Which would you choose for your teen?

ATL Aggie

3:36p, 4/30/24

2017 Mazda3 Touring, 65k miles, $10k
2008 4Runner Limited, 2WD, 150k miles, $7,500

I was about to buy the Mazda from a colleague but a neighbor has just offered up a 4Runner. Which would you choose?

The 4Runner in my opinion is "cooler", but it it doesn't have modern safety features. It sits higher up which I think has some safety advantage. I personally would rather own the 4Runner, but my kids safety is more important. Is a more modern Mazda sedan going to be safer than an older 4Runner? Which is a better vehicle for an inexperienced driver?

stevopike

3:38p, 4/30/24

any idea if maintenance has been kept up on Toyota?

ATL Aggie

3:42p, 4/30/24

In reply to stevopike

I believe it has been well maintained.

Buck Turgidson

4:19p, 4/30/24

Long drive to school? Is the drive on city streets or highway?

ATL Aggie

4:38p, 4/30/24

In reply to Buck Turgidson

School is 10 minutes away on local streets. There isn't much need to drive on the interstate, but they will in order to get comfortable with it and learn.

Trinity Ag

4:40p, 4/30/24

In reply to ATL Aggie

ATL Aggie said:
2017 Mazda3 Touring, 65k miles, $10k
2008 4Runner Limited, 2WD, 150k miles, $7,500

I was about to buy the Mazda from a colleague but a neighbor has just offered up a 4Runner. Which would you choose?

The 4Runner in my opinion is "cooler", but it it doesn't have modern safety features. It sits higher up which I think has some safety advantage. I personally would rather own the 4Runner, but my kids safety is more important. Is a more modern Mazda sedan going to be safer than an older 4Runner? Which is a better vehicle for an inexperienced driver?

I would recommend the Mazda3.

"Safer" is one of those "it depends" things.

The 4Runner will absolutely do better in a major collision based on size and weight, but is also likely more prone to accidents, as the handling characteristics of a heavy, truck-based SUV with rear wheel drive are less forgiving than a front drive car that will outhandle and outbrake the 4Runner by a significant amount.

The Mazda will be easier to drive, easier to park, and is plenty safe.

Gas and maintenance costs (given the age) will favor the Mazda. Is the kid paying for gas & upkeep?

If possible, I would let the teen drive the two and tell which they are more comfortable in. Both are great choices.

mefoghorn

4:46p, 4/30/24

Either is a pretty good choice. The 4runner is plenty safe, super reliable, versatile and a classic. The Mazda will feel much newer.

Buck Turgidson

5:05p, 4/30/24

I'd be reluctant to buy anything with 150k miles, even a Toyota. Of those two, I'd lean Mazda.

1agswitchin4lanes

5:08p, 4/30/24

No clean delta 88s in your area?

Ag for Life

5:09p, 4/30/24

4Runner. More mass always wins and parts are cheap since 4Runners had the same powertrain for like 25 years

ATL Aggie

5:24p, 4/30/24

In reply to Buck Turgidson

I'm not concerned with the milage. I have a land cruiser with 289k on the clock.

Matsui

5:35p, 4/30/24

In reply to ATL Aggie

Sick ride. Post a pic. Don't let the teenage drive that Land Cruiser ha!

EskimoJoe

6:10p, 4/30/24

run this question past your insurance agent

Tim Weaver

6:24p, 4/30/24

First cars are pretty much disposable. So which one of these would you rather see in a bar ditch?

JP76

8:04p, 4/30/24

For a first time driver I want the full frame of the 4runner. Also the 4runner can take a lot of abuse such as curb hitting with out much damage. If it is a 4.0 engine those run easily 250-300 k with basic maintenance and the vehicle is generally very reliable. If it needs tires I would put some michelin ltx on it. Put a good battery in it and use mobil 1 full synthetic every 5,000 and it will run for a long time.

aggie93

8:17p, 4/30/24

In reply to ATL Aggie

ATL Aggie said:
2017 Mazda3 Touring, 65k miles, $10k
2008 4Runner Limited, 2WD, 150k miles, $7,500

I was about to buy the Mazda from a colleague but a neighbor has just offered up a 4Runner. Which would you choose?

The 4Runner in my opinion is "cooler", but it it doesn't have modern safety features. It sits higher up which I think has some safety advantage. I personally would rather own the 4Runner, but my kids safety is more important. Is a more modern Mazda sedan going to be safer than an older 4Runner? Which is a better vehicle for an inexperienced driver?

I've been to 2 funerals for kids that graduated with my son already from car wrecks, the last one was pretty much the most horrible and gut wrenching thing I've ever been to. Both were in Compact cars. Couple other kids have been in some really nasty accidents.

Both my boys drive F150s (one with a Ranch Hand, probably will put one on the other).. I'd go 4 Runner. Sorry to be so direct but I swore after that last funeral I was going to put my kids in tanks until they are off my payroll and then they can do what they want out of college.

"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

Ronald Reagan

ATL Aggie

8:42p, 4/30/24

In reply to aggie93

Well, unbeknownst to me, the 4Runner was offered simultaneously to a few neighbors and has already been snatched. So it looks like my options are limited but the last post scares the crap out of me.

