The CAR WIZARD shares the top "SCHOOL CARS" TO Buy & NOT to Buy 

Get 20% OFF + Free International Shipping with my promo code "CARWIZARD" at mnscpd.com/CarWizard

Thanks! Now I just need to have kids, so one day I can buy them a reasonable first vehicle.

If you're worrying about your kid being safe on the road buy them a stick shift. Its pretty freaking difficult to text and drive with both your hands occupied... It also forces you to pay more attention to traffic lights and the space in front of you. On top of all that the transmission is going to be more robust and reliable by default.

I graduated high school in 2008 here in southwestern PA. Almost everyone was driving mid-90s cars that cost $400-2000. Now a high school car is $10k. Cash for Clunkers really killed the used car market and it has never gone back down.

Love how Wizard is always straight chillin, lounging, while spitting facts.

My dad gave me my moms 2000 Honda Accord at 17 and drove it through high school and college. Campus was 30 miles from home and sometimes I drove home at 10 o’clock at night and never had any issues getting home. Even with over 250K miles, it was still dead reliable. Now I enjoy a 2021 Accord!

You've done well for yourself, David. May you, your daughter, Mrs.Wizard, and the rest of your family live long and prosper.

This video was actually very helpful, Thanks Car Wizard!! 0:00 Intro 0:36 Sponsor 2:46 Sub Compact Sedans 6:02 Compact Sedans 8:36 Small SUVs 11:47 Small Pickups 14:50 Sports Cars 18:03 Some more recommendations 18:50 One car you shouldn't buy 19:06 Outro

Just gave my 16 year old daughter a 2006 Toyata Matrix with 93k miles. Great MPG, and very reliable. Also purchased a set of winter tires (Blizzaks) mounted on steel wheels for extra safety in the winter.

You have come a long way from the blank stare when Tyler introduced you to us😅

I had a Smart ForTwo CDI when I was studying in 2002, and it ended its days crashed in the highway at 135km/h. I lost control, rolled over, and crashed really hard against the concrete divider. The Smart Tridion cell (the black surrounding around the body, is a hard steel security cell) is hard as hell, and I can say by my experience that these small cars are strong and safe as hell. I’m afraid I cannot say the same about the stability. I think they are terrific cars for the city, and I wouldn’t mind to have one again (the diesel was more than 40mpg).

I ended up getting a 2008 Pontiac Vibe (just a rebadged Toyota Matrix) in high school up to my 2nd year of college. Then I bought myself a low mileage 2011 Mustang with the 3.7l v6 and am absolutely enjoying it as much as I did the Vibe.

You took the words out of my mouth. Simplicity, reliability, durability, and safety is what you'd want in a vehicle for young adults. Americans love big vehicles so ideally something bigger than will keep them safe as well. A Rav-4, or a CR-V, are great vehicles too.

2008 Toyota Avalon got me through college and still have it at 250k miles. The funny thing is that the toyota v6 it has boasts nearly identical horsepower and 0-60 times as a mustang GT from the same year! Off the line it certainly embarrassed some peers who thought they drove "fast" cars lol.

Had a 2005 Escape Limited V6, used it for Lyft, and sold it with 200,000miles. Was a great car.

Another contender for the sub compact is the 09-13 Honda Fit. Proven to be stupid reliable will go over 250k miles if taken care of. Timing chain so no belt to do every 100k, good mileage and hold way more than anything that size should which is perfect for all the moving they will do at that age.

My parents gave me their 2006 Honda CRV to drive during high school. Now Im in college, the CRV has over 200k miles and has need no major repairs. The 2nd gen CRV is actually a great car. It has a manual transmission, plenty of storage space and room for passengers, AWD, gets decent gas mileage, and even comes with a picnic table! Ive driven my CRV everywhere near and far without issue. Would highly recommend

Year 1 & 2 in college, no car. Lived in the dorms, food was paid for, downtown was within walking distance, all the university was within walking distance. Year 3 & 4, moved to an off-campus apartment, so I used the car I had in high school to get around. Campus parking was a real pain, so many times I caught the city bus which had a stop close to the apartment. My car was a 1963 1/2 Ford Galaxie 500XL, with a 390 c.i. P-code (Police Special) engine, fitted out. My father was a county sheriff, and spec'ed it out. He gave the car to me when I was a sophomore in high school. The car was a beast. Bucket seats, automatic on the floor. Great car, wish I still had it.

