Buying a car for your teen?

New or Used? New cars may be tempting, but you’ll face depreciation and higher insurance costs. And let’s face it, a car driven by a teen is likely to see its fair share of wear and tear. A pre-owned car is an excellent choice for a young driver.

Safety: Look for features that will help your teen in the event of a driving mishap. Electronic stability control (ESC or ESP) can help correct mistakes such as taking curves too quickly or swerving. That feature began appearing as standard equipment in 2012. Other options such as an antilock braking system (ABS brakes), daytime running lights, and airbags will also go a long way in keeping your child safe from themselves and others. Don’t forget to look at crash test ratings to see how your top choices perform.

Need for speed? Not necessarily.  Avoid vehicles that encourage reckless driving. Today’s four-cylinder engines pack plenty of power and provide increased fuel economy. And it limits potentially dangerous and tempting horsepower.

Reliability: Recent pre-owned models often carry the balance of the warranty and many valuable add-on warranty products are available that can extend that coverage…All for a price that is at the fraction of a new vehicle. You’ll also want to review the vehicle history report to make sure any previous issues have been addressed.

Avoid older vehicles: Recent model cars offer better-designed crash protection.  A newer mid-sized car with airbags and EBS is a safer choice than an older, larger car without.

Do your research: There are plenty of online resources to help you in your decision making. NHTSA’s safercar.gov is a good beginning resource, as is the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

When you’re ready to start your search, come see us. With nearly 500 cars in stock, we’re confident we can find the car that makes the grade for you and your graduate. View our inventory now!