I'm 16 years old and I was browsing for cars and the Yaris looked like a good buy. Could anyone share their experiences and give me some advice? I have a job, it pays $7.24 per hour and I'm working roughly 30-40 hours a week. I figured thats pretty good for a first job...Also, any tips on how to get the parents involved financially would be very much appreciated! hahaha

Hi hopeful_toyotadriver,

I guess my advice would be to get a car with a low base price, like the Yaris, under 13,000 is pretty darn good. Then I would be very careful about add ons. Really think about how necessary they are (I wouldn't worry about resale since there are many people looking for a quality car that is also inexpensive). When my husband and I were just starting out we didn't have anything extra, not even air conditioning, but we did have a reliable car that wasn't breaking our budget. You're on the right track with an affordable & reliable Yaris.

Parents? Show them how practical and responsible you are by choosing an inexpensive & reliable car and then tell them the money you'll be saving with their help will be for college.

Cheers!

The best advice you are going to get is to buy a used car. At sixteen, your insurance is going to be more than any car payment anyway. Find something that you can pay for out right and take great care of it. Maybe when you go off to college your parent's will get you a newer car.

Don't buy new - buy used.

I completely agree with Kelkat. Definitely buy used.

You can get a very good quality used car for under the price you are looking to spend. Even if you get a 2 year old car, you can still get a fantastic car for less money than a new car.

Insurance *is* expensive (especially when you are a teen) So, be sure to shop around for the best coverage, but also the best deal.

When getting a first car, it can be easy to want it ALL. But, just see this as it is... your first car. Get what you can afford. Enjoy it, and then dream one day when you get ALL the extras. :)

This truly is a rite of passage...

How does the Yaris rate with insurance companies? I have found many times that I don't mind the car payment...it's the insurance payment (which on some cars is almost as much as the car payment!) that bugs me.

Then if you file a claim...watch out!

well obviously, if the insurance payment is almost as much as the car payment and you don't like it, then the only way is to downgrade to another car ...ie. used one or really old one and just get liability insurance.

age and zipcode are the other major factors. then there's your driving record.

a Yaris is an econobox. not even a Corolla. so it's probably as cheap as you can get for a new Toyota. if you go with a domestic of the same class, then it'll be less expensive with the car payments and insurance..

Skunk,
Even with a good driving record, my porsche 911 has an insurance payment that bites. I know insurance payments are a serious consideration for young drivers especially, and sometimes, due to how a car is rated, it's cheap to buy but expensive to own!

Welcome! And this is great advice. It is kind of like learning to play guitar, you want a broekn in one to learn on, and then you can more so appreciate a newer one when you get it! haha

I agree with everyone else.

I know you want something new but to begin with, you really want to get a used one.

After college, than you can think about getting something new.

Besides, if you get a new car now, I guarantee you, you not going to have it very long.

Just get a used one and you can have all the fun you want with it. You don't have to worry about scratching it, dents, spilling drinks in the car, food all over the car, etc.

To tell you the truth, I wish I had a used one to begin with.

Buying used is smart these days. Cars depreciate so much the minute you drive them off the lot that it's crazy, and for the younger buyer a good used car is affordable in so many ways. I no longer buy new ...ever .....

Yes, at age 16 you DO NOT need a brand-new car. Everyone who told you to buy a used car was right, and with no credit history you won't be able to get financing without having a co-signer anyway. I believe the Yaris's first production model year was 2005, which would put one of them into the price range you could probably afford. As for the insurance: you are going to pay through the nose no matter what until you are 21, but if you have your parents add you on to their policy it will be less expensive. I'm on my third Toyota (two Corollas, one Yaris), and they are GREAT cars.

So Cal


So Cal