safest car under 5k

[potatoman]

so my gf just totaled her car, i think 02 saturn sl or ls 1 i cant ever rem which letter comes first. well anyways... airbags didnt deploy (i thought that was weird). shes 19 and this is her 5th accident that she has been driving in. i think her 20th that she has been involved in total. i have come to the conclusion that the road does not want her on it. but given the times, this is not possible. so the next best option... a safer car.

i think the only stipulations are that it is a car (no suv truck etc), 4 cyls would be best, and an atx. oh yeah and its supposed to look cute. lol. with a budget of $5k. im gonna be looking around for something decent but if anyone could suggest something or through out any advice pertaining to the car (not her driving ability) that would be great.

[Midwestzx2]

a zx2 with an 8 point cage in it along with nice beefy door bars.

[ZX2guy19]

LOL ^^

Try to find a used Mazda Protege.

[Exodia]

They dont make cars like they used to. I recomend a 1981 Oldsmobile Regency 98. It will kill you in gas, but you can get them cheap. When I had mine (gas was $1.50/gal) I got rear ended by a neon that was going aboug 20mph faster than me or so. It was effing hillarious. The guys bumper went straight through his radiater, his car was fucked. Yea, I had a scratch in the chrome paint on the bumper, thats about it, not even a dent. The car was a tank, buy a tank. Though I have always been really fond of 80's model Oldsmobile's untill gas hit $2/gal.

[dragon2200]

These are all in Seattle but you get the idea

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/car/779426506.html

http://http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/car/780163119.html (http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/car/780163119.html)

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/car/780186835.html

[4U2QUIK]

a used volvo, they even call them the worlds safest car.... and I can testify to that claim.

[4U2QUIK]

and they get decent gas mileage too. even the turbo volvo's are ok on gas.

[CSCustomCars]

x2 on the Volvo's. Safest cars there are.

[capitalcrew]

Without a doubt.. volvos kick ass.

[krux]

volvos for sure. They most testing on safety then anything else on the car

[mellowness65]

i had a friend whose dad put 500k on a volvo
but i think a bike surrounded by a steel cage would be better, after that many accidents she could probably make payments on a lambo with money she gives to the insurance ppl

[potatoman]

she ended up getten a pt cruiser. good safety ratings. ok mileage. and tis purple with chrome stock rims so she likes it lol.

[Gregersonke]

PT cruiser is a good choice.

I was gonna say if you get a volvo stay away from everything between 95 and 2004 unless you want severe electrical gremlins.

[dragon2200]

PT cruiser is a good choice.

I was gonna say if you get a volvo stay away from everything between 95 and 2004 unless you want severe electrical gremlins.

you Have that same chance with any car just depends on your luck, it's like Ford and Chevy and every other car out there that's why you watch for recalls most owners just don't therefore the next buyer is stuck with the problems.

[Gregersonke]

Ask any Volvo mechanic. The early S series goes cheap for the same reason you can find a 745i for cheap.

[4U2QUIK]

240's and 740's r usually good ones

[Beodude123]

Volvo. They have been known for safety since they have been made.

[slammmed]

Volvo. They have been known for safety since they have been made.

yeah, even bigfoot couldn't crush them!

[Buster]

she ended up getten a pt cruiser. good safety ratings. ok mileage. and tis purple with chrome stock rims so she likes it lol.

I drove my dad's PT Cruiser Limited this week for the first time. I was VERY impressed. It had some power and had one of the smoothest rides I have ever felt. Plus, you can haul lots of stuff and there are some nice options like heated seats and power outlets all throughout the car.

This was the car he traded his '98 green ZX2 for. :lol:

[4U2QUIK]

The Last Volvo I Had Had All That Plus Tons Of Hp. Heated Power Seats, Ride Controll Ect. And It Only Cost Me 400$

[JonsZX2SR]

Yugo or Trabant. Fiat is a good 3rd choice. Since they usually don't run, leaving them stationary in the driveway results in a very low accident rate.

If they are involved in an accident it is almost always the driver of the other vehicles fault.

...another solution would be for for someone to become her chauffeur.

Seriously, I would try to solve her driving problems before getting her another car.

A large vehicle that is safe for her, combined with her level of driving skills and awareness is only going to create hazards for other driver. before she injures or skills someone, she needs to improve her driving. Otherwise she may face far more serious legal issues if she is responsible for an accident.

[CraZx2ing]

I bet she text's while driving...

[pinkshinyalan]

Yugo or Trabant. Fiat is a good 3rd choice. Since they usually don't run, leaving them stationary in the driveway results in a very low accident rate.

If they are involved in an accident it is almost always the driver of the other vehicles fault.

...another solution would be for for someone to become her chauffeur.

Seriously, I would try to solve her driving problems before getting her another car.

A large vehicle that is safe for her, combined with her level of driving skills and awareness is only going to create hazards for other driver. before she injures or skills someone, she needs to improve her driving. Otherwise she may face far more serious legal issues if she is responsible for an accident.

Thank you Jon. My thoughts exactly.

If your kid comes home with cuts and bruises, you don't just put bandages on. You find out who's giving the beatings. Likewise, your girlfriend needs to address her driving habits or she's going to be railed by insurance companies all her life -- possibly to the point of being too risky to be insured.

Trabants are a bad suggestion though -- never sold in the US. Fiats and Yugos are hard to find, but cheap.

[JonsZX2SR]

Trabants make great law statues, the body is a plastic composite so it doesn't rust, just slowly degrades under sunlight... The likelihood of getting in an accident in a stationary lawn ornament is near zero, unless you get hit by someone driving off the road, by a garden tractor or by a meteor. On second thought, keep her off the garden tractor.

...of course, she could fall out of the vehicle and injure herself.

[Beodude123]

Meteors do strike every once in a while... LoL

[Nightmare]

cavalier, sunfire, VW, oldsmobile...toyota,......volvo, or even a suby.......but that is what I would go for if cars liked hitting me.