Love the honesty. And don't let anybody fool you about those German vehicles. The value drops like a rock for a reason. Great video, thank you

I was surprised by how good that era Ford Rangers are. I worked delivery for a company that has these, and they never seemed to give any problems, in spite of constant use, and the most abysmal maintenance. Downside, is that in Northern climes they are marginal in ice and snow, not much traction, easily swapping ends with little provocation.

Amen to the Mustang styling comments! The fifth gen is my favourite as well for the same reasons you mentioned. The nice thing is that they're at the age where they're pretty cheap to snatch up too, as long as you can find one that's not rotted out (if in the north).

2011 to 2016 Scion tC. They're damn reliable because the powertrain is pretty much from a rav4 (or Camry) and they're good looking. And they have an insane amount of storage in the back. I literally turned mine into a little camper with a tent extension. Gas mileage isn't the greatest but it's totally good. It doesn't get you bankrupt or anything. Just look out for a clean one because a lot of them are pretty beat up. And they're a little bit pricey but well worth it if you find a good deal.

Proud Lexus owner here! and I can say that nothing beats the quality build and long term performance of my 2005 ES330!!! Amazing

My first car was a 2005 Bonneville with the 3800 engine. It’s no longer my daily driver but I still have it around.

Been looking around now for my youngest in high school and my oldest heading to college in August for their sophomore year, so this video is perfectly on-time.🔥 I’ve been looking up old dealer brochures, videos, and all regarding the Yaris, so this is a good sign.

Loved your comment on Ford Fusion repair costs vs. German car repair costs. I had the same exact idea when in 2016, I bought my son a fully loaded 2013 Fusion SE with 32,000 miles when he turned 17. He put over 70,000 miles on it in 7 years. Was stylish, ultra-reliable, comfortable and fairly economical. Repair and service costs were absolutely minimal (brakes, tires, oil changes, a washer fluid motor and an emissions part that he replaced himself)… The car was recently totaled when my son was T-boned at an intersection. Was a harddd crash. Side curtain airbags deployed and he wasn’t hurt at all. Best part was, his insurance paid out $13,500! I only paid $15,800 (+ tax) SEVEN YEARS AGO! The car only cost probably $5,000 in total, not including gas over 7 years and 70,000 of ownership. I’d say that’s a great purchase and I still think a Fusion from 2013 and up is a great car for school. It probably stick with the base S model with the 2.5 non-turbo engine. I’ve hear that the turbo engines have a pretty high failure rate, though my son’s SE with the 1.6 Ecoboost had no issues at all. They made a LOT of these cars and most are still on the road. Parts are plentiful and relatively inexpensive and Ford service at a dealer or a private shop will be MUCH, MUCH less expensive than any German car shop. And parts for German cars are usually very expensive , and they break ALL the time! I know, I had Audis and BMW’s before. My 2005 Audi S4 Cabriolet was an enormous money pit and I have sworn that I will NEVER buy a used Audi ever again. My son liked his Fusion so much that he bought a 2019 Ford Fusion Energi Plug-in-Hybrid Titanium. Has every safety feature you need, still looks great, gets amazing gas mileage and has pretty much every option available on any car in this price range. Only cost 22,500 for a 42,000 mile, one owner car (probably a 3-year 36,000 mile lease. MSRP was around $38,000, so depreciation was pretty steep. I think you can get them even cheaper if you have patience. I’ve heard these hybrid drive trains are tried and true and should last a long long time. I don’t think spending $38,000 for a Hybrid to save some money on fuel makes sense but at $22,500, I think it’s a very smart move. And you can gat older, higher mileage SE Hybrids for around $10,000 to $12,000. Maybe that’s a risk, because the Hybrid drive train is complicated and very costly to repair, but from what I have heard, the Ford Hybrid system is VERY reliable and should last a long time. Hopefully, I’m right.

