Vehicles again!!! Subaru Forester or Legacy? or Honda Accord? Teen driver?

[Pen]

Primarily with male  teen/young adult driver in mind.  And safety as a top priority.

6 months driving needs to be done with learner permit, and me in passenger seat.

 Then presumably he will be able to drive on his own.  

 We live in country/rural PNW.  Ds will probably be working in city (45 minute drive each way) at least part time starting sometime  in 2020.   Probably initially something like a supermarket courtesy clerk. And possibly going to and from Community college (hour ish  drive each way) .  He thinks he may want to be a realtor, so will need a vehicle that looks presentable and can do whatever realtors need to do as they are getting started.  

He prefers the idea of Legacy.  Or Accord—I used to drive an Accord, and that old Accord was first vehicle Ds ever drove.  

I feel safer in the slightly bigger (I think) Forester, though I do see that Legacy maybe  has less roll-over potential.  

I think he may miss the practicality of more gear room, roof racks, etc.  And higher road clearance, and maybe a little more ability to handle rural winter situations.  Or not, not sure.  He likes the cleaner lines look of Legacy or Accord and smaller vehicle for maneuverability.  

I will test drive both next week. 

Both Forester and Legacy look very good on NHSTA crash tests, etc.  Accord looks close.

Of course, best would be no crash in first place. 

Hive opinions? 

Edited August 21, 2019 by Pen

[Katy]

About 5 years ago we watched a distracted driver in a Forrester t-bone a Ford 150. The truck rolled and was crushed.  The driver was shaken, had some injuries, and incredibly grateful he'd just dropped his children at daycare and they weren't in the truck on the side that had just been crushed.  The Forrester was totaled but the driver and his big dog, loose in the backseat, were both totally fine. Ever since then we've had a strong preference for them.  And clearance isn't nothing when it comes to snow.

[Random]

I ❤️ my Forester.  It's our first non-Toyota in 20 years.  We drive a lot of dark, winding roads and can have heavy snow October-May.  Most of our activities are in a town 45 miles away, and I have to say the Forester has been awesome.  The ground clearance is an issue for us because we live in a rural area with lots of dirt roads.  Sometimes the snowplows cannot keep up with the rate of snowfall and the Forester does fine. It's very stable on icy roads, comfortable to drive, has a nice big cargo area for hauling sports equipment and if I go 65 MPH, I get 31 MPG.  I am usually driving more like 75-80 and average 28 MPG. 

Your son could carry lots of realtor signs and fliers in his Forester, but maybe not in an Outback or Accord.  If my realtor drove me around in a Subaru, I'd be impressed at his choosing substance over style. Lol. (I'm joking...mostly)

[PeterPan]

So I test drove a Forester when I was picking a car this year, and they have a metal strip in the divided window on the driver's side that catches the white painted lines on the road when you're driving. I found it horribly distracting and axed that car from the list. I don't know if it bugs other people, but I wouldn't be able to drive it. Loved the Subaru Outback, didn't try the Legacy. 

I think putting him in the car he's most comfortable in is probably the best way to be safe. 

Total aside, but my dh was always so adamant about light interiors, that dark would be hot. Well I find the dark interior of my new car very calming, which goes back to my point that what you feel well in is the safe choice. And while I have a big SUV, I LOVE my little sedan now. I can see why he might like the Legacy for that. No clue on the gear, lol. 

Edited August 21, 2019 by PeterPan

[kiwik]

It must be country specific.  I would never buy my teen a Subaru anything.  They are known boy racer cars and they are hideously expensive to insure or repair.  I would go with a Honda. 

[MEmama]

Subaru for safety hands down.

 

[MEmama]

3 hours ago, kiwik said:

It must be country specific.  I would never buy my teen a Subaru anything.  They are known boy racer cars and they are hideously expensive to insure or repair.  I would go with a Honda. 

The Impreza is sporty, but the Forester is an SUV (aka boring mom car according to my DS16). The Legacy is in essence a station wagon, very much not cool and racy. 😉

Our Subaru is no more expensive to insure than our VW. I far prefer DS to drive my Forester over the Jetta precisely because it’s less sporty and I’m confident about its safety standards. 

[Pen]

@kiwik and @MEmama

Clarification: The Legacy he is interested in is a 4 door sedan, not a station wagon. The Legacy (sedan) is a little smaller than Accord (particularly as to wheel base)  but has AWD and  has an IIHS top pick plus safety rating, as does the Forester.  The Accord is a “top pick,” but not “plus.”  I can’t recall why the Accord missed the plus. 

 I haven’t yet called to ask about comparative insurance rates.  Service and repairs do tend to be higher for Subaru than Honda, but initial cost is lower for similar class vehicle/features, and gas mileage a little better so it may even out. 

https://www.subaru.com/vehicles/legacy/index.html

The Legacy sedan has a little less HP than the Forester small SUV.  But I do have a concern that it might be easier to drive faster in the Legacy even without realizing it. And quite aside from racing. And still not have as much HP for climbing hills.  

