Help me buy car for daughter...

[SonnieP]

I've got to get Chelsea (our daughter) a car in a few months... don't know really what to get her but it's gotta be priced low (under $15K), excellent gas mileage, automatic, probably a 4 door. Will probably just go new for warranty and reliability... don't want the worry of her breakin' down.

She has been looking online at the Toyota Echo... runs about $12500 with upgrade package that includes A/C... probably average about 35mpg overall.

Another option is one of the Value Packaged Honda Civics for about $14000. Probably about the same average gas mileage as the Echo and I think a better car.



I really don't know of much else out there in this range. Any ideas? Make her walk?... ride bike?... if it keeps raining everyday then maybe a boat!

 

[Bird]

Sonnie, nothing wrong with the ones you listed. Personally, I'd also consider the Ford Focus.

 

[DmansPadge]

I have to put my vote in for the Civic. Honda makes great cars... reliable, good gas milage, etc. My brother had a 2002 Civic and put about 90,000 miles on it in 3 years. He drives alot for his job. He never had one problem with it. He ended up trading it in for an Accord, which also, has been trouble free.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

My neighbor has an '04 little red Civic that his wife drives, they can afford a nicer car, it is what she chose, and she loves it. She drove me to work a couple weeks ago in that car (long story) and it was very nice for a basic little car.

One of my office girls has a Toyota Echo, has had it for a couple years and I can't recall ever lending her money for repairs and I can't recall her ever being late to work due to car trouble, and she and I talk enough about all sorts of non-work topics that she'd tell me if she was having car problems, so I suppose it must pretty reliable. She has a 30 mile drive into the office (probaby much longer drive to get home because of bar hopping) so by now she's got some miles on it.

I think Dargo has a couple of Civic's too? Might want to drop him a PM if he doesn't see this thread.

 

[thatguy]

I'd second (or was that 3rd or 4th) the Hondas... My wife had a CRx for years and now has a CRV and has loved both of them.. You can find good used Hondas as well if that would interest you for probably 1/2 of what you want to spend..

BTW - IMHO - Get her a five speed/manual transmission if she doesnt know how to drive one yet.. That is something everyone should know how to drive..

good hunting..

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> I've got to get Chelsea (our daughter) a car in a few months... </font>
I've done this for 2 daughters.....Some advice.

1. Anti-lock brakes and air bags.
Perhaps these are standard on many new cars these days, but safety comes before any other criteria.

2. Good sound system with a CD player, mp3 player.
I've had to add a CD player after purchase. Not a big deal to install (Crutchfield), but easier if purchased with one.

3. BUY A USED CAR.
No offense meant to anyone who bought a new car for their kids /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif, but if this is their first car, i.e., she hasn't been driving for a while, the first car should be treated as disposable. Both of my daughters were in accidents in their first cars (no injuries, one was their fault, one was the other guys fault). Item 1 also relates to this recommendation. I carried collision on both cars , BTW.

While this experience certainly is not universal, most of the people I work with have experienced the same thing.

My oldest daughter (senior in college) is driving a 1995 Honda Civic (air bags, ABS, auto) that has well over 100,000 miles on it. My youngest daughter (just graduated from high school) WAS driving a 1994 Geo Prizm, aka a Toyota Corolla (air bags, ABS, 5 spd) that had over 120,000 miles on it. She totalled it, air bags deployed, no injuries. We have yet to replace this vehicle.

We paid about $3,000 for the Civic. The Geo Prizm was a 'hand me down' worth about $2,000.

 

[dlabrie]

I have 3 Hondas in my driveway; a 99 CRV, an 03 Odyssey and an 05 Civic. Never a problem with them. I bought the Civic in June. It is a 4dr, automatic, LX model and cost 15K. It gets 34 mpg around town and 37 highway.
My 16yr son old drives the CRV. He had his license for 5 weeks when he drove it into a tree, ON OUR OWN DRIVEWAY/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif 5K damage and his insurance went from 2K to 3K per year. He was fine. Seatbelt saved him. The airbag did not deploy. Body shop said if it had, the car would have been totaled.

Hopefully this accident has given him a wake up call. He has to pay his own insurance so if nothing else the $ incentive will give him more respect for driving.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( the first car should be treated as disposable. Both of my daughters were in accidents in their first cars )</font>

I finished teaching my grandson his drivers education course and he got his license two months ago. I've read that, statistically, one teenager in five will crash the first year. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I'm hoping he won't be one of them, but sure wouldn't bet on it.

 

[HGM]

The replies you got seem to cover the bases prety well. Personally I prefer to stay with the American brands, Ford myself for various reasons.With that said you probably wouldnt go wrong with any of them. Any small car over the past 10yrs is very reliable as long as it has been maintained. I also agree with the used car route, no offence to your daughter, however kids will be kids. Yours may be different but they usually take a little while to assess the value of things,especially vehicles. I think most of us started out in cheap used cars that got us through until we could afford to upgrade.

I would recomend a 2-3yr old Focus w/manual trans. They will get approx 30mpg and she will also learn the skill of shifting(it's important,just dont know till you need it). You should be able to get into one for less than $10k. Another option, though bigger would be the Taurus, yea its a 4dr but they are cheap due to the rental market, but they are also efficient and reliable. If she would like the idea of a truck, you cant beat a Ranger. My 2000 has 150k mi and after its 1st tune up last month gets 23mpg with a bed on the back, you might have a use for it too.Sorry, thats how I justify gifts for my wife too, do I have a use for it?? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Again, there are other reliable choices out ther, I just prefer Ford. If you decide new, its hard to beat the American mfg's employee discounts.

 

[graybeard451]

<<Personally I prefer to stay with the American brands>>
Me too, but my Toyota truck and Kubota BX were made in GA, and the the other hand my Dad's Ford was made in Mexico. Go figure! The original post didn't say if this was a first car, but if it is I also would go used. In the south you may find it hard to get anti-lock brakes on a small used car but you don't have snow. For sure on air bags, one of the guys at work had a head on crash, with air bags he walked away with only bruses. Most Toyotas and Hondas are now made here or Canada and you can't go wrong with either. That being said, last year I bought my youngest daugher her first car, a used Ford Escort, with air bags and MADE IN AMERICA! I was looking for an older car and all the Honda's and Toyota's had 150,000 miles and this Ford was in the 80,000 mile range. People just don't trade them in. I don't care which stock holders make the profit as long people in this country can earn a living producing what I buy.
just my .02 cents, Richard