Daughter's First Car: The Hunt, Part 2

"Brian, The Life of" (familycar)
07/24/2014 at 13:36 • Filed to: hooptie shopping, daughters first car

So, Daughter 2of3 is now in more of a hurry to buy her first set of wheels since her sister got her's !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . She !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . On a scale of "poor to abysmal decisions," how bad a choice would it be?

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Are these things really that bad?

DISCUSSION (63)

Crocket Bernet > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:37

GREATEST IDEA EVER!

Brian Silvestro > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:38

Land Rover techs say that their cars are engineered to last ten years. Think about that.

For Sweden > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:38

Ask yourself: do you hate your child?

If so, buy this vehicle.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:39

Functionally? A great decision. Operationally/maintenance-wise? Er, less so. A bit.

Bad Idea Hat > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:39

Look at my username, and ask yourself why I think this is a wonderful idea.

CAR_IS_MI > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:40

Did all of your daughters become of driving age at the same time? Or is it just sibling rivalry. Also, your 1st daughters pic was way more jalp-worthy than this LR. I wouldn't call it the worst decision in the world, but it's probably not the best 1st car either.

lone_liberal > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:40

If you want to teach your child that life is not always sunshine and lollipops while at the same time teaching her how to deal with mechanical failure, that is your car.

505Turbeaux > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:41

plan on head gaskets , though at 160K that is past the point they fail. Also plan on having her park it on something that isnt your grass or driveway unless you want this to mark it up like an alpha dog. Sunroof probably doesnt work, I give the windows 50/50 odds. Ignition switch might just stop working one day. At least no rust where you live

Textured Soy Protein > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:41

I test drove an '04 when I was looking for a winter vehicle. I would wholeheartedly NOT recommend a Discovery for a kid's first car, because:

Visibility out the back is terrible. The spare tire mounted on the tailgate makes a huge blind spot for anything lower down and closer to you. The side mirrors are too small and poorly positioned so they don't help cover the blind spot much.

Despite its large overall size, it's actually not roomy at all inside.

It has a super high center of gravity which makes it really tippy.

And yes, there will inevitably be frequent/expensive repairs.

Wishin & workin for an E39 M5 > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:41

Genius idea, as you obviously do not want her to go out, ever. Get this for her and tell her you will not pay a mechanic for repairs, but you will help her repair it and pay half the cost of parts. This will keep her home most weekends and not getting into stupid teenager trouble because she will be working on her bucket.

Ilike_cougars > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:41

The only bright side , she will probably be home more often, asking you to fix it..

Brian, The Life of > For Sweden
07/24/2014 at 13:41

Yeah, I know. She really like Land Rovers, though. I countered with this . She rolled her eyes at me.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:43

If she wants an SUV, tell her to find a Tahoe/Pathfinder/4-Runner. Not a 15 year-old Land Rover.

Brian, The Life of > CAR_IS_MI
07/24/2014 at 13:44

I have triplets. Thus the 1of3 & 2of3 thing.

Yes, I am doomed.

spanfucker retire bitch > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:45

Tell her she'll have to pay for all of the repairs, then show her the stats showing how often Land Rovers break down.

See if she rolls your eyes at you again for suggesting a reliable Japanese vehicle.

Jon-o > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:45

honestly a friend of mine had one in Uni . It seemed to be fine but it was a slightly newer one than a 99 it think it was an 04' and we would joke that we wanted to go on safari with her and obviously poor fuel economy but it seemed to be reasonably reliable.

Lekker > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:46

Maybe it will be a learning lesson on mechanics and on listening to her father. But that does mean she gets to roll around on a Land Rover. Win-win?

Bad Idea Hat > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:47

I'm actually going to be more helpful, because BEHOLD

http://tijuana.es.craigslist.com.mx/cto/4579250081…

This may involve adventure.

Brian, The Life of > Bad Idea Hat
07/24/2014 at 13:50

OH MY GOD!!1!uno!

Too bad she is insisting on a slushbox. That thing is righteous !

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:50

The Mercedes was a great buy for # 1of3, great job dad. But you would have completely insane to get this for 2of3 , these are the biggest heaps of garbage and your daughter will never forgive you.

