forget all those cars mentioned. just get her a 2006 S2000 and call it a day.


"uninspiring" coming from a SAAB owner. jk

 

Nice choice. I would also vote for a Scion, it can be upgraded with some pretty trippy stuff, some wheels, stereo etc. Alot of girls around here have them or civics(which unfortunetly their boyfriends rice out)

Mike

 

COME ON KEN, they're born from jets.

 

ACN;
Why is this your issue? It sounds like your daughter has already rejected your choice of car (Saab). Obviously this has nothing to do with how good or suitable a car may be, it has to do with her finding a car she wants for fun/transportation/style/identity. So why isn't she chosing?

The skill of parenting teenagers, IMHO, is to become irrelevant as they become themselves. My advice about buying cars to my teenagers: Buy me a Porsche!

Oh, if I had a nineteen year old daughter, I'd plead for help too! Good luck brother.

 

just get her a tc and strap on a supercharger

should be quick enough to get her to the mall and back

 

listen to him ^

 

I vote for a Scion TC

(although I got a new 03 civic when I was 16 - the car still runs great, but if I were to get a new car tomorrow it would be either a Scion TC or a MINI)

 

No offence, but if shes 19, then she should probabally buy her own car.

 

A good portion the $ is hers - I'm just helpin' her make an intelligent decision (if that's possible ).

 

She's choosing the cars she likes - I'm helping her to screen through the muck and understand how to find a good used car; she can get whatever she likes - a Yugo for all I care - I don't have to drive it. I just don't want to hear one word about the friggin' car after she has it. She pays gas, insurance, registration and maintenance.

I've already told to her she's gonna need to get a great job, 'cause I've put my request in for her to "buy your old man a Ferrari Daytona".

 

Sweet, I would (if she likes it) get her an early 02 MC. I got mine, trouble free 55k miles CR/W for 14.5k...... My 2 cents

 

Understand. Just a few to avoid. I'm afraid the entire Detroit scene. I worry about Suzuki. VW has a few quality problems unrelated to the core of the car. Honda is solid but can't get jiggy with it. No failures with Toyota. Nissan burns a few extra gallons. Take the company comments and apply them to the hip brands of the company. Korea is overdue for a battle with the north . . . I don't think so! I've had two cars with engines from Brazil . . . they must still show up and work there. Great engines! Swedish cars rule! Italians build great cars for the rich and cars for the masses which they think their neighbors deserve. I suspect Greece doesn't build cars because that would be too much about us, and not enough about me. Has Japan ever built a bad car? Has Germany ever built a bad car except the VW and certain Audis? Any English car from a solvent company is a solid bet. I'd buy a car from AIRBUS if they'd drop the wings.

I sympathize with your plight. Failure is the greatest teacher. If you're little one wants a classic pinto. . . I guess that's part of a college education

One word. Air bags.

 

If you really want to make her happy, don't bother with any of this slightly used but boring cars you have been looking at, instead find a restored Triumph Spitfire say from 1978 to 1980. She will love it!

A girl always remembers her first Spitfire.

Good Luck!

 

Well I'm no help here as my 19 year old is happy with a '97 Altima.

 

My vote goes to a mazda miata MX5, good gas milage, super fun to drive, reliable, and sporty! just make sure you find one that hasnt been autocrossed/tracked. (if you are buying used)

If i couldnt have my mini my second choice would be a Mx5 miata.

 

MINI is a perfect fit.

 

shoot,
i was happy with my daewoo when I was 18
and when I was looking for a new car, I knew what I wanted and had to get it.

 

I guess I'm gonna show my age a bit, but I think she should be happy with a car that runs and is reliable.... 'image' should come last at this point.

The time to have a 'cool car' is NOT when you're 19. And certainly NOT with a supercharger (as a previous posted recommended) as most 19 year olds aren't very good drivers yet, and tend to think they're bulletproof.

I mean, if you do, what will the child have to work towards? I new car is a very special thing...and doesn't come along everyday. But from the sound of your post, sounds like she has you guys running around chasing all sorts of cars and in the end, (even after you'd bought one!) it wasn't good enough since it didn't suit her "image"?!! Whaaa?!!! ....man, I didn't get a new car (one I picked 'cause I really liked it and bought from a dealer) 'til I was 24. Before that, I drove 'basic transportation' and I put my money into a savings account for school, and then for an apartment, so I wasn't living at home when I got out of school. Once I had a good job and some work experience, THEN I got a new car.

I guess the times they are a changin'

[OK, I'll get off the soapbox now!]

- - m

 

Well if not a 1980 Truimph Spitfire, how about a 1965-1966 Mustang Coupe. Find a nicely restored one with a six cylinder and 3 speed manual.

There is noting wrong with having a cool classic car at this age, providing that they are responsible enough to want to maintain it.

I bought my first car at the tender age of 19. It was a Triumph TR4. What a great car to have as a kid. It beat driving the 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger with the 225 cubic inch slant 6 by miles.

Steven

 

mburchill wrote: The time to have a 'cool car' is NOT when you're 19. ... I mean, if you do, what will the child have to work towards? I new car is a very special thing...and doesn't come along everyday.

Everyone is going to interject their feelings and what they have gone through in their life. Lets try to look at this from the daughters POV which, in reality, is the only one that counts.

Point by point

1. At 19, she is NOT a child. She is an adult who can vote, join the military, get married, etc. As a young adult, she is entitled to have adult opinions on her choices.
2. While my first car was "used", just a little older than her I bought my first NEW car ... WAY out of line of what my parents wanted. Not only was it nothing they would ever buy ... it was nothing the mainstream would be during the Muscle Car era ... a NEW 240Z ... sportscar.

