Car Buying Tips for Teenagers Cars and youth go together like peanut butter and jelly. Except that cars are much more expensive. And as far as anyone knows, nobody was ever severely injured losing control of their PB&J. Well maybe just once.
More to the point, a car is really the first adult possession a teenager will own. And with it comes a whole host of adult responsibilities, from payments to car care and maintenance, and of course the big one—responsibility behind the wheel. Believe it or not, there are some cars that, by design, can help on that front. We’ll talk more about that in a moment.
There are all kinds of tips out there for helping young car buyers and their parents find that special first vehicle. And it will be special, regardless of how good or bad it is. Even for those not especially interested in autos, you’ll always remember your first car. Make it a good memory with these car-shopping tips.
As with any major purchase, research is the first step and the internet is your first, best friend. Find cars that interest you, then start searching online for problems common to that specific model line. A tendency for interior bits to wear prematurely isn’t such a big deal, but finding frequent, costly mechanical problems should be a deal breaker.
Insurance rates for young drivers are often more expensive than the car. Typically, the cheapest cars to insure for young drivers are mainstream four-door sedans, minivans, and to some degree, pickup trucks. Get quotes from several different insurance companies before you get your heart set on a car. • Avoid Limited-Production Vehicles From special performance models to unpopular brands that only lasted a couple years, limited-production vehicles are notorious for being expensive to own and maintain. Parts are often harder to find and they’re usually quite costly. Stick to mainstream machines for this first round of ownership—there are plenty of cool cars to choose from.
Reds, yellows, oranges, even bright blues often catch the eye and look great. But those colors also catch the eye of John Q. Traffic Officer, and as a young driver it’s only going to take one minor traffic offense to completely ruin your day. Go for silver, grey, white, or a nice dark green to help slip under the radar—both figuratively and literally.
Here’s where the design of the car can help make a better driver. Operating a manual transmission forces the driver to be more involved with the driving process, plain and simple. It calls for extra awareness approaching stop signs and intersections. It requires a closer monitoring of the engine and vehicle speed. And it also leaves fewer idle hands to fumble with common driving distractions like phones and food.
