subject: Car Dilemma? Get a Beater For Your Teenager [print this page] Car Dilemma? Get a Beater For Your Teenager
When I turned 16, I wanted a car more than anything. We were living in Florida at the time, and I spent countless hours daydreaming about and researching the new cars in Tallahassee dealerships. But my parents told me I could only get a used car, and furthermore, I had to pay for it. You can imagine my disappointment. However, I wanted my own wheels badly, so I searched through listings for used cars in the Tallahassee area and finally found one for sale relatively close to my neighborhood. It was a 1986 Honda Accord: old and not too pretty. But the price fit my budget, so I got it.
It was a manual, and I learned to drive a stick on it. Poor car. I used it all through high school and then even took it to college with me, driving it across the country. I kept it all four years and beyond to my first year of marriage until I sold it to another teenager. That thing was amazing. It just ran and ran.
If you're considering buying a new car for your teenager, don't do it. Make them buy their own. And make them start with an oldie. I learned so many lessons from my car about patience, responsibility, care, and ownership. I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. And not only was it a good car to learn on, it was also replaceable. If I had crashed it, it would not have been the end of the world. Had I been driving a new BMW, however, it would have been a different story.
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
