My daughter has been driving with a learners permit for a year now. She'll be getting her driver's license next month. During her training period, she has driven my wife's 04 Expedition and my 05 Excursion. She is a really good driver from what I can tell so far, having driven the very hairy sections of Central Florida roadways including the Turnpike and I-4. I haven't let her drive the GT3 yet...and probably won't anytime soon.

Anyhow, my wife is determined to buy her a relatively high end vehicle for her first vehicle. Two on the short list are the Cayenne and the base Boxster with "chicktronic" transmission.

Any comments on the Cayenne &/or Boxster as per reliability, safety, appropriateness for a first vehicle for a 16 yr old? I would have chosen something more along the lines of a 72 Buick LeSabre, but the wife thinks otherwise. I suppose from a reliability standpoint a newer vehicle is nice and the wife has the money saved to pay cash, so I suppose I'll go with it.

 

I like the way your wife thinks! I'm not expecting my first child until November but I already told my wife the first car WILL be a Porsche

I will say though, a detuned Boxster with only 2 seats means the chances of having to drive all the time or having ALOT of disctracting friends in the care is reduced greatly. Safety first. My only suggestion is to enroll her in a advanced high performance driving course to understand car control in a car of this stature (or any for that matter).


Do y'all have separate pools of money?

 

Have you checked the crash test ratings/results for both vehicles?

I also agree with Dell, a professional car control/driving class would also be a good idea, given the potential for speed either vehicle possesses.
I also agree with Dell that a 'smaller' car has less room for passenger distractions.

FWIW, I went the opposite direction and bought my daughter a new 05 AWD Escape XLT 4 cylinder with full side airbag/curtains (16th birthday present). Also sent her to 2 car control clinics.

Not sure that vehicle choice will work with my son. He's been karting since 10, has better car control skills than I possess, refers to the Cup car as "his". I have no idea what he'll get at 16 for a car.

 

Both my kids inherited the family's 1997 4Runner when they learned to drive. First my son got it 6 years ago and then my daughter got it 2 years ago. It has 120,000 miles and never had any troubles, just normal maintenance. It keeps going and going and going. It's nice for the kids to have a car where they don't have to worry too much or get too upset about the normal dings that happen with new drivers, most usually when parking. It's good for them to get used to driving with a car that is easy to drive, great visibility, not too much power, low maintenance, and worry-free.

One issue with a Boxster is that visibility is not so great and there are unnerving blind spots, particularly rear quarters. Also, because it's so low, other cars don't see it so well. I have a Boxster now and know these issues first hand. It would be especially challenging for a new driver.

After a year and a half of driving the 4Runner, my son got a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. Very cool car but one problem after another. It required constant repairs and was unreliable. But what a statement car for a high schooler. Two years ago he got a Mustang GT, one of the new ones, and loves it.

At some point my daughter will get a new car, probably after her freshman year at college.

Does your state have intermediate licenses for new, under 18 drivers? The state of Washington does and it's actually a good idea. I don't recall the exact restrictions, but for some period of time after obtaining a license (6 months?), the driver may not have non related under 21 passengers.

Personally, I think more along your lines than your wife's....

 

A Cayenne turboS.....

 

Consider both active and passive safety when you're looking at a car for a child. That '72 LeSabre may sound great because it's a tank, but it won't be able to get out of it's own way, in the event your daughter needs to swerve/accelerate/brake to avoid an accident.

My sister and I both had old, hand-me-down Range Rovers as first cars. It was cool and unique at the time (this was when RRs weren't yet soccer-mom mobiles), but what we didn't realize was that the vehicles had great visibility, decent brakes, were tank-solid in accidents, weren't fast enough to get us into any kind of trouble, and had enough cargo space so that we never needed to borrow another car to move to college. But I don't think our father realized all that when he gave us the cars; it was more of an excuse to get the trouble-prone Rovers out of the garage

I like the Cayenne, but I think its visibility is relatively poor, and when you're learning to drive, being able to see everything around you is key. Consider maybe an A4 or a 3-series.

