Hand Those SUV Keys Over to Your Teen

Ready to trade in your full-size, gas-thirsty SUV for a micro-sized or hybrid car that sips fuel?

Sorry, but no one wants a big SUV these days, new or used. Trade-in values on a used SUV have dropped to the point where you'd almost be giving the vehicle away. So rather than give it away to a dealer, why not give it to your teen who’s crying for wheels?

"With their size and weight, SUVs are still the safest vehicles for the novice teen driver,” said Art Spinella, general manager of CNW Marketing Research. “Why not give it to your teen rather than have him cram into a Toyota Corolla?"

Joe Phillippi, of automotive consulting firm AutoTrends, agrees.

"A used SUV is worth so little as trade bait that rather than take a huge financial loss, give it to the kid," he said. "Gas isn't ever going to go to $2 a gallon again, but, who knows, in another year it could be near $3 and then it wouldn't have been necessary to trade in your $40,000 Tahoe for $12,000."

Even if you think $4 gas is here to stay, by keeping the SUV in the family you'll still have it when you need to tow, motor through snow, load up with mulch from Home Depot or haul the family to a vacation retreat.

Big SUVs were driven an average of 12,000 miles last year, but with the run-up in gas prices, it's only at about 5,000 miles this year.

"People are parking them because of gas prices," Spinella said.

Giving a large SUV to a teen would force them to keep a closer look at their budget and possibly keep them from speeding too much, given it’s a proven gas-sucker.

Rob Callender, trends director for TRU, a Northbrook, Ill., company that researches the buying habits of teens and 20-somethings, says giving an SUV to a teen rather than a dealer has possibilities — as well as problems.

"Any vehicle that a teen otherwise wouldn't have is a good vehicle [in their eyes], as long as they don't rack up a lot of miles with it each week,” he said. “Teens are telling us

they're feeling the gas-price pinch too. A couple years ago when asked what vehicle they'd like to own, teens were passionate about the Cadillac Escalade. Now the SUV they want

is a compact Jeep Wrangler because it's smaller and gets better mileage."

What do you think? Is this a good option, or would you rather not see an army of teens behind the wheels of Chevy Tahoes and Ford Explorers in your neighborhood?

Comments

[Amuro Ray]

Stupid. Utter stupidity in those suggestions.

(1) Teens sure will drive "conservatively" in SUV.
(2) Who ultimately pay for the GAS?
(3) Good education for teens that the next car they buy, it should be a gas guzzler and not help protecting our env (because teens sure will care for #1 & 2). What they drive now will properly be what they want to get in the future 'coz they are accustomed to SUV driving.
(4) With their superb young driving skills, we can ignore all the SUV crashes like flipping over or running out of control due to the SUV size and weight. Nice to give them a true sense of safety by having them think "now I'm driving an SUV - nothing CAN happen to me!"
(5) What 'bou the rest of the drivers? Sure, nothing CAN happen to these teens, but are we telling our kids that it's better for someone else to die because the others aren't driving SUV? With the careful manuvering of SUVs by teens, I'm sure that they definitely know what to do - or even how to avoid a crash in those monster machines. Or should we have them think, "I'm driving Big Foot - let's crush that puny little Corolla like we saw on TV!"

[DL]

agree with above! just because the SUV has a larger mass and might not bounce off another car like an Aveo would, doesn't mean that the risk of dying from rolling over (and they tip rather easily like the fat cows that they mostly are, esp the supid Jeeps) can be discounted

[Jick]

"With their size and weight, SUVs are still the safest vehicles for the novice teen driver,”

For many years (and maybe even still, I'm not sure) SUVs were not required to meet the same crash test safety standards as even the smallest of small cars, and many popular truck-based SUVs received horrible crash ratings (the Chevy Blazer comes to mind, as I used to sell them). Combined with their relative propensity for rollover compared to vehicles with lower centers of gravity, they are not likely the "safest vehicles for the novice teen driver".

This doesn't take into account the increased damage incurred by the public as these "novice teen driver(s)" create accidents of greater severity now that they are driving larger and heavier SUVs. This idea is amongst the dumbest I've heard in some time.

As can be seen with his laughable "dust-to-dust" report, Art Spinella can be counted on to state ridiculous claims in the hopes of getting his name and company's name into print. Unfortunately, he is too often successful in these attempts. Please consider removing him from your source list in the future.

[J]

This is one of the most ridiculous recommendation/blog entry I've ever seen on cars.com (Well, other than the S2000 one).

