Finding a Car For Our Teen Drivers

Whew, you guys. I spent most of this summer looking for a car for our new teen drivers. I’ve been casually looking for about a year, but this summer I knew we needed one before school started again in August.

We haven’t bought a car in eight years. I have no idea what’s out there, and I’m horrible at negotiations. I knew the only way I’d feel good about our purchase is if I spent some time (a lot of time) researching.

Here’s what we were looking for:

• Since this would be a second car for our family and a car for our teens, we wanted something old enough we wouldn’t worry about it too much, but not so old that it would only last us a few years.

• Safety was a priority, of course. On our list was the Honda CR-V and Subaru Outback. There are A LOT of Subaru Outbacks in my daughter’s high school parking lot. I consider that a huge vote of confidence.

• Although we considered a Honda Pilot, we did not want a third row. We didn’t want our kids in the position of carting around a lot of kids. If that was necessary for some reason, we have another car that can do that.

• A car that was well maintained, preferably with service records.

• AWD for Michigan winters

Here’s what I did:

1. Checked online listings daily. I opened multiple tabs on my browser – one for each dealership I was interested in. I used the filters to narrow the listings down to what I was looking for. For example, my filters were set to to Honda / CRV and Subaru / Outback. From there I sorted by price, low to high. I kept the tabs open and refreshed every day. Keeping an eye on this daily helped familiarize me with what’s out there, average prices, and turnaround. (Some cars move quickly!)

I did occasionally check Facebook Marketplace, but that didn’t feel as reliable to me. Many listings were posted from empty parking lots, with minimal information and no CarFax. (It was helpful for comps.)

I also kept an eye on our neighborhood Facebook page.

2. Read the CarFax. Most online dealerships will offer a CarFax for their used cars. I clicked on it and read the whole thing. You can learn valuable information like number of owners, if the car has been in any accidents, and some of the service history. (Note – not all car repair shops report to CarFax, so just because a service isn’t listed doesn’t mean it wasn’t performed.)

By reading the CarFax each time, I learned that my preferred car would have one owner, no accidents, a solid maintenance record, and serviced locally at a dealership. (This is essentially a trade-in.)

3. Familiarized myself with trim levels. I barely know what this is, but it helped me to understand what models came with what, particularly safety features. We also prefer cloth seats, and I learned some trim levels come with leather. You can search terms like “Honda CRV Trim Levels” or “Subaru Outback Trim Levels.” (I kept this tab open, too, for quick reference.)

4. Kept a spreadsheet. I kept track of all this information in a spreadsheet. I’m a visual learner, so seeing all the information in one place really made it easy for me to compare apples to apples and quickly recognize a good deal.

5. Drove other cars. We drove to a lot to try a CRV, didn’t love it, and ended up driving a Subaru Crosstrek, Outback and Forester. While we loved the Outback, we liked the visibility of a Forester better. The dealer said driving a Forester is like “sitting at at kitchen table – you’re sitting up high and can see everything around you.” He was right – we noticed the difference right away. And in the end, that’s what we bought. While we preferred the look of an Outback, the visibility in a Forester seemed like a better idea for brand new drivers.

6. Read online reviews of the dealerships. It was helpful to hear what people liked / disliked, and maybe things to ask or look out for.

7. Paid for an independent inspection. When we found a car we liked, we put a deposit down ($500) to hold it. We then took it to our mechanic for an independent inspection. He turned it around the same day and said it was very well maintained. This cost about $150. The peace of mind was worth more.

8. Moved fast. When I saw a car I was interested in, I called right away. The “good” used cars move quickly. I found our car the day it was listed, test drove it the next day, and purchased it the next. It was a whirlwind, but I was ready.

A few other things to note:

• The dealership we ended up at had a referral program. Since a friend suggested them, we gave her name. She’ll get $100!

• If you buy a used car, ask how many keys come with the car. If it’s only one, you may be able to negotiate a second key, especially if it’s a fob.

• There’s a document called “We Owe” that you’ll see / sign at closing. This document states what the dealer owes you still. For us, it was a full detail and vent piece. If there’s anything lingering, ask if it can be added before you sign.

I hope this list helps you! It’s all the information I wished for / learned in one place.

** Update – now that we’ve been driving the car for a week, here are a few things I wished I would have thought about.

• Navigation – the car we chose does not have a display on the dash for navigation. We’ll have to buy a phone holder for the dashboard. This is okay, but not exactly a pro for teen drivers trying to get somewhere for the first time. I’d like the big display for them, but then again, the car is ten years old.

• Similarly, I can’t use the phone via controls on the steering wheel.

• There isn’t much storage and my water bottle doesn’t fit in the holder