My oldest is 16 and it’s time to get her a car. Do I buy a $4k car or spend a little more and get her something newer / safer / more reliable? Part of me has trouble getting my head around the idea of getting my kid a nicer car than my parents ever owned, but another part of me says I can afford it and I want her to be safe. Debating between something like a 2010-ish Mazda3 with 80-100k miles (likely under $5k, cash) or a 2015-ish Mazda6 ($12-15k). Neither is ridiculous.

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Get something decent and with enough size to send the off to college with.

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Definitely don’t cut corners on safety. I can’t say that I have seen any data recently to back this up, but I presume the exorbitant insurance rates for teen drivers are so high because they’re more likely to do something dumb or just make an innocent mistake due to inexperience.

I don’t buy many cars so I don’t know what year ABS and airbags and such became standard. My gut says 2010 is probably a little too old for my comfort level but that’s just me.

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Interesting, I have no idea what those systems do because I think they’re supposed to be behind the scenes. As in, there’s no lever or button to turn it on, the point is that those systems wait in the background and the computer engages them only when needed. To the extent that’s true, I don’t expect to teach my new drivers about them at all, except to say “this is the override button - don’t turn it off because it will help prevent accidents.”

I am currently driving a 2005 Mazda 3, with 140k of mostly commuting miles. I can’t recommend it highly enough for a reliable, inexpensive option for a new driver; who will likely destroy the car

My daughter is 16 as well. Her first vehicle was a 94’ Chevy C1500 my dad gave her. Runs like a top despite being an older truck. She loves it. Insurance is very low considering the age. Earlier this year and against my better judgement, I bought her an 07’ VW convertible beetle with the thought of her taking it to college soon. We kept the Chevy as a spare vehicle. Big mistake. There were a lot of underlying issues with it that are now surfacing. I know have about $7500 tied up in a $5000 car and she’s back to driving the truck. Buy her something newer and more dependable. Btw, any interest in an 07’ beetle? Lol

SC2 - I researched it pretty extensively and it seemed like there were more good than bad reviews. Just wish I’d have been on that good side lol. Yeah it won’t happen again.

I’ll sell you my 2000 Toyota Camry with 115k miles for cheap. It’s gold interior and gold exterior.

The Mazda 3 is great. If you’re willing to spend more, why not buy a 5 year old Mazda 3? I think it’s on the same platform as the current one and you can probably get a decent one for $8-$10k.

Mazda are fine. I would suggest a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord for reliability and future mechanical repairs (basically every mechanics know these cars).

Data point of one, but my dad bought all three kids new cars when they turned 16. He told us multiple years ahead of time that as long as we kept our grades up, we would get a car. All three of us drove those cars at least through college with no major accidents to speak of. I kept my 2005 Accord coupe until 2017, and only sold it because my wife and I were having our first kid. Yes, some teens will wreck their first car. For others, it can be a tremendous gift, a great motivator, and a nice head-start on adult life.

From a safety perspective I would look for something with driver assist features like automatic braking and blind spot warning. Not sure what it costs to get that these days, but I think new drivers really benefit from this kind of safety tech.

My dad got me a two year old Honda Accord. I drove it through college until the age of 30 when we had our first kid and that’s because my spouse refused to put our kid in a 15 year old car. Highly recommend the Accord.

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