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When you buy a car for your teen, you have the deciding vote. I didn't buy cars for either of my teens. My older son worked and bought a 1969 GTO. My younger son bought a 1967 tri-power GTO. My first car was a 1968 Plymouth Fury III.

The thing we have most in common, aside from the obvious, is that we worked for and paid for our own vehicles, therefore the choice was ours. When you buy a car for your teen, you have the deciding vote in the selection, but make the selection a joint effort.

What is both safe and right for a teens first car? Let's have the airbags, ABS brake system, sturdy body sytle, and a high crash test rating. If possible, let it still be under the manufacturer's warranty or less than 5 years old.

Experts agree that a mid-sized sedan is generally safer and more practical for your teen. A second choice is a hatchback. They've become more hip, more stylish and might have more eye appeal than a sedan. Some hatchbacks also have all wheel drive.

Sports cars are the worst choice. In addition to the worry of your teen driving too fast and getting into an accident, the insurance is incredibly high on sports cars. If you didn't already know, inexperienced young drivers tend to drive fast and maneuver turns faster than they should.

SUVs are not safe for young drivers. Although they're large and put up a good wall of protection, they have a higher center of gravity that makes them candidates for rollovers in adverse situations.

If you teen should select and buy his car with his own money, as both of mine did, chances are they will be more likely to protect this costly investment.

Statistics reveal that 6,000 teen die every year shortly after receiving their driver licenses. If you're a parent of a teen, this figure is very sobering. While some cars are safer, it's the driver who has to take the responsibility for his driving.

If you buy a car for your teen, perhaps you could wait until he or she has gained at least 6 to 8 months of driving experience. The car crash statistics go down as the new driver gains experience behind the wheel.

Make your teen a part of the car selection process, but keep him safe in the process.

In defense of my first car selection, I didn't even realize what I was driving until years later. I'm a female and I bought my Fury III because it was the right price at that time, and I needed a car. I didn't know of its reputation for high speeds until later. That's my story anyway.

Learn more about this author, Mona Gallagher.
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