 That was true in our Accord car where noise and wind and other feelings of speed were reduced as compared to our pickup where sounds and sensations of speed tend to be amplified.  

Edited August 21, 2019 by Pen

[MEmama]

4 minutes ago, Pen said:

@kiwik and @MEmama

Clarification: The Legacy he is interested in is a 4 door sedan, not a station wagon. The Legacy (sedan) is a little smaller than Accord (particularly as to wheel base)  but has AWD and  has an IIHS top pick plus safety rating, as does the Forester.  The Accord is a “top pick,” but not “plus.”  I can’t recall why the Accord missed the plus. 

 I haven’t yet called to ask about comparative insurance rates.  Service and repairs do tend to be higher than Honda, but initial cost is lower for similar class vehicle/features, and gas mileage a little better so it may even out. 

https://www.subaru.com/vehicles/legacy/index.html

The Legacy sedan has a little less HP than the Forester small SUV.  But I do have a concern that it might be easier to drive faster in the Legacy even without realizing it. And quite aside from racing. And still not have as much HP for climbing hills.  

 That was true in our Accord car where noise and wind and other feelings of speed were reduced as compared to our pickup where sounds and sensations of speed tend to be amplified.  

Oh yeah, I forgot there is a Legacy sedan. I typically see the wagons in our area.

I totally know what you mean about it being easier to unconsciously drive one type of car faster than another. It’s one of the big differences between our Forester and VW—the VW has more sporty handling and turning radius (according to DS the car aficionado lol), and even I find myself accidentally driving faster in it than my Forester. I don’t like to drive it for that and other reasons (it’s low, for one thing) but of course they are the reasons DS prefers it (and why I prefer him in the Forester). 

AWD is a major selling point to me given our climate. I would feel the same in your area as well, given the variable conditions.

Ugh the car thing is hard! It sounds like you have good options.

[Pen]

1 hour ago, MEmama said:

The Impreza is sporty, but the Forester is an SUV (aka boring mom car according to my DS16). The Legacy is in essence a station wagon, very much not cool and racy. 😉

Our Subaru is no more expensive to insure than our VW. I far prefer DS to drive my Forester over the Jetta precisely because it’s less sporty and I’m confident about its safety standards. 

 

As I think you may be in similar stage and with kid who may still like to take curves faster than Mama would like, how do you feel when in passenger seat of Forester and your Ds is driving?

 I have come to realize that part of my anxiety in this learning to drive stage is related to the Ridgeline (small pickup) being very wide. Even on our own rural road it is hard to manage it at the road edges and drop offs.  In a vehicle that could have its driver side a foot or so from centerline without having its passenger side wheels very close to the pavement edge, I think it might not only help him, but also help me.

One place ds’s instructor had  him drive  (a rural road that has a sudden 90 degree turn that wipes out a driver every few years) in the little Driving School sedan which he’d already done with me in the truck was a relative piece of cake in the little car after managing it in the truck.  

Giving bikes wide berth is also harder in the wide pickup. 

[ScoutTN]

I am enjoying my Forester (replaced an Odyssey, so downsizing), esp how well it handles in the rain. Mine is an older model, though. It holds more than I though it would. 

[Bambam]

I'll throw in a couple more considerations. 

First - gas mileage - if he is driving 45 miles one way to work, he could be using a lot of gas, so the vehicle's mileage should come into play in the decision as well. Same as driving to CC - that a lot of mileage if you have a low mileage car. Gas here is ~$2.20/gallon, but no telling what it will be next year. 

Secondly - I'd call your insurance company and ask estimated rates for each specific vehicle. Our insurance company charges based on the features of the car - so our 21 yo with a manual transmission just liability 2011 Honda Accord pays as much as our 18 yo with a 2014 Toyota Camry with full coverage. 100% silly to me, but there it is. 

BTW, I'm biased towards Accords. I drive an Accord Sport, and I love the handling and maneuverability and ease of parking. My oldest has my old Accord. Both have been excellent cars from a continuing cost of ownership perspective. 

[TravelingChris]

6 hours ago, kiwik said:

It must be country specific.  I would never buy my teen a Subaru anything.  They are known boy racer cars and they are hideously expensive to insure or repair.  I would go with a Honda. 

That is so strange.  Not the case in our country at all.    Honda's here are much more likely to be stolen.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Given the three choices, I'd opt for the Forester.  I agree that the extra cargo room would come in handy, but maybe he just likes the sleek look of a sedan better.  I believe the Accord and the Legacy are similar in many ways, and I'm sure both are well made cars.  I'd pick the Legacy primarily because it's AWD, and secondarily because Subarus just seem to last longer.  Those may not be considerations for your needs.  I believe Subaru's safety feature are rated higher, which is important as well.  That being said, Hondas are good cars, and I'm sure the Accord would serve him well.  

