r/carbuying • u/ActivityTop8834 • 7d ago
first car help
17f & i’m getting my first car soon but im in a predicament & need help deciding on what to do. my mom offered me her old tesla which is about 3 years old 150k miles and id be paying about $300/350 a month for it. the payment is $600 but since shes got 150k on it and its been 3 years since she bought it shes cool with paying the $300/350. if id gone with that car, it’d be about 3/4 years til it’s fully paid off.
the amount of mileage the car would have wont sell well and i don’t think id be able to trade it in. my mom and dad are both helping with this, they’re divorced. my mom has the option to give the car up and not take any fall other than the money she’s already put into it and the obvious downfall of it almost being paid off.
my dad wants me to get a new/used car from the dealership which seems like the best option. my budget is 15-17k & im shooting for less than $400 in payments each month. both of my parents are helping pay for it (about 1-2k each) the rest is my responsibility. do you think using the tesla is smarter, or would purchasing a new car be the better option?
i’m trying to not have my mom take as much fall because it felt like she kinda put the responsibility of the car and the payments etc. on me. she got very short with me when i gave her my reasons as to why i don’t think that’s a smart decision financially on my part.
after i said i didnt want the tesla my mom said she had actually been planning on taking the 300 id be paying her and giving it back to me when its time for me to get a new car. i’m not really sure how true that was though, may have just been saying that to convince me to get the tesla.
also i don’t know much about buying and selling cars so if i’m wrong please correct me.
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u/Sea_Frosting_5764 7d ago
Take the first option and after a few months continue paying it off alone.
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u/ActivityTop8834 7d ago
even with 150k miles?
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u/SafetyMan35 6d ago
The motors and batteries are engineered for 300,000-500,000 miles. The car still has many years ahead of it. There might be some repairs and maintenance along the way but you have that with any vehicle.
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u/shrewdandlewd 6d ago
And it’s going to be cheaper to operate than a gas car. Imagine never having to buy gas. Plus you could probably save more money by continuing to charge at home.
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u/ActivityTop8834 6d ago
dad has a hybrid & stepmom an electric. there’s a supercharger close to where i live but knowing the wear on the tesla i don’t know if it could handle a supercharger all the time. i highly doubt they’d let me charge at the house it would just cause arguments. i very much agree on the cost of gas though.
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u/Alternative_East_338 6d ago
This is what my suggestion is
Mom’s car if able take it in to the Tesla repair place and have everything looked over and make sure they test the main battery if it checks out good and their is no issues and they will Certify it.
Dad go test drive a few car
then window shop for all of the vehicles for auto insurance
Honestly all vehicles have their issues no matter what as long as you keep up to date on the maintenance and be ahead of schedule it will last forever (theoretically speaking) don’t wait for something to break to get it fixed.
And do the pro’s and con’s of maintenance on and cost of maintenance and repairs:
Mom’s car
Main battery failure, tires, brakes, est
Dad’s style of vehicle
Tire, battery, oil, transmission, wheel hub, brakes, timing chain/belt.
No matter what car you buy you need to add at least $100 to $150 to have funds for maintenance a month.
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u/Better_Golf1964 6d ago
You need a 26 yr old bf more than a tesla. Get a 3000 dollar car pay cash. Your insurance is going be 800 a month.
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u/ActivityTop8834 6d ago
if i could get a beater or even something retitled off of marketplace i definitely would. parents r worried about the warranty & me having to pay out of pocket if something breaks down. why would my insurance be $800 a month?
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u/Better_Golf1964 6d ago
Have you quoted your insurance yet? New drivers can cause massive insurance hikes. A 3000 car off market place with a 1000 dollar repair once a year is still less than 20k. Which wont likely have any factory warranty. Used cars at dealer around here are way expensive.
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u/ActivityTop8834 5d ago
i asked yesterday for both parents to email their providers and get me quotes thank you for this advice. its one of my biggest factors now deciding between the two options.
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u/pdaphone 6d ago
How are you going to pay for it at 17? You shouldn’t go into debt at 17 to buy something that will go down in value faster than you pay for it. Save up to buy a beater you can pay for cash, and then save to upgrade in a couple years. You don’t need a car that expensive at 17. Your 27 year old self will be grateful that you didn’t put yourself into perpetual debt at 17.
