Terry asked "What do you think is best for a high school kid with
proneness for personal mayhem? ...I'm guessing vintage VW bug with a bad
cylinder"
If you yank out the radio and take away the cell phone, yes. :) I
recently read that most (80%?) of accidents involve driver distraction.
Cell phones and iPods are worse than horsepower.
The cars filling my drive over the last five years -- at different times
Triumph, '66 Volvo, '76 Mercedes, Range Rover "classic", Saab 900,
several mid-80s BMWs -- may be the equivalent of a neon "Car Guy" sign
hanging on the garage. So friends and neighbors ask for teenager car
advice, despite the questionable judgement shown by the very cars in my
driveway. :)
The upside is I get to search craigslist without alarming my wife --
"I'm looking for a car for Conor," I can say -- and I even test drive
cars with no risk to my own money. Except for the '87 325 I bought when
my friend didn't want it for his daughter. Why was I carrying that much
cash? Anyway, most parents just want a slow car with airbags, but here's
what I suggest:
- good visibility
- good and predictable handling
- few distractions
- manual transmission (durable, demands attention)
- cheap to buy
- cheap to fix
- moderate power
- good, grown-up previous owner
Factoring all these, we tend toward '85-'95 European models (BMW, Saab,
Volvo) which were ahead of the world in safety, ruggedly built, and
attracted -- and still attract -- fanatics who maintain the cars to a
high standard even when they're worth less than $5K. Find a car with a
club badge on the grille and you're set. All are well supported by
independent mechanics and parts suppliers. Subarus are the best of the
Japanese utility cars. Mechanically they won't last as long as the
Europeans, but late 90's and early 00's sedans and wagons can work if
you find a fanatic original owner (and know about engine weaknesses). If
there's a real reason for a small SUV (like hockey, ski club, football,
college laundry hauling) consider the Honda CR-V or older Jeep Cherokee
Sports as long as they're manual transmission.
Speaking of which, come on by, Terry! :) I have a really nice '87 325
for sale! And my fairly good '87 528e would also be perfect for a new
driver. Because I have a pocket full of cash and I'm buying an '88 535is
set up for the track, and Pam wants fewer cars in the drive.
PS reading that list again, a Triumph could meet all of my bullet points
too. Hmmm...
Steven Newell
'62 TR4
'87 535is, 528e, 325
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