First car for teenager

[Benman]

A friend of mine will be getting his teenage daughter her first car. He wants to go used (which I think is smart). He agrees that something too powerfull for a first car is a bad idea, however, he hardly wants her to drive a turd bucket.

The B5 S4 (completely stock) came up. With 250hp, it is plenty powerfull, but not something totally unrealistic (powerwise) for a new driver. I wanted to get some opinions... Doable? Too much power? Just right?

And yes, his daughter is pretty competent and also wants to do Audi track events with it. :cheers:

Ben:addict:

[Lloydmeister]

Just quickly... Too much power. Far too much power. Im young... and if my first car was an s4 I would be absoltely over the moon. and most probably in a ditch or through a picket fence... For me the idea of having a first car is getting to learn about it... learn how cars drive and differ from each other. It would seem that money is no problem... but Im pretty sure that buying a 250BHP car for someones first car carries with it far more problems that can potentially cause a lot more trouble. just my 2c

[Benman]

just my 2c

I read you. We also realize a 1.8T would be a better choice. But we are still talking @ 200hp...

Also, keep in mind we are biased as my first car was a V8 Z28 Camaro and his was a 60's GTO. ;)

Ben :addict:

[96a4]

Find a nice 1.8T or a 2.830v would be a great car for her. My 1st car was 1986 Monte Carlo SS w/ 350cid

[RXBG]

B5 S4. absolutely not. and she needs to drive for a while before going to any kind track even with an instructor. you risk too many head games otherwise.

hp is actually not the issue. the issue is the kind of car. a teenager around other teenagers in an audi S4 even if it is 8 years old--- speaks for itself.

i'd recommend a 3-4 yr old honda accord 4 cyl. it'll stand up to abuse, negligence of care, won't leave her stranded, handles well (better than a camry), economical, easy to insure, easy to repair, not too boring or staid, and is... above all humble.

[ben916]

IMHO, anything more than 100-130HP is too much for a junior driver. There are several of us, including me, that started with WAY too much power: read as V8 anything. An older 1.8T might be a good choice as it is smart on gas and reasonable on power AND it is in the Audi family.

What about a smart car? Then when she gets competent with that, jam a Hayabusa motor in it ....:burnout:

[Z07]

The B5 S4 (completely stock) came up. With 250hp, it is plenty powerfull, but not something totally unrealistic (powerwise) for a new driver.
I love the States.:hihi:

Diesel Golf/Bora 1.9 TDi 130. She should be more than happy with that.

[JavierNuvolari]

Mmmm....does she have any experience driving? I mean..inside a track? karting perhaps? if so, then go for it....otherwise a 2.5 rabbit with some tweaks might do just the trick, I'm not quite familiar with the US entry level performance vehicles so sorry for not mentioning any other options:cheers:

Saludos

[Benman]

The funny thing is that Ben916 and 96a4 are saying no way... yet each had a V8 for their first car. You got to love irony. :)

RXBG & Z07, what was your first car?

For what it is worth, she is plenty happy with the 1.8T. We "adults" are leaning S4... ;)

Ben:addict:

**EDIT** BTW, yes Javier, she has a little karting experience.

[Benman]

otherwise a 2.5 rabbit

Saludos

She'd prefer used over new. A 00' 1.8T would make more sense than the Golf.

As for the Smart, I don't find them "smart". They get the same fuel economy as a used 1.8T, and would probably fair far worse in a heavy frontal hit...

Ben:addict:

[Audifan92]

I think a used B6 A4 would be good
That what my sister and I got for a first car.
It's a 1.8T with 170hp.
It handles pretty well and is reliable.
And now you could get a killer deal for a used one.

[Benman]

And now you could get a killer deal for a used one.
Yes, but a 00' 1.8T you can get for sub $6k. ;)

Ben:addict:

[JavierNuvolari]

She'd prefer used over new. A 00' 1.8T would make more sense than the Golf.

As for the Smart, I don't find them "smart". They get the same fuel economy as a used 1.8T, and would probably fair far worse in a heavy frontal hit...

Ben:addict:


Agreed on the Golf 1.8T...you do know that..."the 1.8T can nevah loose" lol.

Good luck with the desition.

Saludos

[AndyBG]

Golf or some ''ordinary'' A4 is what is best IMHO...

