Which car for sixteen year old?

[Michael]

Dear Group,

My daughter will turn sixteen, therefore resulting in a drivers license,
next April. She presently has a learners permit and is actually a better
driver than my wife.

I have had six BMW's and presently own two mini vans (want to buy a 96 Sport
model?), a 97 Volvo 960 (our first Volvo and presently @ 203,000 mls) and a
84 BMW 633 CSi (my weekend car, five speed manual). My daughter wants a BMW
and I want her to have a Volvo. I've wrecked or have been in wrecks with
both the BMWs and the Volvo. Volvo is a much safer car, hands down, in a
wreck. Almost fun to wreck a Volvo.

Her high school lost four kids who were seventeen and eighteen this year to
auto accidents. SUV's and small Japanese cars in all cases. SUV's are
unstable on the road, IMHO, and the Japanese cars just don't do well in
crashes. These kids just don't have the experience at driving. I want my
daughter to call me to tell me she has wrecked the car and not get a call
from the police to tell me my daughter is dead.

The question is which Volvo should I start looking for? Five thousand is
all I want to spend and she, of course, wants something "kewl". More is
possible but not desired. We live in North Carolina, USA.

This is a good kid who will probably get a full ride to any university she
applies to so I want to keep her safe but also give her a car she will be
proud of and want to keep through college. Convertibles and two doors are
at the top of her list. A-1 Abrams are at the top of mine.

TIA
mjb

 

[Howard Nelson]

Dear Group,

My daughter will turn sixteen, therefore resulting in a drivers license,
next April. She presently has a learners permit and is actually a better
driver than my wife.

I have had six BMW's and presently own two mini vans (want to buy a 96 Sport
model?), a 97 Volvo 960 (our first Volvo and presently @ 203,000 mls) and a
84 BMW 633 CSi (my weekend car, five speed manual). My daughter wants a BMW
and I want her to have a Volvo. I've wrecked or have been in wrecks with
both the BMWs and the Volvo. Volvo is a much safer car, hands down, in a
wreck. Almost fun to wreck a Volvo.

Her high school lost four kids who were seventeen and eighteen this year to
auto accidents. SUV's and small Japanese cars in all cases. SUV's are
unstable on the road, IMHO, and the Japanese cars just don't do well in
crashes. These kids just don't have the experience at driving. I want my
daughter to call me to tell me she has wrecked the car and not get a call
from the police to tell me my daughter is dead.

The question is which Volvo should I start looking for? Five thousand is
all I want to spend and she, of course, wants something "kewl". More is
possible but not desired. We live in North Carolina, USA.

This is a good kid who will probably get a full ride to any university she
applies to so I want to keep her safe but also give her a car she will be
proud of and want to keep through college. Convertibles and two doors are
at the top of her list. A-1 Abrams are at the top of mine.

TIA
mjb
Dear Group,

My daughter will turn sixteen, therefore resulting in a drivers license,
next April. She presently has a learners permit and is actually a better
driver than my wife.

I have had six BMW's and presently own two mini vans (want to buy a 96 Sport
model?), a 97 Volvo 960 (our first Volvo and presently @ 203,000 mls) and a
84 BMW 633 CSi (my weekend car, five speed manual). My daughter wants a BMW
and I want her to have a Volvo. I've wrecked or have been in wrecks with
both the BMWs and the Volvo. Volvo is a much safer car, hands down, in a
wreck. Almost fun to wreck a Volvo.

Her high school lost four kids who were seventeen and eighteen this year to
auto accidents. SUV's and small Japanese cars in all cases. SUV's are
unstable on the road, IMHO, and the Japanese cars just don't do well in
crashes. These kids just don't have the experience at driving. I want my
daughter to call me to tell me she has wrecked the car and not get a call
from the police to tell me my daughter is dead.

The question is which Volvo should I start looking for? Five thousand is
all I want to spend and she, of course, wants something "kewl". More is
possible but not desired. We live in North Carolina, USA.

