Teen Driving and Buying Guide: The First Car War

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Introduction

Remember your first car? Of course you do. We all remember the first car we owned. It was our ticket to freedom and adventure, the wings we used to fly away from childhood and toward our adult years.
Mine was a beat-up old Mazda RX2, a hand-me-down from my father. My sister - a black and yellow Maverick. My best friend at the time - I forget his name - drove a 1968 Chevy Camaro.

Now that was a nice car.

Except for the fact that it was a death trap, and I'd never, ever, ever let my daughter drive a car like that. No way!

Welcome to the First Car War, a little drama that has played out in homes across this country for generations. Parents forget how important that first car is. Teens forget who's actually going to pay for the vehicle.

Around and around it goes. Finding a happy middle ground is possible, even easy, if you follow this Teen Driver's Buying Guide:

Safety

Most parents never think a major accident will happen to their son or daughter. After all, they reared little Johnny right, golly, so he would never in a million years drive drunk, or race in the streets. According to a recent Autobytel survey, nearly half of the parents who responded expressed confidence in their own children's driving habits. When asked what bothers them most about their teens' driving, 44% of those surveyed responded that their teens are generally responsible drivers -- with 20% indicating that none of their kids' driving habits is a source of concern. Only 4% of those surveyed identified drinking and driving as their top teen driving worry. Drinking and driving is, in fact, the number one killer of young people, and 43% of teens who participated in a recent clinical study said they'd either driven while intoxicated or ridden in a car with a driver who'd been drinking or using drugs.

So parents -- wake up! Your child will drive distracted, will get into accidents and even get a speeding ticket. Most do, and that's a fact. Your duty is to make sure your young driver knows how to drive, and is in a car that will protect and avoid an accident. Look beyond the air bags. While a very valuable piece of equipment, air bags can't stop the car before it hits something. Only the driver can do that - you want a car that makes it easy for them to avoid an accident. Try to find a car with a good anti-lock braking system. If the best car in your price range does not come with an ABS system, make sure the disc brakes are large and high quality. Remember too that there is more about safety than technology: how stiff is the structure of the car, and what is the suspension like? Be sure the car is easily manuevered -- it may seem that buying a tank is safe, but the best type of car is one with acceleration and a nimble steering quality. Have there been any recalls?

Most important of all: visibility, both in front and back. It's imperative that an inexperienced driver be able to see the nose of the car. Blind spots in back and to the side are the easiest way to visit your insurance claims office. For more about the safety and structure of new cars, check out our new car review section.