Best $10k car for a 17 year old?
 

How time flies. Let 'er rip. Biases and everything. Opinions on a best car for $10k for a 17 year old?

That would depend on the individual. Some seventeen year olds would do well with a 10K car, some would destroy it quickly. Just my .02

I’m a big subscriber to the surround a new driver with as much sheetmetal as possible approach. Mercury Grand Marquis/Ford Crown Vic/2011 and newer Ford Taurus (except the SHO). Yes, the new driver will occasionally try to peel away a fender while attempting to parallel-park such tanks, but we live in a land chock-full of Ford F250s...

What will be the main type of use? Commuting or???

First Car
 

Wow ~ to be 17 again :P .

I'm torn between saying any old Ford Mercury Panther platform because they're well engineered and built, of a pickup truck but pickups roll over easily and are not actually very safe in any collision .

I had this same dilemma 30 years ago and wound up making my son save up and pay for his own car and insurance .

He bought a 1963 VW Beetle and never wrecked it in spite of making it _very_ fast .

After it was stolen he bought a Acura Integra and wrecked it several times in his 20's....

Consider paying for him to have professional driver training .

I wish you the very best .

Dodge Caravan
 

Seats fold into the floor to make extra room for the high school orgy. Plenty of condom storage cubbies.

Crown Vic cop car

I'm going to go against the grain and suggest a VW TDI of some sort made in this decade versus a Crown Vic. Crown Vics were never safe in side impacts and from owning two, I'm not a huge fan. The culture around them is often toxic wannabe cops and the cars themselves aren't anything special as they're either plagued with timing chain issues or intake manifold issues. Very numb cars and they get decent MPG for the size but other options may be better in that regard. Other options would be probably any Honda, most Toyotas, or a minivan, preferably made in this century. There's a few early 00s Mercedes that would be relatively affordable but I have a feeling insurance will be higher. The M111,M112, and M113 engines are pretty good and the 722.6 transmission is probably the most robust Mercedes auto transmission ever. The Korean brands are also worth checking out.

In short, I would prioritize safety, then reliability/cost of ownership, cool factor, power in that order. Let the kid have some input.

bought cars under $800. here. always wreck them once. To heck what their friends say.

When my five kids were of driving age I kept a selection of 123s around for them to drive. I always felt the kids were safe in them...slow but good steering and brakes and great crash protection.

Two of them got heavily rear ended. Other more minor crashes also happened.

Of course finding a roadworthy 123 for a reasonable price is not so easy today.

Used accord or camry. Safe and reliable.

I would agree on all of that, moving to a w210 with the OM606 which are more plentiful these days.

First car is like a first job. You get whatever you can get, but regret it for the rest of your life. It's a choice with long legs that will have profound consequences. Someday the kid will be on a web forum, and someone's going to ask, what was your first car? And (s)he'll have to say, a rusty Marquis with a seven cylinder engine. And people will cancel (her)him. So choose for today, but think of the future you're creating for the kid. My vote is for a Mini, Scion, or VDub. Something that's cheap, fun and safe. But that won't be a lifetime embarassment.

I'm in agreement with the Honda or Toyota but do your research. I don't remember the year range but based on past readings both have had issues over the past 10 years or so with excessive oil consumption.

I like the pickup truck idea (or any 2-seater that isnt a sports car...)

-no backseat, for backseat shenanigans
-no backseat - for friends to start yelling and distracting
-pickup truck - lets a teen help people move, do yard work, and other generally good things
-rwd with nothing in bed promotes massive understeer
-Parts available in every catalog/McParts on every corner.
-Dad now has a truck in case he needs one :)
-a pickup truck will never look ostentatious or unique (no matter how much they actually cost...). If they have to drive through the bad part of town, it is a safer bet than something shiny and European
-you should be able to find a pickup in decent shape for $10k (???)

note sure here - but If their friends are driving range rovers and E-classes, even a $10k truck wont look like much by comparison. Not sure how important that is in the OPs neighborhood ("OMG, you let your child drive a truck ? arent those unsafe in a roll-over ?" <lols>)

-John