This is a good kid who will probably get a full ride to any university she
applies to so I want to keep her safe but also give her a car she will be
proud of and want to keep through college. Convertibles and two doors are
at the top of her list. A-1 Abrams are at the top of mine.

TIA
mjb

Excuse me for this judgment, but what does (should) she have to say about
it?

You are buying the car, paying the insurance and letting her use it. Get a
car you are comfortable with and she can use it, take her bike or walk.

My daughter wanted a "muscle car". She got a 93 940T wagon. After a year she
really appreciates the wagon. It handles well, has enough power, lots of
room for "stuff" and lets me sleep at night.

Howard
89 Mustang LX 5.0 vert
95 Windstar
55 VW Oval

 

[Bonnet Lock]

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,

Dear Group,

My daughter will turn sixteen, therefore resulting in a drivers
license, next April. She presently has a learners permit and is
actually a better driver than my wife.

I have had six BMW's and presently own two mini vans (want to buy a
96 Sport model?), a 97 Volvo 960 (our first Volvo and presently @
203,000 mls) and a 84 BMW 633 CSi (my weekend car, five speed
manual). My daughter wants a BMW and I want her to have a Volvo.
I've wrecked or have been in wrecks with both the BMWs and the Volvo.
Volvo is a much safer car, hands down, in a wreck. Almost fun to
wreck a Volvo.

Her high school lost four kids who were seventeen and eighteen this
year to auto accidents. SUV's and small Japanese cars in all cases.
SUV's are unstable on the road, IMHO, and the Japanese cars just
don't do well in crashes. These kids just don't have the experience
at driving. I want my daughter to call me to tell me she has wrecked
the car and not get a call from the police to tell me my daughter is
dead.

The question is which Volvo should I start looking for? Five
thousand is all I want to spend and she, of course, wants something
"kewl". More is possible but not desired. We live in North
Carolina, USA.

This is a good kid who will probably get a full ride to any
university she applies to so I want to keep her safe but also give
her a car she will be proud of and want to keep through college.
Convertibles and two doors are at the top of her list. A-1 Abrams
are at the top of mine.

TIA
mjb

As a Brit, it horrifies me that kids are allowed to drive at 16 - and even
start learning earlier than this. In UK you have to be 17 before getting
behind the wheel on a public road. Some would argue that even this is too
young.

It horrifies even more that kids apparrently treat it as an inaliable (sp?)
right to have "daddy" provide them with a car as soon as they are old enough
to drive it.

What's wrong with teaching them to stand on their own feet and to earn some
money to buy their own expensive toys. Meanwhile, the use of feet and
bicycles will keep them a bit fitter and less likely to go to an early grave
due to the obesity epidemic which seems to be afflicting most of the world.

 

[John in NH]

It horrifies even more that kids apparrently treat it as an inaliable (sp?)

right to have "daddy" provide them with a car as soon as they are old enough
to drive it.

