Zander Drives Cars

I would like to start this article by telling you, the reader, not to get your hopes up. You see that I am a teenager giving car advice, and naturally, you may think to yourself “He’s going to back me up on my wish to have an insert expensive and fast car here as my first car.” Well, I am sorry to tell you, but I am most likely going to agree with your parents on this one. You don’t like hearing that your parents are right, but unfortunately, they are. Don’t worry, I’m not making fun of you for wanting a fun fast sports car, I was there once. I remember walking straight up to my father last year and asking him, straight-faced if I could get a used VW Golf R32. True story. Over time, however, I’ve learned to manage my expectations and do my research for cars that parents will approve of, and so will you. So please, take your hopes, and bring them down to your chest.

As the registered “car guy” In my grade, I hear it all from my peers telling me about what cars they want and what they think they’re entitled to. While a select few are reasonable, parent-approved cars, most of them are about as ridiculous as you think. Here is a list of the cars that kids in my grade have told me they think they’re getting as their first car: BMW M3, BMW M5, Mazda Miata, VW Golf GTI, Lifted Ford F150 Raptor, Used Maserati Ghibli, and my personal favorite, a Hellcat. Now, none of these poor children will ever receive any of these as their first car, but with some negotiating, you can give them some reasonable options. My go-to car when someone says, “Hey Zander, what should my first car be?” is Volkswagen Golf. Not the GTI or the R32: a base golf. A white, automatic, four-door, 2011 Golf.

Why a Golf, you ask? Well, I would love to tell you. Here is why you, the teenager, want one. The VW Golf is a fun car to drive, even a base model is light enough to give the engine room to breathe, it doesn’t have a dreaded “Corolla” or “Civic” on the hatch, and it has a well known and well respected blue and white badge at the front. A Golf also carries the capability to modify it if you so choose. Nobody will laugh at you in a modded Golf if you do it properly. Now, I am not an expert on car modifications, but I know enough to tell “tasteful” from “tackey.” Body parts are cheap, and a “GTI” badge runs for about $10m on eBay. Of course, it all relies on your parent’s willingness to let you modify your car, but even with an un-modified Golf, you won’t look “un-cool.”

Parents! Your turn. The VW Golf is a cheap to buy, cheap to run, safe, reliable, and practical car that holds its value well. 2011-2012 models range anywhere from $8000-$10,000 on sites like Autotrader and Cargurus, and they hold their value better than other cars like the Ford Focus and Mazda3 of the same era. The 6th generation Golf has a 1.4 or 1.6L 4 cylinder engine that gets 29mpg city and 39mpg highway, making a combined MPG rating of 32mph. The car takes 87 octane fuel and has a large enough hatch to fit their bags in when they eventually leave for their unreasonably expensive liberal arts college. Harvey Mudd. Do you remember when you got your first car? Your grandfather’s Chrysler Lebaron with a red interior that smelled like Camel and a country club bathroom that you shave in? Or maybe it was a used Datsun that you bought off a lot for $800 with money you got from washing dishes at Big Bernie’s House Of Hot Dogs. Regardless, do you remember the personal freedom you suddenly had? You could drive (in reason) wherever you wanted. Concerts, sports games, girl’s house, the 7-11 near the girl’s house after you realized things are going better than planned, these are memories that you cherished. So, why not give your kid the same freedom? Sure, it may be hard for some to let them go into the vast unknown you have been sheltering them from for 16 years, but what are they going to gain from living their teenage life behind closed doors, limited by the transportation of an elder. I know I got all deep and philosophical with you, but it is important for you, as the parent, to realize your son’s desire to go out there and be a teen. Sure, the care they want is not your first choice, but at least I’m not giving them the idea of a money pit.

There will always be differences between you and your parents on large decisions like this, but for both parties, coming to a solid conclusion and a happy compromise is what helps to get your first car easier and without a sense of disapproval. I know that this article did not help your argument for getting a Mustang or a 3 series, but when you do finally have that car, the freedom you’ll have will be exactly the same, no matter the car.