Advice for Having a New 16 Year Old Driver? (Car, Insurance, Prozac, etc) (1 Viewer)

[Lehigh98]

Son #1 will turn 16 in April and in PA that means that he can test for his learner's permit.

Car: Back in my day, my parents offered to match whatever I had earned up until then to help with buying my first car and I did so before I got my learner's permit so I could practice in my own car (and not crash my parent's car).  Thinking of the same approach for my son who has been saving up to some degree.  We'll probably also top him if necessary to make sure the car is safe and reliable.  Not looking forward to diving into the used car market after everything I've heard lately.  My first car was about $5k in 1993 and was about 6-7 years old.  So with inflation I guess that's about $10k nowadays?  That seem reasonable for a first car in this market?  More like $15k?  Seeing some cars in that range but they have like 150k miles on them.  I've been asking what kind of car he would want for about a year now but he hasn't decided or shown any kind of preference.  For those who have been in this situation, what type of car did you end up getting and why?  Ooh, maybe we'll make him learn on a stick like my first car, that used to bring the price down a bit.

Insurance: Not looking forward to this.  I was planning on shopping around for new home and/or car insurance anyway so I guess I will have to let them know we've got another driver on the way.  Any tips for how to handle looking for insurance with a new driver?

Lessons: I would prefer that the first few times he's behind the wheel are in a car I'm not responsible for.  I'll be looking into driving schools in the area to get him started on the basics before we start doing his behind the wheel hours in one of our cars.  Any suggestions for what to look for?

Anything else to think about as we're heading into this?

Thanks in advance for any advice, anecdotes, well wishes, jokes, warnings, prayers, etc!

 

[ChiefD]

1. Drivers Ed. Money well spent. Then all you have to do is practice with him after the lessons. The one we did was one on one with the instructor, and he was aligned with the State of Kansas so he had him prepared exactly for the written test. And his driving with the instructor counted for the driving portion of the Kansas licensing test.

2. Practice, practice, practice. You have to make the effort to go out with him. Have him drive everywhere. To the grocery store. To get gas (teach him how to swipe the credit card to get gas). 

3. Insurance. It is what it is. You have to pay the freight so shop around.

4. The car. We also did a 50% match for our son. And boy was he proud to hand over his portion of the car.  He is invested in it and takes care of it. We bought from a friend, but it was a 2004 Ford Escape with about 120k miles. Perfect car - 4 WD for snow driving if necessary.

5. He pays all his own gas. So he must have a job. No gas - sorry - we aren't paying for it. If he runs out of money he doesn't get to drive. So, he has a job now too.  

 

[Dezbelief]

Insurance: Not looking forward to this.  I was planning on shopping around for new home and/or car insurance anyway so I guess I will have to let them know we've got another driver on the way.  Any tips for how to handle looking for insurance with a new driver?

I wouldn't be surprised if the insurance company automatically ups your insurance as soon as he hits permit age. I've heard of that happening to a couple of people. Those companies are sneaky and know more about us than you think. 

My first driving lesson was in an old 50s model Chevy farm truck, three on a tree.. My dad took me out on a dirt road and did the old, "STOP!" test. I slammed on the brakes and the truck slid into a sideways stop, the driving lesson was over for the day.

 

[General Malaise]

If PA is anything like OR then start looking for driving schools/drivers' Ed now.  They have been impacted greatly by Covid and there is a backlog of kids that want and need to take these courses.  Look online now.  Our community college offered a reasonable course that combined classroom education and behind the wheel training.  It's wasn't cheap but it does help with insurance a little.

For insurance, we switched to MetroMile which charges us a base rate per vehicle and then a charge for mileage driven each month. We don't drive a lot so this was a no brainer.  Otherwise, prepare for a very expensive premium with a teen driver.  If he has good grades that will help too (it did for us). 

Do not insist on a stick.  That will limit your options greatly.  My dad gave us his old Acura for my oldest so that saved us some dough.  But his brother saved up and found a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe with 110K miles for $3,500 using Facebook Marketplace.  There are deals out there but you have to ferret them out.  You also have to be comfortable buying a car from a private party and that can be daunting for some.  

If he has to take a written test to get his permit, make sure he studies the free book from the DMV.  My 2nd son insisted on using an app on his phone to study instead of the free book and failed the test.  4 times.  5th time I took him, I made him use the book and told him I was leaving him there if he failed. He passed.  

