mmarshall

Sounds like you were a little ahead of me there. A wise choice..at least as far as new cars go for kids.


Well, in that case, I'l have to do a write-up on minivans LOL.

Seriously, Congratulations on the grandchild.

mmarshall

Can't necessarily read minds, but the most likely reason, of course, is simply not having the cash (or budget) for a new one.

That's no problem. I see bikes every day that go nowhere the faster you pedal them LOL.

mmarshall

Yes, the Micra is popular overseas, but Nissan doesn't sell it here in the U.S. Here, the closest thing to it in the Nissan family is the Versa, which, especially in entry-level trim, is dirt-cheap, has a roomy back seat for something in that price-range, but, otherwise...you get what you pay for.

One of my ex-co-workers bought a new Crosstrek a couple of years ago after his old Toyota Matrix got up in years and miles, and has been quite pleased with it. He called me up one afternoon, asked if I had time to recommend a new car, wanted an all-weather vehicle, we spoke for some time on the phone on his specific needs and budget, and wound up at the local shop where I had gotten my Outback years ago. He test-drove both Imprezas and Crosstreks, and decided on the Crosstreks's higher ride-stance and ground clearance (easier the back getting in and out). He took a burgundy Crosstrek home that night.

If your Mom's back and legs are weak (and I wish the best for her ....that can be difficult for some people as they get older), she may also prefer the Crosstrek for that same reason.

Fizzboy7

When I was in high school and college, no one was buying their kids new cars. And I think it's gotten even worse today. Younger generation is far less into cars than we were as kids. There is also a massive influx of immigrants who cannot even think about anything new for their kids if they are in college. This is at least the case here in California and all throughout the southwest states. If they do drive, the majority of students have used or older cars when going to school. A new car is too expensive and too nice for starving students and/or inexperienced drivers. It is also less likely to be taken care of, which makes "new" more of a waste. Used reliable cars like Hondas and Toyotas are wise, economical, and mainstream choices. They are also easier to service and repair than some of the more eclectic brands like Subaru, where dealers are scarce. Practicality and finances are usually at the top of a student's priority list.

SW17LS

I don't really have a problem with setting your kid up with their first new car. What I don't think is a good idea is buying them an expensive or luxury car that they would have a hard time replacing 5-10 years after you buy it for them. IMHO a lot of upper middle class parents get their kids used to a lifestyle that they can't replicate for themselves when they're out on their own until much later in their lives, which in many ways fuels the debt obsessed nature of American life. Everybody is scrambling to hang onto a lifestyle they really can't afford.

Buying your kid a Chevy Cruze or a Corolla or a Subaru, I think thats fine. Buying them a BMW or a Lexus or a Mercedes or whatever, I think thats doing them a disservice.

riredale

Surprised at the acceptance of getting a brand-new car for Junior.

I'd look at Japanese, about five years old, 4WD if a winter climate. Just think how satisfying it will be for the young person to move up to a newer car when they graduate and get a job earning real money!

Incidentally, I've NEVER bought a brand-new car, instead insisting that I would let some other poor soul take the heavy depreciation for the first couple of years. But it probably comes down to personality--if someone offers you a Snickers right now, or two Snickers if you are willing to wait until tomorrow, which choice do you make?

mmarshall

I partly addressed that issue in my write-up. I agree on the money-saving aspect of a used car, but some parents simply want their sons or daughters to have the latest in safety-features and technology. After all, year after year, statistics show that those under 21 (and particularly those under 18) are among the most accident-prone. Kids away at school also need a reliable vehicle, and even buying a CPO, though minimizing the traditional used-car risk, doesn't guarantee that you won't be buying someone else's problems.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Leasing a new car can be cheaper long run vs buying used, and leasing an entry level premium car is often just a tad more expensive than leasing regular cars. Plenty of excellent choices for less than $300 a month nowadays.

Rezno

iTrader: (1)

College student with a car here. There are probably a few factors that go into this: 1. Will the college student pay for most/all of the cost of the car, maintenance, gas, etc. 2. Does the car have a warranty and can student or student's family cover a unexpected expense 3. If the student is not buying the car, can his/her family afford it (afford the cost of living with the car and not just the cost of the car), and lastly, is it an absolute necessity for a college student to have a car or can it be held off until later in the future (i.e. can one use public transportation efficiently or carpool and save up for a faster and better car in the meantime)? I got my car after 4.5 years of saving through a couple internships and a job. I have been very fortunate and I understand that. That being said, the whole time saving up for a car taught me the value and importance of money and that isn't something you can'really teach if you buy an 18 year old a brand new or even a used car. And yes, I know I made an extraordinarily impractical decision getting an IS350. That being said I can't emphasize how much easier college is with a car and how much I've made my parents' lives easier due to me having a car.

I understand the importance of all the new safety features on modern cars, but unless you have a lot of money sitting around, I can't really justify getting an 18 year old a new car for 3 reasons: 1. depreciation 2. Insurance on a new car + an 18 year old driver = really expensive and 3. I probably wouldn't trust an 18 year old with a new car. Heck, I barely trust myself with my own car sometimes. I've seen what younger people do with slow cars and I only worry if they even have the slightest bit of more power. That being said not all of us college kids are the same, so when it really comes down to it, the question here is do your parents trust that you'll be responsible enough to deal with the ownership of a new or even a used car? This is a question where income should be completely irrelevant because if someone's parents trust them being responsible with a $2500 car (and if they can afford it), then they should be able to get one and if someone can't be trusted with a 500HP car, they shouldn't have one no matter how much money that family has. Unfortunately, most people probably don't care too much about this and that is why we cause the most car accidents and deaths on the road. We simply can't be trusted with what we have and end up doing things we're not supposed to and having society pay the cost.

