Should I Buy My Teen A Vehicle?

Well, that depends if you’re ready for your teen to become more independent and responsible. It also depends of course on your purse or wallet! Buying a vehicle for your teen is a big leap and presents lots of responsibility for your teen who is either at or approaching the age he or she can drive. You may want to consider some or all of these tips to help you in your decision on whether or not you should purchase a vehicle for your teen:
1) Consider having your teen work towards paying the down payment or entire purchase price for their vehicle. By doing this, your teen is able to learn responsibility and the value of money! Your teen will probably take good care of their vehicle if they are contributing or paying for the purchase of the vehicle.
2) You may want to purchase your teen an older used vehicle, probably a sedan that will be reliable for their needs. Your teen will probably be able to save money on insurance and fuel costs by purchasing an older vehicle. A sports car or 6-12 cylinder vehicle would not be an appropriate vehicle for your teen to have. They don’t need it! Remember, their just getting started. Usually the insurance costs for older vehicles are cheaper than newer and sport car type vehicles for your teen. So keep this in mind before you and your teen consider purchasing a vehicle.
3) If you decide to purchase or allow your teen to buy a vehicle, consider having your teen pay either a portion or all of the vehicle maintenance costs and insurance. This will assist your teen in continuing to learn responsibility and how to manage their finances. They’ve got to learn sometime, so why not now!
4) If you and your teen have come to a decision to purchase a vehicle for them to use, do your research on the vehicle that would be appropriate for your teen. If you have access to the internet, that’s a good place to start. If not, then review the newspaper vehicle classified section, vehicle trader magazines and any other resource you can find prior to purchasing the vehicle. You’ll want to find the best quality, price and reliability for the vehicle that is being purchased for your teen.
5) Maybe you’re not ready for your teen to have a vehicle yet. That’s okay too. However, you may want to have them work towards saving for the purchase of their vehicle for the future. You know they will eventually start driving, so why not start saving now! You will be able to have your teen learn the importance of saving and budgeting for items they would like to purchase in the future.
So, after you and your teen have discussed the prospective purchase of a vehicle for them, hopefully you’ll be armed with enough information to assist you in making a decision that will work for you and your teen!