Best Used Cars for Teen Drivers

You've dreaded the moment since the day they got their temporary license. Determining the best new cars for teen drivers is a challenge every parent has to face, though, and there's more to be considered than just the price tag. You have to know that the car is going to be as safe as it can possibly be. Like most parents, though, you're probably on a tight budget and want your son or daughter to have a car that won't strap them for cash, will get them from school to a job and then back home again, while still offering them a car that has enough "cool" about it to prevent them from being regularly laughed at. With those parameters in mind, the following is a list of vehicles that can be purchased for under $10,000, with less than 75,000 miles on the odometer that received excellent safety ratings. Plus, they look great and get good gas mileage, too.

2009 Toyota Corolla

One of the highest-priced but most reliable and safest vehicles on the list is the 2009 Toyota Corolla. A quick perusal of Ebay and AutoTrader.com indicates that a used Corolla with 75,000 miles can be purchased for under $10,000 if you are quick to act on good deals that you may find. Currently, Kelly Blue Book lists this vehicle as having a retail value of $11,000, which means that even at a dealership, you may be able to score a ride like this for a good price for your teen driver while at the same time showing them exactly how to negotiate a deal on a used car. Insurance costs shouldn't be high, because the 2009 Toyota Corolla was chosen as an IIHS top safety pick for 2009, and its 1.8 liter engine shouldn't be overpowering for new drivers. The added bonus is that with proper care, the 2009 Toyota Corolla should last them at least ten additional years, as Toyota automobiles have often been known to surpass 200,000 miles of driving with few, if any problems.

2010 Kia Forte Sedan

While the coupe may be the slightly racier car, that in all liklihood your teen will want to gravitate toward, the 2010 Kia Forte Sedan was the car that nabbed the IIHS safety pick award for the 2010 model year. Like the Corolla, a good running example shouldn't set you back more than $10,000, but that's on a vehicle with no more than 50,000 miles on the odometer. If you can find a higher mileage example, such as one registering 100,000 on the clock, you shouldn't expect to pay more than about $7,000. Note, however, that Kia automobiles have yet to really stand up to rigorous high-mileage tests. Chances are good that by the time the Kia Forte reaches 150,000 miles, it'll be pretty much Kia-put!

1999-2006 Volkswagen Golf

One of the high-mileage vehicle kings, the exceptionally well-built Volkswagen Golf during the 1999 through 2006 model years is a winner for your teen driver in numerous categories. Not only is the car exceptionally cool looking with its hot hatchback design, but it is also an IIHS safety pick during those years for frontal offset crash testing. These cars can often be found for less than $10,000 as long as you don't mind relatively high mileage, but if you look hard enough, you can still find them with less than 75K on the odometer and a sub-10k price tag. Unfortunately, the drawback to these cars is twofold. First, they are a relatively expensive car to insure for teen drivers, and second, there is a thriving aftermarket for stolen parts from them. While it's possible you and your teen may not have any problem with theft, it would still be wise to avoid parking the Golf overnight in less than savory neighborhoods.

If your teen has their own job, even if they earn only $200 per week part time, they should have no trouble at all with affording the payment terms that go along with the purchase of these cars. In fact, with a down payment of $2,000, your teen should only have to come up with about $160 per month to bring one of them home, which is a big step toward earning their own financial responsibility, yet another significant benefit behind the purchase of one of these cars.

Sources:
IIHS.org: Top Safety Pick Information: http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx
MSN Autos: Auto Loan Calculator: http://autos.msn.com/loancalc/newloan.aspx