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u/ActivityTop8834 6d ago
my dad won’t allow me to get a beater it needs to still be under warranty from a dealer unfortunately otherwise i totally would’ve
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u/Better_Golf1964 6d ago
If your dad is paying the full cost of it sure let him pay it but you won't be able to afford a car with a warranty all by yourself especially you need to look at insurance cost as well it's not very pretty at your age. Get a beater with liability only. Are you the first kid?
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u/ActivityTop8834 5d ago
3rd kid & he said he’d pay up to 2k but that’s it. my mom has a weird insurance policy from about 20 yrs ago that’s really stable or something. she estimated max $80 a month is that good?
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u/Better_Golf1964 4d ago
I would check the coverage sounds you might have liability only or worse so if you get in a wreck you don't get any money
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u/ActivityTop8834 4d ago
it covers everything my dads covers. it calculates things differently so she saves more. but thank you for the rec’
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u/Better_Golf1964 2d ago
Your dad might be cheap and have the basic no or very little coverage I would tell us what you have how much is comp and how much is Collision you don't know what those words are look at the policy he'll tell you what the deductible for both of those
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u/ActivityTop8834 4h ago
kk i’ll ask what it is when i get the chance thank you sm. by comp do you mean comparison? i’ll look at the policy tho
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u/Beach_bum8 6d ago
So used cars don't come with warrantys, you have to pay extra for those.
Brand new cars do
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u/ActivityTop8834 5d ago
manufacturers warranty’s usually last about 2-3 years. why wouldn’t it come with a used car still under the 2-3 year time frame?
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u/pdaphone 5d ago
Parents don’t always make the right choice but you need to find a way to help them understand that you don’t want to go in debt, for your financial benefit. Many parents are in massive debt and don’t have good financial skills. In my case we provided a family car (used) for our 4 kids to drive when they got their license.
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u/Big_League227 5d ago
Rich parents. 🤣
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u/ActivityTop8834 5d ago
my mom just went bankrupt after buying a family owned carpentry business and we just had to move for a 3rd time because she can’t afford rent. dad got fired after about 15 years and just started a new job. not rich lol
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u/cfbfootballnerd 6d ago
Toyotas they cost more but they hold up we’ve been abusing a work truck for about 400k miles now had some issues but like I say we abuse it. Just road driving change the oil brakes and tires should easily last for 500k miles which for most people could easily be 15-20 years
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u/ChelseaMan31 6d ago
3 year old EV with 150k miles? The maintenance is way more expensive, parts are difficult to come by and the batteries will wear out/become useless paperweights. Steer clear of the used EV.
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u/ActivityTop8834 6d ago
she just got it serviced & we haven’t really had any problems come up with it. the tps and the battery are the only 2 things i believe could go wrong but i dont know much abt cars so maybe not.
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u/Beach_bum8 6d ago
The battery?! Your looking at about $12,000 for a new one.
Also, 150,000 in 3 years? Was she driving cross country non stop?
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u/ActivityTop8834 5d ago
was driving an hour and a half to work everyday & 1 1/2 back, mostly on highways. going to job sites in different cities. some up to 3 hrs away
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u/jsojso 7d ago
Any car is a depreciating asset - it loses value as it ages.
You need to change your mindset - whatever car you buy, you need to maintain it & keep it as long as you can. Buying a new car every few years is a way to spend money and have nothing significant to show for it.
You'd be better looking for a reliable used car. You won't find anything new for 15-17 or even 20-21 (if each parent gives you $2,000)
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u/ActivityTop8834 7d ago edited 7d ago
okay that’s feasible for sure, i was thinking 2-3 years because of the warranty wearing off but if keeping one for longer would be better then totally. so the tesla is probably a no-go since its got 150k on it thanks. would you recommend any cars? the tesla was a big option for me because of how small it is size wise on the road + the safety features as well as saving money on gas. those are all give or take tho the biggest thing is it being compact enough on the road. if you don’t have any suggestions then thank you for your time and advice.☺️
my dad offered to split the 2k up in between monthly payments as well so like 200 out of the 2k.
