[Bazooka Joe]

I have a '15 Wrangler Sport I bought new in September of 2014. I have personalized it with a whole lot of quality accessories, but no real engine performance or off-roading modifications. It's basically just a fun vehicle for summer months with the top off most of the time.

My daughter takes driver's ed next year and I am considering letting her use the Jeep as her primary vehicle through high school and possibly longer. Ideally, I'd prefer to get her something else but we have 3 vehicles now for me and the wife. We have a two car garage and live at the end of a cul de sac so I don't want our place to look like a car lot. She's our only child.

My thinking is that she wouldn't be able to cram many people in it and it's easier to maneuver around in tight parking spaces, tighter turning radius, etc. It's an automatic so no learning curve there. She's no tom boy and not very assertive so I can't really picture her flipping it over on a muddy farm road. She's never had worse than an "A" on a report card. She's been a great kid, so far, and really likes the Jeep.

I posted this to see if maybe someone could reassure me that I'm right in my thinking or are there potential important points I'm overlooking.

 

[yacc]

My son is 5....and he has already claimed my Jeep when he turns 16, and his mother told him he could have it.... That being said, I think a JK is a fine first car. Cheap to maintain and own, puts up with abuse, will take running over stuff pretty well, slow so less likely to speed, reasonably safe even if it isn't a Volvo, fun to drive and own, and she won't get stuck as the DD all the time because of limited seating space. There are worse options out there for sure.

 

[adamo99]

As already mentioned, it's slow, safe, inexpensive to insure, and fairly reliable. I'd say it's a great first vehicle. Certainly much nicer than my first vehicle was.

 

[Lakeman1]

I have a '15 Wrangler Sport I bought new in September of 2014. I have personalized it with a whole lot of quality accessories, but no real engine performance or off-roading modifications. It's basically just a fun vehicle for summer months with the top off most of the time.

My daughter takes driver's ed next year and I am considering letting her use the Jeep as her primary vehicle through high school and possibly longer. Ideally, I'd prefer to get her something else but we have 3 vehicles now for me and the wife. We have a two car garage and live at the end of a cul de sac so I don't want our place to look like a car lot. She's our only child.

My thinking is that she wouldn't be able to cram many people in it and it's easier to maneuver around in tight parking spaces, tighter turning radius, etc. It's an automatic so no learning curve there. She's no tom boy and not very assertive so I can't really picture her flipping it over on a muddy farm road. She's never had worse than an "A" on a report card. She's been a great kid, so far, and really likes the Jeep.

I posted this to see if maybe someone could reassure me that I'm right in my thinking or are there potential important points I'm overlooking.

Sounds like she would be fine with it. Just plant in her head that it's not a sports car and has a high center of gravity and can turn over fairly easy or a lot easier than a car.

 

[Overthinker]

Way back when I grep up, the four of us (three siblings and I) each had an accident within our first three months of driving, and they were all pretty significant crashes. Frankly, I'm a bit shellshocked from it. As a result of our experiences, I won't be putting my kids into a first vehicle so susceptible to rolling over in a crash. (Just look at crash posts on this and other forums: the JK's climbing ability often turns fenderbenders into Hollywood-grade action scenes.)

I joke that the kids each get an auctioned cop car for their first vehicle, but I'm half-serious about that.

 

[Bazooka Joe]

Way back when I grep up, the four of us (three siblings and I) each had an accident within our first three months of driving, and they were all pretty significant crashes. Frankly, I'm a bit shellshocked from it. As a result of our experiences, I won't be putting my kids into a first vehicle so susceptible to rolling over in a crash. (Just look at crash posts on this and other forums: the JK's climbing ability often turns fenderbenders into Hollywood-grade action scenes.)

I joke that the kids each get an auctioned cop car for their first vehicle, but I'm half-serious about that.

Good point and something I've considered. She's just never been the least bit aggressive by nature. She's really shy as well and I just don't see her as an assertive driver. I also don't envision her driving on the highway a whole lot, at least not right out of the gate. We don't have nearby interstate access so that's good! I can only hope she continues to be responsible.