I agree - that's total bullshit. I bought my first car myself - as well as
every car thereafter. My kid will do the same.
~~~
The biggest obstacle on the path to success is the stupidity of others.

My eBay Stuff:
http://tinyurl.com/u0fi

 

[Randy G.]

As a Brit, it horrifies me that kids are allowed to drive at 16 - and even
start learning earlier than this. In UK you have to be 17 before getting
behind the wheel on a public road. Some would argue that even this is too
young.

It is a bit different in the US- in GB, public transportation can
serve you so well that it is possible to survive without a car at all.
We got to spend a couple of days getting around in London and it was
quite easy (I LOVE the 'Undeground'!).

I have met 16 year olds responsible enough to drive a bus, and adults
not mentally capable enough to operate tennis shoes.

What's wrong with teaching them to stand on their own feet and to earn some
money to buy their own expensive toys. Meanwhile, the use of feet and
bicycles will keep them a bit fitter and less likely to go to an early grave
due to the obesity epidemic which seems to be afflicting most of the world.

With this man's daughter being so acdademically involved, I doubt she
would have had time for much of a job to earn enough for a car.

But I do agree that it is a good lesson to teach kids- the looking
forward to a goal and the responsibility of working and saving towards
that goal. The further benefit is that they will tend to treat the car
with more respect as they had a personal stake in its purchase.

I have seen a BMW or two involved in an accident and would also rather
my daughter be in a Volvo, if I had one (a daughter.. I already have a
Volvo!). Maybe a nice 2 door 240 in white with a spoiler on the trunk
and Piaa fog lights...?

If your frined's judge your level of "cool" by the car you drive, then
it's time to get new friends!

DIfficult for me to say, though. We have no children. I was a teacher
for 20 years, though. We like to say that if we would have had kinds
when we got married they would have been out on parole by now! ;-)

__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvo
'93 960 Estate

 

[David Taylor]

It is a bit different in the US- in GB, public transportation can

serve you so well that it is possible to survive without a car at all.

Sorry but that shows a complete lack of knowledge of public transport in
the UK! It takes longer, is stupidly more expensive, unreliable and
doesn't serve where people need to go when they need to get there. The
only place well served by public transport is inner London.

We got to spend a couple of days getting around in London and it was
quite easy (I LOVE the 'Undeground'!).

There you go, now try "South of the river Thames" and see how far the
underground gets tourists or residents. Answer, it doesn't. Try
getting a cabbie to go "Sarf of the river mate?"

that goal. The further benefit is that they will tend to treat the car
with more respect as they had a personal stake in its purchase.

Certainly, especially when it comes to that little thing called
"insurance".

David.

 

[Bonnet Lock]

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,

It is a bit different in the US- in GB, public transportation can
serve you so well that it is possible to survive without a car at all.
We got to spend a couple of days getting around in London and it was
quite easy (I LOVE the 'Undeground'!).

There are plenty of places in the UK outside London where there is little or
no public transport - but I STILL wouldn't advocate buying a car for a
16-year-old.

Quite apart from the question about the level of maturity required before
being put in charge of a lethal weapon (and the OP seemed to regard a crash
as inevitable - which is even more horrifying!) I was serious in my earlier
reply about the obesity problem. If kids as young as 16 get used to going
everywhere by car - even very short journeys - without having to exert any
physical effort, the current younger generation will have a very low life
expectency - and will probably be outlived by their parents.

 

[Geoff Pearson]

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,


There are plenty of places in the UK outside London where there is little or
no public transport - but I STILL wouldn't advocate buying a car for a
16-year-old.

Quite apart from the question about the level of maturity required before
being put in charge of a lethal weapon (and the OP seemed to regard a crash
as inevitable - which is even more horrifying!) I was serious in my earlier
reply about the obesity problem. If kids as young as 16 get used to going
everywhere by car - even very short journeys - without having to exert any
physical effort, the current younger generation will have a very low life
expectency - and will probably be outlived by their parents.
--
Cheers,
Bonnet Lock
______
Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is invalid.

I agree: bus, walk or bike for 16 year old children, not over-engineered
cars. They should be at home doing their homework not gallivanting
around in cars.

 

