Back to school shopping means gathering up a year’s worth of pens, pencils, paper and other supplies. It means getting a brand new wardrobe of school clothes, and it means the end of summer.

In many homes, it also means that it is time to consider buying a car for your teen returning to class.

Depending upon whether your teen is looking for daily transportation to and from school or is headed off across the country to college, there are a number of considerations to make when car shopping for them.

Insurance

One of the biggest factors in monthly car expenses can be the cost of insurance.

Some of the factors determining the cost of insurance include the driver’s age, the vehicle model, the age of the vehicle and the annual mileage. Take into consideration that a teen will probably drive more than you think. They will drive a block to get milk.

No matter how you look at it, a teen driver will increase your insurance costs, but at least with some planning, you can keep those costs down.

Models that are attractive to teens, like sports cars and trucks, are going to cost you more to insure. If your teen has their eye on that type of vehicle, make a call to your insurance agent before you agree to the purchase.

Here are some factors that can help you keep your insurance costs down:

Safety

Safety for your child is always a consideration, and it should be number one when determining what they will be driving.

Most of the newer cars on the market come well equipped with safety features like air bags and stability control, but as the technology in new cars has advanced, so have the safety features. Some of them are quite sophisticated.

Today, you can find cars that come standard equipped with safety features that include autonomous braking for those moments when your teen is not paying attention to the road in front of them and lane departure warnings that let them know they are drifting over the center lane. Other things that help your teen includes backup cameras, blind spot detection and autonomous cruise control that stops them from following someone too close when they have the cruise control engaged.Since stability is a factor in many crashes involving inexperienced drivers, it is important that the vehicle you choose is easy for them to control and handle under any circumstances.

Many of these newer safety features raise the safety rating of the vehicle, which can help you get insurance discounts.

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) rates all vehicles on their crashworthiness, so research the rating and equipment needed to get that rating.

Fuel-Efficiency

Whether your teen comes home every day from school or will be making long cross-country trips home for holidays, they need a vehicle they can afford to drive.

When shopping, check the MPG rating on the vehicle. Often times when fuel is less expensive, people tend to overlook the mileage rating, but if fuel costs increase significantly, that can negatively affect the cost to drive the vehicle.

Besides, the better the fuel-efficiency, the more you might see your college student.

Reliability

If the idea of your teen broken down at night alongside the interstate gives you pause, then dependability must be a factor in choosing the right car.

 

When shopping for a vehicle, you can always find reviews that talk about the dependability of the vehicle.  Most brands are trustworthy, but it never hurts to do more research. If you find that the resale value is high, the car may be more reliable than other cars.

We have a large selection of new and used vehicles that are a good way to send your teen back to school. Come see us today.