Keep in mind, we are a Subaru family.  We bought our fifth Subaru last year, and we still own three.  We had to part with our 21 year old Outback when it had 278,000 miles on it.  We lost our original Subaru, a GL Coupe, when it was totaled in an accident.  Dh cartwheeled it when he swerved to miss two bicyclists riding in the dark.  The chassis was bent, but dh walked away with only a tiny scratch on the side of his forehead.  Subarus are excellent cars.

Edited August 22, 2019 by Suzanne in ABQ

[Selkie]

9 hours ago, kiwik said:

It must be country specific.  I would never buy my teen a Subaru anything.  They are known boy racer cars and they are hideously expensive to insure or repair.  I would go with a Honda. 

That is true of the Subaru WRX here in the US. They are small, sporty, and turbo charged and very expensive to insure.

[MEmama]

5 hours ago, Pen said:

 

As I think you may be in similar stage and with kid who may still like to take curves faster than Mama would like, how do you feel when in passenger seat of Forester and your Ds is driving?

 I have come to realize that part of my anxiety in this learning to drive stage is related to the Ridgeline (small pickup) being very wide. Even on our own rural road it is hard to manage it at the road edges and drop offs.  In a vehicle that could have its driver side a foot or so from centerline without having its passenger side wheels very close to the pavement edge, I think it might not only help him, but also help me.

One place ds’s instructor had  him drive  (a rural road that has a sudden 90 degree turn that wipes out a driver every few years) in the little Driving School sedan which he’d already done with me in the truck was a relative piece of cake in the little car after managing it in the truck.  

Giving bikes wide berth is also harder in the wide pickup. 

I don’t find the Forester to be wide. It’s very easy to park, even in tight spaces, and the backup camera really helped him learn proper spacing and angling (not Subaru specific, obviously, but our VW doesn’t have one and it is surprisingly useful in parking). 

I prefer that it isn’t as fast off the start as the Jetta and definitely you “feel” the road more, which I find slows everyone down a bit. Plus, there’s that stellar safety rating and story after story about being in an accident and walking away...I hope to always drive them, honestly (or a Volvo). 

If I were buying him a car, the only consideration would be which model Subaru. 

[katilac]

It sounds like he will be driving frequently and for far distances rather quickly after getting his licence, so make sure you do way over the minimum practice hours. I would want him to do that commute with someone multiple, multiple times before doing it on his own - both of your examples are really long commutes for a beginning driver. Getting your driver's license is a very low bar, it doesn't mean you're ready to take on the world. 

All of those cars would be good, safe choices for most people. I can't speak to the snow aspect, though. I agree with PeterPan that being comfortable with the vehicle is a huge part of safety. 

Do you know anyone who drives those cars? It would be good to have more than a test drive if someone would let him try their vehicle (after lots of practice, of course). This would obviously have to be someone who really likes y'all 😎

 

[prairiewindmomma]

I think there's a reason that a Subaru is the unofficial vehicle of the PNW.  The clearance, AWD tires, and safety features are a great combo. 🙂

I would pick what he prefers driving, but if you're at a snow elevation and you get the Accord, I'd spring for snow tires in the winter.  I have not been super happy with how our Hondas have handled in the winter even with brand new, really good in the rain tires. 

If it were my kid, and I had to pick without consulting my ds, I'd go for the Forester personally.  You can haul a ton of stuff in it, and he's moving into that period of life where he will be moving and relocating often and that involves hauling stuff. The realty signs stack well in the back, fwiw. 

[Spy Car]

Subaru fan here in the generally fair weather of SoCal.

In the PNW? Subaru x10.

Bill

[Pen]

2 hours ago, katilac said:

It sounds like he will be driving frequently and for far distances rather quickly after getting his licence, so make sure you do way over the minimum practice hours. I would want him to do that commute with someone multiple, multiple times before doing it on his own - both of your examples are really long commutes for a beginning driver. Getting your driver's license is a very low bar, it doesn't mean you're ready to take on the world. 

All of those cars would be good, safe choices for most people. I can't speak to the snow aspect, though. I agree with PeterPan that being comfortable with the vehicle is a huge part of safety. 

Do you know anyone who drives those cars? It would be good to have more than a test drive if someone would let him try their vehicle (after lots of practice, of course). This would obviously have to be someone who really likes y'all 😎

 

 

He’ll have 5 months minimum still driving with me before he gets his license.   And I’ll continue to do new routes with him afterwards.  

It’s part of why my own comfort and anxiety reduction as passenger is part of what I’m considering—in addition to his preferences.