emmah

Why not call your insurance agent and get his recommendations for a safe car? I am sure they get statistics about car crash safety and the vehicles that hold up. Better to receive some good information..than regret the decision later.

mhansen6

We bought our daughters an old Honda with a stick shift. That way they learned to drive a stick. They both had fender benders in the car, nothing serious. When my oldest graduated from High School we bought her a new car and gave my youngest daughter the Honda. We bought her a new car when she graduated from HS too. Then we sold the old Honda for exactly what we paid for it 4 years earlier. It was the perfect car for them to learn how to drive in.

Ramona Byrd

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What a clever idea, I NEVER thought of doing that.

Ask your insurance agent!!!

dreamboat

I would never buy a car for a teen ager. They need to get a job after graduation and buy their own. And they will appreciate it more.
The way the economy is now days. People without jobs.
Who can afford one.

great aunt jacqui

Well upon graduating from High School we had promised a new car if she adhered to our rules during HS years. No drinking, smoking, choosing the right friends, stay involved with school activities, never lie to us, and that if there were ever a slip in her life she could call us and we would be there, no questions asked. So we made time to take her car shopping. To our surprize, she opted to take my old 98 camry and tol me to get a new car. She drove that camry throughout college, and through 2 years of work. We now have that 13yr old camry in our drive as an emergency car, Needs wok but reliable in any case. She saved $$ and bought a 2011 ruby red camry. YOU GO GIRL!

SuzanneG

My daughter will inherit my Honda Accord when she gets her driver's license next year. When it's time to buy her her own car, she'll probably get a Honda Civic if I have my way and a Ford Taurus if she has hers! :D :D (Oh, and yes, she'll have to pay for half and be able to pay her insurance premiums before that happens! lol)

BellaBoo

I guess DH and I are guilty of giving our kids what they needed and wanted for free. They turned out to be great decent people. Never had a problem with them acting unappreciative or making wrong choices. Both have careers they love and are able to provide a good life for their families. We will give our niece what she needs to have an easier head start in her life as we did our children.

jitkaau

Toyota Corolla - virtually trouble free for a long time and have enough power to get out of situations, easy handling and parking.

ptquilts

Again, while starting a fire in the woodstove I found a great article in the Christian Science Monitor. This had a lot of good info in it.

http://www.fultoncountynews.com/news...amily/067.html


And let's not attack BellaBoo for her decision to get her niece a car. She did not ask anyone's opinion of her decision, she asked about cars. While some people would not do what she is doing, it is her right to do it, and I think she sounds like a good parent/aunt.

I remember my first car, a 1971 Plymouth Fury III - it even had retractable headlights with washers/wipers for the headlights!! $800 and I bought it sight unseen from a contact in NC because it was a "southern" car - no rust or salt corrosion like in the northeast. It lasted many years and ran well, only problem was a slight deceleration when it passed a gas station. It was a tank!!

DogHouseMom

Ditto ... I have a Honda Fit as well. We did a LOT of homework before deciding on this car for US.

Needed: safety, space, mileage. Has them all in spades.

I drive 40+ miles a day each way and I am currently getting 40+ to the gallon. My average for the Paducah trip was 48.

Side curtain and front air bags.

Tons of space to haul stuff, including my dogs.

There are only a few niggely things I don't like about my Honda. One is that I always like to leave my drivers side window cracked a little. Can't do that if it rains (it's worse in this car compared to any other car I've owned). I've got the rain guards just haven't had a chance to fit them on yet because of weather constraints - hope it will help.

The other is the wiper blades, I would prefer variable speed intermittant - there is only one intermittant speed on these. I also don't like the way the blades sit when not in use. The drivers side sits tucked under the other. Because I drive highway miles I am constantly washing my windows (bugs) and it's just not the best design for doing this. I also noticed that because of the way they sit I have to make sure that I clean every bit of snow/ice from the blades and the well they sit in cause it can really cake up. Other than that ... its a fantastic car and was reasonably priced.