Glllllll

 

[ChiefD]

 Our community college offered a reasonable course that combined classroom education and behind the wheel training.  It's wasn't cheap but it does help with insurance a little.

Good call. Ours was through our local community college as well. 

 

[belljr]

My daughter turned 16 in September (NJ) - for some reason I thought you got your license in PA at 16. I didn't realize its only 6 months ahead of NJ.  They get a license at 17 here.

Anyway - here school has drivers Ed and they take the written test in school.

We then had to find a driving school for her 6 hours of wheel time.   As others have mentioned - you might be late to the game on that - they were 2 months out fro our schedule.  Luckily it doesnt impact us,

I haven't let my insurance know yet.  But when we added my son to our policy - god was it expensive lol

I'm giving her my car (commuter civic).

Good luck

 

[El Floppo]

they don't teach Driver's Ed in HS any more? that's how I learned (along with dad practicing with me).

 

[otb_lifer]

they don't teach Driver's Ed in HS any more? that's how I learned (along with dad practicing with me).

my daughter starts next semester (16 1/2).

it's a private school, dunno how/if pub ed handles it these days 

 

[acarey50]

One option for the vehicle that several of our friends who had gone through this before we did, especially since you don't know what the next 3 years holds (going away to college, military, some other case where the vehicle is not needed), is to lease something reasonable for the 24-36 month period. Then, in 2-3 years when he is presumably out of high school and moving on to the next stage of life, you can re-evaluate the vehicle situation - turn it back in if it is not needed, buy it out, etc. It can work out to be a cheaper option to get a much more modern/safer vehicle for your son.

Obviously you need to take a look at what you think the next several years hold, but if you are buying a car with 125K+ miles on it, how long do you think that will realistically last. Extra maintenance on an older car, etc. Note that I have taken two cars to over 250K miles, so I know they can last if properly maintained, but both of those I got essentially new - 1 was new, 1 had 18K miles when I got it, so I knew that I had maintained them. The same can't be said when purchasing one with that many miles already on it.

For Driver's Training, in California we did it through AAA - they had an all in one option that did the required online courses prior to the written permit exam (which can be taken at 15 1/2), then included the behind the wheel training (6-10 hours, in one of their cars). Add in my wife and I taking him out quite a bit, and he passed the behind the wheel test (have to be 16, had permit for a certain number of months and completed the behind the wheel training) on his first attempt. Throw in things like MyLife360 on his phone and we can pseudo monitor his driving habits and give reminders/warnings if need be.

My wife and I both thought we'd be more worried than we ended up being, but having the extra driver is very helpful as he can take his brothers to practices, we can send him to the store if needed, etc. Him doing those things without complaint were conditions of getting a car and having us cover gas/insurance while he is in high school.

 

[belljr]

they don't teach Driver's Ed in HS any more? that's how I learned (along with dad practicing with me).

Nope many many schools have dropped it, well at least the driving part.  Here in school they teach it and administer the written test just not 6 hours driving

 

[jobarules]

If you can afford it I would definitely lease over buying a hunk a junk that will break down. Its just worth the peace of mind knowing your child wont get stuck somewhere.

 

[belljr]

While I understand the reasoning behind leasing I'm 100% completely against it.   A young teen driving their first 3 years is 100% going to end up with some type of damage to the vehicle.  Its just going to happen.  I also wouldn't go piece of crap car either, as this isn't the 80s where my dad and I could fix whatever is broken. A used civic or something would work just fine.   My daughter is going to have 120K on the car I give her but I also know I'm maintaining it

just my .02

 

[Gally]

In CA you have to go to a certified driving instructor for 6 hrs (I think it's six hours - 3 separate 2 hour sessions) after you have passed the permit written test.  In addition you need to have a certain number of behind the wheel hours (I can't remember what that was but think it's around 20 hrs -not that there is really anyway they make you prove it).