Had a Northstar V8 01 SLS as a first car, gifted by my uncle. Great car no maintenance but it blew going to an exam. Then bought an RSX at 100k miles and now 7 years later and at 217k miles, university is almost over but the RSX is still working perfecly!

It is always great seeing Mrs. Wizard in your videos. You as well. Also, glad to see the Chevelle lurking in the background. I remember your video with the 2000- 2005 Chevy Impala with the 3.8 v6 . One of the best cars out there with one of the best engines out there.

All sensible choices for a first car, reliabilty is a must and not all cars are that reliable. Even here in the UK, our love affair for German, French or Italian cars is over, they will go wrong and spares if you can find them cost a fortune. Keep it simple if you want a car that is reliable and cheap to run, avoid the lastest models that are stuffed full of electronics just waiting to fail.

I have a 2006 Corolla which was bought with around 190,000 miles on it. It now has 215k on it. Only major repairs I've had to have done were the starter and tge Serpentine belt, which were surprisingly easy to replace.

I love my Yaris . Fun fact: the cheapest Yaris on Autotrader last week was indeed a $5k Yaris and it had 240,000 miles on it. The secret is out. Keeping mine till 300k.

Another great addition to this list would be the first two generations of Honda fit. Very under rated cars in my opinion, very robust, roomy, underpowered a little bit but they get out of their own way just fine. They Get 35mpg easy. Also fairly easy to find one in stick. They had a few issues but most of the ones around today have had those things taken care of, and if not they’re fairly inexpensive fixes.

We put our daughter in a new JL Wrangler Sahara when she was in high school, she drove it pass high school, college and now she has a job. The Jeep is solid and going strong.

put em in a Crown vic/gran marquis..its not good on gas, but it has a HUGE trunk and is built like a tank! and modular 4.6 2v is very reliable if you keep up with maintenance..

As someone in this age group, this video should be made mandatory to be shown to all people my age range. I always laugh at other kids with fairly new bmws giving them (their parents) tons of trouble, while my 2001 toyota sequoia has not one lick of trouble. I always tell them to call me when their BMWs inevitably break down and they need to be towed.

We're going to have to get two vehicles before the end of next school year. We have 6 daughters and two of them are graduating this next year. This was very helpful information. Thanks, Wizard.

As a sports car I’d recommend Hyundai Coupé from 2000 - the one with spider eyes and 2.0l engine and 143 hp. My first car and really easy to maintain! I had it for 3 years and almost nothing went wrong with it except that one accident where I hit the hole on the road and broke a damper. It didn’t leave any leaks and was really nice going through the city - 9-10l/100km, was about 8-9 on the highway :)

The Ford Escape mentioned to Buy is notorious for right quarters and rear wheelhouses to rust out where the top part of the shock absorber mounts. Speaking from someone who lives in the midwest. Just a warning to anyone in market check that out or have their eye on one of those inspect that area before buying! This is definitely a great channel to watch!

I still have nightmares over my wife’s Jetta. We bought it new and got rid of it after 63,000 miles. Oil leaks, water pump, and every electrical problem you can think of.

My first car was a Subaru Baja. That thing ran and ran and ran and never left me stranded. That thing had 275k miles but still kept going. If it wasn’t rusted out I would still have it So I replaced it with another Baja which I still own. Love that one too. Really nice condition, no rust, and hasn’t had any issues so far. I was so lucky to find one in good condition

Thank you very much for this video!!! We're looking at used cars for two of my soon to be driving daughters. Very helpful and insightful. Love your channel! Please continue making content like this!