Rant aside, assuming a car is a necessity, any car that is cheap and reliable is a good first car. Only get a new car if you blow your nose with $100 bills.

SW17LS

Cost doesn't matter IMHO, luxury cars are a luxury, and a luxury is something that needs to be earned.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

I don't think it's that black and white, ... a kid getting a bmw in school who goes on to work at Goldman Sachs will have whatever car they want.

If the 'poor soul' isn't poor maybe they feel you're a poor soul for not getting a new car.
Or maybe they like having the latest 2 years before people who buy 2 year old cars.

Ah, delaying gratification... but some people buy new having already delayed gratification so the analogy doesn't hold.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Used cheap car isn't necessary cheap in the long run. For instance my first car back in college years was a 1995 Honda Civic, base model with absofreakinglutely nothing in it, not even power windows. I bought it cheap, used for about $6k but I spent probably twice as much modifying it. I spent a lot of money on suspension and engine mods, wheels and tires, interior modifications, racing seats, and of course countless audio systems. It got broken into twice and both times hundreds of dollars worth of audio equipment were stolen. Not to mention all the regular repairs it needed. And in the end it still drove and handled like crap, and all that fancy audio equipment sounded like crap.

Many people who get a cheap car start modding in trying to make it something its not. Well, no matter how much you mod a cheap car it's still not going to come anywhere close to a car that has those features from the factory that were properly engineered and integrated. This is why I'm pretty fond of entry level luxury cars - for the most part they already have decent audio and infotainment systems, nice leather interiors, alloy wheels and somewhat capable suspensions and engines. Not to mention these premium cars also last longer looking new - better paint, better assembly and heavier sheet metal keeps exterior looking new, and on the interior the leather seats and hand rests don't get dirty and worn out like cloth.

There is a saying "I'm not rich enough to buy cheap things" and it is very true when it comes to cars.

SW17LS

Not always lol. I know a lot of people who make a lot of money, and did from an early age that live beyond their means and have no money, because they're chasing a lifestyle that is always beyond what they can afford. If Junior lands that big job at Goldman Sachs he can buy his own luxury car then and trade the Subaru I gave him in on it. He will have earned that luxury then.

In any event, kids that get entry level jobs at Goldman Sachs don't become instantly successful and wealthy.

I just don't think buying kids luxury items is a good idea. You can't give a kid a lifestyle and then send them out into the world to constantly be chasing replacing that lifestyle. This is why kids need to work, have jobs in addition to school, etc.

mmarshall

On a slightly different note (though it doesn't involve cars) that's how our own Washington Redskin team ended up in the hands of Dan Snyder....and the disaster that became. The team's former owner, Jack Kent Kooke (who had himself got full-ownership when the co-owner Edward Bennett Williams passed away), decided that he wasn't going to leave the team to his son John Kent Coke in his will. He wanted John to work for it, compete, and submit bids like anyone else....never mind the fact that John was already, De-Facto, running the team due to his father's illness. Well, the old man had no idea that the team would sell for over $800 million (an NFL record at the time), and Snyder, partially with borrowed money, ended up wth it.

Johnhav430

Once again, differing opinions, do you know someone who fits this description? I know two fitting the latter. Mind you if they want to make partner, they have a very long way to go. One told me, when I was in HS, my dad gave me an old (yeah like 6 y.o. lol) Taurus from his co., it was so embarrassing especially when my friends all had new cars. They always flew first class and made us and our cousins fly coach.

This person went to Dartmouth and Vanderbilt, he put his time in, but did not have a BMW in HS or college, despite his dad golfing Augusta, Pebble Beach, etc. Everybody looks at it differently. I think most parents want the best for their kids. I am on the side of the fence that thinks (how can I know my kid is 3 1/2) enabling kids might backfire in the end.

btw he does have a Porsche today, not a 911 but a Macan Turbo. Why not get the 911, because he lives in the real world...

edit ps. need to rant lol we have a couple of interns who are going to be juniors at Ivy league colleges, and we are sorta beside ourselves how they are unable to take any initiative nor solve problems without direction. This cannot be true of all, just the ones we got I guess. You know how it goes, father is a surgeon and knows the owner, find a place for his son for the summer. My boss even told me he ran into the surgeon who said to please be tough on his son, he needs it, and he was being serious. Thank goodness they are going back to school. Maybe, seriously, they'll grow up over the next two years. I mean no doubt they are competitive people, just that they lack curiosity and initiative. Maybe they don't see themselves working in our field and that's the reason for the lack of interest. The constant name dropping of mom and dad though, gets old. I get it, your mom and dad make and break little worms like me every day!

p.p.s. are you joking, they are paid $25/hr., which I would have died for when I was in college (the equivalent) and they want time off to go to the shore, concerts, meet up with friends, hahahahahahaha sorry