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CarMax Names The Top 10 Cars For College Students
If your college student's back to school list includes a car, you will want to know which vehicles are recommended for young drivers. To help students and parents find the best car, CarMax, Inc., the nation's largest retailer of used cars, and Driver's Edge, a national nonprofit organization providing youth driver education, have teamed up to recommend the top cars for college students.

"It's pretty tough to come up with a list of cars that will satisfy both parents and students," said Steve Tepper, chief operating officer of Driver's Edge. "Issues of looks, cost, safety, and performance don't always line up, but there are some great cars out there that fit the bill safety-wise while still being a cool car to drive."

"Typically, parents' top priorities when looking for a vehicle for their student are price, reliability, and safety, while young people may be more interested in style, features, and performance," said Ron Costa, regional vice president of purchasing for CarMax. "We recommend conducting online vehicle research first and then finding a car retailer that provides a transparent, customer-friendly, and easy car buying process."

This year's top cars recommended for college students that fulfill both the parents' safety and reliability demands and the young drivers' requirements for looks and performance include (In alphabetical order by manufacturer. Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) is standard unless otherwise noted):

-- Audi A4
-- Dodge Caliber (models with optional ABS)
-- Honda Civic
-- Hyundai Sonata
-- Kia Optima (models with optional ABS)
-- Pontiac G6 (coupe or sedan with optional ABS)
-- Toyota Corolla (models with optional ABS)
-- Volkswagen Jetta
-- Volkswagen Passat
-- Volvo S40 (four door sedan)

"When deciding on a vehicle for a young driver, safety has to be a top consideration," said Jeff Payne, president and founder of Driver's Edge. "Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death for people under 24, outnumbering the combined deaths resulting from drug use, guns, and other violence." Driver's Edge recommends that parents review crash-test ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) when considering any vehicle, along with the advice and ratings of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The cars on the list are recommended only for drivers who have at least two years of practical driving experience. (Smaller cars would not be on a list of cars recommended for true novice drivers.) Driver's Edge and CarMax used the following criteria to select the recommended cars:

1) Each of the selected models scored at least a four star rating from NHTSA for both frontal and side impact protection in each of the last four years. Exceptions are the Dodge Caliber and the Pontiac G6, each of which have only been available since 2007 and 2006, respectively.

2) Each car offers an array of active safety features as either standard or optional equipment (e.g., anti-lock braking systems, electronic stability control, traction control, etc.).

3) Cost, reliability, and vehicle styling have been considered, but safety considerations weighed more heavily in determining the cars to recommend.

"It's not just about choosing the 'right' car," Payne said. "There is no five-star rating or safety device that can take the place of a well educated driver. A lousy driver can make even the safest of vehicles a bad place to be. That's why we also recommend that all drivers seek out the proper training and learn the skills needed to help them stay safer on the highways, whether it's attending a Driver's Edge event or investing in a quality performance driving school."

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CarMax Names The Top 10 Cars For College Students



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bulldogzbulldogz - 8/21/2007 3:12:15 PM
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it seems kind of odd that an A4 is mixed in with Kias, Civics and other econo cars. I can only assume it is because the used car value of an A4 is pretty cheap?

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Agent009Agent009 - 8/21/2007 3:14:22 PMView My AgentSpace
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A4 has excellent safety, one of the main prerequisites.


bulldogzbulldogz - 8/22/2007 11:57:10 AM
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well Caltrans, when I can get an 06' A4 2.0 quattro w/under 10k miles on it for less than $27k AT WILL here in Boston, that doesn't scream value holder.


Agent009Agent009 - 8/21/2007 3:48:32 PMView My AgentSpace
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You have a point, but since this demographic is one of the most accident prone, survivability is a key factor.

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jpnussjpnuss - 8/21/2007 4:33:47 PM
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The A4 is safer than a serie 3 BMW, Mercedes C, Volvo 600?
Looks more like they through some darts at a list of cars, after cashing in the check from the VW group.

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Agent009Agent009 - 8/22/2007 8:22:43 AMView My AgentSpace
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Or maybe a BMW, Merc, or Volvo might be too expensive and fall out of the criteria?


Will_Will_ - 8/21/2007 5:27:05 PM
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College kids with Audis always feel superior to everyone. Regardless of the fact they got it because the depreciation on it was so substantial.

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atomicbriatomicbri - 8/21/2007 6:04:53 PMView My AgentSpace
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Where I live Audis hold their resale value well, where is it you live?


Will_Will_ - 8/21/2007 6:45:31 PM
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Central/Eastern North Carolina. I'm close to NC State University and I currently know three kids that intern for the company I work for that have Audis. I know another kid selling his '98 A4 for about $6500.


egogegog - 8/21/2007 8:28:15 PM
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Cars do have lower resale values here you can get great used deals in North Carolina


atomicbriatomicbri - 8/23/2007 12:14:34 AMView My AgentSpace
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I am in NYC where Audi A8s are a dime a dozen, you see as many of those as S Classes and 7 Series.... I guess that is why Audi has a good resale value here since many people like their quality, Quattro drive, etc.


YZFracer23YZFracer23 - 8/21/2007 7:51:18 PM
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a 98' A4 for $6500 isn't bad will. Go look at most BMW 3ers and Merc C-class's, they are going for less than that most of the time.

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Agent009Agent009 - 8/22/2007 8:24:12 AMView My AgentSpace
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I was just going to say that exact thing.


Will_Will_ - 8/22/2007 10:44:13 AM
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I've recently seen late '90s C-Classes for $8000+


SixxFiveSixxFive - 8/21/2007 8:58:36 PM
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Lot of kids at the local high school drive Audis too - great for a first car.

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BMW995BMW995 - 8/21/2007 10:28:36 PM
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Audi A4 for college students?? $35K+, not many students could swing this, unless Dad is an investment banker.
Where's the HHR??

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JUGNUJUGNU - 8/22/2007 4:06:34 AMView My AgentSpace
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Where is the Scion?

Stupid list

JUGNU

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JUGNUJUGNU - 8/22/2007 4:10:38 AMView My AgentSpace
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btw here in UAE college students drive Toyota Land Cruiser,Lexus LX470,Nissan Petrol Super Safari,Mercedes S Class and CL CLass.....ONLY

I said ONLY because here 90% of the local citizens only drive these 5 cars.

10% BMW X5,7 Series and Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

JUGNU

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david989david989 - 8/22/2007 5:11:19 AM
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Replace the Audi A4 with the Lexus IS and then we're talking. Get rid of Volvo too. Overpriced German junk.

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Agent009Agent009 - 8/22/2007 8:25:21 AMView My AgentSpace
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IS is probably too new to make the list because of the expense.


BillBill - 8/22/2007 6:57:08 AM
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What an incredibly stupid list, especially because of the Audi A4, VW Passat and Volvo. These aren't cheap cars. They might be safe, but they're generally out of the league of college students.

The VW Jetta is an exception, yet it is also pricey but a lot of college students drive it, especially females in my experience.

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Agent009Agent009 - 8/22/2007 8:26:07 AMView My AgentSpace
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Well there is an estrogen factor with some VW's.
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