To Buy Or Not To Buy?

By Author: Norris Rios
Total Articles: 572
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Anyone with a family will tell you it is a real strain as the children come into their teen years. They have been sitting behind you, or more recently, beside you as you drive. At first it was secret. Then they openly coveted your vehicle. They began counting down the days until they could get a licence. Suddenly you would find fliers giving details of approved driving courses — no teen wants you to teach the skill of driving. That would just be too much pressure on both sides. And all this assumes you will hand over the keys to your vehicle whenever they need it. Even more importantly, it assumes you will never complain if that vehicle acquires the odd scrape or dent. Such minor traffic incidents are all part of life's rich pattern, so suck it up! as they are likely to say.

While they are still in the nest, you do your best to protect them, even though they fight you tooth and nail all the way. With fear in your heart and fake confidence in the smile, you add them to your policy, check the terms of your health plan, and hand over the keys. Thankfully, most survive without long-term injuries. But then comes the ...
... next big decision. They are establishing more independence for themselves. They have savings and part-time work to help pay them through college. They want a vehicle of their own. This is yet another test of the quality of the conversation you can have. Or have you already given up trying to offer good advice? Well, here is a short paragraph you can print out and leave for your teen to find. If there is no response, at least you tried.

Dear [insert name]

You want your own car. That's great. Are you sure you can afford it? Right now, you're just thinking about the color (and the make and model), but here's a short list of things to think about. The premium rates for teens are the highest for any class of driver. Will you buy a make and model that's cheap to insure? Can you afford to repair it? Older vehicles break down more often. Can you afford to put gas in it? Older vehicles burn more fuel. If you buy using your savings, can you afford to lose the depreciation? If you buy with a loan, will you buy gap insurance so that, if you total the car, you can pay off what's owing?

No teen wants to work out a budget for their living expenses. But if you use this site, you can get comparative car insurance quotes for different makes and models. Show them the difference in costs. Sadly, there is no such thing as really cheap car insurance for teens. It is just a part of the rite of passage into adulthood that they have to pay higher premiums until they are 25. But, since you will no doubt end up paying some or all these costs, you do what you can to keep them as low as possible. After all, you love them (at least, that is what it says in the manual that comes with the make and model of teen you bought).