[TR] Teenager vehicle (long, with bullet points!)

[Steven Newell]

Terry asked "What do you think is best for a high school kid with 
proneness for personal mayhem? ...I'm guessing vintage VW bug with a bad 
cylinder"

If you yank out the radio and take away the cell phone, yes. :) I 
recently read that most (80%?) of accidents involve driver distraction. 
Cell phones and iPods are worse than horsepower.

The cars filling my drive over the last five years -- at different times 
Triumph, '66 Volvo, '76 Mercedes, Range Rover "classic", Saab 900, 
several mid-80s BMWs -- may be the equivalent of a neon "Car Guy" sign 
hanging on the garage. So friends and neighbors ask for teenager car 
advice, despite the questionable judgement shown by the very cars in my 
driveway. :)

The upside is I get to search craigslist without alarming my wife -- 
"I'm looking for a car for Conor," I can say -- and I even test drive 
cars with no risk to my own money. Except for the '87 325 I bought when 
my friend didn't want it for his daughter. Why was I carrying that much 
cash? Anyway, most parents just want a slow car with airbags, but here's 
what I suggest:

- good visibility
- good and predictable handling
- few distractions
- manual transmission (durable, demands attention)
- cheap to buy
- cheap to fix
- moderate power
- good, grown-up previous owner

Factoring all these, we tend toward '85-'95 European models (BMW, Saab, 
Volvo) which were ahead of the world in safety, ruggedly built, and 
attracted -- and still attract -- fanatics who maintain the cars to a 
high standard even when they're worth less than $5K. Find a car with a 
club badge on the grille and you're set. All are well supported by 
independent mechanics and parts suppliers. Subarus are the best of the 
Japanese utility cars. Mechanically they won't last as long as the 
Europeans, but late 90's and early 00's sedans and wagons can work if 
you find a fanatic original owner (and know about engine weaknesses). If 
there's a real reason for a small SUV (like hockey, ski club, football, 
college laundry hauling) consider the Honda CR-V or older Jeep Cherokee 
Sports as long as they're manual transmission.

Speaking of which, come on by, Terry! :) I have a really nice '87 325 
for sale! And my fairly good '87 528e would also be perfect for a new 
driver. Because I have a pocket full of cash and I'm buying an '88 535is 
set up for the track, and Pam wants fewer cars in the drive.

PS reading that list again, a Triumph could meet all of my bullet points 
too. Hmmm...

Steven Newell
'62 TR4
'87 535is, 528e, 325