 

Bravo

But, I think NOT!

Likely a 911 C4, or perhaps an Audi S4 Avant....but NOTHING out of a Porsche showroom. I'm afraid that bridge has been burned for good.

 

I think a new driver in a fast, powerful car is not a good mix. Too easy to be speeding without realizing it, leading to tickets, or worse an accident. New, teenage drivers' reaction times are much slower than experienced, older drivers - they don't anticipate dangers as well, will oversteer or over correct in an avoidance situation. My kids aren't that age, yet, but I think I would put them in an older, reliable car that's a bit of a tank - like a Volvo - for the first couple of years until they have a bit of a track record.

Visibility is important, especially rear and blind-spots, which would steer me away from an SUV... And make sure you show her how to properly set the side-view mirrors.

Good luck.

 

what's wrong with a good ole 2007 Honda Civic? Runs like a Swiss watch, teaches modesty and goal-setting in life...

 

Have to agree with some I think a better choice would be a cheaper auto with a good safety record. Once your daughter turns 18 and heads off for college maybe, but I would save it for when she graduates from college as an incentive.

 

Yup, the wife and I keep separate finances. We each have our own separate businesses (dental practices), and it works best for us.

As for a base Boxster being a powerful car, I test drove one and it felt pretty lethargic. Of course I'm used to the GT3 so that's probably why. Of course the points about it being low to the ground and not easily seen are good ones.

Thanks for the tips. I didn't realize that the visibility was so much worse in an SUV. I've been driving one for 15 yrs, and didn't realize this was a big issue. That's good to know.

I think I'll steer her into a BMW 3 series. I love that little sedan and I think it would make a great first car.

 

Silly Rabbit! How do you think I feel climbing in my 81Z after driving the 3? hehehe.

Excellent choice. My first 4 cars were 3 series (1 cab and 3 coupes). The first one was the result of me being a spoiled brat making the case that all my friends had one. What a PITA I was. But the good part of it was that by the time I got the CAB I was in a horrible accident. A guy ran a red light and T-boned me and the car was destroyed yet the drivers side (where I was hit) had some sort of safety mechanism in place where the car that hit me destroyed the front and rear quarters, both wheels had accident induced camber that you wouldn't even see on a NASCAR stock car! But what happened? I walked away with nothing other than a torn MCL. That was the result of my driving style where I like to have my left leg against the door with my foot near the seat so my knee is pretty high and there is ALOT of room for travel in a situtation like that.

Anyway, point of the story? My mother went down to the bodyshop with me to sign off the papers that it was totalled and she started crying after seeing how bad the damage was. At that moment she said we were heading over to the BMW dealer to get another one. That is some safety that speaks for itself. Then many years later in my life I drove a P-Car and never looked back at BMW. But they will always hold a place in my heart.

 

Wow, lucky kid! I am of the camp that you get a safe beater car, Volvo wagon, something along those lines for your first car. I guess the question begs, you get a 3 series a 16, what is there to look forward to going forward? I am a little surprised that anyone would considering giving a kid a Porsche as a first car, for the same reason.

I like LTC's idea, safe, practical etc..

I can only imagine me asking my dad for a Porsche as a first car... WOW, that would have been a short conversation.

 

Since we're on a forum and you are asking for our opinion...
#1- buy something safe
#2- get something she can give money towards (let me restate... earn money towards) and learn the value of a dollar
#3- get something reliable (Honda, Toyota, buick)

I think it's nuts to "give" a kid a "high end car" as a first car, but to each his own...

 

I got my step-daughter a VW Beetle... Which she promptly (six months later) drove smack into the back of an Accura TL at 40 mph or so. No one in either car was seriously injured, but the TL was totaled! The rear doors wouldn't even close! The Vdub had $4500 in damage, but actually held up very well! Just another option...