So, My daughter just got her drivers license. What car should I get for her?

"midnightautoparts" (midnightautoparts) 05/06/2014 at 20:20 • Filed to: None

4

69

I am thinking about a nice coupe...

jkm7680 > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 20:20

3

Honda Civic Coupe. If she doesn't care much about cars. Reliable, beatable, safe enough.

thedevilinside > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 20:22

2

Used Corolla, no better first car.

The Real Dacia Sandero > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 20:22

6

The answer is always Miata!

Cheap, reliable, efficient, and no backseat...

PheeNoIVI > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 20:23

1

Toyota MR2! RSX.

Coty > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 20:23

5

I'm in the whatever they buy with their own money camp, but I guess not everyone is.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 20:24

1

E36 318.

midnightautoparts > The Real Dacia Sandero 05/06/2014 at 20:26

0

Good point!

CPT Speedbump > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 20:31

2

Only thing is, back seat or not, give a girl a enthusiast car, every young car enthusiast at her school, or that see's her and said car, will want in her pants.

ptak appreciates old racecars > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 20:32

0

Definitely go with the Dodge Business Coupe. That's a '51?

midnightautoparts > ptak appreciates old racecars 05/06/2014 at 20:35

1

'50 actually, Canadian version.

Nibby > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 20:37

1

BUY HER A NEW 2014 E350

Or, Rolls Royce Phantom.

NaturallyAspirated > Coty 05/06/2014 at 20:37

0

Nobody should be denied the experience of driving a rustbucket with horrific valve clatter and a transmission with a busted overdrive that you are nonetheless ridiculously proud of.

ptak appreciates old racecars > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 20:38

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Interesting, that face was a year early in Canada?

JR1 > ptak appreciates old racecars 05/06/2014 at 20:40

1

Off topic but by your avatar I figure you like the 1st gen 88 Raphy I forgot. I posted some Raphybait earlier today so here you go:

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/npocp-1950-old…

E92M3 > Coty 05/06/2014 at 20:44

0

Thats the only way they will appreciate it, and not take it for granted.

OPPOsaurus WRX > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 20:45

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in all seriousness, my office just got a highschool summer intern. she drives a Tahoe and it scares the shit out of me. She cant be more than 5' and its way too big for her. Typical wealthy town. Some of the other kids drive LR4's. Its nuts. Get her something you wont be too upset when she crashes and will keep her safe.

midnightautoparts > ptak appreciates old racecars 05/06/2014 at 20:46

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I think it was the Plymouth face, actually.

ptak appreciates old racecars > JR1 05/06/2014 at 20:48

1

My word, Raphybait? And thanks, I do like that. I saw a great period television commercial with the '48 and ever since it's become one of my favorite '40s cars.

midnightautoparts > OPPOsaurus WRX 05/06/2014 at 20:49

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I taught her how to drive in my 4 door Silverado. She now really appreciates a smaller car.

JR1 > ptak appreciates old racecars 05/06/2014 at 20:51

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Kaybait, Raphybait. It is all the same thing really. I had no idea though that this model of 88 was the first ever use of a OHV V8 in a production car. So much more respect for this car now.

CPT Speedbump > NaturallyAspirated 05/06/2014 at 20:52

1

overdrive? My kids are going to drive manuals when I have kids. More then that, they'll be given old Tacoma's/T100's, then if they crash them, they get to drive around in a crashed but still running truck. Then when they buy there own cars, Ill have at least one indestructible old Toyota pick ups for my own amusement :)

midnightautoparts > Nibby 05/06/2014 at 20:53

0

How did the Phantom not make my list? I guess I wasn't considering any RR other than the Drophead.

Coty > NaturallyAspirated 05/06/2014 at 20:54

0

Hey my Mercedes was kinda nice when it wasn't in the shop.

OPPOsaurus WRX > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 20:55

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Hows she handle it? I've stopped to watch middle age women try to park full size trucks. One got embarrassed after 3 tries and left. She yelled out the window 'i know, its too big for me' as she left. I have 2 i'll be needing to teach, not for 14 yrs tho.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 21:03

0

Any other qualifications/budget/things she wants?

