Jeanette Friesen, Extension Educator
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension
For most young people, turning 16 and getting a driver’s license is one of the highlights of their lives! Of course, along with the license comes a car, or so they think! They see the ads in the newspaper for cars at only so many dollars per month. If they have a part-time job, it’s easy for them to think that they could afford to purchase a car!
But is it that easy? Parents would probably disagree! But how do you convince a teen who is set on getting their own wheels?
A new website, http://autotown.unl.edu, is a tool your teen can use to go through the steps to purchase a car. Through this activity, they will select a car and discover how much it would take to make the initial purchase, plus the costs that it will take to operate the car. They will learn about interest, insurance, tax and license fees, plus the estimated operating costs. They will prepare a budget, based on their income, to help them see whether or not they can actually afford the car they have selected.
This web based activity would be a good one for parents to look at as well. It will help open the door to discussion with your teen about what it really means to own and operate a car, and what costs might be shared within the family. A discussion based on actual figures will be more effective and can help your teen set goals for the car they would like to own.
Be sure your teen fills out the response at the end of the "autotown" activity. And let us know how the discussion went with your teen by going to unlforfamilies.unl.edu, and clicking on the feedback form at the end of this TIPS article.
