Your best bet in a used car will be a well-maintained American car. I don't want to get into the U.S./rest of the world "discussion" being held on other threads. I'll just say that proper maintenance has more to do with a car's trouble-free operation than where it is made. Right now, there are some decent American cars out there, but perception has not caught up with the reality, so American cars suffer more depreciation than many foreign cars. As a buyer of a used car, you can take advantage of that. Some of the cars you might want to look at include the Ford Taurus, or just anything midsize or larger from GM. I'm guessing that, since you got to the age of 16 without being a "gearhead," you mostly want a comfortable, reliable car. These will do the job. They shouldn't cost a fortune for insurance, either. Mikie is right -- even if you're paying for your own insurance, it will be cheaper to piggyback on your parents' policy than it will be for you to go solo. Ask about discounts if you get good grades in school or are willing to drive only a certain number of miles per month, etc. Finally, what else I wish I'd known about cars at your age? Having a car is a joy and a privilege -- and a responsibility. As a teenager, you have the benefit of quick reflexes and (I hope) formal training. You can be an excellent driver. But there's no substitute for experience -- especially at night in the rain and on icy roads. I knew how to steer out of a skid -- until the first time I found myself in one and narrowly missed a fence as I spun into a farmer's field. It's different when it really happens. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you're immortal (every teenager thinks so; so did I). You're in control of almost two tons of metal and glass and plastic, so be careful. When I was 16, nobody had cell phones and we were lucky if the car had an FM radio, nevermind multi-channel stereo systems and iPod links and the like. I know teenagers are better at multi-tasking than they used to be, but you still have one primary task in a car -- driving. Don't be distracted by fiddling with the stereo or talking with friends. It's okay to concentrate on driving. Professional auto racers do. Have fun! Getting my first car was a blast. I hope you find one you really like and have many happy miles with it.

These are not "shady" deals, but I think that all 3 favor the dealership, and not the auto owner. 1. Extend the warranty from 5 to 7 years for $1480 and get the money back if no claims. This is a free loan of $1480 to the dealer for 7 years and it probably does not cover much, maybe just the drive train. These parts are already warranteed for 5 years. What happens if the dealership changes hand, goes out of business, or re-incorporates before the 7 years is up? These days, auto dealerships are very fluid and a long term, fixed business arrangement for 7 years is more rare than new dealerships. Do you thnik you will own this vehicle for 7 years? What happens to your money if you replace this vehicle within 5 years? 2. Rust proofig for $848 or more option at $1248. The time to add rust proofing to a vehicle is when it is new and the surfaces are clean. This one is a maybe. Some sources say it is wasted money. It all depends on what is done. If it merely duplicates the coatings already placed by the manufacturer, it is not very helpful. It may offer some protection if you live on a gravel road where the undercarraige gets pelted with stones on a regular basis. If they add coatings to the interior of the doors, be careful here. Too much in the wrong place can gum up the workings of electric door locks; It can plug door drains. If you live in the "rust belt" where road salts are used extensively, it may some added value. This one is a judgement call. 3. Accident and health insurance. This is assurance (to the dealer) that you'll have cash to pay off the loan in case of debilitating accident or sickness to you. Very likely, it will be written to the effect that in case of accident or illiness, the car loan is the first item to be satisfied. If you are employed, have adequate health and life insurance, this is not needed. For a long trerm loan, say 5 years, the dealer (and loan agency) is very anxious to make sure that the loan covered.

Yes, you are likely entitled to diminished value on your vehicle. The at-fault carrier may have a worksheet they use to determine that (based on some percentage permutation of age of the vehicle, unwrecked value of the vehicle and the costs of repair). You could consider getting the Jag dealer or another dealer to write up something for you as to the diminished value (but the carrier might say there is no way to determine this prior to seeing the quality of the repairs). As another has mentioned, car repairs now are typically of a very good quality, with more or less replacement of full components rather than lots of sheet metal work. So dimunition of value isn't as big of a deal as it was several years ago. It also comes into play in bigger numbers with much newer cars -- say, less than three years old. Your state probably has a threshhold at which point vehicles are declared a total loss. Or it might hinge on how many body panels are affected, or if there is frame damage, etc. Are you wanting the vehicle to be totalled? If so, then start adding up the repair costs + the diminished value = the cost of the rental during repairs and see if that gets you to the % to have it totalled. Then the carrier can cash you out, tow your car off, and you can go out and buy something else. In any state a carrier cannot hold up settlement of the property damage to get the bodily injury claim settled. And there is no problem with resolving the property damage claim first and then waiting to resolve the BI. Just make sure to read the release for the PD claim (if you're even asked to sign one) and make sure it is a release for the PD claims only.

I'm anti-Allstate now as well. First of all, they dropped my parents' home insurance after they'd been clients for at least 30 yrs due to one break-in. That put them into a high-risk pool which nearly tripled their premium. Before that, it turns out all those years DH and I had a policy that we were in Allstate Idenmity (which is a high risk pool). The agent never told us that we could have switched over 2-3 yrs after DH's last speeding ticket which was 9-21 months into the policy. In fact, he never told us that we were in a high risk pool at all. It was only after we got a new statement and were looking at paying nearly 3K a yr that I began calling around and kept being told Allstate Idenmity is not the same as "normal Allstate". We have Liberty Mutual now and since we're paying what appears to be an extremely fair premium (smile), we'll stay put.