Tired Of Playing Chauffeur? 4 Considerations When You Buy a Car for a Teenager

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When the kids are little, it’s easy to think, “This will get easier as they get older and more independent.” There’s some truth to that.

You can leave a teen home alone as opposed to dragging a cranky toddler to the market. Depending on where you live, you can urge your son or daughter to walk or take the bus to school so you don’t have to drive or escort. Teens can dress and feed themselves.

But there are ways that having a teen isn’t easier. If you’re a working mom, having a teen may put much greater strain on your schedule than an infant or toddler does. They can have so many things they want or need to do.

That time crunch often inspires parents to wonder whether they should buy their driving-age teen a car so the folks can stop playing chauffeur. But should you take the leap?

There are pros and cons no matter what you choose. Your teen is probably begging for the freedom of that first car, but here are four factors you need to consider.

Safety First

We’ve been fretting about automobile safety since we brought that precious bundle home from the hospital. How long should they stay in a rear-facing car seat? Don’t forget the baby in the car!

Are they ready to transition out of the booster seat? The list of worries goes on and it gets even longer once you allow your teen to drive alone.

If you are going to buy your teen a car, find a used one with a high safety rating, like the 2011 Toyota Avalon or 2010 Ford Fusion. These won’t set you back a fortune, yet they offer excellent protective features such as side-impact airbags in the event of a collision.

Plus, if your teen treats one of these reliable machines right, it could last her or him through college.

Avoid a Lease

You should never lease a car for a teen driver. That’s just asking for trouble. Remember, a lease is contingent on the return of the car in good condition, and teens are unpredictable.

They’re messy, likely to haul sports gear and other messy teens, and they’re more likely to have an accident than an adult. Though the monthly payment on a lease may seem attractively manageable, you’ll be out an awful lot of money if your teen damages the car.

Consider Loan Costs

When it comes to paying for a car for your teen, you have a few considerations. Some parents advocate cosigning a loan, while others think teens should work and save for a used car.

A big part of this decision hinges on your family’s relationship to money, your teen’s other commitments, and the local market options. If you’re going to take out a loan for your teen’s car, it may be better for you to get it in your own name.

Your teen probably doesn’t have any credit and won’t get a very good rate, if he or she qualifies for a loan at all. If you have strong credit, however, you can get an excellent loan rate that will lower the long-term costs of the car.

You’ll already be paying more for insurance, since young drivers are more costly to insure, so this is a good way to save.

The Benefits of a New Car

Although almost any money-conscious parent will prefer a used car for a teen, there are a few benefits to investing in a new vehicle. First, new cars typically have more safety features than older models. A 2017 is going to outclass a 2010 car in terms of protection any day, with features like forward collision warning.

They’re also more likely to rank better on fuel efficiency. This could mean a lot if your teen will pay for her or his own gas on a limited budget.

Of course, you might worry about the message you’re sending when you buy a new car for your teenager. That’s why it’s essential to talk to your son or daughter about financial and safety expectations when you decide whether get a set of wheels that will be your teenager’s own.

While it may set you free from having to shuttle someone all over town, you need to feel certain your teen has sufficient maturity (financial as well as emotional) to handle a new level of independence. That should be the deciding factor, not your schedule.

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