Jaaaa jong. To each his own.
Both my daughters we as parents helped them to buy cars. We bought the cars on our names with the arrangement they pay for the cars every month, including insurance that was on our names. Firstly this made them have to work and budget and take respocibilty for the financial side of the deal. Secondly they looked after the cars as they were paying for it.
My first born was 18 we bought her a 2013 Chery QQ for R65,000, she is 25 now and is still driving it with a smile on her face. Took her 36 months to pay it off. She had a small accident, car was fixed. The head gasket also blew at one time, she paid to fix it. She's now looking at the New Chery Tigo Pro 4, all on her own.
Her sister is 23 now, we got her a 2005 Chevrolet Spark for R25,000, she was 18. She paid us back within 18 months. Car had some external issues with paint clearcoat pealing, and a rear bumper that was clearly fixed poorly. Clutch cable snapped one, and alternator belt broke once. She drove it till 5 months ago, and sold it, struck a deal with her grandma to buy her Hyundai i10 2012 model, gave a R25,000 deposit, and is currently paying ouma off at R2,000pm.
Both cars were older, and as long as you keep an eye on the mechanical parts there shouldn't be breakdowns all the time. That said, even a new car can suffer breakdowns. The advantage of an older car as people have mentioned is that there will be bumps and scrapes, and incidents, and this is all part of learning to drive.
I think these days all insurance offer road side assist as well, so even if there is flat tire they will come and help. And then there is the Mom and Dad that is 24 hours on call as well.
Good luck whatever you decide. If that means brand new, then by all means go for it. If it means you consider 2nd hand, then feel free to contact me to check the vehicle history for you.
