It's now 1995, and we're looking for a first car for a new 16-year-old driver. The requirements are going to be the same as 1985: $20,000 or less in 2025 dollars (which means our driver can spend $9,400), and our hypothetical driver was born in 1979.
NHTSA crash testing has been out for 16 years now, so there are plentiful choices for vehicles that do well in this test. As a result, we'll keep the 20% or lower risk of severe injury (4 or 5 star) requirement for the NHTSA full frontal test. Heating, A/C and an AM/FM radio are still required.
Now that it's 1995, a driver airbag is a requirement. They've been reasonably common for about 3-4 years now. A passenger airbag in our price range will likely leave you in a tiny econobox, and passenger airbags of this era were of little to no benefit to seat-belted occupants, anyway. ABS is highly recommended but not yet mandatory.
Ford Taurus (1992-1993, with 1990-1991 good but less preferred) - The 1992-1993 Taurus was probably, bar none, the best first car you could get within our budget at the time, especially if you got one with the optional ABS. For as little as $7,500, in addition to the mandatory driver airbag and highly recommended ABS, you got a car that aced the IIHS offset crash test at a time when this was a rarity even on brand-new cars at twice the price. Add in a comfortable ride, pretty good reliability ratings, well laid out controls, and a reasonably large, sturdy build and you can see why the 1992-1993 Taurus sold so well back then - and why there were a lot to choose from for a new driver. The optional passenger airbag would have provided no benefit; the car did well in NHTSA crash testing on both sides even without one, and the 2nd generation Taurus's passenger airbag, like many passenger airbags from the early 1990s, was very overaggressive.
A 1990-1991 Taurus, from the final two years of the 1st-generation will be cheaper and still pretty safe, with a driver airbag and optional ABS, but you wouldn't have had the 21st-century level safety of the 2nd generation. Still, it was a safe car for its era and still fell in the recommended circle.
Honda Accord (1992-1993; wagon also 1991) - The CB7 Accord was well known for its reliability and excellent road manners. 1991 wagons, as well as all models from 1992-1993, gave you the requisite driver airbag and good crash test ratings, at the high end of 4 stars on both sides from NHTSA. A 1992 EX model with 36,000 miles and ABS should slip just under the $9,400 budget, but 50-60k miles shouldn't have been a deal breaker with the Accord's legendary reliability, and would have knocked a few hundred off the price. (Lower-end, non-ABS models started at around $6,800).
Toyota Camry (1992-1993) - The 3rd-generation Toyota Camry was well known for being among the best-built, most reliable vehicles in its class, and was also known for its comfort, practicality, and having safety that was well above average for a car of its era. NHTSA gave it a strong 4 stars on both sides, and IIHS gave it its second-highest rating of Acceptable - no small feat for an early '90s design. It had a standard driver airbag, and ABS was an option on all trim levels. ABS-equipped models could be had starting around $7,500; on the $9,400 budget, you'd have had plenty of choice of base DX and mid-level LE models, with a few higher-end XLE's and SE's with a little more mileage also on offer.
Ford Crown Victoria (1992-1993) - I'm going to bend the rules slightly here and allow this one despite the fact that its NHTSA driver rating just barely missed the 4-star cutoff, squeaking in at the very highest end of 3 stars. The passenger scored the full 5 stars, though. The reason the Crown Vic gets a pass is because it weighs significantly more than the other cars listed, and thus benefits on safety for that reason. The Panther-platform cars were known for their bulletproof reliability (they served as taxis and cop cars, after all!), extremely comfortable ride, and huge amounts of space without being too thirsty at the pump. The Crown Vic had a standard driver airbag, an optional passenger airbag, and optional ABS. Prices for the driver-bag, ABS-equipped models started at around $8,000, helped by the fact that the '92 redesign was an early launch, debuting about 6 months before the 'typical' 1992 model (March instead of September 1991).
Nissan Altima (1993) - The new-for-1993 Altima was one of the sleekest-looking midsize sedans of the early 1990s, and offered reliability, comfort, and practicality levels similar to that of a Camry or Accord of the era. It earned a high-end 4 star rating for the driver and the full 5 stars for the passenger in NHTSA testing. A driver airbag was standard; ABS was an option from the mid-grade GXE model up, and included 4-wheel disc brakes instead of front discs and rear drums. An ABS-equipped GXE started at around $8,500. Steer clear of the '94; the addition of the passenger airbag actually LOWERED the passenger NHTSA crash test rating from 5 stars to 3!
Ford Escort (1994) - The little Escort definitely punched above its weight on safety, with high-end 4-star crash test results for both driver and passenger, as well as a standard driver airbag and optional ABS. Developed in collaboration with Mazda, the Escort was one of the best-engineered small car designs of the early '90s; it sipped fuel without being a penalty box on wheels. A spicier GT model was also available. An example with the optional ABS and A/C would start at around $7,500; a GT with these features would be very close to the $9,400 maximum.
But what about the Volvo 240, which had historically been one of the best choices for a first car? By 1995, the 240 was still a pretty good choice, but there were better choices - like the cars you see above. There's only so much you can do with a structural design from 1974. By the early 1990s, some of the safer new designs were coming out with better structural designs and higher crash test ratings than the old 240.
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