[IFlyEm]

Looking for some input. My daughter is getting her license next month and I am considering several cars for her. After shopping around for a bit I am seeing several good deals on 2016/2017 X1's with <40k miles. I have also found a few 2014-2015 X3 28i's in the $20k range with 50k miles or so.

Any opinions on either of these cars for a teen driver? I was originally looking at Rav4's and Mazda CX3's and 5's but 2017+'s and newer are the same price as the BMW's.

Thanks!

[amancuso]

Stay away from 14-15 X3 2.8i cars as they suffer from timing chain issues. $$$. If you are set on an X3 it should be a car manufactured after April 2015. So to be safe discount 15 models and look for '16 or newer.

[ZZZZ]

Personally I'd go back and look at a RAV4 as her first vehicle. It comes with more standard safety equipment (i.e. blind spot monitoring, 360 camera) which are not available in the X1 - even as an option. It's cheaper on fuel (both economy and regular vs premium), is available as a hybrid, and cheaper to maintain (brakes/tires/etc.). However when I was cross-shopping I found the insurance was actually more than the X1, but I'm also in Canada. May be different in Cali.

The newer RAV's are very good all round vehicles. Sure it's not as much fun to drive but I'd value safety for a new driver over "fun factor".