[54m]

How about a Audi A3 2.0T or the 1.8 with a s-line pack pretty nippy
but not too powerful for a first timer...??

[RXBG]

The funny thing is that Ben916 and 96a4 are saying no way... yet each had a V8 for their first car. You got to love irony. :)

RXBG & Z07, what was your first car?

For what it is worth, she is plenty happy with the 1.8T. We "adults" are leaning S4... ;)

Ben:addict:

**EDIT** BTW, yes Javier, she has a little karting experience.

a 1987 honda civic dx coupe with 70 hp i shared with my sister. it was so light i was able to rock it out of a snowdrift once. i was 16. my next car was an accord- when i was in college- a 1987 accord btw- 92 hp. and i thought it was da bomb because it felt so much more powerful. had you told me i'd be driving a 225 hp car less than 10 yrs later and the a 425 hp car a few years after that i would have thought you were nuts. all of my cars have been manuals. and i loved my civic- even though it wasn't even mine, but a family car.

[Der Major]

LoL. I can´t believe what im reading here.
An S4 for an all new driver? C´mon. Are you serious? I mean ok if you got plenty of money for repairs and stuff go for it. (Dents etc included) Not to mention to tread that engine right (cold driving and carefully warm driving at low revs etc)

If i where in that girls position i would loose the feeling for value totally. "Ah ok it is an audi with an S4 badge on it. Don´t know what it means but it drives pretty quick"

My first car was an 90 ps / 20 year old golf. I could learn driving and didn´t have to worry to get a dent in my car as there were already plenty.

I just don´t see any reason why it should be a turbo engine as a first car.
Besides my parents gave me my first car so i didn´t even care what it was. I was just happy to have a car at all.

[The RS6]

Give her the A3 2.0...

[JavierNuvolari]

Ben, since you told me that she's had experience in karting etc I assume she can drive. If so and also if she's a responsible person then she should be fine with the S4, the only thing keeping me from saying " GO FOR THE S4!!!" are the Turbo issues the2.7 was famous for.

Saludos

[RXBG]

Give her the A3 2.0...

it is a philosophical issue indeed. i am more about humility and basicness. one can autocross any cheap little car to learn about driving. but some people, i can see, love cars and want their kid to have a nice one to compete with the joneses, as an extention of announcing family wealth, or as a matter of simple pride (i'm not assuming benman's frined is any of the above btw)... were i a millionaire when my daughter gets ready for her first car i'd get her something akin to what i had- a reliable, economical, safe, relatively current car. period. but that's just me.

an A3 2.0- that would be a great car for her when she graduated college or got into a great graduate program while still in college- as a reward. but nothing more. the rest she buys herself.

p.t. barnum style thinking is what i go for.

[JaXx]

my first car was a ford fiestaaaaa , 65hp and i loved it. First cars should be pieces of shit like this.
imo, An audi S4 is irresponsable for someone with very little driving experience. give her a golf 1.6 or an a3 1.8, but no turbo's etc, she really doesnt need it !!
i've got a friend who got an TT 225hp as a first car, he wrecked it and broke several bones.. and he DID had plenty of karting experience. ( team member etc )

think about it. make sure you don't regret anything afterwards.

[Damienr8]

My first car was a 1996 Jetta GL. Piece of shit, costed me $2000. Ran well for 1 year then all sorts of problems. I got rid of it when one day i was coming home from the Mall and my heater coil blew. The heat and condensation started pouring into my car and i couldnt see anything, I veered off the road uncontrollably, lost control after hitting the elevated bumps in a cas station and finally stopped outside someone's garage. As soon as i stopped i heard a small "crack". Walked outside my car and a HUGE pole was indented into the drivers side of my windshield.

Point of the story is. Be absolutely careful about your purchase. If i was looking to purchase a first car for my daughter, it would be something safe, reliable, fun and decently priced. A perfect example of such a car would be Late 80's honda Civic or Subaru Forester/Legacy.

[Benman]

LoL. I can´t believe what im reading here.

I can understand where you're coming from. ;)

RXBG, The 87' Civic was a great car, my cousin had one and we enjoyed it immensely. I've also owned a 4 door 96' Accord I4, and a 00' Accord V6 coupe. Both were fantastic, super reliable cars (I put 186K miles on the V6 and still ran perfect). In fact, I'd wager (at the risk of upsetting some members here) that Hondas are the most well engineered cars, bar none. When it comes to trouble free maintenance, and durability, Hondas are truely hard to beat.


it is a philosophical issue indeed.

