I'm reading a book on how to make your kids crash proof and there is a section on what car to buy a teenaged driver.

Makes sense but it's entirely from a safety point of view-
Something that is a little bigger not smaller
More like a four door sedan, not an SUV, truck, sportscar, or coupe
Something with airbags
Something with not that much horsepower
Something not too snazzy.
Something under $5000

Doesn't sound like a FIT, does it?
Well maybe or maybe not. Except the cost.

So do you think the FIT is a good choice for first car?

Personally I think it is a darn good car for first car.
But then my first car was a 78' Chevy Chevette four door hatchback.

Hey, four door hatchback! I had the right idea and it was versatile having the foldable rear seat and hatch. But it was awfully dated in design, slow, with 20 mpg despite being a 4 cylinder AT. But it was much much better than a 79" Ford Pinto with manual transmission that I rented. That was horrible. It hurt my arms to drive.:mad: :( :D

 

Hallo there.

Well my first car was a jazz and it still is. It has all the equipment you need, 5 doors, lots of space, its safe, economically, great gear, engine and quality.
If you think the fit/jazz is to much of a familycar, try puting on some other springs, and a pair of alus...

Im going to be a father april 2007, and am sure the car is great for transporting a child aswell :-)

 

Bigger does not always = safer, and those that buy trucks and think this are beeing fooled, as trucks to not have the same safety standards as cars.

Put your kids in a late 240 Volvo.

 

giving your kid a truck or suv for a first car would be a disaster, they would be dangerous to other drivers on the road... and also get poor mpg lol

 

A first car is like training wheels.

Some good safety features-
Electronic stability
Anti lock brakes
All wheel drive
Good to Excellent crash test results

A couple of picks by the book I'm reading-
Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable
Buick LeSabre
Chevy Impala/ Malibu
Ford 500/ Crown Victoria
Nissan Altima
Honda Accord 4-Dr, 4 cylinder
Saturn Ion
Toyota Corolla
VW Golf/Passat
Minivans

So what could be the worst?
Chevy Blazer 2 Door
Camaro/Firebird
Kia Rio/Sportage
Mitsubishi Mirage
Ford Explorer 2 Door
Chevy Tracker/S10
Chevy Cavalier
Any two door sportscar

All depends on your driver the traffic, where you live, when they drive the most.

 

My first car was a 78 civic 2 door hatchback. I think that it was an amazing first car. It didn't have enough horse power to get me in trouble. It handled like a go-kart, and I avoided a few accidents because of it. It was great on gas, and the two doors/ low horse power meant that friends were more likely to jump into a buddies car (less distraction when learning), so a two door is not always a bad thing.

I would avoid anything that does not have a sporty suspension, or weak brakes for the weight of the car. IMO cars that are big and heavy are safer in an accident (with comparable safety options) to small light cars, however I would want my child to learn how to avoid an accident in a low powered sporty car like I did. When you are learning, size matters, and I see a lot of drivers that are truly not aware of the size of their vehicles.

I like the idea of a Fit as a first car, I would also look at a base Golf/Rabbit, a Imreza/Legacy/Forester(if I could afford it), a Versa, or even a Swift. Most of these cars have decent safety options and handle a lot better than a LeSabre, Taurus, or Crown Vic.( yes I know that police use these bit they are skilled drivers, not newbies)

 

well they arent safe for whoever they run into, suv vs a sedan can totally smash the sedan because the suv can drive up the hood and smash the roof O_o ive seen it happen before and it sure isnt pretty

 

Not sure what the AWD will do for you in HI?

Look at the number of fatal crashes in Volvo 240s, and you can group the 740s and Peugeot 505 into that lot also. Some of the lowest in the US.

Also looks like new cars (Ford 500) and I cannot imagine making payments on a kids car. My first car was a battered Citroen I bought on my own for about $250 US. Looks like some of the stuff you see on CNN or the like, which you wonder who is behind?

...edit.... Actually, get them the Buick, they will be afriad their friends will see it and never drive it. A friend with an AMC Matadoor was an example of that.

 

A police Crown Vic or Caprice is not the same underneath as the civy ones, but then you are also correct on the driving skill.

I still wonder why drivers ed cars here in the US do not have 5 speeds in them?

 

Yeah the Volvo is pretty safe. I don't think I have even seen a Peugeot in Hawaii. They stopped importing to the US in about 1991 or something a long time ago.

Sorry the Book had various lists of cars to consider and the Ford came from one list that didn't care about price of the car while some of the other cars are from the cost concious list.

Leasing does make for easier payments sometimes and not quite as bad for a first car.

AWD is good for snow, off road use, steep hills and bad rain. In Hawaii we have everything but snow except at the top of volcanoes. We do have very steep roads and very very heavy rain at times. There are quite a few AWD cars on the road.

 

I think your kids should by his own first car, or any car. Mommy and Daddy shouldnt give there kid a car, because then they dont appreciate it. So their less likely to care about it. and if they wreck it,then they have to pay for it. otherwise they think "big deal if i wreck it, because mommy and daddy will fix it for me or buy me a different one". I think a fit would be a bad first car, because its too expensive. maybe in 10-20 years it would be. A first car should be cheap and reliable. like a $1000 car, or what they can afford. plus insurance is alot cheaper on old cars. Also they should pay for there own insurance, because i think they will be alot more careful if they know they have to pay for there own insurance. Its like, "I should be careful when i drive, because if i cause an accident, then i have to pay to fix my car AND for the increased insurance cost." rather than,"why be careful, because mommy and daddy will pay for everything anyway"

 

I fully expect my now-4-year-old to get my Fit as her first car. When it's 13 years old, I expect it to be pretty solid, safe & practical, as most Hondas I've owned have been. She takes over gas & insurance, and its hers.

