What vehicles to avoid buying, teenager style.

jeeper

I live my life 1 dumpster at a time
Location
So Jo, Ut

moab_cj5

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
I bought my daughter a 2006 Honda Civic with 225k miles for $3k 18ish months ago. It has held up fine. It was probably only worth $2k, but I bought in the midst of the used car hyperinflation.

It gets decent mileage, is reliable so far, and has been inexpensive to own so far. It all comes down to what you want to spend and provide for your kids. I was willing to pay WAY more for my daughter's car than my oldest son. He drove some real POS'.
 

J-mobzz

Well-Known Member
Do you plan on having them share a car? My twins will be driving soon also. I have a 2018 Jetta that I haven’t really driven for past few years but I’ve been holding onto it for them to drive. Now that it’s getting closer I’m torn between keeping the newer reliable car to make them share or sell it and get a couple beaters.

The Jetta has 90k miles and it was used as my work vehicle so it’s kinda beat for how new it is and probably only worth $10k.

I feel like it’s going to be a reliable and pretty maintenance free where I’m kind of worried two $5000 cars turn into money, pits real fast.


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UNSTUCK

But stuck more often.
If I purchase another vehicle for my kids I'll start with our insurance company and work backwards. Livy is the third driver in our house and we own three vehicles. So she is automatically a primary driver. No matter which of the three we put her on that one is the most expensive to insure. And she has all the student discounts. It blows my mind that to insure her in our 2006 LJ it costs more than to insure me in our 2021 GMC truck.
 

moab_cj5

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
If I purchase another vehicle for my kids I'll start with our insurance company and work backwards. Livy is the third driver in our house and we own three vehicles. So she is automatically a primary driver. No matter which of the three we put her on that one is the most expensive to insure. And she has all the student discounts. It blows my mind that to insure her in our 2006 LJ it costs more than to insure me in our 2021 GMC truck.
My daughter is 1/4 what it cost to insure my son. My son doubled my insurance, my daughter wasn't bad at all. I ended up changing insurance companies due to the cost of insuring a teenage boy with good grades and no violations. The car does make a difference, but I would shop insurance too while shopping for a car.
 

ID Bronco

Registered User
Location
Idaho Falls, ID
I have held on to a 1993 geo prism for my kids and they have all used it so far. I have kept it because it's Cheap to have them insured on. We rarely even use it, but it saved us about $200 a month in reduced insurance.
 

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
I have held on to a 1993 geo prism for my kids and they have all used it so far. I have kept it because it's Cheap to have them insured on. We rarely even use it, but it saved us about $200 a month in reduced insurance.
That’s a Toyota drivetrain, right? Those are good cars.
 

TurboMinivan

Still plays with cars
Location
Lehi, UT
I have held on to a 1993 geo prism for my kids and they have all used it so far.

That’s a Toyota drivetrain, right? Those are good cars.

My wife still fondly speaks of the Geo Prizm she used to own years ago. She (still) calls it Ol' Reliable, and it earned that name. It survived hundreds of thousands of miles and two minor crashes, but was finally taken off the road after a third crash when it was t-boned by a stop sign runner.

I recently spent $1600 and bought her a 2009 Civic LX so she could stop daily driving my 10mpg 8.1L Suburban. We are both much happier now.
 

jeeper

I live my life 1 dumpster at a time
Location
So Jo, Ut
Thanks to a secret source at the CIA headquarters, we snagged a little car.

2004 Corolla. Everything a teenager doesn’t want in a car. Manual trans. Crank windows. Should be great.

BF6E875E-53D6-4A62-A13F-F77400793698.jpeg

Ordered a set of tires to replace the bald fronts. We will get it cleaned up and take it for a test run.

One down, one to go.
 

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
Tilt steering wheel? Color me jealous.

I bought a '95 corolla from my brother for $1 and have been delivering pizzas the last month so I can try and take my family to Disneyland next year. All I want for mine is a tilt steering wheel...
 

johngottfredson

Threat Level Midnight
Location
Alpine
Thanks to a secret source at the CIA headquarters, we snagged a little car.

2004 Corolla. Everything a teenager doesn’t want in a car. Manual trans. Crank windows. Should be great.

View attachment 159447

Ordered a set of tires to replace the bald fronts. We will get it cleaned up and take it for a test run.

One down, one to go.
I drove a 2000 Corolla for 225k trouble free miles through the first 10 years of marriage. And it spent its first 50k miles as a missionary car, so you know it was rode hard and put away wet. Thing was gutless but drove like new until we sold it to my brother who drove through some deep water and drowned it. RIP Corolla.

PERFECT high school car.
 

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
Dave Ramsey approves.
Interestingly enough a neighbor was doing Dave Ramsey 6 years ago and started delivering and hasn't stopped. He got everything paid off and is in a great financial position so he's dialed back how much he's working, but he's kind of the one who planted the idea.

He told me if I worked 2 nights a week I could make 1k a month. It's been pretty close from what I've seen. $11 an hour, 0.58 cents a mile, plus any tips I get are all mine.

I forgot to add that the ACdoesnt work, maybe a stuck compressor? So I'm not sure what I'm going to do when it really heats up. I've been driving it to work which has saved some fuel money for sure.
 
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