Old beaters – the primered, battered cars of my youth – are old school, I guess.

Cars.com says many parents today buy new cars for their school-age kids, seeking vehicles that are safe, reliable, efficient and affordable. (Personally, I might also be looking for a job for the kid.)

It concluded that the best new car for first-time drivers is a 2008 Honda Civic.

With a base price of $14,810, the car is safe, has a lot of standard features, gets good gas mileage and retains its value well, Cars.com says.

The online shopping service also selected the 2008 Honda Fit – base price, $13,950 – as the best deal for first-time drivers. The pint-sized Fit, which has city mileage of 28 miles per gallon, also offers a lot of features – as well as modest power for teen-agers – for the money, Cars. com says.

The other vehicles that made the cars.com list were these 2008 models:

Mitsubishi Lancer: $13,990 base price; 22 miles per gallon city, 29 highway.

Suzuki SX4: $14,770 base price; 22 city, 30 highway.

Toyota Tacoma: $14,280 base price; 20 city, 25 highway.

Scion xB: $15,650 base price; 22 city, 28 highway.

Nissan Sentra: $16,140 base price; 25 city, 33 highway.

Hyundai Sonata: $17,670 base price; 21 city, 31 highway.

Terry Box

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