The fact that she is paying the bulk of the money, to me means, her opinion should be foremost. Now to Dad, by all means guidance and wisdom from our elders is always important. Its very good that your seeking advice ... wanting to see her safe and happy. YOU are to be applauded.

You wrote she said: "Doesn't match my image" about the PT Cruiser.

I think you seriously need to look at the situation from a college kids POV as a young female adult. Not as "Dad". IMAGE does count. Her view of life DOES count. Being "safe" is nice but doesn't cut it with her peers. BUT, she has to tell you what does fit her image ... If she can't, she loses.

You wrote: It needs to be reliable, fun, safe, economical and have some character

This is my advice. Its a multi-step research that requires a little bit of searching to find out the best for your situation.

First, Go to the bookstore and pick up the Consumer Reports book of Cars. There is always one there, very thick, has every car in it along with descriptions, prices, options and their opinions on different aspects of the cars (e.g., economy, acceleration, space, utility, etc.). You don't have to agree with their opinions ... you are only using the book as a convenient place to see all the cars sold in one book. In other words, the magazine is only a guide to whats available, you do not have to care what CR thinks or doesn't think. Do not get hung up on that part.

Narrow down the choices in your price range ... used is OK, this is just a guide to get you going. SHE needs to tell you which ones might fit her image

Second, go to http://www.edmunds.com. Look up each of the choices. Dad reads the specs, the side bags, etc. Daughter needs to see the color pics and there is usually a video. Read the reviews together. Narrow the choices down to a few cars.

Third, Google for "road tests" (e.g., PT Cruiser "road test") on the final candidates. You will most likely find reviews at places like:

• http://www.caranddriver.com
• http://roadandtrack.com
• http://motortrend.com
• http://www.automobilemag.com
• http://www.carenthusiast.com

and many, many more.

Read the reviews together and narrow it down to the final 3 or so ... Do not take what the journalist wrote as Gospel. They are human beings like you and me who have their own preferences. For example, some journalists admit being Corvette nuts biased towards Corvettes winning every review. The point of reading the road tests isn't to take as Gospel what the journalists wrote but rather to get a general feel of the "Consensus" among the journalists. Here is one small example. Many magazines have reviewed the new BMW Z4M Roadster vs. the Porsche Boxster S. One reviewer might like the BMW because its a bit "faster". BUT, if you read ALL the reviews you find on the subject, you will see that the "consensus" is that although the Z4M is a bit quicker ... the Boxster S remains the standard to beat for roadster sportscars being a better car all around. That's why one automotive journalists opinion doesn't count but reading 10 does.

Fourth, go to the car dealers and look at the "new" cars. It doesn't matter that your not going to buy one new. Rather, SHE needs to sit in one, take a test drive, check it out, see if the rear view mirror works for her, etc. Its her choice. This step is VERY IMPORTANT. While I can read a blueprint and know how a house will look or read car specs and know immediately that I might want to buy such and such car, my wife cannot. She needs to physically see the house model with furniture in it and to go to the car showroom and take a test drive. Everyone is different. Skipping this step is an invitation to disaster.

Finally, you should be down to one car she thinks is the best. Then do your used car search wherever.

And one last thing. DO NOT go to say the PT Cruiser forum and ask about it ... everyone there will tell you that the PT Cruiser is the best car made since Henry Ford starting building cars just like most everyone here will tell you that a MINI is the BEST car on the planet. The fact is, there is no one BEST car as everyone's needs are different. You need to get an unbiased view from people with no vested interests.

Best of luck!

 

I agree with Chow except for the part about Consumer Reports. When it comes to cars, I tend to buy what they say is a horrible piece of junk. My parents Honda Insight has been great for the past six years and they hated on it. You definitely need to take her to dealers and let her decide. You worry about it being safe enough; she can do the rest.

My MCS was a hand-me-down for the 2nd half of college (hey, I earned it after driving a Chrysler Town and Country for the first three years...talk about image ). Now I just bought a '70 Lotus Europa (with my own money) to keep my busy for many years to come. What else can a Mechanical Engineering major do for fun; buy an old British sports car .

 

I'm not really adding much here - but that is a fantastic post Chows! Kudos to the thought and effort put into it.

 

Toyota Corolla S ... "Rolla" ...Looks fast, is SLOW (Safe and 40mpg)

Scion tC is also a good young ride, as well as the MAZDA 3

Mazda Tribute if you want a less thahn 20 k small SUV

 

Only one problem with a Spitty, she'd need to find a mechanic/boyfriend, and there ain't no "boy" under age 40 who would know what a carburator, condensor and points were. So unless you want her to marry a dirty old man, er, mechanic, let her try something more along the line of a Miata or MR2.

Ok, all you old men out there who wouldn't mind having a 19 year old gf, I've got my flame suit on, let 'er rip.

 

When I was 19 or 20 (not exactly sure) I bought a used 2 seater Datsun pick-up truck. I loved it so much that when I got rid of that I got a Nissan pickup. 20+ years later DH and I now have El Kabong, my PT Cruiser (and I am NOT an old woman!! ) and a Nissan Titan Crew Cab.
Although it does take a certain kind of girl to drive a pick up .
Oh, and my son will be getting my PT next year and if he doesn't like it, guess he'll be walking! (and yes he'll be paying me for it, as well as paying the added insurance every year).I don't think it will be an issue though, he knows I've completely babied that car and once he upgrades the sound system it will be perfect for him. Then again my son is a bit of a rebel when it comes to image. This year he bought himself a new "My Pretty Pony" beach towel just so he could make his friends laugh, which they do .
Good luck, and just remember pick up trucks are very useful.
Annette