16 yrs old, acura RSX, insurance rates...?

P

PeterM

Contributing Member
Joined
26 November 2006
Messages
181
Location
San Jose/San Francisco
so my baby sister is turning 16 this december and she wants a car. dad told me that since he paid half for my a car(1987 E-class diesel) when i was 16...8 years ago:redface: , i now have to buy her a car. i know that the rsx is on the high risk list as far as teenager and accidents. any of you guys have sons or daughters around that age driving the rsx? if you don't mind, i would like to know how much the insurace rate is for that car and driver around that age range? i was calling around for quotes and they're telling me anywhere from 1400 to 1900 a year considering i'm only paying 1100 a year for the nsx, and that's going down next year when i hit 25.

if you guys have other recomendation as a first car, let me know. i want something new(er), reliable, and most importantly, safe. also she wants something trendy:rolleyes: . dad and i don't have the time to be in and out of the shop so something low maintainance...toyotas, hondas, etc.

considering gas prices here in california, i was looking at the "green" cars but she gave me the puppy eyes, godamn kids these days. they are so manipulative.

i asked what her second choices were and she had the balls to tell me...evo 8, wrx sti, vw GTi, supra, S2k and every other possible rice rocket and she can name. hahahaha. i asked her what she's smoking because i want some too, haha.

help me out guys...i'm trying to line something up and buy her a car for christmas. i know that sounds ridiculous but i live in the "silicone" valley where conformity is an absolute must...when you're 16!!!!:eek:

btw, she's has a 3.99gpa, honor's student, basketball team, the whole cha-bang in high school so that gives her a lot of leeway with me...
 
What about a Scion tC or Honda Fit? I know that my insurance for my Integra back when I was 20 was crazy high.

Otto
 
God you guys have it easy in the States.

I paid £3000 ($6200) at 17 on my 1.2 litre 75bhp Renault.

I have got to move to the States!
 
otto_joe said:
What about a Scion tC or Honda Fit? I know that my insurance for my Integra back when I was 20 was crazy high.

Otto
Click to expand...

I'd have to say after just recently shopping for my cousin... We ended up with a Scion tC. It was an awesome buy being a 2005, with 26k miles on it for $12,900 (negotiated $1,000 off.) Plus it was eligible for buying a factory approved extended warranty through Toyota since its under new car warranty. She paid about another $1850 and got 6 year/100k on the car. She can drive a stick, so shes in love with it as it moves decent, handles decent.

We even got the JL Audio Stealthbox installed for it :)

She pays about $1200 a year which I guess isn't that bad.. Then again shes in Central NJ.
 
benz-rain.jpg


In High school my friends smart parents got them an under HP teutonic tank for their first car since half of them got in some horrific accidents (one hit a palm tree and flipped the car on the roof) and walked away dusting themselves off.

Nothing like Benz high tensile steel chassis. It feels like it's carved outta ingot.
 
Only a 3.99 GPA??? That gets her a 1970's Beetle. Kids got it easy these days - less than 4.0 and you get a car??? Tell her to get her sh!t together. :tongue:

At 16 y/o, rates on almost any car that is "trendy" are going to be high.
See if she is interested in the Scion TC as others have suggested. Then take your extra cash, put some Volks on it and add a supercharger after you get the insurance.
 
Instead of asking what rates other people pay, which might not apply to your sister, why don't you just get some actual quotes? You can call your own insurance company/agent, or you can use one of the websites (like Insweb.com or Insure.com) that can give you quotes from multiple insurance companies.
 
Everything i'd bother mentioning already has been, besides the fact I don't know why at age 24 you are somehow responsible for buying your little sister a car unless your father told you at 16 that by him paying for half your car he could show up randomly in the future and make you buy other people cars.

Not saying there is anything wrong about it, just sort of odd. I'd get her the most expensive car you could liability on yet still sleep at night with, probably an 02 accord or so. Full coverage if she already has health insurance is usually a waste or promotes careless driving at age 16, JMO though I'm aware that there is probably a high probability that she'll crash it or at least run over some curbs.
 
FJ Cruiser:biggrin:

Safe, Reliable, dont have to worry about curbs, good gas, trendy, and endless off road capabilities. AND most importantly comes in a STICK!:biggrin: :biggrin:
 
Wow you guys are lucky, I envy you.. I ended up having a GPA for 4.23 out of 4 when I graduated...god damn AP classes.... and I still had to buy my own car with my own money...BTW is anyone in your family looking for a new son, cause I'm all up for being adopted lol :D j/k.

I won't be of much help but I will say don't get anything trendy. I'm all for the idea of showing people what it is living with some low level/crappy stuff "First" so they appreciate more of the finer things in life. But if you do get her something trendy, I say get the Scion TC as other have mentioned. Seems like a good, reliable, safe, moderate powered car, and it does look a bit girlish in a way.
 
I wouldn't buy ANY of the cars in the first list for a 16 yr. old driver. I would reset expectations right now.