My son got screwed when he took the actual driving test.  He was on his way back to the DMV and an ambulance came down the road (4 lane busy street down the middle of town).  The ambulance was on the other side and he was in the left lane (not divided highway).  There was a car on his right rear bumper so he couldn't move over and there was someone ahead of him so he couldn't get around the guy on his bumper to pull over to the slow lane.  The ambulance had plenty of space to keep going so he was not obstructing in any way.  Unfortunately the grader said he didn't yield to emergency vehicle which is an automatic fail.  My question is how was he supposed to yield when he was boxed in with no where to go?  He assessed that the ambulance had space and that the safest thing was to keep doing what he was doing.   I told him he did the right thing for that circumstance and that it is just an unfortunate series of events.  That was the only thing he did wrong on the test.  The instructor said he had been doing this for 10+ years and he has only seen an emergency vehicle maybe 3 times during tests.  Just a crappy situation but I still don't think he should have automatically failed based on what his actual options were at the time.  

 

[jobarules]

While I understand the reasoning behind leasing I'm 100% completely against it.   A young teen driving their first 3 years is 100% going to end up with some type of damage to the vehicle.  Its just going to happen.  I also wouldn't go piece of crap car either, as this isn't the 80s where my dad and I could fix whatever is broken. A used civic or something would work just fine.   My daughter is going to have 120K on the car I give her but I also know I'm maintaining it

just my .02

Yeah, this is fair and something I didnt think of.

 

[jobarules]

First time I took my road test the car broke down and we had to wait for a tow truck and postpone the test.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

they don't teach Driver's Ed in HS any more? that's how I learned 

My school had it's own little track to practice on. Problem was it had a 10mph speed limit, and they wouldn't let you drive on an actual street. If you went over the 10 mph you had to write on a charkboard 100 times "I will not speed".

 

[El Floppo]

My school had it's own little track to practice on. Problem was it had a 10mph speed limit, and they wouldn't let you drive on an actual street. If you went over the 10 mph you had to write on a charkboard 100 times "I will not speed".

did you grow up in Springfield?

we had simulators (that didn't work at all- I'd drive into every baby I could see) and then they'd take you out onto city streets in a group. pretty ####### harrowing.

 

[trogg78]

Last year I was able to get a toyota corolla from a friend for 1500 for my son when he started driving. 

My daughter turns 16 next week. I picked up a honda crv from a friend for real cheap that needed a lot of work and have been sorting through it. It drives great now and will be ready for her when she wants to start driving.

See if you have any friends looking to get a new car and maybe you can get their old car. I don't mind older toyotas/hondas with a lot of miles. I'm pretty familiar with them.

 

[-fish-]

Spend more time than you think you should teaching how to back up.

My 17.5 year old daughter has been in 1 major accident and has damaged her car or another car 6 times while in reverse.   She can drive forward just fine.   And this is with a backup camera and proximity alarm.

So glad she's moving to NYC and we're selling her car. 

 

[ChiefD]

Spend more time than you think you should teaching how to back up.

My 17.5 year old daughter has been in 1 major accident and has damaged her car or another car 6 times while in reverse.   She can drive forward just fine.   And this is with a backup camera and proximity alarm.

So glad she's moving to NYC and we're selling her car. 

This.

My son backed my wife's Suburban into one of those high voltage electrical boxes in front of my neighbors house. Luckily it was a glancing blow and a very good lesson on making damn sure you are looking at your mirrors and such. 

Scared the hell out of me. 

 

[Van Dyman]

First time I took my road test the car broke down and we had to wait for a tow truck and postpone the test.

Seems like one of those things that was probably embarrassing at the time but (hopefully) you can laugh about it now. My first car was crappy and I'm surprised the same didn't happen to me.

 

[Andrew74]

they don't teach Driver's Ed in HS any more? that's how I learned (along with dad practicing with me).

Not here in an Indy suburb.  We had a driving school for my daughter.  
 

For the OP, just get ready for damage.  I’ve heard it from others and my daughter didn’t disappoint.  Two ruined tires and two accidents, although the accidents weren’t her fault.  And as others have said, make the kid do everything.  I even had her changing tires in the driveway for practice.  

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

we had simulators (that didn't work at all- I'd drive into every baby I could see)

It's the Death Race 2000 simulator.  Excellent!

 

[DA RAIDERS]

My daughter is 16 soon. Gotta get this process started. Not looking forward to the premiums.
 