I am so happy to see that the Wizard and Mrs. Wizard have a sponsor.

You can also find the Ford Escape by searching for a Mazda Tribute or Mercury Mariner.

Had a 2019 Rav4 from my parents throughout high school, it was a great car loved it so much. In college at the moment right now, moved onto a GR86 and I love it so much. Truly grateful for the RAV4, one of my favorite cars in my heart forever.

I had a 2006 Mustang GT, everything was easy to work on except the spark plugs, the original plugs. When I was looking at Mustangs, all the V6 options were significantly cheaper, yet looked to be in excellent shape. People must take care of them better. None of them had rear quarter damage lol.

toyota hybrids are more reliable than the majority of pure gasoline engines. if you want to be sure you can do a hybrid health check in a toyota dealership as a pre purchase inspection. these batteries will last usually for over 200.000 miles as long the hybrid battery filter is being maintained and in the summer driven with ac on.

I didn’t even have a car in college lol. Didn’t get one until 4 years after college while I was working. Parents giving a car for there child for “college”, are spoiling them.

As someone who owns one, I can say that the Mazda3, sedan and hatchback models, are an equally good choice for young people going to school and for daily use. I have never had any issues with the ones I have owned. They do really great on gas, you can go about two weeks, depending on how you drive, without having to fill up your tank. Super reliable, they will never let you down. Wizard, what is your opinion on Mazdas?

Beard of knowledge, love it... keep on making great videos

No '99 to '05 Buick LeSabre? Also what car not to get your kids: '96 to '01 Honda Prelude. 😅

98 Ranger is a good choice, I bought mine new and loved it. I have a co-worker now that has a 2006 V6 Mustang, good reliable car - she loves it. Just be aware the plastic tabs on the wheel covers weaken and they fly off. Two stainless steel zip ties keep them on now. I would add to the list a cheap Crown Vic or Grand Marquis.....not great on fuel, but they can carry all their friends (6) plus gear and they are very cheap and robust to maintain. I actually drove a used Grand Marquis when I was in college....did.everything I needed it to do as between work and school the car was on the road 7 days a week for 4 years and it never broke down...not even once.

My 06 Escape with he 3L V6 just blew up at 208K. Aside from the 8 hour alternator job, it was a nice, reliable car, even got rear ended and still ran fine.

Love watching all of your videos keep up the great content

Just what I needed to help me sleep tonight. Thank you, Car Wizard!

I bought an 02 E320 in 2017, and other than regular maintenance, I've had almost no issues. It had 150K when I bought it, and 223K now. Of course, I'm not a high school kid or a college kid...and I know how to fix most of the stuff myself.

My high school car was my Dad's hand-me-down '86 Buick LeSabre. More rust than not, blown shocks, and missing every cap in the engine bay. My college cars were a '00 Nissan Altima that was great until it met a tree, an '05 Altima that I had to give up because I moved across the country, and a '02 Saturn SC with a manual. Fun!

Agreed ! I have a 2010 4 cylinder escape 245,000 and it still runs ok!

I have a ford ecosport 2018 inline 4 with a 6 speed gear transmision. Almost five years with it. No problems. Only oil changes and break pad changes. My father has a ford mustang v8 2015 and loves it. My mom drives a ford 150 raptor 2019 absolutely loves it. So far no complaints. Most fords cars are reliable and the best thing i love about their cars is that no matter the year their AC system is the best hands down. Their AC system will Freeze your bones in just a few minutes. Also ford cars don't have cvt transmission. Ford likes their cars to run with actual gears and not a belt that will break withing 100k miles. Ford cars will bring either a 6 speed or 8 or 10 speed transmission. Thank god no cvt's.

The Mustang you are talking about is 2005-2009. They changed the body style in 2010 to a more aggressive Euro look. I agree, they are the best looking Mustangs ever. I had a 1986 5.0 Mustang. With the 5 speed manual transmission and highway gears. It got 18 mpg in town and 25-28 on the highway. But it only had 225hp.