CAR_IS_MI > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:51

Dear lord. Good luck to you sir.

Aaron James > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:51

You already know this is way less than ideal. That Nissan looks nice and she could actually drive it around with confidence in getting to her destination instead of just looking at how pretty the Land Rover is sitting broken in the driveway. I've got 5 years until my oldest will be driving so I think I'll start telling him now how super sweet Honda civics are so maybe he won't be disappointed when that's what he gets.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Bad Idea Hat
07/24/2014 at 13:52

That's a Good Idea Hat.

Bad Idea Hat > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:52

Wait, I gave up on your daughter. I'm helping you now.

(Is it terrible that I just looked up flight costs to San Diego, and calculated total cost of getting out and back with this thing?)

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:52

"It has 160k & nothing wrong with the truck no engine or transmission problems."

LIES.

Used to sell these things pre-owned - could set our watches to the hour by how quickly they came back with a CEL or failing transmission.

AM3R > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:52

My neighbor just graduated high school and he's been driving a land rover discovery since he's had his license. Besides gas mileage, he gives it a thumbs up as a first car.

It looks like she likes SUV's so my recommendation would be a first gen BMW X5 with the inline 6. If you want smaller, get her a first gen X3.

Looks like daughter 1 got a sweet car! How many miles on it? I'd love to pick one up.

NaturallyAspirated > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:53

How about a Jeep XJ Cherokee? AKA the "Poor Man's Land Rover."

I typically prefer the 96+ model years due to the R134a aircon, but the 97+ does have the nicer interior. If you can one with the straight 6 and the beefy 4-speed Borg-Warner automatic, it'll go to 250,000 miles with basic maintenance.

Bad Idea Hat > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
07/24/2014 at 13:54

Kinja'd!!!

N51fanatic > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:54

Land/Range Rovers acoount for 92% of tow truck revenues in the USA

Brian, The Life of > AM3R
07/24/2014 at 13:55

The odometer took early retirement at 89K miles but, judging by how clean/well-preserved the car is, I would be shocked if it had much more than 120K. The car really is immaculate.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:55

Something akin to this. DON'T do it

Kinja'd!!!

HammerheadFistpunch > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:56

does she REALLY want it? buy it and you have an automatic teaching moment for either tempering desires or learning some new skills

macanamera > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:56

Triplets? Girls?

Kinja'd!!!

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/24/2014 at 13:56

Nah, I would recommend an old LR before I would recommend a 2nd gen 4Runner(which is in the price range), at least with the V6. It's almost as problematic with more vacuum tubes. Also, the slowness and the gas mileage would be worth the extra problems in the LR.

BJ > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 13:57

Probably a bad idea for a first car. If she wants an older Land Rover, she's gonna need a lot more than the $2500 for the initial purchase.

Also, do you really want your daughter driving around in an automatic with six friends? Sounds like a recipe for dangerously distracted driving...

Brian, The Life of > macanamera
07/24/2014 at 13:58

The two that are getting cars now both have bike almost exactly like those!

macanamera > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 14:00

Why is one not getting a car? Or does she already?

Do you have to buy everything in threes or face the teenage wrath of up to 3 girls?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 14:00

That's what you get for raising little Jalops...

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 14:02

Take off the ugly ass wheels and this one might be a bit better.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/ssd/cto/457066…

AM3R > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 14:03

What a steal! Do they usually go for under $2k in that condition? I'm all the way on the east coast but I'd love to pick one up. Already looking on CL!

Brian, The Life of > macanamera
07/24/2014 at 14:03

No, my kids pay for their own cars. I help them with things but the big costs are all on them. That's the way I was raised and it helped me learn about/appreciate my first rides. 3of3 just got back from a year abroad so she has no funds. She's looking for a jerb after she gets back from her internship at the CDC.

Brian, The Life of > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated!
07/24/2014 at 14:06

That's pretty nice but are these any better than LR Discos, reliability-wise?

macanamera > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 14:07

Very cool. I respect that.

Brian, The Life of > AM3R
07/24/2014 at 14:07

I don't think so. I think she got a particularly good deal on this one.

