Getting a Car for your kid - New or Used ?

Bunker Snot

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My daughter has been driving with her permit for the past year. I have every confidence she will easily pass the driving test for her license. She is starting to talk about cars, what car to get, when to get it etc. She just turned 19, is very responsible and has saved quite a bit to pay for car, college etc (we will help her with both). Should I try to swing her to a USED vehicle for her first or let her head to the NEW car lot? (she's looking at everything from used Toyota Camry, Honda Accords ($10,000) to new Mazda CX-5 $25,000)
 
We've always gone used with the first car. The usededer.. the better. You can also consider the 'hand-me-down' route. Let her drive a car she already knows and is comfortable in and get the new for yourself! I was able to show my kids a lot of good mechanical stuff on the early clunkers, everything from oil and tire and belt changes to wheel bearings and exhaust replacement. Wouldn't do that on a new car, wouldn't need to of course...
 
Used I think, or hand me down. Hard to justify new car money on a first car. Unless she’s going away to college, and you don’t want her to have to deal with any maintenance issues. If she’s staying at home or close to home, used seems like the way to go.
 
Used and cheap. She is female and responsible, two things my kid was not but chances are good that she will knock a corner off her first car anyway.
 
Get her a good quality, reliable used vehicle with plenty of space e.g. hatchback or small SUV. I remember when my boys were off at university a couple of hours away, we always would be loading up the SUV with food and other stuff when we visited and for some reason it seemed like we used up all the space.
 
Well I don't have kids so I can't speak to this from that perspective, but I can tell you that even after the year with my permit and no issues or accidents, within a week of my license I had a small fender bender ... And then 4 months later I totaled it by fishtailing in the rain


So I would say used but safe.. things will happen, even if it's not her (a kid at school hits her car in the parking lot and drives off, etc)
 
All my kids will end up getting used cars. Hell, we buy used, even the Doc’s King Ranch was, so they’re sure as **** getting used.

And the twins will share a car. Work it out you two. Hahahahaha
 
We went used with both of our older kids but for my now almost 20 year-old it was only a year old with 7,600 miles on it. We got a car that was $28k new for $19k and it is the only car we will buy for her - it will be her car into her mid or late 20’s unless she decides to buy a new one after she graduate from college. Buying something low mileage has meant that we have had zero repairs other than routine maintenance.

My youngest will need a car in 18 months and we will also buy late model used and now have the added requirement of all wheel drive with these Minnesota winters. She wants a Jeep Wrangler but they are too expensive and as much as I’d like to have one for a 3rd vehicle, they are noisy and don’t drive very well for someone like her who would never take it off-road. I’m thinking a used small SUV such a CX-5 Or Hyundai Kona. A buddy of mine got a year old Kona for his daughter with 4,000 miles on it for under $20k.

Somehow our two older kids now have 10 years combined driving experience and almost 100k miles and we’ve had zero trips to the body shop!!
 
I'm also in the used camp. Wait for a new car when they can afford to make the payments by having a full time job. I'll certainly help my son, but he's not getting a new car when he's able to drive.
 
I'd recommend used for a lot of the reasons already listed. Insurance should be cheaper, as well. That being said, she is an adult and probably should be part of the conversation if she's going to be helping pay for it. My parents were upfront with me that they would pay for half of my first car, I had to research and find a reliable one that I could afford the other half though.
 
Used. New enough to have the latest safety features, but used enough to make it more inexpensive.

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I'd recommend used for a lot of the reasons already listed. Insurance should be cheaper, as well. That being said, she is an adult and probably should be part of the conversation if she's going to be helping pay for it. My parents were upfront with me that they would pay for half of my first car, I had to research and find a reliable one that I could afford the other half though.

My dad was a mechanic in his younger years and when my sister and I started driving in 1980/81 we got my mom’s old Vista Cruiser station wagon that was worth maybe $500. I continued to be cheap with my cars after college buying used vehicles with over 100k miles on them knowing that my dad could fix them if anything went wrong(he had an engine puller in his garage). My nicest car until I started getting company cars in 1998 at age 33 was a 1985 Audi Coupe GT that I paid $4,200 for. I retired a year ago and took over my wife’s car so at age 54 I still have never picked out and had a new vehicle other than base model mini vans and SUV’s that were company owned vehicles. My wife has only owned 4 new vehicles in her life and one was one that her parents bought for her in 1983. I guess my point is maybe I don’t buy new cars for my kids because I’ve never had one for myself. I think I’m due for a Porsche Boxster S!!
 
Used. Preferably something you bought cash so there’s no payment associated with something that has a higher chance of getting in an accident anyway
 
She got my wife's old car and the wife got a new used car. Lol
 
Used but safe and reliable I think would be your best bet. KBB usually has a good list of safe/reliable used cars for different price ranges on their website. I think they even do it by category, compact car, suv, etc. Might be worth checking that out.
 
We went used but reliable for my kids. Stuff is going to happen to their cars even if it isn't their fault. You can buy a 3-4 year old car that if it is well maintained will be super reliable. My son who is 20 is driving a 11 year old Toyota and I don't worry about it at all. We have it well maintained and it will run forever.
 
Used for sure. I helped my kids get there first used cars, but they paid for all of the maintenance and such for the responsibility part.
 
Well all the cute blonde girls around us that just turned 16 got brand new black jeeps so I think you should do that. ????
 
Well all the cute blonde girls around us that just turned 16 got brand new black jeeps so I think you should do that. ????

My son's girlfriend got a brand new matte gray jeep for her 19th birthday. I told my son that wasn't happening for him (of course he is 20 already).
 
Brand New BMW convertible for your baby girl always , come on you only live once

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I don't even buy new cars for myself. I sure wouldn't be buying a new driver a brand new car.
 
I lean towards a late model used car. BUt that is my answer for most car purchases. Get somethign with < 20K miles on it, a couple years old. Let someone else eat the massive depreciation, and still get a very reliable car.
 
My dad was a mechanic in his younger years and when my sister and I started driving in 1980/81 we got my mom’s old Vista Cruiser station wagon that was worth maybe $500. I continued to be cheap with my cars after college buying used vehicles with over 100k miles on them knowing that my dad could fix them if anything went wrong(he had an engine puller in his garage). My nicest car until I started getting company cars in 1998 at age 33 was a 1985 Audi Coupe GT that I paid $4,200 for. I retired a year ago and took over my wife’s car so at age 54 I still have never picked out and had a new vehicle other than base model mini vans and SUV’s that were company owned vehicles. My wife has only owned 4 new vehicles in her life and one was one that her parents bought for her in 1983. I guess my point is maybe I don’t buy new cars for my kids because I’ve never had one for myself. I think I’m due for a Porsche Boxster S!!

:love::love::love: Vista Cruiser:love::love::love:
 
If they don't want a hand me down, whatever they have saved for their car we will match and get them a car. Plus their first ticket will trigger them having to pay for insurance.
 
:love::love::love: Vista Cruiser:love::love::love:

Lol, most here likely don't know what that is. The one my parents gave me was gray/light blue with the woodgrain side panels, lots of rust, and it got about 12 mpg. :p



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