After receiving your driver’s license, how long was it before you got in your first car accident?  If you’re one of the fortunate, you never did.  But for most new drivers, those first 18 months are the most dangerous where they are 4 times more likely than adult drivers to be involved in a wreck.

Fortunately, vehicles have become much safer over the years.  Whether you need a new car or you’re choosing a starter vehicle for the new driver in your house, you can go through these four points and determine which one is going to be the best to have in the driveway.

Determining the Right Starter Vehicle

Remember, there is no perfect vehicle out there.  Using the available data, we can make informed choices that will lead to the best possible outcome.

• Ask about Affordability: You may want a Maseratti, but your budget says different. When you’re determining what vehicle to buy, you have to look beyond just the sticker price to factor in all of the costs.  The loan on a $10,000 vehicle may only come to $250 per month, but after you consider insurance, fuel, and maintenance, that can easily rise to $500 per month.

• Research Reliability: Looking at how well a vehicle is made can be quite a nightmare. The same manufacturer can make one model of vehicle that seems to last forever, while the same year making another model that is laden with issues.  Keep in mind the top performers that are consistently ranked well for their reliability, brands like:

Toyota – Safe and run for a long time with few mechanical problems.

Honda – Consider the classic Accord or Civic models for reliable vehicles that get great gas mileage.

Subaru – Great performance in inclement weather, and last for hundreds of thousands of miles.

The less time your starter vehicle spends in the shop, the happier you will be with the purchase.

• Search for Safety: Most people, when they get behind the wheel, will not be involved in a car accident. That’s the good news.  But there are still more than 100 people that die every day in the US from motor vehicle crashes. If something terrible happens, there are a few vehicles according to IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), that you want your new driver to be in so there is a lower chance of injury or death. Mazda 3 Sedan, Hyundai Elantra, and Chevrolet Equinox are among the list of the 23 safest vehicles for 2020. 

• Invest in Value: You have probably heard that a new vehicle loses half its value the minute it is driven off the lot. There’s some truth to that, but there is also some folklore involved.  Vehicles depreciate in value over time, but there are many makes and models that depreciate slower than others. When you’re shopping, consider how long the starter vehicle will hold its value.  Because eventually you will want to upgrade, and the more you can get when the time comes, the easier it will be to buy another high-quality vehicle that will provide safety.

Car Accident Attorney John Fritz is Here for You

No matter how safe our vehicles are, and no matter how diligent we drive, there’s always the chance that we will be involved in a car accident. If you were involved in an accident that was someone else’s fault, John Fritz is the car accident attorney that will help you get back on your feet. 

Need to talk about a recent wreck?  Give us a call at 314-396-7622 and let’s see how we can help you.