SUV are safe for teen drivers? NEVER! The more it weighs, the harder it is to control. Which in return leads to more crashes. Even it may be safer when crashed. But isn't that a little backward thinking already? You would want to avoid crashing before thinking about how safe it is when crashed!

[Dave T]

We've written many times that in a standard crash SUVs have been proven to stand up better to the crash than anything lighter/smaller. Obviously rollovers are a different story but also a fraction of most accidents.

We would hope parents would still instruct teens to drive safely no matter the vehicle. I don't think there has been any study that says teens are more likely to get in accidents in one type of vehicle vs another although insurance companies probably will point to sports cars more than suvs as higher risk.

[AV]

just use the big SUV to get everybody to Church or the airport and back and get a sedan to go around town in.

lets say you've got an '07 Yukon Denali. it has a 402 hp 6.2L V8.

you are going to give a car with a 402 hp engine to a teenager? that doesnt even consider the fact that the vehicle will seat 7 or 8. so not only does it drink gas, but it will definitley be going fast and be stuffed full or people.

get them a Jetta, Vibe, or a Civic and they'll be plenty happy

[Amuro Ray]

Another issue that I've seen with this post (the suggestions made by those idiots) is that - and a very typical thinking among Americans - lack of responsibility! This has nothing to do with the gas/safety/etc., but look at this this way:

I got a gas guzzler - and now gas prices soar. Thus I made a mistake by purchasing a gas guzzler. Instead of doing the responsible thing of trading it in or donating it in exchange for a fuel efficient vehicle or benefits those who do need a large size vehicle (this is the responsible thing to do - admit your mistake, make responsible corrections, and learn from it). What do we (or those people suggest) do? Give it to our teens. Then it's NOT our problem anymore. As long as those gas guzzlers are no longer the parents' responsibility to feed/use/maintain, the parents suddenly become saint (by saying, oh, I let my kids use the SUV because it's safer), and guilt free (gas consumption? What gas consumption? I ain't driving that thing. It's my kids! I'll teach them a lesson later with their allowance money.)

Tsk tsk tsk...

[Suzy]

"With their size and weight, SUVs are still the safest vehicles for the novice teen driver...”

Um, yeah--safest for the "teen," but least safe for everyone else on the road.

Let them drive Corrolas. No one likes teenagers anyway.

[rwcmick]

Yeah, I'm not so keen to have an inexperienced driver behind the wheel of a gigantic vehicle with poor handling and braking.

[Dave T]

The point was to avoid getting less value for your trade in and teaching your teens the lessen of a buck. Sorry so many folks can't see beyond the pretty straight forward idea. Geeze, I drove an Explorer all the time as a teenager (as well as pickups for work) and I don't think I drove them any differently than my own coupe. And if I did I drove them a lot slower because they weren't as fun to drive.

[markt]

i'm big proponent of survival of the fittest, as a society we dont prepare our children well enough for adult life as a whole. our drivers ed is serverly lacking, and highschool doesnt serve as a means to get kids to figure out what they want to do in college. hence a liberal arts major. highschool teaches kids that as soon as they are out of college, they will instantly get a six figure salary. we coddle our children too much and don't let them figure out the hard stuff in life for themselves. give them a small car, and tell them its the only one that you'll buy them. if they wreck it, they can get a job and buy one themselves.

[Amuro Ray]

D.T., I don't agree with you this time (and some other times)

1. ONE OF THE DISCUSSION is 'bou trade-in value, but the article does mention SAFETY at least a couple of times, so the article isn't straightly 'bou $$$, u c, hence the comments from us (which so far, pretty much same viewpoint);

2. Times changed; when u were kid/teen, rules were straight. Spanking was allowed. Not so in today's society. We've big problem with teenagers nowadays than, say, 15-20 years ago.

3. This is in related to AV's comment. Yesteryears SUVs/Trucks have, what < 160 hp in most cases! Your Explorer had ~ 150 hp right? That to power the heavy weight of SUV = not necessary a speeding bullet. Today we have like, 250 hp almost as a standard for V6, or 160+ for small size CUV. The one that this article mentions are most likely the V6 or even V8 - 300+ hp standard! In fact, many reviewers post 0-60 mph time now for big SUV nowadays, as they are just as powerful, if not more, than say a Mustang, Eclipse, 350Z, etc.

[Infosaur]

On the other hand, may I point out that at $4 a gallon, kids won't be able to go very far. Maybe they'll just sit in the driveway and listen to the radio.

