In a few months my oldest will start driving, it is time for me to figure out what to teach them in and what they will drive in high school. With all the modern tech now available I think I would feel irresponsible to put them in a jalpoy like I had growing up. I used to think that an appropriate teen car was the cheapest thing you could find, but now that it is time, I value safety over anything else.

My current garage consists of a '16 Suburban (too big), '97 Land Cruiser (lacks safety features), and '19 Cayenne S (nope). I was previously thinking that they would drive the LC but am leaning away from that now that I factor in the advancements in safety over the last 30+ years.

It seems like small/mid-size crossovers are the most common teen cars nowadays, but my kids are all boys and their dream vehicle is a Raptor. Is there anything out there that is as safe as a Honda, but with more of a coolness factor, that can still be had for $15K +/-, and is somewhat reliable? At the end of the day, I am not concerned with the coolness factor, but I'd rather not own a Prius (no offense to the Prius owners who read this).

Those of you that have gone through this recently, what did you decide on?

We recently bought a CX-5 for my almost 17 yo son. We test drove comparable models from Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai, and the Mazda really stood out. Reported reliability, standard safety features, pretty fun to drive, affordable compared to the competition, pretty sporty looking IMO. I've never owned a Mazda before, but am very impressed with it so far.

Maybe the used car market has softened, but good luck finding something reliable with relatively low mileage and no accidents for under $20k. I was shocked at the price of used cars when we were shopping 4 months ago.

No matter what you purchase, make sure to get a dash cam.

Pickup
https://www.joemyersford.com/used/Ford/2012-Ford-F-150-f861f3cb0a0e0a994e8a2397864f5461.htm?utm_source=autotrader.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=autotrader_listings

This is what the cool kids drive

https://texags.com/forums/50/topics/3385577

My kid is getting his license later this year. We will probably get him a used Mazda 3 or something similar. My one requirement is that it is a manual transmission.

We bought our teenage boy a Mazda CX-9 about a year ago for $17k with about 77k miles. So far so good, even though he got in an accident the first week. Learned real quick, no accidents since.

FIDO*98* said:

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side mirror warning lights

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These do absolutely nothing if you have side view mirrors properly adjusted. I imagine at least 95% of people have their side views positioned so that the side of their own vehicle is visible.

I vote GMT800. Extended cab short bed or regular cab long bed would be the cheapest body styles.

Seriously though, put the 3rd row seats down on the 97 Land Cruiser or just remove them, there is no vehicle on earth that has better visibility than a Land Cruiser.

My 03 had side and curtain airbags.

I went with a 2.5L CX-5 for our first driver.

It hit my goals of lower price, good safety features, good reliability, cheap parts, and kinda fun to drive for what it is.

I very well May be irresponsible, but we bought my daughters a 2007 4 Runner. No regrets.

Corps_Ag12 said:

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Truck.

Not many vehicles you can get t boned in at 60 mph and walk away from it.

Speaking from experience

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This. A teenager in a Hyundai suv blew thru a 4 way stop and hit my sons f150 on the drivers side. Totaled the truck but luckily he was not injured. 10 years prior wife was t boned in her Tahoe by a red light runner right on the drivers door by a small sedan. Shook up and sore but not seriously injured.
Both could have had major injuries if in a small vehicle.

They can forgo college and you can buy them my Raptor. I'm kicking around the idea of upgrading anyway.

https://www.carscoops.com/2022/08/only-one-mid-size-car-got-a-good-score-in-new-iihs-t-bone-test-simulating-crash-with-suv/

https://www.carscoops.com/2021/10/the-iihs-has-introduced-a-tougher-side-impact-crash-test-and-small-suvs-are-struggling/

agnerd said:

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ATL Aggie said:

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'97 Land Cruiser (lacks safety features)

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You forget the most important safety feature of all -> WEIGHT!

Are you more concerned with your kid getting hurt or hurting other people?

The taller and heavier the vehicle, the safer it will be in a crash for the occupants. Might be more dangerous for all the other people on the road, but your kid will be pretty dang safe in an old Land Cruiser. Slower vehicles are better for everyone else on the road too. Don't buy another car when you have a perfectly good one in the garage.

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It is also hard to stop or swerve to avoid the crash in the fist place and can roll over much easier.

Are teens in accidents b/c of someone else, or because of their own stupidity?

1a. Mazda CX-5
1b. Subaru Forester
2. Honda CRV
3. Toyota RAV4

Higher seating position of a CUV/SUV is proven to be safer. Can be had at reasonable cost in a new enough model to have the latest safety features and last them awhile. Room to take (some) stuff back and forth to/from college later. Reliable. Get it with AWD if you live anywhere that gets ice, etc. (Subie comes standard with AWD).

CX-5 is the most fun to drive and IMO the best looking (subjective). Forester AWD is the best, and it has the best ground clearance and visibility (safety).

Two of my teenage girls drove CX-5s, and the other (and my wife) drives a Forester. We've been very happy with both.

Edited to add another important benefit of the vehicles above…relatively good gas mileage. Which will likely be important to your teen drivers.

2005 F350 Dually is what we're shooting for. I need a new rig and the kid needs a ride. Not sure about safety features, but there won't be a lot of negotiating with 8400 lbs of steel for the other guy.

This is the way!

Can't go wrong with a Tacoma for a HS Boy

I was t-boned driver side. I was in a Tacoma and was hit by a Tahoe. 50mph ish. I walked away with a broken rib and some glass in my side. Main thing is the doors have that crash bar in them. Most modern vehicles have them. But agree bigger and higher would fair better in a T-bone situation.

Single cab half ton pickup.

2009 or newer F-150. Ford made a bunch of safety features standard for the 12th gen.


https://www.southtexasamericanauto.com/vdp/20181942/Used-2018-Ford-F150-XL-8ft-Bed-2WD-for-sale-in-Kirby-TX-78219

https://www.autonationfordfrisco.com/used/Ford/2018-Ford-F-150-dbe3dc140a0e0a940b780b4863a5d2b9.htm?utm_source=Autotrader&utm_medium=ThirdParty&utm_campaign=*000001766*

https://www.autoboutiquetexas.com/vehicle-details/used-2016-ford-f-150-xl-houston-tx-id-51543921

https://www.autoboutiquetexas.com/vehicle-details/used-2011-ford-f-150-stx-houston-tx-id-52749031