.
Secondly - it does NOT have automatic lights and I'm scared to death that my son will forget to turn them on. I forget to turn them on sometimes. Don't most cars have automatic headlights now?
Thirdly, it gets stuck in Park and you have to perform a 'manual override' to get it out of park . . . quite the maneuver.
My son would LOVE to drive my 06 Ford Escape. Now I know that's not a new, fancy vehicle but I love that car and not sure I want to give it up. It has leather seats (great for a swim taxi and two dogs)
I'm toying with the idea of buying myself a newer vehicle and giving him the 06 Escape.
BUT, isn't all this in vain? Isn't he just probably going to wreck the car anyway and THEN we can get him a different vehicle?
Is the whole 'visibility' thing just my paranoia?
Cause I could just let him drive the Compass and not spend a dime other than to insure it. It's a 4 wheel drive also.
Anyone that's familiar with cars OR teen-age drivers - what should I do???
OK, if you really think your son is going to forget to turn on the lights and is just going to wreck his first car anyway, don't give him a car at all!
Sell the jeep, buy him a vehicle more suited to him. I would suggest an older vehicle. Take any extra $$$ and put it in a savings account and help him build the savings for his graduation car.
My son has a 11 year old small pickup truck. It was my truck before he had his license. He has no trouble turning on the headlights. It is a basic set up. No bells and whistles to distract him.
Driving is a responsibility. If he is not comfortable in the vehicle, he should not be driving it. You do not need to give up your vehcicle, but there is no reason he can't get one he is comfortable in.... especially since he has one that can provide the financial means to get him a solid, reliable, safe vehicle.
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