Is a Volkswagen R32 a safe car for a teenager? I want this 2008 VW R32 for my first car but my mom is suggesting I don't get it because it's a performance car. She thinks it's too dangerous. I really want it though. It's like a dream car to me. Toyota Camry, it is much more safe and a lot more practical. In my opinion a performance car can be safer vs some of the other stuff that is on the road. I have a saying, what is learned at the track on sunday, saves lives the other six days of the week. Its all about the setup of the car and how well the driver is trained. Example Upgraded multi piston brakes on all four wheel can help you bring the car to a stop quicker, but are completely useless if the driver does not leave enough stopping space. 6 point harness is better than a standard three point, but does work if the driver does not buckle up. ABS and ESC help you maintain control, but do you know how to handle the car with the control module goes bad when you need it?
Listen to your mom, she's right. Go for something like a standard Golf 2.0 or even something smaller like a 1.6 (if it's available in your country) until you have a few years of driving experience behind your name. A R32 is a very fuel-inefficient vehicle (when compared to other Volkswagens), so you'll spend quite a bit of money keeping the fuel tank full. Also note that spares for these vehicles are quite expensive, so you don't want to own one when something breaks. It's safe, but an absolute nightmare to work on yourself, and a wallet drainer to pay a shop to work on it. I know a few VW specialty shops that will not even work on an R32. Its a safe car in case you crash, but its not very safe for active sporty driving in the hands of an eager teen, because of its high performance output.
Whether its safe or not depends on the way you drive it. As a first car for a teen, its not advisable. It might be expensive to insure and the petrol bills would be a nightmare. You wouldnt want to be in debt or struggling over these costs, would you? It might be hard to not buy it but its actually a wise choice by doing so. You can consider getting a lesser 2.0L Golf, or a turbocharged one. An Audi A3 or a BMW 3 Series would be nice too. Just hang on till you get a steady job, with a steady income, and you can be driving it for real in a few years time. It's not dangerous, VW cars are extremely reliable and safe. The problem is the insurance for you on a car like this would be so outrageous, you and/or your mom couldn't afford the huge cost to insure you on this.
Please don't get it. No need to have another one of these pretty rare VW's ruined by a teen who really doesn't care about the car he's driving, and most likely down the road makes it look ridiculous and ruins it. Let a real VW enthusiast get it. How is the new 2011 Volkswagen Jetta? I want to get the 2011 Jetta TDI. Does this car have good reviews? What other cars does this one compete with? I like the fact that its German and comes with a lot of nice features standard with the TDI. I think you should get it. I'd suggest a new Mazda3, those are so great and awesome looking, as well. It's actually not as nice as the model it's replacing. VW dropped the price of the new Jetta a bit vs. A5 model. Consequently, the new model has a cheaper torsion beam suspension, and cheaper trim inside and out among other things. It's also built in Mexico, not Germany. Basically VW went from trying to compete with the low end BMWs to trying to compete with Nissans and Toyotas.