Squid > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 21:03

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Get her a beater Volvo DL. Not fast enough to cause real trouble, and strong enough to take a few crashes before it dies. First cars should be shit, because it will end up trashed unless you have instilled the jalop genes in her.

midnightautoparts > OPPOsaurus WRX 05/06/2014 at 21:04

0

That is what I started her out in, she figured it out rather quickly. We has a miserable winter so she learned how to drive in some real crap. She is a very good driver. Parking that beast is second nature for her now.

midnightautoparts > Squid 05/06/2014 at 21:05

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She got the jalop genes. My wife is jalop too.

midnightautoparts > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/06/2014 at 21:06

0

Trying to keep it under $10k

Squid > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 21:13

1

Still, Volvo is a good answer for a first car, but that business coupe is the business. I always wanted a cool car when I was 16, but looking back on it I'm glad I had a shitbox beater, it taught me forethought and planning while driving, the blown shocks also taught me the virtues of weight transfer when trying to drive a shitty car fast that had no business being driven fast. . .

CRider > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 21:16

1

First gen Vipe- eh, maybe if you want her alive in a year a Fox Mustang.

midnightautoparts > CRider 05/06/2014 at 21:19

0

Good God! I wouldn't trust myself with a first gen Viper!

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 21:19

1

you might look at a Volvo C70 or a Lexus SC300. Your daughter will love them because they're stylish luxury cars, and you'll love them because they're cheap, reliable, and safe.

CRider > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 21:21

2

Little birdie has to fly or die sometime. She might as well learn in a hurricane.

midnightautoparts > CRider 05/06/2014 at 21:25

0

Oddly enough she would probably respect it more than I. Still......

midnightautoparts > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/06/2014 at 21:26

1

C70 has potential!

CRider > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 21:28

1

She probably would respect it. That doesn't mean she wouldn't crash it, but she'd be very frightened wherever she went. It might be a good thing. And because it's a cop magnet, it'll teach her to have self control with great power. This will make her a more cautious, safer driver for life. I think a first gen Viper is the perfect learners car!

CPT Speedbump > CRider 05/06/2014 at 21:40

0

Not the perfect young girl car though (as I've already commented on the Miata thread) give a young girl a enthusiast car, no matter what she looks like, 90 percent of the young male enthusiast at her school will want in her pants by default

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > CPT Speedbump 05/06/2014 at 21:44

1

I was given my 4Runner when I was 17. After being ran into a ditch with no damage twice, being slammed into the diff one of those times, given hell all the time, taken me anywhere I've forced it to go without second thought, been from the top of the country to the bottom, and daily driven in between all of that, I couldn't have asked for a better or more fun first car. It's only needed the top end rebuilt once since I've had it, and other than little things and minimal maintenance it's been perfect. Slow and inefficient, but perfect.

CRider > CPT Speedbump 05/06/2014 at 21:48

0

How many enthusiasts do you think are in the average high school? Maybe a handful, and only a few of those are real enthusiasts that consider a Miata a good sports car. If she a pretty high school girl, high school boys will be all over her anyway. There is no reason not to nurture young female enthusiasts. And in case you were wondering, I was being sarcastic when I suggested the Viper.

CPT Speedbump > CRider 05/06/2014 at 21:53

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I'd..say like 20 on average? lol, a lot more once in college. And for Miata, once again, a lot more once in College. But valid point, just teach them to defend themselves too :P And I know, lol.

AutoSavant > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 22:44

1

Bought my daughter an 850 wagon for her first car. Non-turbo version with a roof rack. Awesome, safe, great for the beach or a road trip. Saved her from serious injury when an illegal alien ran a stop sign and totaled it.

midnightautoparts > AutoSavant 05/06/2014 at 22:50

1

The back looks a little to "comfortable" ;)

AutoSavant > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 22:58

1

Ya, didn't think about that at the time. Still don't want to. Ended up replacing it with this, so I guess I STILL wasn't thinking. Denial is a terrible thing. . .

thebigbossyboss > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 23:09

0

Can be had for cheap...too slow to race (car makes 92 hp)!

midnightautoparts > AutoSavant 05/06/2014 at 23:12

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Strangely I had Passport for a while. Felt a little "tippy", I elected to sell it about 6 months ago.