Trinity Ag

9:02p, 4/30/24

In reply to ATL Aggie

ATL Aggie said:
Well, unbeknownst to me, the 4Runner was offered simultaneously to a few neighbors and has already been snatched. So it looks like my options are limited but the last post scares the crap out of me.

Mazda 3 gets very high ratings.

https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/mazda/3-4-door-sedan/2017

Don't let people panic you into thinking anything smaller than a F150 is a death trap.

4Runner isn't perfect:

https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/toyota/4runner-4-door-suv/2008

Mas89

9:08p, 4/30/24

In reply to Trinity Ag

Not so sure about that. Both my kid and wife have been hit at an intersection by red light runners. 10 years apart. Real thankful they were in F150/ Tahoe. Pretty sure both would have had significant injuries in a smaller/ lower riding vehicle. Son's truck was totaled and both were bruised/ shaken up.

ATL Aggie

9:15p, 4/30/24

In reply to Matsui

Matsui said:
Sick ride. Post a pic. Don't let the teenage drive that Land Cruiser ha!

Right now the LC is what I am teaching my son to drive. But I cant bear the thought of him banging it up, hence the reason why I am about to buy the Mazda3.

ATL Aggie

9:19p, 4/30/24

In reply to ATL Aggie

Forgot the pic:

https://flic.kr/p/2puYGEM

I can't figure out the bb code on my phone.

Trinity Ag

9:38p, 4/30/24

In reply to Mas89

Mas89 said:
Not so sure about that. Both my kid and wife have been hit at an intersection by red light runners. 10 years apart. Real thankful they were in F150/ Tahoe. Pretty sure both would have had significant injuries in a smaller/ lower riding vehicle. Son's truck was totaled and both were bruised/ shaken up.

I'm glad your family is safe, but personal anecdotes don't mean that cars aren't safe.

Mas89

10:16p, 4/30/24

In reply to Trinity Ag

But if you get t-boned on the drivers side door and the bumper either goes below your seat to the floor board or straight to your hip/ pelvis, there is a huge difference in injuries. Sedan or truck/ suv. Take your pick.

aggie93

2:10a, 5/1/24

In reply to Trinity Ag

Trinity Ag said:
Mas89 said:
Not so sure about that. Both my kid and wife have been hit at an intersection by red light runners. 10 years apart. Real thankful they were in F150/ Tahoe. Pretty sure both would have had significant injuries in a smaller/ lower riding vehicle. Son's truck was totaled and both were bruised/ shaken up.
I'm glad your family is safe, but personal anecdotes don't mean that cars aren't safe.

A young driver in their first 5 years of driving is the time they are most likely to be in a devastating wreck. That's just reality. Doesn't mean that cars are unsafe but it does mean that it is worth prioritizing safety for a young driver. They are by definition inexperienced and they are also most likely to feel invincible. That means they are likely to drive when they are tired or panic or a variety of other activities behind the wheel that can be disastrous.

There are other cars besides trucks that are safer as well, I just cringe when I see parents put their kids in little cars because they are cheaper or they want to save some money driving back and forth to college.

"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

Ronald Reagan

sts7049

5:32a, 5/1/24

In reply to Mas89

Mas89 said:
But if you get t-boned on the drivers side door and the bumper either goes below your seat to the floor board or straight to your hip/ pelvis, there is a huge difference in injuries. Sedan or truck/ suv. Take your pick.

i'd rather have the vehicle 9 years newer that has much more recent advances in engineering and safety technology, even if it is a smaller car.

sts7049

5:33a, 5/1/24

In reply to 1agswitchin4lanes

1agswitchin4lanes said:
No clean delta 88s in your area?

one of these days people will learn to appreciate this land yacht

OnlyForNow

5:52a, 5/1/24

In reply to sts7049

Even in this crazy scenario where you're getting tboned?

sts7049

6:30a, 5/1/24

In reply to OnlyForNow

i mean, you can what-if the scenario to death and you can't guard against all of it. 9 years is a long time for incorporation of better designs, high strength steel, etc. that is my point.

maybe you survive better in the 4 runner in that exact scenario but driving that perhaps you are much higher risk of rollover now. is that better or worse?

JamesPShelley

7:29a, 5/1/24

In reply to 1agswitchin4lanes

1agswitchin4lanes said:
No clean delta 88s in your area?

Rich. I had one, in the 80s.

OnlyForNow

7:32a, 5/1/24

In reply to sts7049

Absolutely, but side impact crashes are probably more common than rollovers.

Furlock Bones

8:01a, 5/1/24

4Runner

1agswitchin4lanes

8:02a, 5/1/24

In reply to OnlyForNow

OnlyForNow said:
Even in this crazy scenario where you're getting tboned?

Delta 88s won't even feel it.

PMD03

8:17a, 5/1/24

Does a deuce and a half require CDL? If not, that is what I would recommend. I have seen what happens to tiny half ton pickups in a crash and I wouldn't trust my teen's safety to one of those.

OnlyForNow

8:24a, 5/1/24

In reply to 1agswitchin4lanes

Neither would a 90s Land Cruiser.

Silvy

8:35a, 5/1/24

In reply to PMD03

Pretty certain no CDL required, there was a bro at TAMUG who would drive his M35 to campus and to the Strand relatively often