Car Shopping for College Bound Kid

How about a Ford Focus or Ford Fiesta

Either that or tell her to put on a skirt and hitch hike.

 

What's she interesed in and how much do you wanna spend?
New or used?

There's about 10-zillion choices for cars that get 30+mpg, and are under $30K.

My advice would be for you to let her have as much rudder input as possible for the final choice, within budget parameters.
If you're living right, she'll be in this car for 4 years. She'll take far better care of a car that she really loves---as opposed to something that Dad picked out.

Me?
I'd be appreciative for, and take loving care of ANY car (even a Yaris or a Rio!) that somebody gives me.....but I'm 48.
She's 18 or 19. Different priorities.
That's life.

PS....If you haven't already started saving for the wedding...start.

ETC(SS)'s advice for fathers with unmarried daughters (current value <$0.02)
Set aside $5,000 in cash. When your prospective son-in-law proposes and they set a date, offer him the $5,000 in cash to elope. If (when) your daughter and your wife make him refuse.....double down.
I've only known for this procedure to work once....but it costs you nothing to try, can save you thousands, and you can use the money as down payment for the wedding.

Good Luck!

 

Let her pick the car she's always wanted (used w/ low miles) and meet her halfway. She'll absolutely appreciate it more.

 

Tell her she can have any car she wants, but you'll only pay for it if it's something reliable and efficient. And whatever she does end up with, show her the maintenance schedule and tell her that what she'll have to do because other the car could end up with an expensive repair. Since, as you'll inform her, she'll be paying for the maintenance and repairs, following the maintenance schedule is very important as it helps reliability.

If she really wants a sedan you could get her a first gen Prius. You can find some low mileage Priuses and you know how reliable they are, even if there's a chance of having to replace the battery.

 

The April 6 Wall Street Journal has an article on this exact subject if you want to look at it. They stress safety, since 1 in 4 young drivers will crash the car.

 

Wow! I bought a used 2004 Prius (36K) for our college son in 2006 and you would have thought I'd bought him a Porsche! (I did it without asking him.) I picked it up while he was in the middle east so I got to drive it for a few month before he claimed it... I fell in love with his car and finally bought one of my own a few weeks ago.

Max actually called the Prius "a chick magnet." When I questioned him, he said it would attract the kind of women he would be interested in meeting. LOL! It might have actually turned out to be a chick magnet as he recently married his grad school girlfriend of two years. (Yes, she *is* wonderful and loves his car.)

His Prius has been virtually trouble free (not counting parking tickets) and *very* popular among his friends. It now has a few dings from living in the city (San Francisco) but it's been an awesome car.

I second the safety first thoughts. Most cars that get great milage are very small. Toyota Corollas and fatalities can go hand in hand. (I have a friend who is a CHP.) The Prius had the benefits of a small car with the safety factor of one larger. My DD called me recently.. "Mom. I just came across an accident. It was a Prius against a Mercedes SUV. The Prius won."

Personally, I decided since it was my money that was going to be buying and maintaining it, I got to pick the car. Good luck with your car shopping.

 

A new Ford Fiesta

 

The good looks of the Prius probably turned her off.

Can't go wrong with an Accord.
High domestic content, safe medium sized car, not too fast not slow either, nice handling, reliable...

 

Just saw in the parking garage a new Elantra with a bright metallic silver/baby blue paint job, looked positively totally high school/college girl.

New model but pretty swoopy looking for an economy car. And cheap. And warranty good until she's out on her own.

Accord can't be beat also for all round goodness in bigger car.

 

If I was college age I would want a Scion TC. Or maybe a Mini Cooper.

 

Hyundai Sonata

 

Off topic a bit, but why buy a car at all ? My two kids are college freshpeople, and neither have cars. Their world is the campus and its immediate surroundings 13/14 days of the week. They both use public transport when desired.

Many campuses also have zip cars, which allows one to drive occasionally and not keep car insurance.

My daughter's college had to decide a couple of years ago between more parking space or keeping the campus filled with old growth trees. They chose the trees and told the students not to bring cars. In return the college increased public transport on top of the city buses by adding a college bus that runs hourly between the campus and the city with a stop at a shopping centre en-route. The arrangement works *great* and to very high satisfaction of the students.

Portland OR

 

Scion tC insurance rates are high. It's the demographic.

 

I'd rather see her in a new one---if it has good crash ratings. Depending on how far the school is away, and with trips back and forth to work and such....it's going to be a hard 4 years on the car. You're already thinking about the warranty advantages of a new one. Consider AAA membership...(AA membership might come later depending on how grades and the whole son-in-law thing works out!!! )

GOOD LUCK!

Let us know what she picks out! You may yet talk her into a Prius....but that's going to be a bit outside your price range, and then....there'e the "Eewww!" factor...

 

Wow, I wish you had been the parent buying me a car when I was that age!! I drove a Geo Metro, 3 cyl, 5 spd, in which the A/C was rolling down the 2 windows and opening the sunroof (which I paid to have installed). It was used when my pop got it for me. In fact, I drove that car for over 4 years, including a full year away in Alabama (live in Delaware). I also took that car cross country when I was 18 just to say that I did it.

If it were my child (which it's not, of course), I would be ONLY giving them the option of a used vehicle. Sentra/Corolla/Civic size would be the largest I'd get for them, too. Then again, I'm also not a parent, so maybe that says something LOL.

I was thrilled with whatever car I was given, because otherwise I would not have had one. Even older cars can be pretty reliable if treated properly. I also had to take care of any and all repairs, insurance, gas, etc, even while I was in school.

 

With such low interest rates on new car purchases today, it's almost not worth it to buy used. Wick, unless you are a parent, you'll never get it. LOL!

 

Dubs, what a stupid thing to say. I'd rather pay no interest rate. Everyone knows a slightly used car almost always are $2000 cheaper off the get-go. Take a used mid-2000 luxury sedan, and you're looking at half the original cost. Great used deals are out there.

Dweezil, does your daughter have any money in her savings account? Has she worked before? If so, I think you should seriously make her meet you halfway, paying you back in payments over time as she would to any other financial institution. OR, an even better idea is to set aside say $10000 for her, and say that's all you'll give her for the car. So if she wants a used Lexus IS 250, then she's going to pay $15000 out of her pocket (+ your 10k), again paying you back responsibly over time. But if she's happy with a used corolla she might not pay a dime, but know she was given the option anyway. I think either of these methods work great and teach discipline, and she'll greatly appreciate it. Trust me it works.

The problem is if you have more than 1 kid. Expect to give them the same "gift". So if a $10000 stipend for a car is too much for you, you can always change it.