Five Common Mistakes When Shopping for Good First Cars

by Mike Dickson · July 30, 2018

The only thing better than getting your license is getting your first car. Here we have five things to avoid when trying to find good first cars for your teenage drivers.

5 Mistakes to Avoid:

Starting the search with Price
Buying too large a car
Being unrealistic about the driver
Starting your search in the wrong place
Not test driving enough

We all make mistakes, but we don’t have to make these ones anymore. Choosing cars for teens can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be.

By avoiding these five common mistakes it will give you confidence that your child is on the road in the right vehicle for them.

Driving can be daunting for teens, so let’s make it easier on us and on them by avoiding the things that put them in the wrong car.

1. Don’t Start Your Search with Price

A common error people make when shopping for a first car, especially for teens, is that they start their search based on price.

This is bad for many reasons, but the most important is that you’re basing your search only on what’s available at that moment, instead of what the best fit is.

A much better approach is to first identify the type of car that’s best for your teen and then find models in that category.

Now that you know the best models, you can begin your search and narrow it down till you find the ones that fit into your price targets.

In this way, you get the best of both worlds, a car that is a good fit and a price that works too.

Another factor that people often use to dictate their car search is insurance cost.

It’s going to be high no matter what so it’s important to find the right car and then see how that car fits into your price targets.

Also, it’s important to remember that you won’t be 100% clear on insurance cost till you know the car anyway.

All that being said, Lendedu.com has a great resource that can help you save money on insurance once you identify the best car for your new driver.

2. Bigger Is Not Always Better

One of the most common mistakes parents make when shopping for a first car for teens is they fall victim to the idea that the bigger a car is, the safer it is.

This is not always the case and actually places a very inexperienced person behind the wheel of a large and unresponsive vehicle, making it more dangerous for everyone else on the road.

Driving a car is a big responsibility, but that doesn’t mean the car has to be big too.

A good first car is one where the driver can comfortably and safely operate the vehicle.

Let’s start with that. That’s a solid starting point.

I will never understand why small people love big cars and why parents love putting their tiny kid behind the wheel of one.

If little Johnny can’t see over the wheel, how the hell is that safe? Not just for him, but for everyone else on the road too.

Where I live, it’s so common to see young, tiny ass kids driving around in jacked up jeeps and gigantic Ford F-250s like a crackhead who just robbed a bank.

It’s insane that people think this is a good idea.

One obvious reason big cars are bad for new drivers is that the higher up you sit from the ground the slower it feels like you are going.

This is why it feels like you are hardly moving when you watch the ground from an airplane window.

It’s also one of the number one reasons inexperienced drivers end up with loads of speeding tickets.

It’s always weird when people tell me they got their kid an SUV because it’s “safer” when really it makes them more prone to speed and reduces their visibility.

And that’s another thing – visibility. It’s very hard for a small person to be visually aware of everything around them in a large car with large blind spots.

Just seeing over the hood is a problem for them. So how are they supposed to see anything else if they can’t see out of the biggest window in the car?

3. Being Unrealistic About the Driver

It’s important to be realistic about the type of driver you’re dealing with.

The reason this is important is that it helps you determine the type of car that is safest for your teen.

I think it’s good to sit down and write some questions and answers. This will help you identify cars that are a good fit for the type of driver you are buying for.

Here’s a list of things to consider when asking these questions:

Are they easily distracted?
Will they be prone to speeding?
How tall are they?
How strong are they?
Do they have good eyesight?

This isn’t an exhaustive list but it should give you a good idea of the types of questions to ask.

The reason they are important is that they will narrow down the types of cars you will search for.

For example – if the driver is short you will be looking for cars that they can easily see out of, so sedans and hatchbacks would be good choices.

Another example would be – the driver needs to be strong enough to lift and replace a spare tire on the side of the road, so vehicles with large tires would be out of the question.

The best cars for teens are cars that not only help them drive better but also keep them from being in a bad situation if they break down.

4. Starting A Car Search on Auto Trader Rather Than IIHS

Among the top concerns that parents have when finding the best car for their teen is how safe a car is.

So, I’m always astounded when I see people begin their car search on autotrader.com rather than IIHS.

IIHS is a safety rating agency that stands for Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and they aggregate all of their safety ratings online, free to the public.

You can find them here: http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/TSP-List

I’m always shocked when people just assume SUVs are safe for teens and go straight into their vehicle search rather than taking the time to actually check this list.

The approach should be to identify good choices on this list then begin your search using these vehicles as a starting point.

Once you’re ready to begin your search check out my post: How to Buy A Car (With a Salesman)

5. Not Test Driving Enough

Test driving a car should be a fun and exciting time and can be a great way to get some bonding in.

Whether you are test driving a used car or a new car it doesn’t matter, always test drive a car before you buy.

But it always blows me away when parents test drives instead of the teen who will be driving the car.

It’s even crazier because for the most part people don’t know shit about cars. Yet, here they are “testing” one for their child.

The best way to find the best car for your teen is to let them drive it.

See how they react in it, how well they can see out of it, how distracted they get in it, and how comfortable they are driving it.

Make them drive more than one. Even if they really have their heart set on that big pink Jeep, make them drive a Camry.

It’s the only way they will know if it’s the right care for them and the only way you will feel good that you got them the best first car.

This will ensure that the driver is in the right car for them.

This is important because they will be more likely to take care of it and more likely to drive safely in it.

Five Common Mistakes When Shopping for Good First Cars

Starting the search with price
Choosing cars that are too big
Being unrealistic about the driver
Not basing search of IIHS safety picks
Not Test driving enough

Whether you’re shopping for the best first car for your teen or you’re a new driver and want to know what the best car for you is, it’s important to be systematic in your search.

It’s equally as important to be smart about how you shop for a car too.

I always feel like car buyers are just sort of out of there shooting from the hip. We should be smarter than that.

Now that you are armed with the five common mistakes people make when searching for the best first car for their teenager see our post: Why the Honda Accord is the Best Car for Teens.