Used car for 16 year old son.
 

First son turns 16 in a month, and can then drive on his own a month after that. I am looking for a used car in the $3,000-$4,000 range for him. Any thoughts on a safe, reliable model that I might be able to find in that range would be appreciated. Thanks all!

Honda Civic - I've owned one and so has my wife. Good little cars...not very sporty but good cars and great on gas.

What's his preference?

He really does not have any preference. I was thinking of giving him my 98 Lexus GS 300, but it is just too nice a car. I would literally cry if he wrecked it, and, knock on wood, 16-18 year old boys have a pretty good track record of wrecking cars!

VW Jetta/Golf 2.0L (No 1.8T or VR6) 95 - 98 are good cars.
Jeep Cherokee 4.0L
Honda Civic

Make him do all the work . . . brakes, oil changes, etc.

I agree on the Cherokee, mine has held up well under my right foot. Just make sure to get 2 wheel drive so he won't feel like he needs to get mud on the tires.

Cherokee, he's gonna tear it up but at least you can work on it and have a chance of repairing it.
Definitely the 4.0 engine.

I like the idea of a car he can work on/has to work on. Teaches him to repect what he owns and drives. Naturally he must have the desire to wrench but it should come. My dad bought me my first car when I was fourteen 1980 from a boneyard and my '68 camaro convertible was my baby. Even with the plywood floorboards.
Civics, Corollas, Altimas are great cars and easy for him to do the brakes, oil changes...maintenance.
A little two seat pickup truck like a reg cab ranger may helppost pone you from becoming a grandfather for a little bit.
Lots out there right now good luck

i agree on the vw jetta/golf 2.0, but stay 1996-1998. obd 2 engine are much better than obd1 found in 1994-1995..plus i work on vw's for a living. these cars are cheap to buy, parts are cheap and they get great mileage and you can't kill the engine as long as you keep oil in it..OH, also stay away from the auto transmissions, they are JUNK..manual transmission all the way

Oh, one more thing about the Cherokee, remember, it can be a tow vehicle(primary or back up) for the V if needed

Like you said, he will crash, I suggest something with airbags.

hmmm.....when i was in HS my 1st ride was a jeep wrangler. it had the 4.0 with a manual. A few of my friends had them also. did we wreck them, sure. on and off the trail, yep. Are they still on the hwy running around, yep. Not a single one of us ever ended up in the ER ever after a roll over from hitting boulders on the side the highway. either the 4 or the 6 is fine. I didnt fine the 6 to be too much power. I would go with the manual too. Whats really good about the newer body styles is that, they have airbags and a better roll bar for the passengers. Put a small lift on the ride and now the vehicle height is greater than most of the other vehicles out there on the road if a wreck happens. Plus it has roll bars and if he wants to go 4 wheeling thats what its made for. Plus they are pretty easy to mess with.

I found a great deal on a 97 Camry 4 cyl...close to 200,000 miles and it's solid as a rock...drives great around town and good interstate car...my daughter has it in college...

When I was a kid I had to buy, repair, reg & Ins all myself. Today I fix most anything on my own.
Both my kids bought there first cars on there own and some help with the Ins.

My son has had 3 cars since then (23 years old now)including a BRAND NEW Kia that I co-signed for. One year later the thing could not pass inspection and was smashed once. Two months later it was Totaled and repoed still haunting me to this day, even though we payed it off 3 months later.

My daughter got no help from me and drives a 84 Cutless with 245,000 miles!! Has had one accident when she hit a curb and blew a tire.

Just don't do to much for them the first time out!! They need to do it them self and learn to appreciate it, if they can't buy it, fix it, or gas it up they can't have it!

You can usually find a decent Accord or Camry in that price range. They offer decent fuel economy, protection in a crash, and reliability.

Thanks to all of you for your excellent suggestions and advice. I can't believe I am actually getting him a car since I had to buy my own when I was a kid and had to pay for the insurance, gas, everything. First car was a 1965 Corvair. I loved it even though I could never get it to stop leaking oil!

Shoot...are you kiddin'??...Corvairs leaked oil off the production line...if they didn't, they ran 'em back thru the line until they did!!... :you:

Agree with the Jetta.
I got my son a 98 Jetta 2.0 ( manual ) about three years ago. GREAT car for a kid. It looks good, rides great and is very good on gas. All Jettas on those years suffer from Crank
( RPM ) sensor going bad, the sensor wiring degrades and the wires short, and the engine dies intermittently. If you get one, change the sensor ASAP. Also avoid the electric windows, and avoid auto trany.
I think a Civic is the best choice, but they are expensive and hard to find here. I had a Civic once and it was INCREDIBLY reliable.