Truck, first vehicle for daughter

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Jcann

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Just something to think about.

We bought my son (he contributed as well) a less expensive SUV with close to 100,000 miles on it after he turned 16. He drove it to high school where we had a few issues with it that I mainly fixed. He went off to pharmacy college, SWOSU in Weatherford which is over an hour drive on I-40 from our house. There were a few times he broke down either at college or on his way to/home. Thankfully we had AAA and I was able to take off work to attend his needs. His car was a hope and a prayer every day for 8 years and I was a nervous wreck every time he headed back to school

When my daughter was ready for her first car I had made the decision not to repeat past experiences. There was no way I was going to put her in danger with a vehicle that wasn't trust worthy. We, as dads, love all our children but our little girls are exceedingly special to us and their safety is our number one priority. I contributed more for her car, a 2013 Nissan Versa with a little over 35,000 miles at the time. It wasn't the car she wanted (Mustang) but it was a good buy. She is now getting ready to start her Sr year of nursing college and we haven't had a single issue with the car. I, as a father, rest a lot easier knowing she is in a reliable car when she ventures off to college, clinicals, or work throughout the year.

Just my 2 cents from someone who's been there.
 

Okie4570

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Airbags and modern safety features are a must imo. We do almost all highway driving, odds are not in your favor during a highway accident anyway but every little bit helps. We looked at trucks, jeeps, suvs for my daughter, finally went with a jeep despite the reviews. She's grown around old broncos, manual transmissions and the feel/characteristics of a short wheel base vehicle. It's been good to us so far, had it just over a year.
 

NikatKimber

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What make / model was that SUV?

It matters if you’re buying used.

My first car was a 5yo 98 Saturn with 86k - left me on the side of the road 4x in 30k.

Got a 4yo 01 Stratus with about 100k that was an unreliable piece of junk.

Bought a 10yo ‘97 Camry with 142k miles and put another 120k on it over the course of 6 years never once on the side of the road.
 

MR.T.

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Almost 2 years ago I bought for myself an '85 Dodge pickup, & I bought it mainly cause it has a 4 spd manual transmission. That is what I was wanting, an older car or pickup with a manual.
I know the family I bought the truck from, so I got a little history on it.
The guy hadn't driven it in quite a while, so there were some running & maintenance issues with it, but I knew I could fix them.
I offered $800 for it the way it sat, & after about a week, they agreed to my offer.
I put a few hundred into it after I got home & I got it running very well.
I have had no issues in these last 2 years with it, it has been a great vehicle & I enjoy driving it.
There are absolutely no computers, solenoids, servos, actuators, sensors, etc. to go out & cause problems on this vehicle & that is what I like.

The deals are out there, you just gotta find them, or make them.
 

EKing

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Just something to think about.

We bought my son (he contributed as well) a less expensive SUV with close to 100,000 miles on it after he turned 16. He drove it to high school where we had a few issues with it that I mainly fixed. He went off to pharmacy college, SWOSU in Weatherford which is over an hour drive on I-40 from our house. There were a few times he broke down either at college or on his way to/home. Thankfully we had AAA and I was able to take off work to attend his needs. His car was a hope and a prayer every day for 8 years and I was a nervous wreck every time he headed back to school

When my daughter was ready for her first car I had made the decision not to repeat past experiences. There was no way I was going to put her in danger with a vehicle that wasn't trust worthy. We, as dads, love all our children but our little girls are exceedingly special to us and their safety is our number one priority. I contributed more for her car, a 2013 Nissan Versa with a little over 35,000 miles at the time. It wasn't the car she wanted (Mustang) but it was a good buy. She is now getting ready to start her Sr year of nursing college and we haven't had a single issue with the car. I, as a father, rest a lot easier knowing she is in a reliable car when she ventures off to college, clinicals, or work throughout the year.

Just my 2 cents from someone who's been there.

Totally understand. As for reliability, I really would rather just buy it and never worry about her being stranded somewhere. But we don't have "reliability" money, we have "I think I know what that noise it, I'll fix it" money.
 

EKing

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Airbags and modern safety features are a must imo. We do almost all highway driving, odds are not in your favor during a highway accident anyway but every little bit helps. We looked at trucks, jeeps, suvs for my daughter, finally went with a jeep despite the reviews. She's grown around old broncos, manual transmissions and the feel/characteristics of a short wheel base vehicle. It's been good to us so far, had it just over a year.

Well really I wanted to put her in a Sherman tank with armed escorts and a helicopter watching to keep her safe but......wife said no.
 

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