 

[Lujosalgo]

I have a '15 Wrangler Sport I bought new in September of 2014. I have personalized it with a whole lot of quality accessories, but no real engine performance or off-roading modifications. It's basically just a fun vehicle for summer months with the top off most of the time. My daughter takes driver's ed next year and I am considering letting her use the Jeep as her primary vehicle through high school and possibly longer. Ideally, I'd prefer to get her something else but we have 3 vehicles now for me and the wife. We have a two car garage and live at the end of a cul de sac so I don't want our place to look like a car lot. She's our only child. My thinking is that she wouldn't be able to cram many people in it and it's easier to maneuver around in tight parking spaces, tighter turning radius, etc. It's an automatic so no learning curve there. She's no tom boy and not very assertive so I can't really picture her flipping it over on a muddy farm road. She's never had worse than an "A" on a report card. She's been a great kid, so far, and really likes the Jeep. I posted this to see if maybe someone could reassure me that I'm right in my thinking or are there potential important points I'm overlooking.

that was the case with our son. The jk was his first vehicle in 2013. Zero issues and a lot of great things.

1) he gets that he is driving a box, he is never in a hurry or drives aggressively as that thing takes so long to get to 60 mph. He enjoys driving it a lot and is relaxed always
2) he started to spend hours and hours researching and doing mods with me in the garage and getting a job to pay for those
3) not practical for having tons of kids with him. Removed back seat and drives by himself or with girlfriend, the back seat area is for his guitar and amp and recovery gear, no room for anything else or anybody else
4) the jeep demands attention from the driver in roads and off roads, so he learned to actually drive and be conscious of the 4k lbs tank he drives. No texting, not even phone as gps, too distracting.
5) loves off roading, between off road and mods in the garage the video games have not been turned on in 3 years and now he outgrew those as he is busy at college and work and garage and off road. Why wasting time in virtual BS when the real world can be so much fun

The jk was initially moms, he made it his, now mom and i share a 2016 rubi jkhr and mom likely getting a 2016 jkhr soft top and half doors in summer three jeeps house! Three jk.

 

[Bazooka Joe]

that was the case with our son. The jk was his first vehicle in 2013. Zero issues and a lot of great things.

1) he gets that he is driving a box, he is never in a hurry or drives aggressively as that thing takes so long to get to 60 mph. He enjoys driving it a lot and is relaxed always
2) he started to spend hours and hours researching and doing mods with me in the garage and getting a job to pay for those
3) not practical for having tons of kids with him. Removed back seat and drives by himself or with girlfriend, the back seat area is for his guitar and amp and recovery gear, no room for anything else or anybody else
4) the jeep demands attention from the driver in roads and off roads, so he learned to actually drive and be conscious of the 4k lbs tank he drives. No texting, not even phone as gps, too distracting.
5) loves off roading, between off road and mods in the garage the video games have not been turned on in 3 years and now he outgrew those as he is busy at college and work and garage and off road. Why wasting time in virtual BS when the real world can be so much fun

The jk was initially moms, he made it his, now mom and i share a 2016 rubi jkhr and mom likely getting a 2016 jkhr soft top and half doors in summer three jeeps house! Three jk.

Good to hear and thanks for sharing! I even considered taking the back seat out.

 

[pwain]

Good to hear and thanks for sharing! I even considered taking the back seat out.

I could have gotten a lot accomplished in the back of a JK without the bench in High School.

 

[icarley]

i could have gotten a lot accomplished in the back of a jk without the bench in high school.

lol

 

[Jumby]

Way back when I grep up, the four of us (three siblings and I) each had an accident within our first three months of driving, and they were all pretty significant crashes. Frankly, I'm a bit shellshocked from it. As a result of our experiences, I won't be putting my kids into a first vehicle so susceptible to rolling over in a crash. (Just look at crash posts on this and other forums: the JK's climbing ability often turns fenderbenders into Hollywood-grade action scenes.) I joke that the kids each get an auctioned cop car for their first vehicle, but I'm half-serious about that.

+1. My experience completely mirrors the above. Like the OP, I had a SUV that would have been easy to hand down to my son. I did some research and decided against it. Inexperienced drivers tend to over correct steering during emergency situations increasing the risk of rollover.

 

[68RR]

My daughter is currently 11. Ive already joked with her that she can drive the Jeep one day. Unfortunately, or fortunately maybe, she's not real interested in it right now. She spends her time poking fun at me for my love of Jeeps. My hunch is that will change the older she gets. At this point she also has no desire to drive my Road Runner, but I too think that will change down the road. I would have no problem letting her drive my Jeep. IMO they're fairly safe vehicles and can definitely take a crash in the event of one. Ive seen more than one take some pretty good hits and keep the occupants safe. They sit higher and by nature they almost force you to drive slower than a normal car. Perfect for our winter's too.

 

[Ramona Wrangler]

my niece lives in Wisconsin, she was handed down her parents mini van. She was looking for a different ride and I told her about getting a jeep, cuz they get you places during the snowy days that the minivan could not, plus they put out a lot of heat to stay warm. She loves it, as do all the boys in town. That's the only con about the jeep, it attracts so many guys.