[Rob Guenther]

The fact that she's 16 and has a car will pass for cool no matter what the
car is, at least where I'm from (southern Ontario)... Hell even being able
to drive your parents car to the movies is great around here for a 16 year
old.

Get another 960, or an 850 for her.... If she really wants 2 doors go on a
mission for an old 780.

I found with Volvo's you learn to respect them, then love them... eventually
you think they are the best cars on the road - i'm 20, and i'd definately
wouldn't be worried if I was seen in any Volvo... I love driving our 960
wagon.

 

[Pat Quadlander]

Michael,

If you really think you can convince your daughter to drive a well serviced
240, that would be my recommendation. If not, try to convince her that the
940 is the coolest. She probably won't know the meaning of turbo, so you
might get away with a non-turbo model, which is better for Dad in 3 ways:
less expensive purchase, less expensive maintenance/repair, and slower/safer
in hands of teenager.

If the older 240 and 940 models look too "old school", a red 850 can look
pretty sporty. You may find a red S70 (similar to 850 except newer) under
$5k, but will have to hunt.

These models are all safe. Avoid the turbos to keep the speeding down in
neighborhood traffic. Good luck keeping your daughter happy and safe.

Pat Q

 

[psyshrike]

Dear Group,

My daughter will turn sixteen, therefore resulting in a drivers license,
next April. She presently has a learners permit and is actually a better
driver than my wife.
-SNIP-

This is a good kid who will probably get a full ride to any university she
applies to so I want to keep her safe but also give her a car she will be
proud of and want to keep through college. Convertibles and two doors are
at the top of her list. A-1 Abrams are at the top of mine.

TIA
mjb

Get a 240 with a sunroof and put in an awesome stereo. Then give her a
huge gift certificate to a music store. Her friends would rather
cruise comfortably listening to good music than be stuffed in the back
of some rice rocket.

In the USA, your kid can drive, or they will ride in the neighbors
car, with the neighbors kid at the wheel. If your kid is responsible,
getting them a safe car is probably safer than the alternative.

Performance is relative.

-FWIW
-Matt

 

[Doki]

It is a bit different in the US- in GB, public transportation can
serve you so well that it is possible to survive without a car at all.
We got to spend a couple of days getting around in London and it was
quite easy (I LOVE the 'Undeground'!).

In London you can get by without a car. Here (middle of Britain), you NEED a
car. Buses are infrequent / filthy / driven by madmen in my experience. That
said, you can pick up good solid cars here for bugger all...

 

[Randy S]

In the USA, your kid can drive, or they will ride in the neighbors

car, with the neighbors kid at the wheel. If your kid is responsible,
getting them a safe car is probably safer than the alternative.

That's the smartest thing posted in this whole thread.
I'm now 26, living in Chicago, IL, and I've been driving for over 10 years now:
got my permit at 15, license at 16, like most people in the U.S. I've never
caused an accident, although I've been hit before (rear-ended twice,
side-swiped once). I know it's easy to look back and think that "kids" at age
16 don't have the respect, understanding or need for a vehicle, but times have
changed. I was lucky enough to have my father pass on our 12-year-old 1983
Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser Wagon to me when I turned 16, as he was getting a
company car for his new job. Because I didn't have the nicest car in the high
school parking lot, I strived to have the cleanest, with paint that looked like
a show car, and a decent stereo (at least it played tapes, and wasn't just a
radio). I washed the car weekly, waxed it monthly, and eventually sold it
myself, and with money I had saved up through high school, bought myself my
first *new* car to drive off to college in (good thing too, the station wagon's
tranny was looking to quit). Anyway, the people on here who think
16-year-olds can't handle responsibility or won't understand the value of
buying your own car are jumping to conclusions. Like any demographic, there
will be the smart, mature group, and the slackers born with silver spoons...
I think the original poster knows his own child well enough to know that she
needs a vehicle. If you can't post and help him choose a car, don't spew your
soapbox opinions about who should or shouldn't be driving yet.

Randy

 

[Rob Guenther]

Wow, solid car, and install the good stereo... Going for nominations for
father of the year?

That's actually a really good idea... Get the kid a comfortable, safe,
reliable car - that's slow as hell... And put a nice sounding stereo in it,
that will make everyone think it's a good car, no matter how boxy and uncool
your basic 240 is - hell my old 1991 VW Golf with 3 functional speakers
(none of which were in the back) blown FM radio (don't worry, routed an FM
capable walkman thru the cassette deck) and cramped back seat was thought to