Love your channel!!!! Your automotive knowledge is priceless!

As a kid I approve 😂 I like all of the recommended cars but I think I'll get a civic or a Toyota yaris, these two are my favourite

I got my driver's license at 31 it was a cold yet sunny day on my birthday on October 30th. I passed on my first attempt, my first car was my mom's old high mileage Kia Rio that sat in the driveway for 6 months, you get what you get and with vehicles costing more than a home I can't complain

The only problems with the escape is the rear shock tower rusts out completely and can be difficult to repair. Otherwise good little suv.

6:09 As a 3 time 8th gen Civic owner, I 100% agree that Honda got the styling right with those cars. It’s crazy to think that design originated back in 2005! And I get a good amount of people thinking that they look a lot newer than they actually are!

Here in Belgium the kids take the train and the bike,only the rich kids have a car

My college car was a '66 VW bug. Did my own work too.

Pay CLOSE Attn: to the year model range he posts people! I know some will go and buy a Ford Escape thinking Wizard said buy an Escape and forget the year range and buy a 2014 and up Escape which is trash with engine coolant intrusion issues. The older Escapes he mentioned are good. Pretty much every brand has a start years range and a year range they want to forget about.

This is also helpful for retirees who are on a fixed income and need a cheap car as a daily local driver. Thanks Car Wizard!

My son got a great deal on an 02' Mazda B4000 (Ford Ranger). It has 113K, does not leak a drop and has the 4L V6 so you can actually do 'truck stuff' with it. I told him if he maintains it, he can get a couple 100k more miles out of it.

Another small truck to avoid is (especially the early versions) the Chevy colorado/ GMC canyon, looked into buying 1 of these that had an engine problem, turns out not only are the engines unique to this truck but hard to find and expensive when a replacement is found, the guy selling the truck tried to rebuild the engine but it didn't run right when he was done and they couldn't figure out why

I bought my own used, old Honda Civic with my own money for a first car. Kids who have that stuff handed to them should consider themselves lucky and grateful.

Used Honda and Toyota car prices are outrageous. I’m currently looking for one.

What if you don’t hate your kids?

Another compact to avoid: 2012+ Ford Focus with dual clutch automatic... That transmission is a ticking time bomb

As always great information. Thank you 👍👍

1947 - 1967 split-window Volkswagen ( VW ) transporter ( type 2 ) ... [ the bus ]. Had the 1966 Kombi when earning my electrical engineering PhD degree. Loved it, and now they are worth a fortune ( in any condition ).

When it comes to safety in the subcompact category, nothing beats Chevy Spark. It has better crash test ratings than Yaris, Fit, or any other car in its class. It’s also extremely reliable. My friend has one since new and in almost 10 years and 120k miles the only thing that broke was the reservoir tank and thermostat.

Got my niece a Scion TC RS 6. She wanted something small, blue, and sporty looking. Her parents wanted reliable, slow, and safe. The TC fit perfectly. Got my nephew a Toyota Matrix M Theory. Parents wanted the same thing. He wanted room to haul band equipment. It also fit perfectly especially with the fold flat front seat. Both cars are limited editions and my niece/nephew love that not everyone has one. The speedway blue color is also amazing. Best blue color I have seen from Toyota.

remember to check the rear shock mounts on that Gen 1 Escape! that is the first failure point for rust issues.

I was out of school but had a new 2004 acura rsx and that car was incredible with its mpg, build auslity, and reliability.

Car Wizard must be in cahoots with a Ford trans rebuilder, those Mustangs and Rangers, and especially Explorers, have really weak 5R55E/W transmissions.

My car I've had since high school (in 2006) and college was a 1996 Ford Thunderbird with the 4.6L V8. It was reliable, comfortable, safe, and fun enough with 210 hp and 280 ft-lbs of torque. It was heavy with 215s on the rear so driving in the Colorado snow storms was no problem, it could resist quarter sized hail, and high altitude sun couldn't even fade the paint. It's still my daily beater even though I have a nicer car like my supercharged Jag I use for weekends and road trips.

