Best car for a new 16 year old driver?

[schardein]

I used to think the XJ was a great car for a new driver.  They were fairly reliable, relatively inexpensive, easy to get parts for, easy to work on, made good power, more often than not were 4wd, and got decent fuel economy.

 

But time moves on.  I think most of the XJs these days have been through several owners and finding one in reliable driver condition is harder.  Also, power and fuel economy numbers haven't necessarily aged well compared to more recent offerings.  

 

So, say I had a 16 yo old girl who just got her license.  She really wants a Jeep Wrangler, but a newer one isn't in the budget, and while I think a TJ might be in the budget, I'm not sure a soft top vehicle is the best choice for a new driver.  I think the novelty would wear off quick when the weather turned bad.

 

I'm open to thoughts and suggestions.

[89 MJ]

Get ready for Pete to recommend a minivan

Probably with snow tires

 

I don’t think a TJ would get any better mileage or be much better taken care of than an XJ. I would look for a standard cab short bed 99-06 GM pickup, personally. 

[scguy]

Hyundai Elantra 2011+

Obvious Civic/ Corolla 

 

 

For SUVs, if she wants something offroadish, an Xterra with the 4.0 is about the only Nissan I'll ever recommend. A lot cheaper than a 4Runner. 

 

 

 

[Pete M]

2 hours ago, 89 MJ said:

Get ready for Pete to recommend a minivan

Probably with snow tires

 

 

[jdog]

I say go with something you feel comfortable working on, you could also get a liberty. Compass if you want to stick with jeep

[Pete M]

I'm a fan of the Liberty, though mpg isn't that v6's strong suit.  the second gen isn't even all that old so it's got that going for it.   (fun fact, first gen tow hooks go right on to the second gen)

[dasbulliwagen]

As a former Mazda dealer tech, you can't go too wrong with anything Mazda, as long as its not rotary or turbo'd. Also Hyundai and Kia sedans and small SUV's have been good to me. My daughter will probably end up with our '14 Elantra 6 speed manual in a few years. And my father in law has our old '05 Tucson hes now towing behind his motorhome. Both were bought new. I had a used 3 year old '97 Accent for almost 15 years before we replaced it with the Elantra. Ive had very few problems with any of them, though all of them are manual trans cars.   

[NHMJXJ]

Ford Escape would be a good choice.

[MiNi Beast]

How about a peddle bike with selectable gears?  cheap insurance and gas. 

[FrankTheDog]

Almost any vehicle they made millions a year of. There is a reason they were so popular. Camry, Accord, Corolla, Civic, Elantra, Accent Mazda 3 and 6 and any “suv” that is based on those  platforms. You might throw Ford Focus in there but I have no experience with them.

[Minuit]

I lost my brother and neice in a head-on car crash (someone swerved into them) last year. Ever since, safety is at pretty much the top of my list when suggesting a car to someone. I think you're right to look away from an XJ for a new driver. We all like them, but apart from what you mentioned, even a 97+ XJ with its many safety improvements folds like a tortilla in crash tests compared to a newer car. So in my mind, anything much older than the mid 2000s is right out. Since it'll be for a brand new driver, it should be something that can get banged up a little bit and it not be the end of the world. I'm sure these are things you are considering already, but just my 2 cents. Something with good visibility, maybe unpainted bumpers.

[Eagle]

Honda Civic.

 

[1987Comanche]

GM series II or series III Buick 3.8L engine.  It's an excellent engine and the bodies they come wrapped in tend to be older drivers that take care of their cars.  Olds 88, Buick LeSabre, Pontiac Bonneville, etc.

 

[FrankTheDog]

49 minutes ago, 1987Comanche said:

GM series II or series III Buick 3.8L engine.  It's an excellent engine and the bodies they come wrapped in tend to be older drivers that take care of their cars.  Olds 88, Buick LeSabre, Pontiac Bonneville, etc.

 

Yeah, I forgot about these. My mom had a couple. Used to drive her down to Florida in them. Avoid the ones with automatic wipers. Her 2001 Lesabre’s wipers would do all kinds of funky things with them. No other problems with that car though.

[Original 87]

10 hours ago, 1987Comanche said:

GM series II or series III Buick 3.8L engine.  It's an excellent engine and the bodies they come wrapped in tend to be older drivers that take care of their cars.  Olds 88, Buick LeSabre, Pontiac Bonneville, etc.

 

Yes, these are great cars have had some people over the years share stories of series ll engines with over 300K and no major repairs or for some no repairs at all. 

The cars them selves are nothing spectacular, but good solid and safe standard American sedans. Just bought an 04 LeSabre myself love it decent mpg's been getting mid to upper 20's. Not bad for a low tech cast iron engine. 