 

[Sdallnct]

I'd buy her something safe, but cheap (2010-12 Corolla for example). Then use it as a carrot. If she take care of it, doesn't get in any trouble and get decent grades for a year, then she can have the jeep.

They all wreck their first car. It's why kids insurance is so expensive. Let her get a year under her belt first.

 

[WaltA]

They all wreck their first car. It's why kids insurance is so expensive. Let her get a year under her belt first.

That would be my parenting advice as well. While it might be nice for the kid to be a "chip off the old block" and drive the same kind of vehicle you like to drive, it isn't always the best driver-in-training vehicle.

They are going to have to learn by experience, where their bumpers really are, that you can't take that pothole at 80mph, that you can't fit a 15' long vehicle into a 14'11" parking space, and so on.

And all of this, needs to be learned solo.

 

[LKWJeeper]

I think it depends on a few factors that only you can determine. 1. Trust 2. Income 3. Reliability

Clearly none of us know you or your daughter personally so there's no way you can get a complete picture. You're going to get a generalized answer based on youth of today.

If you trust your daughter to put away the cell phone and focus on driving, I think that's a great first step. Also, you have to be comfortable with how good of a driver she is. Driving takes more than paying attention, in certain situations you have to expect what others are going to do. Sometimes misjudging others can cause accidents.

No one here knows your income so they can't say whether it's a good idea or not to be paying for damages when they happen. JKs are not a cheap vehicle to fix, so keep that in mind.

You've got a fairly new vehicle that I'd assume is still under warranty. You do have the peace of mind knowing she is in a reliable vehicle. That can't be said with a cheaper car.

Overall, if it were me I'd find a cheaper temporary vehicle for her to drive. One that I wouldn't care if there were door dings, dents, or scratches. They will happen, especially with teenage girl drivers. After she's comfortable behind the wheel, I'd sell the cheap car and get her into the JK.
Just because someone is a grade A student doesn't mean they will be the best driver.

Best of luck! I'll be in your shoes in 13 years when my daughter will be 16.

 

[Mike-D]

They all wreck their first car. It's why kids insurance is so expensive. Let her get a year under her belt first.

This line always bothered me. I'm 31 now, had my license since the day after I turned 16 and no accidents.

The police chief at the time told our drivers ed class the same. I always made it a point when I saw him to remind him that I hadn't wrecked or gotten a ticket.

And I have to disagree with the post above- part of why a JK is cheap to insure is because it is cheap to repair.


I see no issue with giving a kid a newer vehicle if you trust them. That said, I probably wouldn't give my 16 y/o self a new vehicle but that's another story. Haha

 

[Bazooka Joe]

I think it depends on a few factors that only you can determine. 1. Trust 2. Income 3. Reliability

Clearly none of us know you or your daughter personally so there's no way you can get a complete picture. You're going to get a generalized answer based on youth of today.

If you trust your daughter to put away the cell phone and focus on driving, I think that's a great first step. Also, you have to be comfortable with how good of a driver she is. Driving takes more than paying attention, in certain situations you have to expect what others are going to do. Sometimes misjudging others can cause accidents.

No one here knows your income so they can't say whether it's a good idea or not to be paying for damages when they happen. JKs are not a cheap vehicle to fix, so keep that in mind.

You've got a fairly new vehicle that I'd assume is still under warranty. You do have the peace of mind knowing she is in a reliable vehicle. That can't be said with a cheaper car.

Overall, if it were me I'd find a cheaper temporary vehicle for her to drive. One that I wouldn't care if there were door dings, dents, or scratches. They will happen, especially with teenage girl drivers. After she's comfortable behind the wheel, I'd sell the cheap car and get her into the JK.
Just because someone is a grade A student doesn't mean they will be the best driver.

Best of luck! I'll be in your shoes in 13 years when my daughter will be 16.

Good things to consider here. My other vehicle is a seldom driven '99 Chevy short bed truck. I bought it new in '98 and it's been the best vehicle I've ever owned. Never wrecked, no rust, 112,000 miles, etc. I offered that up but she really wants to drive the Jeep if I will allow it. The truck might be the better option for at least the first few months.

 

[Bazooka Joe]

I could have gotten a lot accomplished in the back of a JK without the bench in High School.

I anticipated "that guy" chiming in when I posted this question. 1) That is still a damn small area and 2) Aftermarket additions preclude that being much of an issue

 

[05Sport]

my 17 yo daughter loves driving my jku. she has her own car, saturn ion, but if my jeep isn't being used (i work from home so it is usually around) she'll take it. she knows to wave to other jeeps and to park near them too.