Consumer Reports Lists Best First Car for Teens

As summer approaches, parents are once again thinking about buying their teenagers their first cars for that summer job or for those who will be going to college. In choosing the best first car for teens, it is typical that parents should opt for easy to drive vehicles as well as units that come having a good fuel economy.

Consumer Reports, one of the leading consumer watchdogs, lists some of the wisest choice for teens. What the cars in the list have in common is reliability, driver friendliness, fuel economy, safety and the price, of course. Parents are warned against buying high performance cars for their teens since they are commonly harder to drive and consume more fuel.

Since the car will be for teens, it is of utmost importance that parents should take into consideration the aesthetic value of the car they will purchase for their teens. One of the cars in the list published by Consumer Reports is the Ford Focus. Any Focus from the 2002 model year to the present model year is recommended except for the two-door models. Consumer Reports also recommend the Honda Accord EX with the four-cylinder engine. The Accords from 1998 model year to present are highly recommended. The Honda Civic EX and the Mazda 3 are also suggested by Consumer Reports. The 1999 to 2003 models of the Mazda Protégé ES is also recommended as a good buy for your teen.

Another recommended first car is the Nissan Altima 2.5 S four-cylinder. For this model, Consumer Reports recommend those produced for the 2003 model year onwards. The Subaru Forester 2.5X is also included in the list. The Toyota Camry XLE V6 and LE with the four-cylinder engine is also recommended. For the Toyota Corolla, Consumer Reports recommend the 1999 model year release onwards. Number ten on the list is the Toyota RAV4 from the 2001 model year to the present.