A Teens First Car

I'd just like to say that I'm 17 years old and am a proud driver/"owner" of a 2010 Prius II.
I'm a very hard working teen, with some large amount of miles logged on the streets of my town and plenty on the highway. I've been driving a Surburban for a while, and with the amount of miles I put onto cars I can't afford the gas.. It was my decision to grab a Prius Third Generation. I love the look of the car, I love the mileage, and the extremely technologically advanced mechanics included in the vehicle. I'm paying for the car, insurance, and gas. I think if I'm doing that I have every right to be driving one

 

You're buying decision seems well thought out. You bought the II which is a great value. You do indeed have every right.

The OP is buying the $30,000+ model and gives little info about him/her self, thus inviting criticism.

 

I commend you for your post to us, your ambition, and your prudence. So refreshing to hear from a wonderful young adult as you; restores our faith.

Your next task - with help from your contemporaries - fix the world!

 

I think it's a fine car for a teen.

If it represents you, and you have made owning a prius a priority to the extent that you can afford it. More power to you.

 

Ohh okay, I see what you guys are arguing about now. If I was the O/P I wouldn't get a maxed out edition of the Prius for a new driver. The II is sufficient enough. I mean lets see here - the Prius features in the above models are very luxurious and have great concept and ideas within them but, I just wouldn't shell out the extra cash. If you want a GPS in a car, go buy a third party one. My Garmin does very well with my friction mount, not to mention the 2010 maps are really good. The sunroof, etc etc.. that's really nice and don't get me wrong, I would buy that if I could have but, I just wouldn't shell out the extra cash. The Prius II is still just about the most technologically advanced consumer vehicle on the road right now, even at the base model. My 2 cents..

Thanks for the appreciation! I hope the Prius brings me years and years of wonderful traveling experience. I'm not someone who just went into the dealership and said "Oh! Look! That car looks sweet!" and just bought it. I must have done more than 20 hours or easily more of reason about the new Prius, watching videos, reviews, and such. As a matter a fact, I actually knew more about the vehicle than my salesman.:juggle: Anyway, I appreciate the thanks towards my post. As for fixing the world.. well.. I believe that's just a little more difficult than making a wise decision and purchasing a Prius

 

Good for you!! When I was 17 I had an older car (more like a tank) and I'm glad I had it because I did have a few minor fender benders. Once when I was working I was informed that there was an accident in front of the store. Some guy hit my car and the force of the impact was such that the car ended up in the produce department!!!! I would hate to see that happen to my Prius!! I do think that a used Prius would be a better choice until the new driver gets some miles under his/her belt. I remember when I got my pilot's license and I bought an inexpensive plane and my instructor told me something funny. Sometimes when you taxi to parking you have to make some tight maneuvers. I asked how do you know which side of the taxiway to favor. My instructor told me head towards the cheaper plane! You see, wingspan is your enemy when you taxi and its hard to judge distance. To this day, I find driving the Prius a joy but the corners of the car are hidden and it takes time to develop a sense of where they are when making tight turns in parking lots etc.

Regardless, I am the type that says live and let live. If you can afford it, go for it!!

 

Awesome reply! Well, my 1998 Suburban was my "tank" I haven't had any accidents or any finder benders at all in the thing, not even with stationary objects. The pilots license story is pretty funny, that's a good read. I do agree that the corners of the car are hidden and it's much different than any car I've driven. I'm pretty used to it by now though. I find when I pull the garage I think I'm going to hit the wall because it's hard to tell when the front is close. That's when I turn my headlights on and judge by that hah.

I'm not trying to "hi-jack" this thread, so lets get back to the O/P's question.

 

Yes, perhaps I'm not the one to ask, but my emotional gut reaction is that a 2010 Prius with solar roof package is a great car for a Teen....if they are spoiled rotten.

Not to digress into a perhaps unjustified diatribe on parenting, No way I would hand a 30,000 dollar vehicle as a first vehicle to a teen. My personal and I stress personal opinion is that a first vehicle should be safe, reliable, and paid for mostly or primarily by the teen themselves. But parenting views and opinions on "gifts" can vary.

So, to try and separate myself from my gut reaction (spoiled teen)...I'd have to honestly say that while I think The Prius is a safe automobile and also reliable, if I had decided to get my child an automobile, at that age and experience I probably wouldn't choose The Prius. Only because I think with the "tweaks" of being a hybrid, regenerative brakes, on the dash driving feedback, it could be more distracting than a "normal" vehicle. Teens are easily distracted.