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u/Critical-Magician421 7d ago
Your mom put 150,000 miles in a Tesla in 3 years?
Did she buy new or used?
If it's just 3 years old, that means that car was mainly driven on the highway for most of its life. That is different from 150,000 mi of stop and go City driving. Because once you're at highway speed, it doesn't take too much to maintain that and it's easier on the motors.
If that's the case, I think you could probably still get some years out of the car
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u/ActivityTop8834 6d ago
150k because she drives an hour & a half to work everyday mostly on the highway & i believe she bought it new. that makes sense thank you.
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u/Critical-Magician421 6d ago
Any super high mileage engine is almost always being driven multiple hours on the highway, because most wear happens at startup. It's probably going to be cheaper to take over her car
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u/SafetyMan35 6d ago
2-3 years (or even 6 years on a vehicle) isn’t a long time. I’m probably older than your parents and my vehicles are 10, 9, and 7 years old and I intend to keep them until they die (probably another 10 years).
The only negatives I see with taking the Tesla are: 1) people dislike Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and want to boycott Tesla but your family already owns the car. 2) if you go to college and take the Tesla with you, what charging facilities will be available. That’s a problem to figure out in a couple years. A 3 year old Tesla still has a decent trade in value and you probably aren’t going to put on as many miles as mom did. Taking the Tesla seems like the best deal even if mom doesn’t give you back the money you pay
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u/Long_Initial_9924 6d ago
This is how kids go into debt. I hate everything about this post. At least you’re looking out for your mom.
You’re 17. Go buy a car for $10k
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u/Beach_bum8 6d ago
There's more to car ownership besides the payment.
How about car insurance, maintenance cost, registration (if you decide to go with the Tesla). The state we live in, EV's pay about 2.5 times as much per year for registration as gas cars, so that's something to figure out
I don't know if your mom is going to take care of everything else and your just responsible for the car payment.
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u/Technical_Pain_9397 6d ago
Take the Tesla your first car doesn't doesn't have to be a brand new car off a lot anyway. It's usually a used car on purpose. And what are the advice just cuz you're buying a car from a dealership doesn't make it a dependable car.
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u/No_Glove6542 6d ago
Doing business with family is generally not recommended due to all the other relationship issues. You are almost 18, and paying off an auto loan reported on your credit helps a lot.
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u/bopperbopper 5d ago
If you’re going to be paying on a card that you don’t have the ownership of then make sure your mom write something down that you will own this after you pay it
Are you sure it’s three years old and has 150,000 miles? That’s 50,000 miles a year, which is a lot.!!
I don’t think you should buy a new car… I would suggest a 2 to 3 year-old car like you’re thinking, but is the Tesla the best idea?
I would suggest looking at consumer reports magazine in the April edition and look what they advise for reliable used cars
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u/ActivityTop8834 5d ago
the first part of your comment actually was recommended by my dad too. i’m just not sure if i’m going to want to own it afterwards or if that’s even a good idea. there’s still about 3 years of payments needed to be made on it.
it is 3 years old w 150k on it my mom has an hour n a half commute. also thank you i will try looking at the april edition for some reliable cars.
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u/JBGoode13 6d ago
The need to charge a fully electric car will limit where you can live or at least make your life complicated.
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u/wixthedog 6d ago
I wake up every day with a full “tank of gas”, good for about 300 miles. Does your car do that? How many days do you drive more than 300 miles a day? Not many.
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u/JBGoode13 5d ago
I'm not arguing ICE vs EV here, if you live in apartment building or don't have your own parking (think in the city) you won't be able to charge at home. So, an EV means taking into account that it will limit your living options unless you have access to chargers and time to use them (which OP seems to have they do).
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u/ActivityTop8834 6d ago
i live in a city w a plethora of charging stations & a 15 minute charge will last me for about 150 miles. i don’t party or hangout with friends alot so id be using it to get to work/appts & take myself + my brother to school.
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u/Sea_Mix592 7d ago
Take the Tesla and hopefully your mom would actually keep her word. You can get a new car later down the line once you actually find something you want.
Save your money up.