Ferrero1911 > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 14:08

If I was daughter #3 I'd already be looking for the most reliable car I could find and figuring out how much per hour I would charge the other 2 to borrow it.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 14:11

Haven't a clue unfortunately. I assume probably not, but don't quote me on that

treesmakewater > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 14:14

I would pick the altima over the land rover any day (unless I could afford 5-10x the purchase price a year on maintenance)

HammerheadFistpunch > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 14:15

I know a guy selling one like it here in Utah. I think its an auto....yup. Auto.

treesmakewater > Bad Idea Hat
07/24/2014 at 14:17

i do something similar at least once a week (all just dreams though)

HammerheadFistpunch > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 14:18

here is a winner

http://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/1988-f…

BrownMiataDieselWagon > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 14:21

Hmm...

1. British

2. Used

Bad combination. Crack pipe regardless of price.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 14:27

Found something I found interesting, because I am bored

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/457530…

Pacer Racer > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 15:42

From another Gen Y's perspective, trust me, your daughter will be wanting something with better fuel economy than that in a couple years when she heads for college. I would suggest these:

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/458298…

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/ssd/cto/457649…

Or if she isn't dead set on an SUV ( I wouldn't recommend one as they caused a lot of accidents at my high school):

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/cto/458196…

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/457359…

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/458546…

Pacer Racer > Aaron James
07/24/2014 at 15:44

Get him a hatch on coil overs and you won't have to tell him how sweet it is- he'll be able to see for himself.

StoneCold > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated!
07/24/2014 at 16:12

^I totally second this choice.

Then have the third get a first-gen Audi A8, and the Teutonic Luxobarge Triumvirate will be complete!

StoneCold > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 16:14

Have 2of3 get a BMW E38 of some sort, then 3of3 get a first-gen Audi A8.

THE TEUTONIC TRIUMVIRATE.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 16:48

I would keep looking. You might, just maybe, be able to find something less reliable. But I doubt it.

stuttgartobsessed > Brian, The Life of
07/24/2014 at 18:24

All I know is that my best friend in HS had one and right after they bought it that had to do some work to it but then it ran up until we left it on the side of a mountain 3 years later with the body damage achievement unlocked. He ABUSED it off road. And when I say abused, I mean abused. By then end the engine was knocking super bad, it wouldn't hold oil OR power steering fluid. Both axles were bent in some un-normal way, and in order to go straight you had to hold the wheel at 90 to 180 degrees of lock. But it never stranded him on the side of the road once. And made it everywhere we wanted to go offroad in style and comfort; mud or snow. Except that one time I drove into a hidden mud pit in Moab... Oh, and it did it all bone stock on mostly bald snow tires.

I guess this is supposed to be in support of the Disco since everyone else seems to be so against it, but maybe I made it out to sound terrible. All I know is the SI's are super pretty.

simpatica474 > Brian, The Life of
07/25/2014 at 00:51

I'd call it a fuck-no. Does she have a job?

simpatica474 > Aaron James
07/25/2014 at 00:54

My second car ($500, mostly Bondo) was an '81 Civic, and it was one of the most fun cars I ever drove. I wouldn't get into it today because I understand mortality, but that was a wonderful car. And you didn't have to put actual gas in it, you could just whisper "five gallons" and you were golden.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Brian, The Life of
07/25/2014 at 07:13

I see lots of these on the road here in the UK, but judging by their reputation I'm not sure how. Unless it's just the general thing of Americans being less tolerant of fettling (read fixing things that break) than Brits.

I suppose importing a Defender would be out of the question...

Stef Schrader > Brian, The Life of
07/26/2014 at 01:12

That's kind of a tipsy, top-heavy first car. I'd honestly go for something small and maneuverable, but still pretty modern and safe.

Brian, The Life of > Stef Schrader
07/26/2014 at 04:12

Yeah, I was nervous enough about it before I got the universal "TERRIBLE IDEA" feedback from everyone here. Looks like she's buying a '94 Infiniti Q45 tomorrow. The thing is beastly quick. Since it's black it looks like a Yakuza staff car. :D