An article in the Detroit Free Press says most teens aren't too picky when it comes to their first car. That's a good thing since most of them don't have much say in what type of car they will get. And they generally don't have the income to buy one themselves. Hansen is driving an old Dodge Neon but he isn't complaining.
A seat belt broke recently. The car gets heat but not air, but none of that bothers Hansen too much. He likes to ride with the windows down, anyway. He sees the car, a hand-me-down from his dad, as a boon; he didn't have a job when he got it at 16.
"It gets me from Point A to Point B," he says. "That's really all I need right now."
The article also cites an Auto Extra survey from earlier this year of 500 parents that found of the parent's with kids that own a car 80% had a used car. The survey also looked at what factors are involved when buying a car for a teenager.
According to Auto Extra's survey, 90% of the parents quizzed said safety was the most important factor. Not surprisingly, when asked about their children, 66% of parents said "style or coolness" was a major concern for their children, and 61% listed safety as a concern.
All of which means a little shuffling of priorities. The argument of insurance costs can help.
"One of the biggest challenges a family faces when selecting a car for a teen driver is convincing the teen that there are more important considerations than what's cool," says Charley Gillespie, a spokesman for Nationwide insurance.
Insurance is one of the biggest expense issues. Most kids are going to have to handle it like Hansen -- just be lucky you are getting a car at all as a teen.
