Your teen has got newly licensed and would like to have own car to drive to school, no more wanting to go to school in a school bus. And he or she may have made it pretty obvious by now. However, a lot of parents would be a little hesitant to hand over the wheels to their teens and spend a considerable amount on buying it in. With a little care and caution, you can ensure that you don’t end up spending a fortune and yet make your kid (though not a kid anymore!) happy.
There are some points, apart from the cost, that you would like to consider before you buy used car for your teen, like –
Before you buy him or her the car, a good idea might be to have him take a drivers’ education course. Also, set some ground rules with him or her, break those rules and they can bid good bye to their car. No drinking and driving, no texting while driving, no packing the entire school into the car, regular fueling, etc seem like a good set to start with. Don’t just set the rules, keep an eye on him too, spy on them if you have to. Enrol in the monitoring programs where they fit those fancy cameras inside the car to capture the audio and the video. If you feel up to it, install a GPS to know where you kid is when and monitor it.
When you monitor your child’s driving behaviour and spy on him, it is not because you don’t trust them but it is because you love them and you wouldn’t them to come in harm’s way in any way. You as a parent want to do everything you can to keep him or her safe. And in order to do this, only setting rules or monitoring the kid all the time, or grounding him when he breaks a rule won’t do. You will also have to buy a car that is safe enough for them. Look into the presence of air bags, anti-lock brakes, crash ratings, etc before making up your mind about any particular car. Throw in a pre-purchase inspection by an ASE certified mechanic to be thorough.
You may pay the initial amount for the car; most probably your teen couldn’t afford it. However, you can discuss and decide if he or she could take up the monthly payments or foot the insurance payments or may be the gas payments. This will make them responsible towards their own car.
Sometimes a good paint job could make a good old car look as good as new at minimal cost. So, if you get a good used car and paint it all new, it might look brand new when you tie a ribbon around it and gift the keys to your teen. Some work may also be required on the brakes and tyres and the machinery. It may cost you a small amount now, but in the long run it will save you on a lot of large amounts as well as keep your kid safe and happy.
Buying a car for your teen is the next big step in his or her life, as well as yours. And you would want to do everything you can to avoid staying up awake and worried every time he or she grabs the keys and goes out. You don’t want to sound overbearing but just protective. So take care and caution before you take the step.
Image Courtesy: Carissa Rogers
This entry was posted in: Buying Cars
Tagged: buy used cars for your kid, car for teens, important points for teen drivers, tips for Inexperienced Drivers
