Tips on How to Buy a Used Car for Your Teen

                                                                                                                                                                      Used Care:It’s that time of year again – back to school. Your teenager has probably been bugging you all summer long for their own set of wheels. While they may be ready to put their school bus days behind them, in this economy most parents aren’t ready to fork over some serious cash for their newly licensed teen. Here are five useful tips on what to look for when buying your child a used car.
Safety:
When buying a used car, the first question you must ask yourself is, “Is this car safe for my child?”  You’ll want to make sure you consider what safety features the car offers. Plenty of used cars come with a variety of safety equipment such as air bags and anti-lock brakes. While you don’t want to spend a small fortune on a second car, you also don’t want your child driving around in an unsafe $1000 clunker.
Educate Your Teen:
Enroll your teen in a driver’s education course. While this may not be on the top of their to do list, kids need a lesson on safe driving.Teach your teenager the basics: Don’t drink and drive and don’t text and drive. But also set some grounds rules. A car full of kids is a recipe for disaster. Only allow your child to drive with one or two other passengers at a time to provide a safe and calm environment for the new driver.
Choose a Car That’s Right for Your Teen:
Choosing the right car for your teen can be overwhelming. From brick and mortar car dealerships to online stores such as AutoTrader.com, you’re gong to need something to narrow down the endless car listings.Spend some time writing a list of the different features you feel are necessary for your new purchase. Things to consider include how much cargo room do you need or whether or not you need a four wheel drive.
Share the Cost:
While you don’t want your son or daughter going into debt over their new ride, it is also important that your child learns the value of the dollar. Suggest that your child get a part time job to help pay for a fraction of the cost of its operation and upkeep. If you are worried an after school job may cut into study time, at least ask your child to cover the price of gas.

Soaring used-car prices finally start fall -- a little

                Used cars: After a big rise, wholesale prices of used cars are finally starting to fall a little. It should moderate, or at least slow, rocketing retail used-car prices -- what you'll pay -- that are up more than 30% this year.At the wholesale level, used car prices fell another $300 in June and are now more than $600 below their April peak for the year so far, says Tom Kontos of Adesa's consulting arm. Adesa itself is one of the nation's largest wholesale sellers of used cars.Even though wholesale used-car prices have tapered off, don't expect the party to last. "Tight used vehicle supplies plus strong retail demand should keep used vehicle prices from dropping dramatically," Kontos writes in a note to the industry.And while used-car prices are starting to slack off, retail used vehicle sales in July still were higher, up 17.8% year-over-year at new-car dealers' used-car lots and up 10.7% for independent dealers.On a month-over-month basis, used vehicle sales were up for both groups as well. "Certified" used vehicle sales in July were up 1.4% versus June, registering their strongest showing of the year for these automaker-sponsored programs, according to Autodata.Sounds like the "mild recovery" that economists keep saying is happening is at least still taking place for the auto industry.