What kind of car should I get my daughter?

Toyota Corolla.

We just bought our son a 2005 Chevy Cavalier with a little over 100,000 miles on it. It should last him for a while. Our other son has one with over 200,000 miles.

do you have a budget? I would consider Mercedes C-class sedan, Toyota Camry, Honda Civic…with mileage between 90K-125k miles. At this mileage, the vehicles would have undergone major parts replacements and servicing. Anything under 90K has a higher probability of major component breakdown soon. Make sure to ask about repair history. You should be glad to hear that parts have been replaced, such as starter, alternator, timing belt, water pump, shock absorbers, etc. this means you don’t have to worry about them anytime soon.

Hondas, Volvos and Toyotas usually considered the good, safe cars for new drivers. I personally prefer Volvos, because Toyotas and Hondas have this Asian car design thing with the seat design and wheel placement that I find horribly uncomfortable, whereas Volvos are like a hug. Also, Jettas: They’re sexy, and cool, and they come with all sorts of stuff on the “basic” package that most other companies make you get extra packages for (think cd players, sunroof, auto windows and doors,etc).

Hyundai makes some really good cars, low maintenance, good gas milage, and they don’t cost an arm and a leg. I just bought my wife a new Hyundai Santa Fe and she loves it.

Acura Legends are pretty powerful and smooth. Honda Civics tend to need plenty of work, but their parts are servicable at nearly every shop because it is so common. If you could find a Nissan 200sx that might work out well.

Any Camry up to 2002 really. It will start every time, take a beating, never upset you, and parts are plentiful when needed. Plus, it’s nearly a decade old, which is the newest car any 16-year-old should drive.

Before I could give an answer to that question I’d want to know where you live: city, suburbs or out in the country / on a farm somewhere. (I’d also want to know why in hell a 16-year-old should have a car, and how she merits one as a gift, but that’s your business.)

Depending on where you live, a pickup truck might be the best idea. Otherwise, I’d stick with something underpowered and “girly” so that her boyfriend won’t want to A) ride in it with her driving or B) drive it himself.

@GladysMench: We’ve got a 1990 Camry that’s immaculate and gives us no problems at all. Every now and then I’ve gotten notes left on it by people who want to buy it. We’ve also got a 2000 4-Runner that holds it own.

What ever you get her, dont invest a lot of money! I learned from experience! ( 5 kids). They will have wrecks! be it in the parking lot at school, or in a shopping mall lot. Just get her a good, solid, little car with low mileage and good gas mileage. A hyundai, or older Toyota or something of the sort. Good luck!

In addition to all the excellent advice above, I would take a look at Consumer Reports. Its used car ratings are based on a yearly poll of millions of car owners.

Consumer Reports – Best and worst used car – The most reliable models and those to avoid

I can second what @blueknight73 wrote about kids and accidents. If they don’t scrape up or back up/into something then it’s guaranteed someone else will at their schools or the places they go.