Whatever vehicle needs to start with a T, because alliteration.
Whatever vehicle needs to start with a T, because alliteration.
In reply to Knurled. :
Toyota Matrix XRS with the 2ZZ-GE?
Celica GTS!
The Matrix is a solid suggestion. Insurance is always an issue and it seems that insuring a teenage male on a WRX is an expensive proposition. The Matrix should be cheaper given that it's usually driven by old ladies.
I love the Volvo suggestion
And while I understand the desire to buy a "nice" car for a teenager, there is a lot to be said for making the first car disposable. 2 grand buys a safe old Taurus that can be driven into the ground and most likely wrecked (there is a reason why male teenager insurance rates are high).
I think everyone I knew in high school that got a "nice" first car totaled it. Some of the people that got disposable beaters still have them. (I graduated in 2014 for context)
Came here to recommend a RWD Volvo wagon. Left happy that it had already been done.
+1 vote for RWD Sweden.
Edit: If we're after alliteration, he could be a turbo tuba teenager?
In reply to Knurled. :
Too bad a Tuba won't fit in an Audi TT. The vanity plate could read 'TTTuba"
Then again, everyone might just assume he has a stutter.
mazdeuce - Seth said:The Matrix is a solid suggestion. Insurance is always an issue and it seems that insuring a teenage male on a WRX is an expensive proposition. The Matrix should be cheaper given that it's usually driven by old ladies.
I can confirm that a Matrix is fairly cheap to insure, and winding the XRS out to 8200 RPM is a beautiful thing.
mad_machine said:Grizz said:
Most importantly, Teenager proof? About as check as you can get.It's also the perfect car NOT to get sex in. It may have the room, but it is definitely not a sexy beast
G_Body_Man said:mazdeuce - Seth said:The Matrix is a solid suggestion. Insurance is always an issue and it seems that insuring a teenage male on a WRX is an expensive proposition. The Matrix should be cheaper given that it's usually driven by old ladies.
I can confirm that a Matrix is fairly cheap to insure, and winding the XRS out to 8200 RPM is a beautiful thing.
Can confirm. It's a slow riot but a riot. Parts, with the exception of the rear backing plates for some god awful reason, are crazy cheap too. I literally bought loaded struts and end links for the front of the car for less than one backing plate. So don't let them rust out.
I think someone has a Vibe GT from down south for sale on here still for 2k.
e39 bmw wagon? Seems to fit most of the criteria. What about the Saabaru? Do those carry the same insurance penalty that the WRX did? I also still really dig the first gen v6 Mazda 6 wagons. Almost pulled the trigger on one a couple months ago but couldn't justify it.
icaneat50eggs said:Before today the only thing he ever said was that he wanted something with good gas mileage, reliable and could fit his tuba in.
You guys recommending old Volvo wagons must have miss this part of his post. In what world is a 20+ year old Volvo good on gas (epa.gov lists a 240Dl getting a whopping 20mpg combined city/hwy) or now days reliable without throwing a ton of money at them for deferred maintenance?
The Matrix/Vibe/Celica would be a good choice, if you get the 1ZZ engine version. The 2ZZ requires premium and can be thirsty, I had a Celica GT-S and know this for a fact. But get an '03+ car as the earlier ones had oil consumption issues. The 1ZZ gets a nice 33mpg hwy and uses regular fuel, while the 2ZZ only gets 28
In reply to t25torx :
I daily an automatic 245, and average 25 mpg in very mixed, very throttle-heavy driving. And yes, while stuff does break, it's easy and cheap to fix, and doesn't leave you stranded. That's called "building character". ;-)
In reply to t25torx :
There's a reason I had a question mark on the mpg part, I had no idea what kind of mileage they got.
I suggested them solely because I thought back to the stupid E36 M3 I, and the rest of you, did as a teenager and came to the conclusion that giving them anything remotely fast is almost a death sentence. And because I know they'll swallow a tuba.
OOH, get him a minivan
02-05 civic SI are the newest one's available in the price range but you could probably get one for 3-5k. 3rd gen focus hatches are falling into range too
What about an SVT focus?, well within the budget. Fun to drive, and has room for a tuba.
Is this where I suggest a 2012 or 13 Fiat 500 Abarth? Manual, just about the right $ range, and if you remove the back seat it's Tuba-rific. (I wish I had taken a photo of 4 tires in the back of mine.)
I've shown him all the suggestions and the box Volvo is his favorite so far
icaneat50eggs said:I've shown him all the suggestions and the box Volvo is his favorite so far
I have nothing to add other than "Berkeley yeah!"
icaneat50eggs said:I've shown him all the suggestions and the box Volvo is his favorite so far
It is happening. He is becoming...one of us.
79rex said:What about an SVT focus?, well within the budget. Fun to drive, and has room for a tuba.
After selling my 2006 focus 3 door for nearly nothing this is my go-to recommendation for anyone looking for cheap transportation. $4000 will buy you a really nice one. After 11 years and 130k miles the only things it got besides scheduled maintenance were a set of engine mounts, one wheel bearing, and swaybar end-links (2x). Also, lifetime average was about 31mpg.
Tuba player chiming in. What type of tuba and what type of tuba case does your son have?
There are three main types of cases: walt johnson/anvil flight cases, regular tuba cases, and gig bags. The flight cases will not fit in a regular trunk or back seat. You will need to measure the vertical room from the folded down rear seats to the ceiling. I took a look at a Dodge Magnum a while back and the flight case had to be inserted sideways and turned inside the car to fit. If your son needs to transport a sousaphone in a case, it is roughly a 4' cube that needs to be put somewhere.
A regular tuba case will fit in the back seat of most 4 door sedans. The hinges will tear up the seat and you run a greater risk of the tuba being stolen. Depending on the tuba size, many sedans will fit a regular case. You need to look at the trunk height and the trunk opening size. Many of the newer cars where only the top of the trunk opens will not work. The VW Mark 5 GLI has a surprising amount of tuba space in the trunk.
A gig bag is the best case scenario for cars. They are only an inch or two bigger than the space the tuba takes up. I don't recommend gig bags to people in high school. Especially if your son doesn't have an individual locker to put the tuba in during the day. Repair guys call them dent bags.
Depending on the type of tuba, there are other things to consider. If your son plays a German style tuba like a Miraphone 181 with a tall bell, it may not fit transversely in the car. I had a friend who sold his PT Cruiser because he could not fit his main horn in the back seat in a gig bag. Don't assume something like Ford Focus ZX3 will be more than a one person + one tuba car. When you look at cars, take the tuba with you. Put it in and take it out several times. Put the back seats up and down. It is hard to tell which cars work and don't work from the outside.
In my car history, the car with the best tuba fit that is also a reasonable car for a 16 year old is the E36 BMW 318ti. Second place is probably the 1st gen Mini Clubman due to the flat folding floor and square inside dimensions. The barn doors mean you don't hit your head as often. The Matrix/Vibe mentioned above is a good choice too.
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