The Great Car Compromise for Teens, Parents
My friend’s 15-year-old son wants a Jeep Wrangler. Well, if you ask him what his dream car is, it’s a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, which starts at $116,325 (all prices include a destination fee), but he’s scaling back his expectations to a vehicle he may actually be able to attain. Many teens want dream cars that we as parents either can’t afford or don’t want to buy for our kids for safety or other reasons.
Related: IIHS: These Used Cars Are Safer for Teens
While my friend’s teen sees a Wrangler as a compromise car, his parents may not agree. Below is a list of some popular cars teens would likely want to drive and a list of compromise cars that parents can feel mostly good about. Remember, compromise isn’t all about getting your way. If it were, everyone would give their teen their late-model Toyota Camry to drive.
The allure of a Jeep is almost undeniable. Yet for first-time drivers, the Wrangler’s ($23,690) lower safety scores in three out of four crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety can worry a parent.
Compromise cars: Call me crazy, but consider a Subaru XV Crosstrek, with a starting price of $22,820. It’s an IIHS Top Safety Pick, which means it has earned the top scores in crash tests. It has rugged looks and 8.7 inches of ground clearance for off-roading or tackling snow. If there’s brand loyalty at play, investigate the Jeep Cherokee ($23,990), which is also a Top Safety Pick. An off-roading package with the Trailhawk trim may be the icing on the cake. Or the tow hooks on the vehicle.
Any car such as the Mustang ($24,425) that has the word “muscle” in its description should be a no-go for teen drivers.
Compromise car: Ford’s 2015 Focus ST costs a steep $25,195, but it’s speedy with a turbocharged four-cylinder EcoBoost engine and comes with a six-speed manual transmission. It’s also an IIHS Top Safety Pick, and it comes with the MyKey feature that parents can use to limit the car’s speed, radio volume and more.
Mini is known for its compact, city-friendly cars, but parents may balk at the Hardtop’s ($21,300) small size.
Compromise cars: The Volkswagen Beetle ($21,015), an IIHS Top Safety Pick, is a good alternative to the Mini Cooper Hardtop. Like the Mini, the Beetle has distinctive styling, but it also has top safety scores. If a Beetle isn’t a good fit (read: too cute), look at the redesigned 2015 Golf ($18,815), which also earned top safety scores from IIHS.
This performance sedan ($35,805) had a role in “The Fast and the Furious” movies, making it an automatic no when it comes to teen drivers.
Compromise car: The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport ($20,445) is a small SUV with the same sporty design cues as the Lancer Evolution, but it is an IIHS Top Safety Pick. It also has optional all-wheel drive.
This lightweight sports coupe looks sharp, has rear-wheel drive and 200 horsepower. And it starts at $25,670. Does this make your heart race, parents?
Compromise car: The front-wheel-drive Scion tC coupe ($19,980) is a little larger than the FR-S, and it’s also a little less expensive. However, it’s still a fun drive and hits some of the cool points that teens like. Both the FR-S and the tC are Top Safety Picks.
The Bottom Line
Look, no one said this teen-driving business was easy, but hopefully with some negotiations on both sides your kid can drive a car that he or she loves and you don’t hate. And if you and your teen can’t come to a compromise, there’s always public transportation.
Cars.com photos by Evan Sears and David Thomas; manufacturer images
