First Car for Teens

A first car for teens is like a first vehicle for adults with several exceptions. All first car buyers must deal with the cost of the car, insurance, repairs and maintenance. But, teenagers who are first car buyers may have to rely on their parents or guardians more than any adult would.

Some of the issue specific to a first car for teens include:

• Cost of vehicle and who will pay
• Cost of insurance and who will pay
• Cost of fuel
• Stick or automatic transmission
• New, used or lease
• Warranty and lemon law coverage
• Safety concerns
• Lifestyle (modding the car)
• Driving habits

Most teens who are first car buyers will need assistance from their parents. This may be full financial assistance or partial (depending upon whether the teenage has a job or a wealthy uncle or not). Negotiating with parents may not be an easy task as there are usually conflicting concerns.

Teenage boys may want a car that is cool and teen girls a vehicle that is cute, while parents want one that is safe and relatively inexpensive. Usually, all parties may be accommodated when picking a first car.

Typically parents want a vehicle that is safe and is a cheap first car to boot. Many parents will bear the expense of not only the car, but insurance, fuel, repair and maintenance as well. They may also expect their teens to have an occasional fender bender or be involved in one as they are learning to drive safely.

For most teens it is totally different. Sure, safety is important, yada yada yada. But, being cool and having a cool car speaks volumes at school and among their friends. Having a piece of crap car is demoralizing and embarrassing.

One way to split the difference between parents and teens is to buy that cheap, safe car and help the teen to modify (or mod it). Tricking out or pimping a car can be done without costing an arm and a leg. For teen boys this may mean simply putting on front or rear spoilers, or putting a flame on the side of the car.

For girls, this may mean spicing up the inside of the vehicle with cute seat covers and other accessories that will make it more homey and comfortable for friends.

Some of the issues that teens will need to work out with their parents, especially working teens will be who will pay for what. Who will pay what portion for the car, insurance, fuel, maintenance and repairs should be talked about upfront so that all parties involved know that driving is indeed a privilege and not a right. Even the legal system says this is so.

If the teen has a job doing yard work such as hauling things or mowing lawns they may need a truck. They may also need to know how to drive a stick shift in order to get a job doing such work. This must also be considered when buying a first car for teens.

The new, used or lease question always comes up when considering a first car for teens. If a new car is bought by the parents for the teen does this send the wrong message that the teen does not have to work for things in life and that they will just be given to him or her? If a used car is bought then many states will not have a lemon law to cover it. The warranty however may cover repairs and service.

If the teen will only want the car for a couple of years before getting a new vehicle then perhaps a lease may be considered. Then again, leasing for only a couple of years may be more costly then buying and reselling a vehicle.

Safety reports such as from SaferCar.gov will help both teens and parents decide how to narrow down their choices of first car to buy. Driving habits are also a key deciding factor in which first car for teens to purchase.

The insurance companies know that teens by nature do not take safety as seriously or pay attention as much as older adults do. This is why insurance premiums usually go down once a driver hits 25 years of age.

Also, some teenage males tend to think they are indestructible, which is typical for this age group. For those who drive in a reckless fashion, even for their age group one needs not only to be concerned with things like front impact, side impact, airbags, and rollover but more modern features of some newer cars like lane change warnings and sensors that detect speed and distance to the next vehicle.

This is not to say a teen needs the most advanced and expensive vehicle on the market. Teens need to take responsibility for their first car and prove that they can pay attention and drive in a responsible manner.

The items listed on this page are all things to think about in regard to a first car for teens. Hopefully by weighing the advantages and disadvantages of the items we've talked about here you can make the choice that is optimal for you and your circumstances.