Well-timed to make decisions for the beginning of the school year. Informative and prudent observations. Thanks.

As a current 2003 Subaru Baja owner, I both feel attacked by and completely agree with Dave's sentiment. They're great cars for people that hold no illusions about Subarus or Bajas. It helps to know a thing or two about Subarus before becoming an owner, so that you're not blindsided by Subaru Specific quirks, most notably the EJ-series engine head gasket issues and the subframe rust in the rust-prone states. All the boxer engines can be plaqued by Head Gasket breaches just because of the configuration of the engine, but certain types of gaskets can prolong the time between needed replacements. As with any nortoriously unreliable brand, they can be somewhat more reliable when you just follow the manufacturers recommended maintenance schedule. The reason Toyota and Honda are traditionally more reliable is because they're more forgiving when you don't follow the maintenance schedule to the letter. Read that owner's manual, get to know the maintenance routine and even your POS Hyundai and Stellantis products might just get more than 200K.

Car Wizard be like "Damn kids, get off my lawn!"

My first car my parents bought me. It was a 2013 Focus with 97,000km on it, we got it in 2015 and I drove 30,000km on it in 8 months and loved it! It never left me on the side of the road, it got AMAZING mileage too. Cruise set at 65km/h on a back road I was able to get over 50 MPG but on the highway, regular driving 105km/h I got about 35-40 MPG

You are spot-on! I absolutely love my 2009 Mustang V6. Nearly 200,000 miles on it......runs, looks and drives like brand new!

I support everything you said. Nicely done Wizard.

Got my sister a 04 Acura TSX ws her highschool and now college car, been good so far, repairs are easy and it's a Honda

You weren't specific with the Ford Escape but I assume you're talking about the 4 cylinder versions because the V6 versions while excellent do not get very good gas mileage...

Had my first car since November '22. 2001 Toyota Solara v6 with 44k miles at the time for $3900, up to 51k miles now. 40 mile round trip 4 days a week + some extra driving. Only defect is the paint but its a great driver.

With triplets in the house, 2 of them got their license and needed a car to share. I found a 63k 2010 Ford Focus for 3,500. Stole it for 3k. It has been a super reliable car. My son recently bought an 01 Explorer Sport Trac from my neighbor. I know the truck really well. Always reliable. He is having it painted right now. I hope the Sport Trac treats him as well as the Focus

I agree ! Honda Civic 1.8 engine is an excellent car. If you can buy a stick shift. Then they are bulletproof.

I have a 2002 Corolla, and she’s pushing 241,000 miles and still runs very well for her age. Just get a Corolla.

Great list. Good timing, too! My boss's niece is needing to get a car for her college bound daughter and needed some great suggestions. I forwarded your list (as well as this link) to her.

Added info for the Ford Escape. My 2004 had the Mazda V6 and was all-wheel drive and never got better than 25 MPG or so, combined with the tiny fuel tank, the driving range was just over 250 miles. Really liked the driving position and it was reliable, worked great in Colorado.

Great solid advice! This guy knows his stuff! Those ones that should be avoided are ones I wouldn’t even consider. Toyota or Honda are two of the best choices . Especially with high price of gasoline. Those European vehicles are endless money pits! One thing starts going wrong it will turn into ongoing repairs you’ll never be done repairing it . My secretary has a 2001 Ford Escape & still going strong .the Honda Accord is a good choice or even the Toyota Camry is a good option some have the V 6 . If fuel economy is a concern get 4 cylinder version. Those are decent.

Miss Wizard workin' late!

9:02 One thing you really have to watch for with the Escape or Tribute is rust. These are notorious for the top rear strut towers rotting, and also the rear hatch glass hinges

Good choices all around. The Ford Escape was a surprise, learn something every day