Hello, I’m from Pennsylvania. We have finally decided to purchase our son his own car and get him his own vehicle insurance policy. He is going off to college pretty soon. He’s very excited about this, and I’m sure he would want a fancy one. However, my husband and I want to be practical. Vehicle insurance coverage alone can be draining on the budget. What would be a good choice of vehicle?

Jenny

Philadelphia, PA

Hi Jenny of Pennsylvania! Are you planning to get your son a liability car insurance coverage? This is the minimum requirement in most states primarily because you must be able to take responsibility for any damage you might inflict on another person while driving. This, however, does not cover damages to your own car, so your car choice in this case won’t matter so much.

It’s a good thing though that you’re being careful about buying a vehicle. There are several factors that affect your premium especially if you’re getting a comprehensive car insurance coverage. What car you drive is one of them. Some cheap cars to insure include Chevrolet Venture, Honda Odyssey, Buick LeSabre, Oldsmobile Silhouette, and so on. You might want to canvass vehicles in this range. If the car you choose is likely to get into an accident, it will be more expensive to insure. If it is costly to repair, vehicle insurance companies will also charge more. Between a sedan and a mustang, the former would be the obvious choice.

Even if you could afford it, I wouldn’t recommend buying an expensive car especially if your son is a beginner at driving. His inexperience could work against him. Both the value of his car and his lack of driving experience will raise the premium of his vehicle insurance policy. These are hard times, and I guess your priority should be utility and safety. He could get his sports car later.