I think I mentioned to you guys that Joshua’s has a learner’s permit, and in a few months, he’ll graduate to an actual driver’s license.
So far, his driving practice has been in my van, which is working out fine. Once he gets his license and is driving by himself, though, Mr. FG and I didn’t really want him using the van.
For one thing, it’s a pretty new van, and I’d really like to keep it for years and years.
I’m not saying it’s a guarantee that Joshua will get into a wreck when he gets his license (or that there’s any guarantee I won’t while I drive it!), but Mr. FG and I would prefer for him (and the girls, eventually) to drive something else.
We’d been keeping an eye out for a while, but geez, used cars are really expensive right now. Most of what we saw was only a couple thousand cheaper than a new small sedan, so we were feeling pretty discouraged.
But then recently, Mr. FG had to work from home for some training, so he and I went for a walk at lunchtime together those days. Because of that, we happened to see that a neighbor was selling an older Honda, and when we got home, I called the number.
He’d just listed it two days ago, and luckily, Mr. FG got finished with training early, so we got to go give the car a drive that very day.
(Not the actual car. Ours is less….shiny.)
It’s 9 years old, but it has less than 100,000 on it and it’s a Honda, which should be quite reliable. And since it already has its fair share of dings and scratches, it’s pretty perfect for a new driver.
(Joshua says he prefers to drive something with scratches! Less pressure.)
We got it for a good price, and it’s used, so if it does get wrecked, at least insurance will give us close to what we paid for it (that would not be the case with a new car).
For now, it’s pretty cheap to insure, since Joshua just has his learner’s permit.
We wouldn’t actually have to get it insured right now, because Joshua can’t drive on his own. But I’d like him to get really comfortable driving the actual car he’s going to be using.
So from now until he gets his license, we’re going to practice driving all of the places he’ll go, using the new (used ) car.
This purchase is a big financial weight off of my mind and I’m so grateful we were able to get something reliable and safe that was within our cash budget. Yay!
(And it’s pretty stylish to boot. Joshua might be a little bit tickled about that….)
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How did you handle the car issue when your kids started driving? Did they use the family car? Did they buy their own?
P.S. Joshua will eventually need to buy his own car. This is a family car, meant for our kids to use, and we definitely are not planning on buying an individual car for each of our kids. Just in case you were wondering… 😉
Emma
Wednesday 4th of May 2016
My parents did not buy a new car for either me or my brother when we got our licenses. We just used the family car(s). Eventually when I needed a car to commute to and from law school, my parents gave me one of the (very old) family cars and they upgraded one of their cars. My brother and I also often used my grandmother's car as she lived with our family for about 10 years and only used her car occasionally for short trips around town.
The car I currently drive was jointly purchased by me and my parents several years ago and I plan to drive it as long as possible. We had to get a new (used) car since the car they had given me to drive to school had been totalled when a tree fell on it in a windstorm.
Mrs. Picky Pincher
Tuesday 3rd of May 2016
My parents were brave enough to buy my sister a new convertible Mustang when she turned 16! I ended up with the car as well, which was a fun yet inconvenient driver (not so useful for moving to and from college!). While I'm not sure if my parents would do it all over again, having a car like that taught me a lot about having a reliable mode of transportation is better than having a hot rod. You can be sure that our kids will also be getting an old, used Honda. :)
Ruby Julian
Saturday 16th of April 2016
Back when our son had a learner's permit, our insurance company had some discount programs for kids with a high grade point average and those who took a driver's ed class. He qualified for both of them and it helped take some of the sting out of the bill.
Kim C
Thursday 14th of April 2016
My husband is an insurance agent with State Farm. In North Carolina, no matter who your insurance is with the price for an inexperienced driver is exactly the same for boys and girls and age doesn't matter. You pay the same rate for inexperienced driver if you get your license at 16 or at 56. Our daughter is 19 and still has her permit, not her license. She is homeschooled and doesn't really need her license right now. We take her to and from her part time job. When she gets another job this summer with more hours she plans on getting her license and paying for the increase in insurance. Ours will go up over $100 a month just to add her to our plan. It's crazy, but it is what it is.
Stephanie L
Saturday 9th of April 2016
My parents - meanies! - required the following after I got my license: Change a tire in front of Mom and/or Dad Ditto with jumping the battery and checking the oil Log 500 miles (total, post-license) driving with a parent in the car
After all that I was allowed to drive by myself. It didn't drop insurance rates, but in those pre cell phone days it reduced their anxiety.