need advice on buying first car for my son

[chef4444]

My son is still two years away from driving, but I would like to buy him a car before then so that he car work on it. That way, he'll learn a good bit and will become more invested in taking care of it. Historically, I've been primarily a Mustang guy, but Mustangs probably aren't the best choice for where I live (very hilly, which makes winter and/or rainy driving difficult with rear-wheel-drive cars). My main concerns are 1) safety and 2) availability of aftermarket parts, but my son would add 3) must look sleek and modern. Beyond that, I'm pretty open to ideas.

So, if you were in my shoes, what cars would you consider?

[mcmalloy]

Im a Dodge guy myself, but i have been a mechanic for the last 15 years, your best bet would be a chevy product, Cavalier,Sunfire or the Cobalt,Pontiac G5, parts are reasonable price and they are simple to work on, two door coupes are sporty, I have seen a few Cobalt's with a turbo, Fords are usually expensive and a pain to work on, Dodge cars have weak suspension parts that wear out.

[MagicRat]

As a parent, I like your approach for your son to be "invested" in the car.
Many teens drive in a reasonable manner. But I know plenty (both my friends' kids, and my own friends when I was a teen) who drove in an unsafe manner and were irresponsible on the road.

I remember very clearly the reckless driving I did as a kid.... and I don't want my son to do the same. When my dad lent me a car at 16 and 17 years, I did not appreciate it, nor did I appreciate the hazards and expense associated with irresponsible driving, such as accidents, injury/death, repair costs, insurance costs, traffic tickets etc. I just drove like a jerk on many occasions. Even getting a massive traffic ticket (for spinning donuts) did not cure me.

What cured me, and some of my friends, was getting project cars. A vehicle we could learn to repair, maintain, and try out a few modifications. We paid for the parts and repairs. We put our own labour and efforts into the car. We respected the car far more because we earned it, it was not given to us. We became very aware that reckless driving lead to broken parts, accident damage tickets, insurance costs etc. All these were extra expenses we could not afford, so we had to behave ourselves or else we could not drive.

Foe example, my second project car was a '79 Mustang with a 302 and a 4 speed. I modded the engine, but I knew the SROD transmission and the 7.5 inch rear would not handle much abuse. I couldn't afford to break anything, so I ended up driving that car pretty conservatively. But I got quite the wow factor from my friends when I showed them all the engine mods I did myself.

I suggest you might consider getting a car your son can take an interest in, as a project, assuming he has an interest in such things. A Mustang project would be cool, but they're pretty fast for an inexperienced driver.
What about a Jeep? My first project was a Jeep Cherokee. It was not very fast and did not lend itself to 'high-performance' driving, so, even as a kid, I did not drive it very fast. But it was a fascinating project to repair, maintain and mod as an off-road machine... not lifted sky-high, just mild mods. Parts are easy to get for the XJ-based Cherokee, they are straightforward to work on, and there is massive on-line support for all possible repairs, maintenance and mods one could possibly want.

[fredjacksonsan]

What kind of budget are you intending for the purchase?

I like Rat's idea about a Jeep Cherokee; although it doesn't necessarily meet the "sleek and modern" standard, it fits well into the rest of the parameters.

[chef4444]

Thanks for all the replies. You've given me a good bit more to think about.

Like you, MagicRat, I was a pretty reckless driver starting out (I had a Mustang, then a Firebird, etc.). In retrospect, I was lucky to not so serious harm to myself. I like the Jeep idea, although his recent suggestions have all been 4-door sedans. Perhaps he hasn't inherited my daredevil traits.

mcmalloy: Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'll present him with a number of possibilities (including yours) and see what sort of reaction I get.

fredjacksonsan: I'm thinking ~$10K, which I think would get me something in reasonable shape yet something that would need some repairs/maintenance. One objective I have is to induce him to spend his own money on the car rather than electronics as he is currently prone to do.

[fredjacksonsan]

Originally Posted by chef4444

.... One objective I have is to induce him to spend his own money on the car rather than electronics as he is currently prone to do.

Just make sure he doesn't have a car stereo system that is worth more than the car.....

[fredjacksonsan]

So chef, what did you end up getting for him?