All my friends were older, I didn’t get my license until I was 17. I worked on a horse farm in the summers, so I already knew how to drive. in fact, I used to drive my drunk friends home, before I was officially licensed. Different times 

 

[snellman]

Wow, In Iowa kids can get their permit at 14 and license at 16. I have been through 4 16 yr olds and my youngest is currently 14.  They were all responsible for buying their own car.  I work at a dealership so I would keep my eye out for a cheap old clunker that ran well, bought it and they paid me back. Boys made the insurance go up higher than girls did.  Our insurance had a good student discount so We would pay their insurance as long as they got the good student discount (have to be on B honor roll in order to get the discount).  They were responsible for their own fuel. If you don't have gas or money, not my problem (even though my lawnmower gas can came up empty a few times with my son)

 

[shuke]

I spent probably the first 5 hours or so with my son in a huge empty parking lot.  Making sharp and wide turns, reversing, getting up to speed, braking distance, etc.  

Ohio has a requirement of 8 hours driving with instructor plus 50 hours with a parent.  I'm sure some people fib on the latter, but I'm glad we did all of it.  

I've probably documented the next two points around here recently.

1. You have to have patience and not lose your cool.  Showing frustration will only freak them out.  I am the worst drivers ed teacher of all time.

2. With a 10k budget, in this market you are going to have to really search for a diamond in the rough for anything decent.  I posted some videos of some of the complete pieces of #### I test drove that were priced in the 8-10k range.  With 15k you are going to have a lot more options.

 

[D-Day]

The Car:  Get a decent car with the safety features that you want.  Blind spot indicators would be important to me.  Understand that this car IS going to get banged up.  I am assuming that he will be driving to school with other inexperienced drivers surrounding him.  Door dings galore.  Make sure your kid understands that he is to never, ever, EVER let anyone else drive his car.  Inexperienced driver in a vehicle they are not familiar with equals probable accident.  Also, YOU are on the hook if his buddy causes an accident where someone is hurt.

Insurance:  You need to shop around.  Too many variables to say "Company X is the best with young drivers."  This is also the time to price out higher deductibles (if you are not going to turn in a $750 claim, why would you pay for a $500 deductible). and higher liability--possibly an umbrella policy also.  Teach your kid what to do in case of an accident.  And repeat the lesson several times.  My son was rear-ended, just looked at the bumper and didn't think there was any damage.  Didn't get a name or phone number--doh!

Training:  I let my kids know that if I yell while they are driving, it is not because I am mad... I'm scared.  Have them drive everywhere, especially to and from school.  Also for driving to school, have them go 10 minutes earlier than if you would drive them, and have them leave 10 minutes later when school ends.  Try and avoid the rush.  

 

[IrishTwinkie]

Gone through this three times. I'd make the following observations:

Find a big parking lot for the first lesson(s). You'll be the judge of when they are road ready. Explain the features of the car. Headlights, gear shift, break. Explain a car is not a digital video controller, but an analog system. Have them drive around, but only use the break to control the speed. The idle should be enough. Be prepared for overly aggressive breaking. They are likely only used to "A" = go fast, "B" = stop. No in between. Be wary of school parking lots. Parents drive like it is the indy 500 or a demolition derby. 

Kids can struggle to place the right hand side of the car. Mine would shy from incoming traffic. Never mind the telephone poles, mail boxes and yards on the right. An observation that helped my first driver: Point out the discoloration in the middle of most roads. Have them put their right foot over it as they drive. This will help keep the car centered in the lane. This helped immeasurably. (This came from driving school and the difference was amazing).

I've suggested that they avoid unprotected lefts. Turn left at lights. I don't know what the drivers are like near you, but near me they all tend to be hyper aggressive and the roads are full. Gauging speed takes judgement. The new drivers don't have the experience for sound judgement yet. It can be safer to go a mile out of their way to take protected lefts. Indecision around "do I have the space to go or not" choice can be deadly. Then teach them once they commit, the decision is made and not to second guess it. 

 

[Courtjester]

My daughter is 17 and has no interest in learning to drive. My wife and I paid a good sum of money for her to start the on-line program and she has never touched it. On one hand we are grateful we don't have to worry about her being on the road and the extra insurance costs, but on the other hand she is still undecided about her college plans. One day she wants to go to one of the in-state colleges (and she wouldn't need a car), but then the next, she says she might stay in town and go to school locally, whereas she would need a car at that point to get back and forth to school. 

 

[UncleZen]

My dad got really stupid drunk and then took me for a ride scaring the hell out of me. Taught me to never drink and drive.