That plays into it to a degree I'd have to say. But an 00' S4 would be actually cheaper than a new Civic. The maintenance costs would however (as I've just said above) be higher.

As it stands his daughter is leaning towards an 00' 1.8T. Yes, she has carting experience, yes she is competent, but it seems she is not as materialistic as us "grownups". :D

BTW, loved the input so far and have showed the coments to my buddy. Thanks. :cheers:

Ben:addict:

[3abdo]

Hi, the B5 S4 is a very good car, but not as a first drive, it is too fast to be a first drive especially nowadays teenager have a love for speed and police have a love of writing tickets, and don't forget how her friends would be excited and tell her to step on it, that might be dangerous for her,I would definitely go for a 00 accord, either a v6 or the 2.3, extremely reliable car, handles well safe, comfortable, big enough and easy on the gas and she could sell it anytime without it loosing much value...

[Z07]

The funny thing is that Ben916 and 96a4 are saying no way... yet each had a V8 for their first car. You got to love irony. :)

RXBG & Z07, what was your first car?
1985 C(h)avalier 1.8SRi (115bhp).:lovl:

Most of my peers had 1.1 Fiestas and 1.0 Polos with <50bhp. My car was regarded as 'very fast'. That's why I laugh at the prospect of getting hold of a 250bhp saloon as a first car. You live in a different world over there. 250bhp is regarded as fast even among adults today in the UK. The average car is a 1.8 or 2.0.

[BigRick]

Strange how I must disagree with almost everyone this time... We have the wrong angle at that question.

Everyone's talking about the car while we should be talking about the person. Benman knows what a B5 S4 is all about, I'm pretty sure. So the question here is: "Is she capable of staying cold headed even with friends around?"

Don't forget we are talking about a girl here and they are normally (and let's emphasize on normally) more responsible.

So if she can handle the S4 why should she drive a slower car?! Just for the record the number of HP will just make it quicker to the top speed and let's be honest most cars can get to unreasonable speeds... it's only a matter of seconds for some and minutes for others.

The other factor is friends pushing for some demo... now that has to be dealt with by the person. So again "Is she capable of staying cold headed even with friends around?"

My 2 cents

[Damienr8]

Strange how I must disagree with almost everyone this time... We have the wrong angle at that question.

Everyone's talking about the car while we should be talking about the person. Benman knows what a B5 S4 is all about, I'm pretty sure. So the question here is: "Is she capable of staying cold headed even with friends around?"

Don't forget we are talking about a girl here and they are normally (and let's emphasize on normally) more responsible.

So if she can handle the S4 why should she drive a slower car?! Just for the record the number of HP will just make it quicker to the top speed and let's be honest most cars can get to unreasonable speeds... it's only a matter of seconds for some and minutes for others.

The other factor is friends pushing for some demo... now that has to be dealt with by the person. So again "Is she capable of staying cold headed even with friends around?"

My 2 cents

I suppose you have a point here because the initial question the user had was based on power. I looked at price, reliability, safety which may or may not be factors for the buyer.

But, good discussion :)

[BigRick]

I suppose you have a point here because the initial question the user had was based on power. I looked at price, reliability, safety which may or may not be factors for the buyer.

But, good discussion :)

I agree, the discussion is quite interesting. Great to see what others have had as their first car and what they think a teenager should have.

I personnaly had a nice inline 6... but it was in a Ford F150 :lovl:

Cheers!

[Z07]

Don't forget we are talking about a girl here and they are normally (and let's emphasize on normally) more responsible.
But they're normally shit drivers too. The 2 cancel.

[Benman]

Strange how I must disagree with almost everyone this time... We have the wrong angle at that question...


My 2 cents

Rick, good perspective. In reality, a teenager only "needs" a car that can safely get from point A to point B, and even sub 50hp can achieve that. "Is she capable" is an entirely different (and sort of the point of this post) matter. For me and my kids when ready, a 00' 1.8T might be the better option. But for his daughter, although he too feels the 1.8T is plenty adequate, the S4 is what he is leaning towards. She has proved herself reliable in the face of peer pressure (no broken curfues, no drugs, no drama) and he feels she could handle it. Combined with karting experience (although she is not some ex-champion), he feels she could "handle it".