[Hardtimes]

I think you'll be better off financially selling the SUV at *some* reasonable price (of course, use your judgment here), and buying a very-used compact (or large sedan). All in all, I would imagine insurance, maintenance, gas, and asking price would be more affordable than teaching a teenager the wonders of an SUV...

[Gary R]

Let's give them an SUV so they can pile in seven of their closest friends, go buy some beer, get drunk, crash the beast, and kill everyone aboard.

It's not just rollovers that are a major issue. These large SUVs may not sustain as much body damage as a smaller car in a collision, but the bodies inside the vehicle sustain more damage because of the body on frame design. It lacks the ability to crumple and absorb some of the impact.

Might as well sell or trade that large SUV now because the price of fuel isn't going down. Somebody that needs to haul a large family or tow stuff can use it on a regular basis. Housewives don't need a 6,000 pound SUV to go rent a video or get their nails done. Although, many people continue to drive these vehicles and keep their mouths shut because they can afford it still, even if it is much more expensive to operate. Luxury is all about excess ... excess in consumption.

[J]

Trade in value, heh?

Money worths more than killing/injuring your teen and/or injuring/killing the others.

Great idea.

[Bloke]

J - what? So you are saying driving SUV=killing teens and or others? You're a nut. You take this story way too far. If the family has an SUV in the first place the kid is going to drive it.

And more weight does not equal harder to control. There are plenty of cars on the road that are more stable at highway speeds thanks to that additional weight. I know you want to save the world by killing the SUV, which in many ways I agree with, but you make it out like the author of the story is advocating some outright unacceptable practice by society.

[Bob Wilson]

LOL!!!

Let the kids get "peer pressure" correction for driving the SUV ... BRILLIANT!

Meanwhile, the SUV continues the free fall devaluation so the ones already choking up the sales lots. So the parents wont be free until: (1) kids move away, (2) dog dies, and (3) SUV hauled off to the scrap metal yard.

Hummmm, maybe they could park the SUV in a bad part of town with a window rolled down and the keys on the seat ...

Bob Wilson

[Bowrider]

I don't think any of you anti-SUVers would trade in your Civic at a loss. There is still a place for SUVs in many families, regardless of the price of gas. And, not everyone has a budget that is sensitive to the price of gas. The article is simply stating that if you don't want to take a financial hit by trading in your large SUV, have your teenager drive it (not that I agree).

[Noah]

As a teenager who may be driving within four years, the last thing I would want to get stuck driving is an SUV of any kind. Consider SUV's are generally more dangerous than smaller cars in single-vehicle accidents. And yes, SUV's are, in fact, more energy-intensive than smaller cars, which, considering the fact that human beings causing the global temperature to rise another 1.5 degrees F would throw the global climate into absolute chaos, the last thing parents should be doing is encouraging their children to drive SUV's.

Personally, I was looking at the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid, which received 4 and 5 star crash ratings, gets 40 mpg city and 45 mpg highway, or perhaps a Prius.

[AV]

the spawn of Al Gore?

[La di da]

It's this spawn that'll be taking care of you when you're old and useless, so do something about it if you're concerned...

[J]

Bloke,

You know why I just won't spend any more time on you?

You just want to argue with me without even providing any valid points.

Explain briefly why sports car are trying to be as light weighted as possible? For handling purposes.
Don't you think that they drive in much faster speed than highway speed? Wouldn't it be "unsafe" to be light-weighted?

[Adrock]

Maybe I'm just an old man, but the kid in that picture looks like he's 12.

[Bloke]

J, so what if sports cars are made to be lighter? If you ask me to explain, at least give me a chance to answer. Sports cars are for handling and speed, that is why they are lighter. You said: "The more it weighs, the harder it is to control". That is simply not true. Ask anyone who has driven a Honda Insight in strong winds on an open highway, compared to say, an Accord. Not to mention the additional weight gives it a smoother ride overall. There are many more dynamics than just weight.

You also ask: "Don't you think that they drive in much faster speed than highway speed? Wouldn't it be "unsafe" to be light-weighted?" I am not sure I even understand that question but, if they are driving faster than highway speeds then yes it is probably unsafe. If the car isn't designed to handle the stresses of high speed than yeah it would be even more unsafe.

In the context of this story, are you advocating if you had the choice between a sports car and an SUV, you would give the kid a sports car? That really goes against a post you were "making a point on" before.