What's the Right Car?(automobile rating report)(Product/service evaluation)

If you're reading this magazine, there's a good chance your child has grown up in a household where enthusiasm for cars and driving is considered the norm. It's not the norm in America, but when it comes time to put your teen behind the wheel you'll face the same concerns as all other parents: What's the right car?

First, carefully consider whether you want your new driver to even have a car of his or her own. Having to ask for the keys, and wait for one of the family's cars to be available, could be regarded as a rational restriction of a novice driver's mobility. A car of his or her own can be something the teen earns, not only with money, but with behavior and demonstration of responsibility and increasing mastery of driving skills.

Cars and insurance aren't cheap. Even if your personal wealth allows for the addition of a new car to your fleet for the exclusive use of a teen, do a little pencil work to see if it might not be wiser to invest in a used car-perhaps insisting on some contribution from the teen-and set the rest aside for college.

Any youthful driver, especially one raised in a car-loving atmosphere, will want something flashy and fast. But that's not a wise choice for one still on the steep end of the learning curve. Remember, when you're picking a car for your teen to drive, you're not trying to be their best friend. It's not about buying affection; it's about being a parent.

As we researched this package of stories with experts in the field, we asked what cars they recommended and what they bought for their own teens. There is wide diversity of opinion, but there is general agreement on what not to buy: No powerful sports cars and no SUVs. Or, as AAA's Bill Van Tassel said, "Probably not anything they really want.''

Matt Edmonds, The Tire Rack "My daughter had a Jetta and my son has a four-door Audi A3. You want something new enough to have ABS, traction control, side airbags and a good crash test performance, plus something nimble enough that they can make an evasive maneuver. Make sure they know how to use those features.''

Phil Berardelli, author "My older daughter had a 1981 Pontiac LeMans in 1988. My younger daughter, who wasn't really interested right away, had a 1975 Cutlass, a big solid car. She had three fender benders. Now what I find myself recommending is a Taurus station wagon. They have airbags, and they can have ABS. Side-curtain airbags? They help, but only a little, and there are other considerations. This myth we have about the safety of the vehicle-I would never recommend a new car for a new driver.