Episode 1

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Published on:

6th May 2021

Can New Teen Drivers Learn to Love an Old Hand-Me-Down Car?

00:00 - Can New Teen Drivers Learn To Love An Old Hand-Me-Down Car?

What do you do if you are gifted two FREE 25-year old hand-me-down cars within a couple of months of each other?

Hang your head in shame? Feel embarrassed? No way!

If you're cheap like me, you celebrate your good fortune by letting your newly licensed teenage sons drive these pre-scratched and dented "beauties" to school and on dates, rather than letting them drive your good cars.

So did our boys survive this "terrible" fate? Were they embarrassed to show their faces in the high school parking lot? Or was their ancient car driving experience more of a character building exercise?

In this episode I interview my now college-age sons to find out whether driving funky old cars to high school ruined their teen years or gave them a new appreciation for driving something a little different than their peers.

Their answers just might change your mind about what car you think you should get for your new teen driver.

01:20 - I Introduce My Sons And Their Cars - A 1996 Honda Civic And A 1994 Acura Legend

My two sons, Taiga and Kenji, talk about each of the two 4-door sedans they have at their disposal to drive and what they like about these older hand-me-down vehicles.

06:30 - What Were Some Issues We Had With These Old Used Cars?

Mold is a consistent theme with the Civic due to some leaky seals that took me a while to find and fix. Kenji didn't seem to notice though. Taiga claims the Acura was relatively trouble free outside of a radiator cap that didn't seal properly. In reality, both cars had issues over time. Distributor issues plus replacement of both front half-shaft axles on the Civic and replacement of one half-shaft on the Acura.

09:10 - The Legend Flips Over To A Quarter-Million Miles!

Taiga tells the story of how he and his friend's celebrated when the Acura's odometer flipped over to 250,000 miles. Not sure if this is something to brag about, but no other kid in his friend group had a car with that many miles.

10:50 - Our Boys Are Okay With Their Cheap Hand-Me-Down Cars

In spite of living in an area where many parents think they should buy their kids expensive cars, both boys expressed that they are okay with their older cars. They said they wouldn't want something expensive... especially in their high school parking lot because it would just get damaged.

11:40 - Any Interesting Car Experiences They Might Want To Share?

I probably shouldn't have asked... Taiga talked about the time he got the Acura stuck in a snow bank and how he tried to get it out without telling me. Kenji then went on to explain why he thought it was okay to drive "briskly" during the Covid shutdown because no one was on the road. Yes, parents... Weak executive function + new driver hubris + the freedom of having a car does occasionally = bad choices.

17:20 - What Car Do The Boys Think Parents Should Get Their Kids To Drive?

Taiga suggested getting new drivers a Nissan Leaf because it has a speed limiter. They boys also thought that having something newer and faster wouldn't be as much fun (it's the old adage - it's more fun driving a slow car fast, than a fast car slow). Eventually both Kenji and Taiga suggested getting new drivers something similar to what they drove, but maybe several years newer with solid safety tech (airbags, anti-lock brakes, etc.). They said good fuel economy mattered too, but they drew the line at parents getting a Prius for new drivers, unless they wanted their kids "to be losers" (their words, not mine).

22:40 - The Pitch For A Manual Transmission

I said my only regret was that both the Civic and the Legend had an automatic transmission, rather than a manual transmission. These cars were given to us for free, so there was no choice of transmission. However, I think parents should consider getting their new drivers a manual if possible. It's a cool skill to master and I would rather have their hands occupied by a stick shift than a cell phone. If I could do it over, I would have gotten something like an Isuzu Amigo/Rodeo Sport 2-door small SUV (or something similar) with a manual transmission and 4-wheel drive for winter.

23:30 - What Would They Drive If They Could Spend $10K to $15K?

Our boys had some interesting answers to the "what would I buy if..." question, including a Mini Cooper S, some sort of Subaru (for snow), an early Miata (1990-1997), possibly an early 986 Porsche Boxster (1997-1999) with the 2.5-liter engine, or maybe even a 1990s Ford Bronco. For a daily driver, I suggested a BMW 128i (2008-2013) with a manual transmission and sport package, or possibly a Jeep Wrangler TJ from the 1997 to 2006 model years.

28:50 - Wrap-Up - Our Boys Learned To Love Their Older Cars

Clearly they liked their old cars and they weren't embarrassed about what they drove, so there's hope for the rest of you parents. Take it from our boys - Get an inexpensive older sedan that's safe, reliable and reasonably priced and your kids should be just fine driving it.

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About the Podcast

Better Than New
Find a cool used car, truck or SUV at a price you'll love
The average new car sales price in the US is nearly $50,000, and the average used vehicle sales price is close to $30,000... I think that's insane! Well if you're like me and you don’t want to pay these crazy inflated car prices, I believe you should still be able to drive something fun. That’s the idea behind Better Than New – a podcast to help you find a cool used car, truck or SUV at a price you’ll love.

I’m Gary Crenshaw, host of Better Than New and a long time automotive enthusiast, and I want to inspire car buyers on a budget to think differently about what they can actually afford to drive. My goal is to introduce listeners to the broad array of interesting, fun-to-drive, enthusiast-friendly used cars, trucks and SUVs available at prices just about anyone can afford… vehicles from the 80s, 90s, 2000s and beyond that offer buyers a wide range of interesting choices. Each week we’ll explore a specific vehicle or vehicle category, tell you what to look for and what to avoid, and give you practical tips to help you find your next cool used car, truck or SUV and keep it on the road for years to come.

With a little work, the joy of owning a cool used car at price you’ll love is within reach and this podcast is here to help you find it.

So hop in, buckle up and let's go for a drive!

About your host

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Gary Crenshaw

A lifelong lover of all things mechanical, Gary has spent the majority of his existence driving, dreaming about or wrenching on cars, motorcycles and even the occasional airplane.

It started with mini-bikes and go-karts as a kid, progressed to 2-stroke dirt bikes, followed by his first car… a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle. Then came the Yamaha era with several RD400s, RZ350s and a Canadian RD350LC (should have kept that!). A pilot’s license was next with some memorable hours flying a 1946 Aeronca Champ low and slow around the Pacific Northwest. While in college, his brother-in-law who sold high-end cars hired him to deliver BMW, Mercedes and Porsche vehicles to customers.

Those early experiences led to a lifetime of owning an eclectic mix of interesting used cars, including a ‘65 Mustang GT, a ’72 Datsun 510, a Porsche 914, a Celica Alltrac Turbo, a Mini Cooper S, a couple of Miata’s, two Audi S4 Avants, a Galant VR4, a Fiat 850 Spider, a 1983 Subaru 4x4 GL wagon and a first gen RX-7, along with dozens of daily driver cars and SUVs from Acura, Honda, Toyota and Mazda. And his favorite? Depends on when you ask, but that distinction likely goes to the Mazda RX-4 station wagon he learned to drive in. That fun-to-drive car combined Gary's passion for wagons, rotary engines and manual transmissions all in one.

So what about you? Which used car, truck or SUV would you love to own? Let’s find it together!