BJ > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 23:19

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First car? Easy! 1988 Dodge Aries K sedan.

AutoSavant > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 23:36

1

Yes, a little bouncy, but not really an issue so far. My youngest daughter has the Passport now. I put firmer shocks and replaced the 15" inch wheels with 16"s, plus giving the torsion bars a twist made a big difference. My oldest daughter, who started with the Volvo, now drives a Focus ZX3 5 speed, which suites her tastes more. She'll be upgrading as soon as she saves up enough. Not sure to what yet, though. It will be her first purchase on her own, I'll only be offering guidance. We've been thinking about a used clk320, but that may be more than I want to do technical support on. Mustang would be better.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > midnightautoparts 05/06/2014 at 23:53

0

I was gonna say some late 90s, early 00s Saturn Coupe. That seems to be the standard first car for a girl. Plus it's cheap, so when she inevitably wrecks it like all teenagers do, there won't be that much of a loss.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > midnightautoparts 05/07/2014 at 02:54

1

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > OPPOsaurus WRX 05/07/2014 at 02:56

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Yeah but remember that lady with the Hummer at the funeral home? Backed in perfectly on the first try...

ptak appreciates old racecars > JR1 05/07/2014 at 06:41

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For me, it's pretty much impossible not to have respect for any car before 1950. Their looks alone demand respect.

midnightautoparts > BJ 05/07/2014 at 06:58

0

Good Lord!

NP however...

midnightautoparts > thebigbossyboss 05/07/2014 at 06:59

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Did I fail to mention that I LOVE my daughter?

mr_gofast > midnightautoparts 05/07/2014 at 08:55

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ouch hahahhaa

DipodomysDeserti > OPPOsaurus WRX 05/07/2014 at 09:09

1

I hope you yelled "that's what she said" back at her.

CalzoneGolem > midnightautoparts 05/07/2014 at 09:22

1

New beetle. Cute, safe, slow can't fit a ton of people.

OPPOsaurus WRX > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 05/07/2014 at 09:22

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that was amazing. she had a little crowd too. hmmmm, that was quite a while ago.....

OPPOsaurus WRX > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 05/07/2014 at 09:43

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thats you in the back corner right?

thebigbossyboss > midnightautoparts 05/07/2014 at 09:49

0

When you're 16 a Ford Tempo is a great gift.

JR1 > ptak appreciates old racecars 05/07/2014 at 12:24

1

Can't argue with that.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > OPPOsaurus WRX 05/07/2014 at 13:15

0

Sí Señor.

OPPOsaurus WRX > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 05/07/2014 at 13:24

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that bug looks familiar, its hard to recognize not on its side

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > OPPOsaurus WRX 05/07/2014 at 13:58

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I know, it's weird seeing things out of context. Just rotate your monitor and you'll be all set.

midnightautoparts > thebigbossyboss 05/07/2014 at 20:57

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In 1985???

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > midnightautoparts 05/08/2014 at 13:47

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If she's used to being up off the ground, and you have terrible winter, have you thought about a 2 door SUV? Blazer/Jimmy, XJ or Wrangler?

4x4 for the winter and should be a breeze for parking in comparison to a full size pickup

midnightautoparts > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 05/08/2014 at 22:55

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I have an old YJ Wrangler. She will probably use it for the summer.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > midnightautoparts 05/09/2014 at 10:30

0

There you go!

BondoSpecial > midnightautoparts 05/20/2014 at 17:17

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If I ever had kids, the first car would have to have airbags, ABS, and traction control. When I first started driving, being an over-confident, dumbass kid, I got myself into a few situations where the only reason I didn't crash was panic braking w/ ABS hashing everything out for me. I would never consider putting a kid in an old car w/ no modern safety features. Even something old and slow is a lot more dangerous if and when a young driver panics out of lack of experience.