How old when you got your first wheels... car or pickup?

ultrarunner · Feb 26, 2016

I've got a 1996 f150 extended cab 4wd 5spd longbed 6cyl pickup not being used as in 300 miles in 2015

Put it up for sale on Craigs last year and had a lot of interest... not a single person showed up... wasted a lot of time which is typical for where I live.

It's very clean... zero rust... no body damage, original paint and bed was never used... purchased from a guy that retired in 1996 and bought it new as a retirement present to himself for hunting and fishing and it sat in his carport the last 3 years because of bad eyesight.

To make a long story short... I've have only one nephew and he is just crazy about it... got to thinking why not just gift it to him... cleared it with his Mom who is all for it... Dad is a little lukewarm because he will have to add to the family insurance.

My nephew drives all over the ranch and is very good with the tractors... has a steady hand and careful...

Felt bad as he was real close to his grandfather on the other side of the family who had a little Nissan pickup and nephew grew up helping Grandpa do the brakes, oil changes, rotating tires, etc... Grandpa said it would be his on his 16th birthday with no strings.

Grandpa died suddenly of a heart attack on Christmas 3 years ago and unfortunately Grandma sold the Nissan because her grandson was 12 at the time... she did give him a $1000 from the sale and said it was from Grandpa.

I bought my first car at age 12 with money I earned and never got into trouble and still have it... my Nephew will soon be 15.

How old were you when you got you first vehicle?

bdog · Feb 26, 2016

My dad bought a 1967 jeep CJ-5 when I was about 12 or 13. I helped him rebuild it. We took it on hunting trips and such. When I turned 15 it became mine to drive. When I was 17 and had a decent paying job I bought a 1989 F-150 with a 300 6 cylinder. Dad sold the jeep after that. I sure wish I still had that thing especially now that dad is gone. I bought a 1976 CJ-5 that looks almost identical to the 67 I had. Same color and everything. It is sitting in the barn for when my son get a little older.

Xfaxman · Feb 26, 2016

I was 18, it was a 1929 Model A Ford Coupe. :thumbsup:

ultrarunner · Feb 26, 2016

I wonder how many Model A's we have... 1929 Model A for my first car too.

Love those older jeeps... well just about any up to 1975 because they are smog exempt... 1976 and all bets are off due to emission testing in California.

oosik · Feb 27, 2016

My father said "when you graduate college, I will buy you a new vehicle, whatever you want". I started college in 1960 and though I would want a new Cadillac. I graduated in 1964 and asked/received a brand new Volkswagen. 1964 - my wife & I made the ungodly trip all the way to Anchorage, AK in that VW. In those days the Alaska Highway(Alcan) was either mud or dust. We were both glad for the VW - it made the trip in great shape. I was 22 when I graduated and my first car was a much loved VW.

TomSeller · Feb 27, 2016

16 as soon as I had a license. Driving a car on the road was a no brainer since I had been driving the tractors and hay trucks in the fields and on the road as "farm vehicles". The driving instructor (had to take lessons to get the license early) noted that I took "wide turns" around corners. Habits are hard to break

. You never know when they might hitch a horse trailer to the back of the Driver's Ed car.

motownbrowne · Feb 27, 2016

My 1975 valiant was mine when I was 15. Didn't get my license until I was close to 17, though. I never spent any time with my dad working on vehicles or machinery, but I did appreciate that Plymouth, and still have a fondness for them. That's part of why I got my Ford truck with the 300. I had never been let down by that slant six, so having an F250 with the 300 made sense to me.

Ultrarunner, that's sure a nice pickup. If I was in the market for a less expensive half-ton, that'd be it. If he's as careful as you say, it'd be a great gift. Might be worth more to you to give it to a family member than to deal with Craigslist. Only thing I see as a drawback is the safety issue. Your nephew, or anyone for that matter is safer in a new Kia than a Ford pickup. I'm not saying he shouldn't have it, just that if he does have a reckless side you aren't seeing, that maybe something with more airbags would be better for now.

Looking4new · Feb 27, 2016

My first car was a 1950 Ford 4 door, with rotted out floorboards, but it ran and that was the main thing. No safety/mechanical fitness tests needed here in 1962. I drove that old girl everywhere, I almost got to Montreal with it and I puked the motor. Hitchhiked home to Toronto.

I would give the nephew the pickup in a heart beat. Daddy can just 'bite the bullet' and pay the added insurance cost.

Ed of all trades · Feb 27, 2016

Got my first car when I was in the 6th grade, how old is that. Just drove it on the farm and to the end of our drive way to the school bus. Our drive was 9/10 mi long. I drove that old 65 Chevelle wagon until I I was 16 and wrecked it. Gear shift locked up and I looked down a the wrong time. Giving that boy the truck just might do more for him than you will ever know. Ed

JJZ 109 · Feb 27, 2016

ultrarunner said:
I've got a 1996 f150 extended cab 4wd 5spd longbed 6cyl pickup not being used as in 300 miles in 2015

Put it up for sale on Craigs last year and had a lot of interest... not a single person showed up... wasted a lot of time which is typical for where I live.

It's very clean... zero rust... no body damage, original paint and bed was never used... purchased from a guy that retired in 1996 and bought it new as a retirement present to himself for hunting and fishing and it sat in his carport the last 3 years because of bad eyesight.

To make a long story short... I've have only one nephew and he is just crazy about it... got to thinking why not just gift it to him... cleared it with his Mom who is all for it... Dad is a little lukewarm because he will have to add to the family insurance.

My nephew drives all over the ranch and is very good with the tractors... has a steady hand and careful...

Felt bad as he was real close to his grandfather on the other side of the family who had a little Nissan pickup and nephew grew up helping Grandpa do the brakes, oil changes, rotating tires, etc... Grandpa said it would be his on his 16th birthday with no strings.

Grandpa died suddenly of a heart attack on Christmas 3 years ago and unfortunately Grandma sold the Nissan because her grandson was 12 at the time... she did give him a $1000 from the sale and said it was from Grandpa.

I bought my first car at age 12 with money I earned and never got into trouble and still have it... my Nephew will soon be 15.

How old were you when you got you first vehicle?

Nice gift to a kid that age. Also an opportunity to teach him about responsibility and earning his way. Especially if the parents tell him that he's on his own for insurance, maintenance, etc. like my parents did.
When I was 15 my step dad got himself a new (to him) pickup. This was sometime in 1978. He gave me his old '69 Chevy C10 with a 250 6 cylinder and 3 on the tree. It needed a clutch and paint job. If I wanted to drive it when I turned 16 I had to work and save my money because the clutch, paint, insurance, registration and fuel was all on me. There was no getting onto my parents' insurance policy.
So I went to work shoveling cow manure and haying on a local farm to get that money. Been in the workforce in many capacities ever since. Now retired as a corrections officer and owner of my own business as well as driving truck part time for a US Mail contract hauler.