How can i convince my dad that because i hav had 3 accidents i need a more controlable car than my 99' blazer.

Question

I had a 99 chevy blazer and recently in a fit of rage sold my car after i put it in a ditch. he has agreed to buy me another car when school starts again in the fall. I am not a good driver and i do see the saftey angle of an suv but i would like to have a smaller car due to the control i can have. Do you have any suggestions on how to convince my very stubborn father to buy me a smaller vehicle?

Answer 1

You can't change him. I have a stubborn father in law. Very stubborn and he knows it all. Completely unteachable and unreachable. It's best to not argue. Just learn to drive an SUV. It's not a car so you have to watch your speed and give yourself plenty of time to brake. You need to slow down. You need to pay attention to the vehicle and how it responds. You need to be on the lookout for other drivers. Driving is a huge responsibility. Huge.  SUVs are not cars so you can't drive them like they are. They are heavier and take more time to stop.

Answer 2

yup, learn to drive

Answer 3

Volvo 240 sedans are very safe, much safer than the SUV. I've seen too many rolled SUVs so I don't consider them safe. If you look you can find crash test stats for the Volvo that you can print to show your dad. The very first year from the 70s (not sure what year) didn't do so hot in the crash test, so avoid purchasing that one. I'm not sure what the defect was but it was corrected for the following model year. ..and from that year on the car received nothing less than 5 stars all the way around....front, rear and side. My preferred years are from '85 - '89, all years after that had airbags.

If you do decide to get the 240 make sure it has the 4 cyl B230F engine. All the other engines are either maintenance nightmares or don't have many parts available. Odometer mileage doesn't really matter, but under 150,000 is a very good figure because the car will serve you for many years (or at least 100k miles) before it needs any major mechanical work.

Why this car is safe...

Built like a bank vault, sits low to the ground, highly maneuverable (for this type of car) ...read accident avoidance, not the fastest cars in the world so you'll be less likely to "drive over your head". Also, if you put Pirelli Cinturato tires on it you'll have a car that will outhandle quite a few of the more modern cars AND sticks to the road, wet or dry.

A good running 240 can be picked up for less than 2k. I've seen really nice ones (show condition) go for as little as 3,500 on Ebay.

Gas mileage...hmm, mine on average got about 26mpg highway, 23 city. ...but that was with a "free flow" exhaust system (catalytic converter had no catalyst!). After replacing the cat convertor (didn't know it was needed until it failed inspection) the mileage dropped to 19mpg (backpressure is your enemy).

I owned one of these cars for 6 years, mine was an '85 sedan (pre-airbag). I sadly parted with it 2 years ago at 275000 miles on the odo because it needed more maintenance than I could afford....a total brake system overhaul, new seats, possible auto tranny rebuild. Now I have an '06 Toyota Corolla, its a great car but I don't feel as safe in it as I did in the Volvo.

btw...my dad borrowed the Volvo once and was rear ended by a Ford pickup at about 30 mph. The Volvo was totally undamaged, not a scratch. ...and noone in the car was injured.

As far as convincing your dad...you can show him what I wrote about the Volvo. :)

Answer 4

just about the last thing you need to be doing is driving.  I've been driving 52 years and have not had 3 accidents yet.

Answer 5

Seems to me that if HE'S the one spending the $$, you should shut up and be grateful you're getting a free car.

If you were MY kid, you'd be walking until you could buy your OWN car.

Answer 6

Why convince him, just sit down and talk with him and ask for his help with driving.....