I am the parent of a 17 and 15 yr. old. The 17 has been driving for some time and already wrecked the first car he had to drive. I saved my 1995 Millenia S for him. First 3 weeks he scraped the fender backing it out of the carport. Three months later he nicked the rt. front headlight which bent the corner of the hood. Five months after that his friend hit him in the left rear fender at 50-ish MPH. Car had to be totalled because the repair cost more than the value.

My son is a solid kid, but was massively overconfident in his driving ability. They just do not believe they aren't good drivers the day they get their license. After the wreck he finally understood what I meant when I told him he wasn't a good driver YET.

My observations about teenage drivers:

1. They are all way too confident in their skills
2. They don't know where the four corners of their car are
3. The school parking lot is full of these very same drivers. It is a scary place to drive.
4. In the first 12 months nearly every kid I know has done some damage to their car, no matter what it is.
5. If the car has horsepower they will use it when you're not looking.
6. They all use the phone to talk and text while they drive.

So I think the RSX is way too nice a car and way to sporty for a new driver. Plan on taking it to the body shop in the first year.

We replaced the Millenia with an Element. It is a bit taller for more visibility (to other drivers); it isn't fast; it is reliable; safe with side air bags; roomy (but only for four - a good thing); easy to clean; has a loud stereo; reasonably economical. We bought it used, not new.

My advice:

1. Buy used, not new, no matter what
2. Buy safe - airbags, collision ratings, low rollover risk
3. Buy reliable; low scheduled maintenance requirement
4. Do not buy fast cars
5. Do not buy a huge SUV because kids don't park vehicles well at all. You also don't want your kid routinely driving with six other kids in the car.

I think cars like the Element, Scion, VW, Mazda 6, Accord, Subaru, RAV, CRV, etc. are good choices. The sportiest car I'd consider is a V6 Mustang.

I'm actually thinking about a Hyundai Sonata V6 for the 15 yr. old when he drives next summer. Good size, safeting ratings, and low resale value.

One more thing - high GPA athletes are no better drivers than others. My kid is a top 10% swimmer.
 
Last edited:
BATMANs said:
benz-rain.jpg


In High school my friends smart parents got them an under HP teutonic tank for their first car since half of them got in some horrific accidents (one hit a palm tree and flipped the car on the roof) and walked away dusting themselves off.

Nothing like Benz high tensile steel chassis. It feels like it's carved outta ingot.
Click to expand...

that's hilarious, because i got the 87 E-Class Diesel!!!! it's basically the same car only about 2-3 years newer. that was quite a tank.
 
hofffam said:
I wouldn't buy ANY of the cars in the first list for a 16 yr. old driver. I would reset expectations right now.

I am the parent of a 17 and 15 yr. old. The 17 has been driving for some time and already wrecked the first car he had to drive. I saved my 1995 Millenia S for him. First 3 weeks he scraped the fender backing it out of the carport. Three months later he nicked the rt. front headlight which bent the corner of the hood. Five months after that his friend hit him in the left rear fender at 50-ish MPH. Car had to be totalled because the repair cost more than the value.

My son is a solid kid, but was massively overconfident in his driving ability. They just do not believe they aren't good drivers the day they get their license. After the wreck he finally understood what I meant when I told him he wasn't a good driver YET.

My observations about teenage drivers:

1. They are all way too confident in their skills
2. They don't know where the four corners of their car are
3. The school parking lot is full of these very same drivers. It is a scary place to drive.
4. In the first 12 months nearly every kid I know has done some damage to their car, no matter what it is.
5. If the car has horsepower they will use it when you're not looking.
6. They all use the phone to talk and text while they drive.

So I think the RSX is way too nice a car and way to sporty for a new driver. Plan on taking it to the body shop in the first year.

We replaced the Millenia with an Element. It is a bit taller for more visibility (to other drivers); it isn't fast; it is reliable; safe with side air bags; roomy (but only for four - a good thing); each to clean; has a loud stereo; reasonably economical. We bought it used, not new.

My advice:

1. Buy used, not new, no matter what
2. Buy safe - airbags, collision ratings, low rollover risk
3. Buy reliable; low scheduled maintenance requirement
4. Do not buy fast cars
5. Do not buy a huge SUV because kids don't park vehicles at all. You also don't want your kid routinely driving with six other kids in the car.

I think cars like the Element, Scion, VW, Mazda 6, Accord, Subaru, RAV, CRV, etc. are good choices. The sportiest car I'd consider is a V6 Mustang.

I'm actually thinking about a Hyundai Sonata V6 for the 15 yr. old when he drives next summer. Good size, safeting ratings, and low resale value.

One more thing - high GPA athletes are no better drivers than others. My kid is a top 10% swimmer.
Click to expand...



i'm going along the line of what you're saying. i'm definitely not going to buy anything new. the reason i was looking at rsx's is that i've been finding them in decent condition going for 7-8k. i'm not spending more than 10k. now that i'm seeing everyone's input, i'm thinking maybe i should get her a 95+ accord, they're dirt cheap and they're reliable.

i need to get the sister a car pretty quickly because i'm living with my girlfriend and so i'm leaving the nsx and my daily driver(GS300) at home. i'm taking public transit to get to and fro san francisco and she's using the GS as her practice car. dad's telling me that she's driving real well and can parallel park now but if anything happens to that car, i'd lose a daily driver.
 