I'd start out with something that just drives easy, and has all the latest safety features and scores high in crash tests. After 10 years of driving experience, then they can buy their own Prius....

 

Days before I turned 16, my parents bought me a brand new loaded 1990 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 convertible. Do you consider me spoiled rotten?

I doubt those "tweaks" are any more distracting than getting behind a high performance car and I'm still alive. It's all in the parenting, not vehicle choice.

 

"I'm paying for the car, insurance, and gas. I think if I'm doing that I have every right to be driving one"

Certainly, I agree with that. But to generalize, and I know that is dangerous, I think as a 17 year old teen, if you are paying for full insurance, gas and for the car, then you are the exception, not the rule.

The original poster, also of course has the freedom, right, to purchase for their child, teen anything they wish/can.

You sound like you have worked/are working for your Prius. Good for you. Guess I've just become one of those old fogeys that attach some value to teaching youth about responsibilty and sacrifice, and is just wary of handing huge ticket items to "kids".

It may be a generational, economic thing, but nobody was going to "give" me a car when I was a teen, and I worked about 8 years, saving up, to actually buy my first new car.

I don't know the OP, and I don't know the Teen involved. Like I said, it's a gut reaction.

I fully concede all these points, plus the fact that parents can provide their children with whatever they want. While a $30,000 dollar automobile seems an extravagant gift to me, perhaps it's justified. If my teen was driving, I certainly would want them driving a newer automobile with the latest safety equipment, as opposed to a cheaper older vehicle that might not offer as much safety.

 

Ooops, I've opened a pandoras box! Listen, I'm sorry, I don't know you...so are you spoiled rotten? Were you spoiled rotten? I don't know. A brand new, 1990 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 at 16, certainly is a HUGE gift for a young person. But as far as did it make you spoiled? I can't judge that. I'm reacting from my social/economic history and background and let's just say I did not approach my 16th birthday with any illusions my parents which did love me, were going to give me a new car.

It really might have the most to do with economic background. My parents were not going to be able to buy me a new car.

Perhaps I was too harsh with my gut reaction. Having the economic ability to provide your child with a new car isn't in of itself something bad, or evil....and I probably shouldn't of intoned that perhaps it was. However, I honestly can also say, I don't think I would just give my child a new car, I'd expect some sacrifice from the child, at least to pay a portion. For most people automobile is the second biggest purchase outside of a "house and property" people make, my personal opinion is that to just give your child that luxury is not teaching them respect for the economic sacrifices most people have to make in obtaining an automobile.

I'll also stand by my original feeling about giving a teen a Prius. It would depend on the teen, but most young drivers by definition are just less experienced and also at a point in life where they are more likely to be distracted.

If you could handle a sports car at 16, good for you. If a teen can stay focused and handle regenerative braking and the informational feedback of driving a hybrid, also good for them.

The OP asked for opinions, my opinion is IF I was providing a teen with a new car, I'd start out simpler than a Prius. It is however a genaralization I'm applying to teen drivers. If I had confidence that my teen could handle it? ....then I guess they could handle it. However, if you are dealing with generalizations, in general, handing a 16 year old the keys to a 5.0 GT is something I think would make most parents nervous.

 

When I bought my 2009 GenII in November 08 I paid for it entirely in cash. I have my own insurance which I pay. Its not uncommon for it to happen when someone who is 19yo makes enough to pay for their own new car especially here is AK. I think buying your teen a new GenIII would be a great idea. It may instill some common sense into them. They aren't going to drive it crazy because they are going to be too busy playing the mileage game. You'll have one of the safest drivers on the road.

 

A New Prius makes anyone a nice car, but not as a first car. Any new car is a horrible idea unless you just don't mind driving that new car that looks like an old dented POS. Honestly i think every person first learning to drive, whether a teen or someone in twenties should have a "clunker" for at least 25,000 miles of driving experience.
You can be the most responsible person in the world and still be a bad driver just as you can be the most careless person in the world and be an excellent driver. Yes I was smart and responsible too, but as a new driver at 16 and 17 years old I made a lot of mistakes that they just don't teach in drivers ed. Yes nothing serious happened, but I can count numerous times I was thankful I didn't just kill myself or someone else. You should concentrate on buying about a 5 year old vehicle that is both safe and reliable (anything wrong with getting a 2004 Prius). Plus when you turn 21 your car insurance rates will be about 40% cheaper then even just at 20 years old.

