Question - What is the best car to buy our 16-year-old daughter? Cost, while a factor, is a lower priority than air bags, reinforced doors, anti-lock brakes and other safety features that will improve her chances of survival should she be in an accident. We live approximately five minutes from a major university, where there were five car wrecks on the first day of classes. Alcohol plays a large role in most wrecks in our area (probably in all areas) and we are more concerned about the "other guys" being careless than we are about our daughter's driving ability and judgment. What would you recommend, preferably secondhand, for our daughter. - Irving
TOM: You want a secondhand recommendation? What if I tell my brother and he tells you?
RAY: My brother recommends an early '90s Volvo, Irv. It's hard to beat a Volvo for passive safety. It's heavy, structurally strong, and if you don't go back too many years, you can get one with at least a driver's airbag and probably ABS, too.
TOM: The only significant safety improvement that has come along since then is the limited introduction of side-impact air bags, which you can get on newer Volvos and some Mercedes and BMW models. The cheapest of that bunch is probably a new Volvo 850, which'll cost you about $30,000. And my guess is your daughter will need a hefty hike in her allowance to make the payments on that baby.
RAY: So I'd suggest either an early '90s Volvo 240 or 740 if snow is not an issue where you live. Or a '93 or '94 Volvo 850 if snow is a factor, since the 850 is front-wheel drive. Those are all very safe cars. Plus, none of them is terribly flashy, so she won't attract undue attention.
TOM: And trust me, Irv. As the father of a formerly 16-year-old daughter, she'll be attracting enough unwanted attention (at least from your point of view) without a flashy set of wheels. Good luck to both of you.
Question - I drive a '93 Infiniti G20 and experience the same problem with snow that was described several months ago by the owner of a blue Saturn (i.e., the car slides all over the place in the snow). You suggested four good snow tires. My husband insists I need snow tires only on the front wheels because they do the driving. Is that true? - Pam
TOM: Oh, Pam. You should never listen to your husband when it comes to cars. If you don't believe me, ask my wife!
RAY: It's true that your "starting traction" comes from the front wheels in this car, since the G20 is front-wheel-drive. But starting traction isn't the only kind of traction you need.
TOM: "Stopping traction" would also be useful, wouldn't it? As would "turning traction." And both of those involve the front and rear wheels.
RAY: So while snow tires on the two driven wheels will help you get started in the snow, and may keep you from getting "stuck" someplace, we strongly recommend four snow tires if you have to drive in seriously snowy conditions. Having four good-quality snow tires will improve your stopping and turning abilities, both of which we find very useful.
TOM: And as I always say, if you can stop and turn well in the snow, Pam, you're less likely to end up in traction (ha, ha!).