[s-cars] Kids and cars

[Taka Mizutani]

Ian-
You gotta be kidding me- pickup trucks are seriously unsafe- no weight over
the drive wheels, makes low traction driving much more difficult, also very
dicey under braking.
 Most pickups are not built to anywhere near passenger car standards, so
they crumple like tin cans- ever see the crash results, esp. the offset
crash tests?
 IMO the best car for a beginner driver is something that's crashworthy, not
very fast but not exceedingly slow (my previous example of a Volvo 240 is a
bad one in that regard), decent handling and braking (active safety as
opposed to passive). The VW New Beetle 2.0 that I've been driving around
would not be a bad choice- they have good crash ratings, they have great
brakes and handling for a stock suspension on a car without overtly sporting
intentions, enough power to get around town but not fast by any measure. The
Mk IV Golf or Jetta would do nicely with a 2.0 and a 5-speed (gotta teach
your kids to drive manual!).
 Mazda 3 would also be good (good chassis, great safety ratings). Subaru
Impreza has horrible insurance rates, so I wouldn't suggest that one.
 Taka

 On 10/12/05, Ian Duff <iduff at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> All this talk of cars for soon-to-be drivers has me elevating my thinking.
> I
> have a 15 year old daughter who is pining after a Jetta. Oh, well. At
> least
> my VAG-COM would work. My wife and I are wondering how many jobs Storey
> will
> have to hold down to afford to buy it <grin>.
>
> A friend suggested what might be the world's best first car, given that
> virtually ever new driver gets into some sort of bodywork opportunity
> fairly
> soon after getting their solo endorsement. Our friend suggested an older
> F-150. Tall, so kids are more likely to see what they've just hit. Only
> one
> bench seat, so they're less likely to load up with distractions, er
> friends.
> Cheap, so that bodywork opportunity might remain an opportunity, and not
> necessarily be acted upon. Plus it would build character for a teenage
> girl
> to pull up to school in a beat up hiccup truck. Not that Storey needs any
> character, she's already one on her own. Heavy, so that if ever she finds
> herself in the way of progress, she's more likely to survive.
>
> Now I just need to find a RWD one with a straight six, a three-in-the-tree
> and a rollcage, for less that $500. Shouldn't be a problem.
>
> -Ian Duff.
>
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