Would you let your teenager drive this vehicle?

Melanie

New member
Jeep Cherokee 4x4. The regular Cherokee, not the Grand Cherokee. About 1995 or whenever they started having front airbags.

We're maybe thinking about getting one of these for DH to use for hunting and camping...instead of his Honda Civic. It would be convenient to have DD (16) drive it while she saves up more for her own car. Right now she's driving our newer cars or I'm taking her to and from work. Picking her up at midnight is getting old fast.

Considering she'll be in a 2000-ish sedan at some point, is this vehicle really less safe?
 
ADS

QuassEE

Moderator - CPST Instructor
There would be advantages and disadvantages to this vehicle. Here are some that come to my mind..

Firstly--the airbag is a single-stage airbag. That would be the case right up through 2005-2008, depending on the vehicle (give or take). Dual stage airbags are quite a bit safer, but with a few exceptions have really only been the norm for a few years now. Some higher-end vehicles have had them for longer.

Next--it's much larger, and there's potential there that she'll crash it by misjudging something... BUT--it's much larger, so she's in a better position when up against the other SUVs and pick-up trucks on the road relative to a car, which sits lower down.

It doesn't have parking sensors, adaptive drivetrain technologies, and other added features that newer cars have. It may also potentially be more likely to break down as compared to a newer vehicle, which could put your daughter into an unsafe or compromising position at night or in unfamiliar areas.


...are you getting the idea that you could really drive yourself crazy over something like this, wanting to buy the latest and greatest on a yearly basis? :) I let my son drive my 1989 Landcruiser the other day.. The automatic transmission really threw him for a loop--talk about a feature! I wouldn't let him drive it on a regular basis, but he does have Wendy's old Xterra (I think it's a 2003?) that we bought and I actually prefer him driving. If I could buy him a 2012 Airbagmobile, I probably would...but that's not always a reality, and we need to keep in mind that older vehicles aren't UNsafe, they just don't have as many safety features as newer vehicles. So, yes, I would let my child drive a mid-90s Cherokee, if that was what we had available to us and was what our means dictated was reasonable for our family. If you can wrap her in bubble wrap before every trip, it might help? :)

-Nicole.
 

oddduck

Active member
I drove one for 6 years -- with 2 kids in the back. I actually got rid of it on Friday. I had a 1998 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L 4x4.

Not the best for transporting little people once they are booster sized. The back seat has a very low back, and no head rests.

It has no ABS, it is not fuel injected. The one we had had a passenger and driver air bags.

I felt pretty safe as a driver though. I was easily able to see all corners of my vehicle. The vehicle itself is short and narrow making it easy to maneuver. With decent tires it does pretty well in snow/slush/sleet. In 2WD it's RWD which makes interesting if you do hit an icy or snow patch and are used to driving a FWD vehicle.

Regarding maintenance, I did multiple water pumps -- about every 75,000km. If I didn't have a soon to be booster aged child -- I probably would have held onto it for a few more years.

Oh FYI, I just wanted to add that the year/model I had -- had the spare tire mounted on the side window. Not cool. Personally I like to be able to see what's going on back there to switch lanes/etc. I pulled it down and places it on the floor of the cargo area... but it was unsecured in this location.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
QuassEE said:
Firstly--the airbag is a single-stage airbag. That would be the case right up through 2005-2008, depending on the vehicle (give or take). Dual stage airbags are quite a bit safer, but with a few exceptions have really only been the norm for a few years now. Some higher-end vehicles have had them for longer.

There was actually an intermediate step between the first-generation airbags and the current advanced airbags. I forget what they were called, but they were very similar to the current generation of airbags, and might actually provide BETTER protection for the driver than current advanced airbags.

The 1995 likely has the first-gen airbags, but the 2000 sedan likely has the intermediary-step ones.

I had a 1998 Cherokee. I wouldn't drive it today. Then again, if it were that or nothing, I probably would.

Between a 1995 Cherokee and a 2000 sedan, I'd probably go with the sedan, but it would depend on the model. What are the crash test ratings?
 

Melanie

New member
...are you getting the idea that you could really drive yourself crazy over something like this, wanting to buy the latest and greatest on a yearly basis? :)
If you can wrap her in bubble wrap before every trip, it might help? :)

-Nicole.

This is exactly how I feel. I made sure the cars DH and I drive have the latest safety stuff and it stinks that I'll wind up putting our least safe driver in the least safe vehicle. But we just can't afford a newer car for her. DH must use his Civic for his long commute. I need my vehicle for hauling kids. I also think it's important for her to have some financial responsibility in her car and insurance. I survived driving a 73 VW Bug through high school, but I was also never in an accident.

I don't mind her driving a bigger vehicle. She's been doing quite well in my Ford Flex. I figure if she gets used to navigating something big, a smaller car should be a piece of cake.

Not the best for transporting little people once they are booster sized. The back seat has a very low back, and no head rests.

In 2WD it's RWD which makes interesting if you do hit an icy or snow patch and are used to driving a FWD vehicle.

Do highback boosters work with the low seat back? I might be able to have headrests put in after seeing the thread on adding headrests to a van seat. Although that would be more for DD1 driving with a friend in the backseat. We'd only have kids in it for camping. The littles are 4 and 6 so they can be harnessed for a while longer. With DD1 getting older, she's not camping with us much. If she does go she'd bring a friend so we'd need to take 2 cars or my Flex anyway.

We live in Phoenix, so no snow here:) DD wouldn't ever take it out of town to the snow. Actually, she'd never take it out of town.
 

Melanie

New member
Between a 1995 Cherokee and a 2000 sedan, I'd probably go with the sedan, but it would depend on the model. What are the crash test ratings?

Good to know about the airbags...I'll see if I can figure out which it has. I figure front airbags are my absolute minimum for safety. DH thinks he'd be fine in an even older one without airbags, but I've vetoed that.

She'll eventually wind up with a car anyway. She can get more for her money (ie: newer/safer) with a car vs a SUV or truck. Something like an older Honda or Corolla. It probably won't be new enough to have side airbags. It would be newer than the Cherokee so have more safety advances, but still nothing like new cars have. The Cherokee would just be a convenient way for her to have a car to drive in the mean time. And it's easier for DH to get me on board with the Cherokee if it has an additional use.
 

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