4 Great Cars for Teen Drivers
In reading the awesome comments that so many Cars for Girls readers and subscribers leave us on a daily basis as well as emails I receive from friends who also stop by, I’ve noticed that many of you are parents, step-parents or a VIP in a young person’s life, so I thought today I would write about some great cars for teen drivers.
As parents, guardians or anyone with a teen driver in their life, we all know that for teens or even college-bound students, getting their first car is a big deal and a very important decision; it’s essential that teens and first time drivers get off to a good start, which is why dependable, reliable transportation that offers nice fuel economy and good safety features are so important. On the other hand, teens want a ride that looks stylish or sporty and comes equipped with things they enjoy, like a cool stereo or MP3 player and power windows.
While some may believe it’s almost impossible to compromise or reach a happy medium without breaking the bank, it could actually be a little easier than we might think. The following cool rides all come in at under $20,000.00, get good gas mileage, come equipped with some awesome standard features and with the 2008 model year close-out, dealerships are offering some sweet deals, so now is a perfect time to shop for the new driver in your life.
2008 Honda Fit
- MSRP: $13,450.00
- Fuel Economy: 28 City/34 Highway
This little Honda four-door sub-compact hatchback features power windows, air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, CD/Stereo, 6 airbags and anti-lock brakes, all standard. It also earned a five out of five star rating in government crash tests for frontal and side crash tests and three out of five stars for rear side protection.
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer
- MSRP: $13,990.00
- Fuel Economy: 22 City/29 Highway
One of my son’s favorite rides, the Lancer is awesome to look at and fun to drive and because it’s a sedan, it may help to keep insurance costs down. The 2008 Lancer comes standard with tilt steering wheel, power windows, power mirrors, tire pressure monitor. It also comes with front seat side airbags, head curtain airbags and a driver’s knee airbag, too.
2008 Ford Fusion
- MSRP: $18,000.00
- Fuel Economy: 20 City/29 Highway
Anti-lock brakes, tire pressure monitoring system, air conditioning, CD/MP3 player, cruise control and a 60/40 rear split seat all come standard in the 2008 Ford Fusion. The Fusion also did very well in front crash, roll-over and side crash safety testing, earning a four star rating out of five. The 2008 Fusion includes front seat side airbags and side curtain airbags, both standard. A reverse parking system can be had for an additional fee.
2008 Nissan Sentra
- MSRP: $16,000.00
- Fuel Economy: 25 City/33 Highway
The 2008 Nissan Sentra comes standard with anti-lock brakes and front seat, side and head curtain airbags, a CD/Stereo, air conditioning, power windows and power door locks all come standard. The 2008 Nissan Sentra did very well in government frontal impact crash tests, earning five stars out of five for both front and side impact protection, while earning 4 stars out of five for rear crash testing.
Loading ...
If you’d like to make it a nice round 5 cars, I’d also suggest the Scion tC. Since it’s made by Toyota it has your front seat airbags, side curtain airbags, driver knee airbag, ABS, tire pressure monitoring, etc. It got 4-5 stars (mostly 5) in government tests. Gas mileage is slightly lower than some of your other suggestions at 20/27. It’s also a two door with lots of fun things that can be added to the car as the teenager gets some money. Since all the add ons are dealer installed, they can easily add each thing as they get the money. You also get a lot of standard features like cruise control, and power sunroof.
Slinky: An excellent suggestion, since crash test rankings are stellar with the optional side airbags and it’s priced right too at about $15,000.00.
On the flip side, I had the Scion xB on my original list, but after doing some research decided to omit it because of poor crash test results. Same with the Mini Cooper, also originally on my list, but it also proved dismal in crash tests.
Thanks for the suggestion – it’s a winner!
I AM TURNING 16 AND AM LOOKING TO GET A CAR TO GET ME TO AND FROM COLLEGE WHICH IS ABOUT AN HOURS DRIVE AWAY. I WANT A CAR THAT IS FAIRLY LOW ON FUEL AND NEEDS TO BE SMALL ENGINE FOR INSURANCE AND TAX REASONS. I ALSO AM FAIRLY BROKE SO ANY ADVICE WOULD BE OF GREAT HELP
THANKS
Kate: Check out any used makes and models like the cars I’ve listed above or check out “5 Good Cars for College Students” by clicking here. Searching for a solid used or new car can be time consuming, but well worth it. Start your search online or in your local newspaper.