BATMAN,

i still got the 87 diesel benz. had someone rear ended it, leather's all ripped torned up, gotta spray carb started into the air intake to get it started, it barely runs, and it was around 350,000 miles on it, all of the light covers are cracked, the paint is completely oxidized. mom has been nagging at me telling me i should give it away or sell it for like 200 bucks, haha.

i told her that the benz was my first car and i don't want to sell it. i will wait til i'm a millionaire and restore that sucker, i still got a year or two before entering med school so that car is going to be sitting for a while. it's my very first car, so many memories...sentimental value beats monetary value.
 
hofffam said:
I wouldn't buy ANY of the cars in the first list for a 16 yr. old driver. I would reset expectations right now.

I am the parent of a 17 and 15 yr. old. The 17 has been driving for some time and already wrecked the first car he had to drive. I saved my 1995 Millenia S for him. First 3 weeks he scraped the fender backing it out of the carport. Three months later he nicked the rt. front headlight which bent the corner of the hood. Five months after that his friend hit him in the left rear fender at 50-ish MPH. Car had to be totalled because the repair cost more than the value.

My son is a solid kid, but was massively overconfident in his driving ability. They just do not believe they aren't good drivers the day they get their license. After the wreck he finally understood what I meant when I told him he wasn't a good driver YET.

My observations about teenage drivers:

1. They are all way too confident in their skills
2. They don't know where the four corners of their car are
3. The school parking lot is full of these very same drivers. It is a scary place to drive.
4. In the first 12 months nearly every kid I know has done some damage to their car, no matter what it is.
5. If the car has horsepower they will use it when you're not looking.
6. They all use the phone to talk and text while they drive.

So I think the RSX is way too nice a car and way to sporty for a new driver. Plan on taking it to the body shop in the first year.

We replaced the Millenia with an Element. It is a bit taller for more visibility (to other drivers); it isn't fast; it is reliable; safe with side air bags; roomy (but only for four - a good thing); each to clean; has a loud stereo; reasonably economical. We bought it used, not new.

My advice:

1. Buy used, not new, no matter what
2. Buy safe - airbags, collision ratings, low rollover risk
3. Buy reliable; low scheduled maintenance requirement
4. Do not buy fast cars
5. Do not buy a huge SUV because kids don't park vehicles at all. You also don't want your kid routinely driving with six other kids in the car.

I think cars like the Element, Scion, VW, Mazda 6, Accord, Subaru, RAV, CRV, etc. are good choices. The sportiest car I'd consider is a V6 Mustang.

I'm actually thinking about a Hyundai Sonata V6 for the 15 yr. old when he drives next summer. Good size, safeting ratings, and low resale value.

One more thing - high GPA athletes are no better drivers than others. My kid is a top 10% swimmer.
Click to expand...

I 100% absolutely agree with every detail you just said. Besides being an extremely wealthy, lazy person I cannot fathom why someone would buy any 16 year old a basically new car, for a multitude of reasons. No normal college bound kid should be able to afford a car worth more than 6-8k until they graduate and by buying them a nice car to start out with is painting an imaginary picture IMO unless you plan on supporting them entirely (babysit) until they are 22-23 years old. Then they'll have 0 fiscal discipline or know the value of a dollar and are probably headed right towards the debt land so many Americans seem to enjoy being in. There are very, very few exceptions to this.

For the record, FJ cruisers have terrible visibility and I have to be careful when driving my father's, and my first car was a gargantuan 86 Suburban (with a ceiling 95% rusted through and it blew a large cloud of smoke out of it everytime I started it). FJ's are badass vehicles though. I did some ridiculously idiotic things in my 96 civic hatch back with 115hp. By the time I got my first sportscar though I drove more or less like a grandma.
 
PeterM said:
the reason i was looking at rsx's is that i've been finding them in decent condition going for 7-8k.
Click to expand...

If you are finding decent / clean RSXs for $7-$8K, then I'd go w/ the RSX. For some reason I thought RSXs were in the $12-$15K range used.
 
mickeylex said:
Only a 3.99 GPA??? That gets her a 1970's Beetle. Kids got it easy these days - less than 4.0 and you get a car??? Tell her to get her sh!t together. :tongue:
Click to expand...

+1 :tongue: :biggrin: Man my family must be the cheapest and poorest bastards on the planet. It didn't matter if you had a 4.0 or a MBA. You get nothing but the hand-me-down metallic green Pontiac J2000 wagon that had a tendency to overheat and only had 3 of the 4 gears working! :biggrin: You want anything else, YOU buy it YOURSELF. End of story. :rolleyes: :biggrin:
 
I would find her a 4 cylinder used Saturn sedan. I would never put her in a car that actually handled and had horsepower.
My neighbor's daughter went through three, (yeah three) brand new Honda civic coupe EX's - she totaled all three with in one year. She now has a Scion TC and apparently a restricted license as it is always parked in their driveway now. She drives like a maniac doing approx. 50 in our neighborhood (25) and is totally stupid. Everytime I see her driving she has her phone glued to her ear and is double the speed limit (approx.). Recipe for disaster.
 

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