I would agree that "less is perhaps more", but she may be responsible enough. And also, statistic wise, girls are more carefull drivers compared to young boys (at least in the USA). It is ironic since an AWD 250hp V6 is certainly safer than my first car, not to mention his... :D

I still remember my parents aurguing over me getting the old Z28...

Ben:addict:

[Z07]

Personal I think 50hp is dangerously low and likely to get them killed whilst overtaking. 130 is about right but 250 sounds good, just make sure it has some good brakes. LOL at 250bhp. The police pursuit cars only have that much in the UK.

[ben916]

.... So the question here is: "Is she capable of staying cold headed even with friends around?"


Please correct me if I am incorrect but California law doesn't allow anyone under 19 yo to have other minors in the vehicle. And then there is that cell phone law here also.

For the record, :) I purchased my 86 GT 5.0 myself without the parents influence or cash. A 200hp rear wheel drive V8 5 speed living in Seattle was a challenge, especially downtown with all the steep hills. I got sideways leaving the dealers lot...

I do agree with BigRick on the level-headedness of the new driver. We all know it is gonna get banged up. Bumpers and doors...

[Der Major]

As it stands his daughter is leaning towards an 00' 1.8T. Yes, she has carting experience, yes she is competent, but it seems she is not as materialistic as us "grownups". :D



So further opinions are useless.
And that´s what they all are, just opinions. Comparing kart experience with real driving experience is absolutely nonesense. IMO.

Would be the same as: I now how to ride a bicycle now i´m getting myself a bike.
Just my 2c

[Benman]

So further opinions are useless. Discussion is never useless. :)



Would be the same as: I now how to ride a bicycle now i´m getting myself a bike.
Just my 2c
Actually, buying a motorcycle without having ever learned to ride a bicycle would be a big mistake! ;)

Ben:addict:

[ben916]

Discussion is never useless. :)


Actually, buying a motorcycle without having ever learned to ride a bicycle would be a big mistake! ;)

Ben:addict:

Discussion... that is the binary talking....

Kinda like boogie boarding leads to surfing... :)

[s42ski]

Benman, I just went through this with my nephew and neice. He has a Jetta now and she is getting a Honda Accord 4 cyl. Interestingly she is more into cars than he. She asked for something that could be "sooped up".

I survived my youth driving ridiculously overpowered cars. Meaning they had power and no ability to steer or stop, just go in a straight line. First car was a 67 Camaro with a Corvette LT-1 engine.

That being said I would not suggest a first driver to have anything of that sort. Lower power and reliable are the key - heck even a Hyundai can get up to 125 mph these days, but an S4 is asking for trouble including higher insurance. Turbo is a 4 letter word with the insurance world if you are under 35 years old.

[itisme]

I got a VW Polo 1.2 with 64HP.... have it for almost 4 years now, got 101.000km on it and I still love it. It's a racer... she should get one too! ;)


honestly, if I had parents who could buy me a S4 for first car I would want one! Give her. If she is interested in Cars she will take care for it. If she gives a shit about cars and uses it to come from A to B, give her a nice "women" car like a A3 Sportback, or A3 Convertible with about 120HP and she'll be happy with that. (especially the convertible is a great buy, I think!)

[Benman]

Benman, I just went through this with my nephew and neice.


Turbo is a 4 letter word with the insurance world if you are under 35 years old.

Heard that. No kidding. :D



honestly, if I had parents who could buy me a S4 for first car I would want one! Give her.

Only the second vote for that... ;) ... well, besides me and the father. :D

We shall see soon enough. :asian:

Ben:addict:

[96a4]

The funny thing is that Ben916 and 96a4 are saying no way... yet each had a V8 for their first car. You got to love irony. :)


.......and know I am a father and would not let my son and daughter have that much power under their right foot.

[Benman]

.......and know I am a father and would not let my son and daughter have that much power under their right foot.

:applause: :applause: :thumb:

Ben:addict:

[JavierNuvolari]

Interesting discussion over here. Looking forward if us "GO for the S4" guys prevailed ;)

Saludos Ben!