 

I understand your point with getting a 5yo vehicle but the downfall to that is that it wont teach them responsibility. Sure you could save money and buy a clunker but your going to drive it like it is a POS. Probably way too fast and way too stupid. The reason you made a lot of mistake is because you probably didn't care too much for the vehicle you were driving... am I right? I know plenty of people I went to school with that got new vehicles and they treated them with respect. It was usually all the jerks with the old cars and trucks that drove crazy.

 

Plus you mention that you have lots of experience driving the suburban. It's not your first car.

 

I'm 22. I miss being a teenager. lol. Life was much easier then. To be honest, this is not the kind of topic where a specific "rule" or "exception" exists. There are people from different backgrounds, religions, areas, etc, in this forums. As such, it should be expected there is gonna be several differences in the way everybody here raises their children. I've said this many times here, but I'm married to a Vietnamese girl. In her family, it is common to buy a new car every four years. Her High School senior cousin was just given a new Lexus. To them, that's fine. They can afford it. To me, first of all, I absolutely hate that "spoiled rotten" girl. Second of all, I am mexican, and come from a very poor family. My mother grew up among eight siblings having to carry water from a well, eating once a day, and walking to school ever since she was 7. (She's come a long way). By the time I was born, we were a bit above middle class in Mexico, but we were by no means rich. Thus, I was raised with very strong values, specially about what it means to put food on the table; my mom reinforced the latter by telling me her childhood experiences (which to me were horror stories). By the time I was 15, I was on my way to the US. Once here, having fled from a violent father with my mom, I truly learned what it is like to have to do more for some money than simply extend your hand out expectantly to daddy. After all, I haven't truly had a father since I was 11. Ever since I arrived here, everything I have I have worked for. My mom provided me food and shelter, but once I started working I helped with the bills. Now, thanks to those strong values, I have an Associates degree and I am about a year and a half away from my Bachelors. And I have paid all of that tuition with a combination of merit scholarships and financial aid. Lead by example, I hear people say. My mother definetely did that. So my point is, for someone like me, to come and see a spoiled rotten girl get a Lexus for free, it makes me cringe. I literally wanna walk up to her, slap her, and tell her off until she cries on her knees. Now, I dont wanna say the whole story, but she is a terrible person. She is inconsiderate, selfish, spoiled (duh), calculating, manipulative, and slutty. Nevertheless, she is a good student. And to her parents that's enough. I guess to some parents that's enough. To me, that is an epic failure of parenthood, to say the least. School truly isn't everything. School and an education is only the very beginning of success; merely the first step in the stairway. You cannot just go to school while omitting all other important values. This is something that I wish kids who, are spoiled enough to think simply going to school while omitting everything else leads to success, would understand. Not to sound conceited, but if I had a 17 year old son who clearly showed the values I currently have now, I would buy him a 40,000 car, if possible. If my son had the values of my wife's cousin, then I'd give him a bycicle, and I'd make him buy the tires himself. And I would expect him to consider himself lucky.

EDIT: Excuse the lack of paragraphs (somebody pointed it out). I typed this in a mobile phone and I find it quite hard to do paragraphs because I cant really see how they show up in the desktop computers. In the phone, spacing between paragraphs shows all spreaded out weirdly all over the place. lol..And yes, I am upgrading to a new phone soon; to one that, say...actually works.

 

You would think that, but not me. I have always driven responsibly, I am 31 years old and I haven't even once been ticketed. I think the people that don't care about their vehicles are the ones that didn't have to work hard to obtain it. My parents made me buy my first car myself, and as a teenager my $500 beater was still alot of money to me making the teenage wage of $4.25 an hour at the local fast food joint. A lot of my instances of mistakes were lack of anticpating the traffic ahead of me, not looking well enough while changing lanes, or not understanding how to safely drive on snow and ice. Things that take time to develop.

 

In your pursuit of education did they teach you to use paragraphs?

(kidding)

 

True that. (about 19yo being well off) I have a couple of friends who are a bit younger than me (19-21) and make a minimum of 18 dollars an hour. One of them has 15k in the bank. Not too shabby if you ask me, specially considering here in Texas minimum wage is 7.25. I, in the other hand, have gone to school more than I have worked, so I am barely starting to find a more serious job, since school is getting less time consuming towards the end

 

lol. I challenge you to make something look perfect on a samsung instinct phone.