[FrankTheDog]

58 minutes ago, Original 87 said:

Yes, these are great cars have had some people over the years share stories of series ll engines with over 300K and no major repairs or for some no repairs at all. 

The cars them selves are nothing spectacular, but good solid and safe standard American sedans. Just bought an 04 LeSabre myself love it decent mpg's been getting mid to upper 20's. Not bad for a low tech cast iron engine. 

If Jeep didn’t sell the Buick V6 back to GM Chrysler would’ve been using them.

[Original 87]

52 minutes ago, FrankTheDog said:

If Jeep didn’t sell the Buick V6 back to GM Chrysler would’ve been using them.

True, or maybe we would all be talking about the the very reliable fuel efficient V6 engines in our Jeeps? 

[FrankTheDog]

5 hours ago, Original 87 said:

True, or maybe we would all be talking about the the very reliable fuel efficient V6 engines in our Jeeps? 

They sure would’ve been better than the Chevy 2.8 V6 that came in them.

A late supercharged narrow angle 3800 gen 3 would be nice in a XJ or MJ.

[Original 87]

5 hours ago, FrankTheDog said:

They sure would’ve been better than the Chevy 2.8 V6 that came in them.

A late supercharged narrow angle 3800 gen 3 would be nice in a XJ or MJ.

Well that is for sure true the early 2.8L V6 was a pile that is for sure. 

Had never really given that a thought, that probably would make a nice up grade! Supercharged Comanche that would be something to talk about!

[scguy]

12 hours ago, Original 87 said:

Well that is for sure true the early 2.8L V6 was a pile that is for sure. 

Had never really given that a thought, that probably would make a nice up grade! Supercharged Comanche that would be something to talk about!

Someone on here swapped in a SC 3800 years ago. If I remember right, he had trouble getting a transmission to hold up behind it. 

 

The other problem is that the engine was designed for traverse mounting, so the intake plumbing goes to the rear of the supercharger, and he had to cut the firewall to run the intake piping. 

 

I thought long and hard about that swap. 

[Eagle]

Plus the 3800 is hardly appropriate for a 16-year old novice driver.

 

However, a GM 3.4L V-6 makes a nice swap into an early XJ or MJ. Pretty much bolt-in except for neutral balancing the flywheel.

 

[87Warrior]

A Toyota Camry is a very good first car. Get one with the 4 cylinder and it will be dead reliable. Want one with AWD? Try a Venza without the glass roof. 

[mjeff87]

On 3/19/2022 at 6:21 PM, Minuit said:

I lost my brother and neice in a head-on car crash (someone swerved into them) last year. Ever since, safety is at pretty much the top of my list when suggesting a car to someone. I think you're right to look away from an XJ for a new driver. We all like them, but apart from what you mentioned, even a 97+ XJ with its many safety improvements folds like a tortilla in crash tests compared to a newer car. So in my mind, anything much older than the mid 2000s is right out. Since it'll be for a brand new driver, it should be something that can get banged up a little bit and it not be the end of the world. I'm sure these are things you are considering already, but just my 2 cents. Something with good visibility, maybe unpainted bumpers.

 

Completely agree.  And as a Focus driver, even moreso.  I know for a fact that if I'm ever in a serious enough crash in mine I'm probably toast.  Fantastic little car to DD for an experienced driver (the auto trannies suck in them, though), but they sit way too low.  Sitting at a stoplight with the bumper of the Ford Subdivision in front of me above my eyelevel does not inspire confidence.  And I seriously doubt my 2001 era front and side airbags would even deploy if needed after 20+ years.  I drive it for the phenomenal gas mileage anyway.

 

KJ's are tanks, and the fuel economy shows that (maybe Pete's oilburner is better than the gas 3.7L).  Plus they don't make enough power to be much of a danger to a new driver .

 

I'd recommend a Ford Ranger with a 2.3L.  I'm quietly looking for one to have around myself.

[jpnjake]

I started with my Comanche Although Mine is 2wd it was a good way to learn in the snow and with the 4.0 and Aw-4 it has always started and got me where I need to go. Personally It made it easy to learn to back up and know how big it is because of how boxy it is and being able to see the corners of the jeep from the drivers seat as well as the Great visibility I get out of the single cab.

Definitely Not the best on gas but The smiles per gallon are up there. One of my favorite things is all the people you meet that are Interested in the Truck. Probably not the best or most realistic option but definitely a Fun one.

[gogmorgo]

On 3/21/2022 at 1:04 PM, Eagle said:

Plus the 3800 is hardly appropriate for a 16-year old novice driver.

 

It’s not really any worse than anything else out there. A typical family hauler from the last handful of years that a current teen would learn in is pushing 300 hp, and the cars the higher hp 3800 iterations came in were mostly pretty heavy. It might have been quick for 2000, but in 2020, 250hp is not that impressive.