Buying a teen their first car can be fun or very stressful.
I watch a lot of court shows and quite often there are parents on the show that
purchased their child a car or helped them. Of course the deal didn’t work out
the way they hoped so they were in court. I know that this is a common thing
for parents and children to experience when they buy from a private person,
even more now with sites like Craigslist. Before you would sometimes see cars
parked in parking lots with a for sale sign on them. You would call them and
check out the car. Now it is easier to be scammed or to get a car for your teen
that is unsafe because there is so much easier to find cars. My sister’s first
car was a Sterling. Let me tell you that before she owned one I had never heard
of Sterling cars. I knew it was British and I knew that it was really hard to
find parts for. I am not sure why my dad bought her this car, but it ended up
meeting a tragic end shortly after my sister received it. My sister was quite
accident prone. They were never really serious accidents. There was something about a lake but those
details are still unknown to me. I think it rolled in to a lake? My sister is
the perfect example why you shouldn’t buy a teen a brand new car. A good used one is your best bet. How can you
protect yourself though? Buying a car is a huge purchase. You really need to do
your due diligence and make sure you get a good deal and a safe car for your
child to drive.
Check out my post about what to consider when buying your teen a used car.