be a great car by my friends when I was 16/17ish (it was my dad's old
commuter car..... I didn't get to drive around in our 960 regularly until I
proved myself responsible... which I easily did - but they didn't want me to
bring friends in it, because they would dirty up its near mint condition
interior....).

 

[Rob Guenther]

Cheers to that!

That's the smartest thing posted in this whole thread.
I'm now 26, living in Chicago, IL, and I've been driving for over 10 years now:
got my permit at 15, license at 16, like most people in the U.S. I've never
caused an accident, although I've been hit before (rear-ended twice,
side-swiped once). I know it's easy to look back and think that "kids" at age
16 don't have the respect, understanding or need for a vehicle, but times have
changed. I was lucky enough to have my father pass on our 12-year-old 1983
Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser Wagon to me when I turned 16, as he was getting a
company car for his new job. Because I didn't have the nicest car in the high
school parking lot, I strived to have the cleanest, with paint that looked like
a show car, and a decent stereo (at least it played tapes, and wasn't just a
radio). I washed the car weekly, waxed it monthly, and eventually sold it
myself, and with money I had saved up through high school, bought myself my
first *new* car to drive off to college in (good thing too, the station wagon's
tranny was looking to quit). Anyway, the people on here who think
16-year-olds can't handle responsibility or won't understand the value of
buying your own car are jumping to conclusions. Like any demographic, there
will be the smart, mature group, and the slackers born with silver spoons...
I think the original poster knows his own child well enough to know that she
needs a vehicle. If you can't post and help him choose a car, don't spew your
soapbox opinions about who should or shouldn't be driving yet.

Randy

 

[Benjamin Smith]

Dear Group,

My daughter will turn sixteen, therefore resulting in a drivers license,
next April. She presently has a learners permit and is actually a better
driver than my wife.

I have had six BMW's and presently own two mini vans (want to buy a 96 Sport
model?), a 97 Volvo 960 (our first Volvo and presently @ 203,000 mls) and a
84 BMW 633 CSi (my weekend car, five speed manual). My daughter wants a BMW
and I want her to have a Volvo. I've wrecked or have been in wrecks with
both the BMWs and the Volvo. Volvo is a much safer car, hands down, in a
wreck. Almost fun to wreck a Volvo.

850, some 940s or 960s, not 700 or 200 series. Why? Better side
protection in cars with SIPS. Best to get a car with side air bags.

Ben

 

[Michael]

Michael,

If you really think you can convince your daughter to drive a well serviced
240, that would be my recommendation. If not, try to convince her that the
940 is the coolest. She probably won't know the meaning of turbo,

She's only fifteen but takes classes at Duke University each summer on
scholarship. This kid I'll buy a car. She can already articulate the Otto
cycle better than I can and I'm an ME. But for exactly the same reasons as
you point out she isn't interested in a turbo.

so you

might get away with a non-turbo model, which is better for Dad in 3 ways:
less expensive purchase, less expensive maintenance/repair, and slower/safer
in hands of teenager.

If the older 240 and 940 models look too "old school", a red 850 can look
pretty sporty. You may find a red S70 (similar to 850 except newer) under
$5k, but will have to hunt.

These models are all safe. Avoid the turbos to keep the speeding down in
neighborhood traffic. Good luck keeping your daughter happy and safe.

Pat Q

Thank you for answering the question and not pontificating about
generalities.

Limeys, we should have left them to their own devices and they would be
speaking German now.

That should really set them off. OK, so the troll in me came out.

 

[Michael]

The fact that she's 16 and has a car will pass for cool no matter what the
car is, at least where I'm from (southern Ontario)... Hell even being able
to drive your parents car to the movies is great around here for a 16 year
old.

This is not southern Ontario.

Get another 960, or an 850 for her.... If she really wants 2 doors go on a
mission for an old 780.

Thank you for a straight answer.

 

[Michael]

"Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message

Get a 240 with a sunroof and put in an awesome stereo. Then give her a
huge gift certificate to a music store. Her friends would rather
cruise comfortably listening to good music than be stuffed in the back
of some rice rocket.

In the USA, your kid can drive, or they will ride in the neighbors
car, with the neighbors kid at the wheel. If your kid is responsible,
getting them a safe car is probably safer than the alternative.

Performance is relative.

-FWIW
-Matt

OUTSTANDING CONCEPT!!!!!!

I like that idea. Fantastic. Oh man that is great. Seriously!!

 

[G19]

The new S40's might fit the bill.

If she insists on a convertible, you can't go wrong with a C70.