I'll bet she'll want the S2000, though.... :)

JonasM

 

My first car was my Mx6. Turbocharged, FWD, torque steer, no ABS, and only seat belts. :)

I love it. Still have it. Second car was a Ford Probe GT. Same car as the Mx6 basically. Just it had ABS. My 3rd car will be my Fit. Cant wait!!!

 

My first was the 66 Mustang Fastback. (still kicking & sobbing that I ever sold it! ) I have no problem w/ parents who buy their children cars, as long as the teens have a solid foundation of discipline & responsibility. I have an aviation background and tend to drive like I would be flying...on top of that, I had a vested interest in the Mustang and did a lot of work to it...and I did a lot of 'work' for it!!! I was paying my dad back for it when after 3 yrs, at Xmas he wrote it off as a gift!

Give kids responsibility and gently teach them consequences, and most of 'em will grow up quick! Others require significant 'coaching'. :)

IMO, no car is safe for a kid who plays loud music, has a cell phone to his ear, several friends in the car, and say, perhaps slick roads (rain). But certainly the Fit is a good starter car, in a good driver's hands.

 

S2000! That's alot more car than a FIT. Not as good for a first car, unless you have a rare responsible young driver.

Maybe you will upgrade the FIT and modify it so well you will not want to give it up even 13 years from now. There might be some very safe cars for her 10 years from now.

I just sold my 12 year old Nissan Maxima SE and it was doing pretty good but I could not keep it since buying the FIT. Hated to see it go but it wasn't nearly as safe even with dual front airbags. Modern cars are much better with side curtain airbags these days.

 

Read this-
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/...1/article.html

Not sure if I agree with all of the choices.

Mustang??
Eclipse??

I would have thought a Toyota would be there-
Yaris? Corolla? I guess they think the Scions are better.

What about KIA or Hyundai?

and read this too-
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/youngd...6/article.html

 

This is my first car. Take it, my parents didn't buy me one (they didn't buy me any cars...I wasn't even allowed to use their's...). I really enjoy my car. I'm a 19 year old single mother...and I love all my room and saftey features. I don't think I could have picked anything better. The only thing I don't like with this car is if you get the base model...replace the wheels/tires and get bigger ones. I've been in a wreck with my car already because of the tires being too small and blowing on me. I escape unharmed and I was VERY impressed with how well my little car held up.

 

I'll respond mildly (compared to others in the hobby) and say that many young people have started out with older Mustangs. Granted, they are in a class of their own and most of the 'common' concerns for a 'first new car' don't apply at all.

However, in some ways, I think that starting out w/ a old solid Mustang better prepares a person for driving...no point in arguing saftey, as they aren't nearly as good as newer cars.

But the raw feel of the car does much to instill respect for these newer quiet smooth rides. Have a person drive a Pony w/o power brakes (4 wheel drums to boot!!), w/o power steering, and no A/C. This is what I drove for the first 5 yrs in the Bay Area starting in 97. Had many 'experiences' w/ the car, all of which probably have made me a better driver.

W/ newer cars, the engineering masks much of what the car is doing for you. I can drive a new SUV w/ the tip of my fingers, and use a toe to stop the car on a dime. Not so w/ the old Mustang! You had to think when you drove it, plan ahead to brake, and anticipate turns in parking lots. This forced me to drive much more cautiously than I see some young moms barrelling down the road in their creature comfort 'tanks'...they don't realize what 4-5k lbs of steel can do when hitting something!

 

I speak from experience on both sides.
When trying to decide what car is best for a new driver: go small, go economical, go cheap, and teach you teen safe & defensive driving. Avoiding accidents is key and in the unfortunte situation that an accident is unavoidable, knowing hot to give/receive a hit is also key. There are SUV's that are marginal on safety test against small cars that pass safety tests with flying colors.
I learned on a '94 Pontiac Sunbird (slightly smaller than a Fit in nearly every aspect) and drove the Sunbird 8+ times a year between NY & MI for college. Kids with SUV's in college had $$ to burn and probably don't have the same constraints or values. The differences between a econobox and a fullsize SUV are significant, which is why you buy one or the other.
I upgraded to a '01 Durango when I began accumulating furniture, moving between apartments, and driving daily in 4x4 through snow to work. My Durango now holds my 3 month old girl (it has 121K miles on it). I still have lots more respect for a fwd car in snow over a rwd mustang or camaro or 2wd truck (any day)!!!

I'm looking at picking up a summertime small car again now that we have the capability to pickup another vehicle. I believe every household should have a large and small vehicle beause of the obvious benefits of each, especially as gas prices increase. If you live without snow, forget an SUV unless you seriously cart a lot of hardward or 5-7 people + luggage on a regular basis.

A new driver probably has a night job and should (hopefully) be preparing for college.
A small car is less expensive (haggle used cars vs SUVs if you want)
A high mpg car is less operational costs (gas).
A small, safe, 4-door car is cheaper to insure.
You don't want a new driver behind the wheel of a heavy, expensive, 4wd SUV. 4wd car get out of control a lot easier than fwd even on dry pavement.
If kids are bringing enough sh*t to college that they need SUV cargo space, IMO parents allowing kids way too many distractions (TV, DVD, Stereo, fridge, microwave - that's all BS). Sufficient clothes, laptop or small PC, small radio, will fit just fine in a small car.

 

you can make ur kids crash proof by dicipline. like saying if u crash or get a speeding ticket i will not pay for your insurance and take away ur car.