Purchasing Your Teens First Car

Few milestones are as exciting for teens and stressful for parents than buying a first car. Teenagers get excited about the freedom to drive around. Parents get nervous about the potential for accidents, curfew violations, and higher insurance premiums.

Although the feeling of purchasing a new car may be different between you and your teen, that doesn’t mean it has to be difficult. With the right amount of preparation, you can assist your teenager drive successfully and safely.

Keep the following ideas in mind when helping your new driver setup for his or her first car.

Doing Your Research

First and foremost, it’s essential to understand what kind of needs your teen has in a vehicle. Consider how often they will be driving and in what conditions they will be driving. This can help you determine whether to buy something safer in hazardous conditions like a pickup truck or focus more on purchasing a car that offers great gas mileage. Maybe your teen is someone who likes to go on surfing or road trips, and in that case, a pickup truck would suit better. You can get additional accessories like truck bed covers (from Peragon or similar companies) or fog lamps for a safe travel experience. It is also recommended to look in more than one place when shopping and don’t hesitate to have an independent mechanic inspect a used vehicle before purchasing.

Safety After the Sale

Make sure to follow a regular maintenance schedule on the vehicle, whether it is a sports car or a pickup truck. This includes checking tire pressure and taking the vehicle into the shop whenever it’s time. From an insurance standpoint, if you look hard enough, you would find many companies offering a Truck insurance quote in minutes, the same as for cars. Generally, it would be easier and cheaper to add your new driver to an existing policy than to buy separate coverage. However, it is important to remember that this could vary. With that being said, if you do like the idea of being able to incorporate a new driver onto your current plan, looking for cheap car insurance deals that accommodate this idea may also help you to save more money on your insurance. Either way, make sure you do some research to determine which route suits you best.

Encouraging safe driving behaviors is important for keeping your teen safe as well as to prolong the life of the vehicle. Hard braking and aggressive driving can put excessive wear and tear on the brakes. It may also increase costs on the vehicle and could involve your child in a potentially dangerous accident.

For more tips and stats about purchasing your teen’s first car, take a look at the accompanying infographic below.

Infographic created by Capital Auto Auction, a truck and auto auction company