How picky are you when it comes to cars for your son and daughter?

[ultrarunner]

Its one thing for you and me to drive older cars.... we don't care as much for ourselves as we do our loved ones. :laughing:

I thought it would be a fun project for us... this is the little girl that asked for a Milwaukee Cordless Drill when she was 9

I guess the car culture is fading... I will admit it sure is easier to write a check and get a car with a multi year warranty.

 

[ultrarunner]

I took driver's ed in junior high school at age 13. You were supposed to be 14 but they let me take it since I would turn 14 by the time the class was over. I got my license at age 14 and bought my first car for $50; A 1952 Chevy. I earned every dime of it and paid for my own gas, maintenance and insurance. That was a time when you could buy a 13-14 year old car for less than $100. It was also a time when a gallon of milk was 49 cents and gas was 20 cents. Minimum wage was 90 cents an hour and I remember working at Dairy Queen when the minimum was bumped to $1.10. For a high school kid, that was a lot of money back then. And it sure beat mowing and trimming lawns in the heat for $3-$5. And that was before weedwackers. Sidewalk trimming was done with loppers a few inches at a time.

In any case, times change. There's no way a high school or college kid could earn enough to buy a car now days and pay for the things needed for school. Even if you're looking at a 13-14 year old car. Those cars are pretty much junk or a money pit now with only a few exceptions. (My own!) The old adage; "they don't make 'em like they used to" lives on. Gone are the days of a tune up with a tach/dwell and timing light. And few kids today can even change their own oil. It takes parents to support the transportation needs of their kids. It's either that or your kids are selling drugs.

That is very impressive... only know one person with a Driver's license under age 16... he was the oldest son in a farm family and his father was injured in a farm accident... he got a restricted license at age 13 in 1938 that allowed him to drive the farm truck to and from town.

Minimum wage is will soon be $15 an hour here... those kids at Fast Food places are bringing in more than a $100 a shift... one of my co-workers just sold her one owner as new 15 year old Chevy Tahoe... car looks showroom new... husband surprised her with a new car... the 2001 mint Tahoe sold for $3,000.

I don't think it would take too long for a teen to save up to buy a reliable car... now, Insurance is the real deal killer... just don't know what options a teen has unless added to the parent's policy.

 

[MossRoad]

I thought it would be a fun project for us... this is the little girl that asked for a Milwaukee Cordless Drill when she was 9

I guess the car culture is fading... I will admit it sure is easier to write a check and get a car with a multi year warranty.

Doesn't mean you can't work on it with her and give it to her. It would be a fun car to have and fun to share with her. But not as a daily driver.

One thing around here... its hard to have a nice old car and take it anywhere without some arsehat doing something to it. I have a friend that used to have a couple nice 60's his and her Mustangs. He said about 1 out of 3 times if they'd take one out and leave it unattended, someone would break off the mirror, damage the paint, pour pop on it, let the air out of the tires, etc.... people are weird. If they can't have anything nice, you shouldn't be able to either. A nice old Mustang and a teenage girl would be a magnet for weirdos and trouble.

 

[ultrarunner]

I guess the 62 Corvette would be worse...

Best bet is to simply bow out and let Mom and Dad handle it...

I've already heard that she doesn't need to be a mechanic... they are already talking about Stanford.

 

[om21braz]

I've already heard that she doesn't need to be a mechanic... they are already talking about Stanford.

In today's job market, I'd give a better chance to a mechanic looking for a job and/or work than quite a few that have a degree from Stanford. Lots of graduates out there cannot find a decent job.

 

[oosik]

My father had some very "unique" ideas about cars when I was growing up. I got my drivers license when I was 17 and had to use my girlfriend's(later to be my wife) fathers car to take the driving test. No way was my dad going to let me use the family car to take the driving test or use it after I got my license.
He made me a deal - he would buy me any new car I wanted when I graduated college. When I started college I decided I would ask for a Cadillac - when I graduated I wanted and got a brand new 1965 VW. Between the time I got my license and I graduated college, I never once owned or drove a car. That's just the way it was in my dad's family.

I let my son use our brand new pickup to take his driving test. He was allowed to use it after he got his license. Soon after he got his license, he crashed and totaled the new pickup. I took the insurance money and bought another new pickup. He was never again allowed to use the pickup. He was told he could have any vehicle he wanted - he would be buying it with his own money and all associated costs would be his responsibility also. That's the way it is with my family.

I think both myself & my son have learned a valuable lesson - a vehicle is simply a mode of transportation not a way of life. The responsibilities of ownership are major and not to be taken lightly. Fortunately both of us have survived the transition to this level of understanding. My son drives a 2012 Toyota pickup.

 

[tcartwri]

I bought my son a really nice golf for $2K this spring as his learner and first car.

He just admitted that he drove it all weekend with the oil light on.

I give up.

 

[check]

My daughter doesn't want a car. Plain and simple. We even found a great deal on a used (2009) Mercedes B200, for the equivalent of about $6000 US, but no deal. Despite all the amazing safety features, she would not go for it. She walks most places, or takes public transportation, and says she doesn't really need a car. Years ago, she said when she got a car, it would have to be an F150 pickup truck just like I had. (In fact she said she wanted the exact 2010 truck that I was driving at the time, and admonished me NOT to sell it or trade it in when I was finished with it!)

Her "no car" policy works for her (and us) right now, but we will revisit this when it's time for her to leave the nest. But in any case, whatever she ends up with, it had better have all of the safety features that you can get! Remember what the number one cause of teenage death he is.

 

[MossRoad]

My mom and dad taught me to drive as soon as I turned 15. I got my license at 16. I was allowed to use either of their cars pretty much as often as I wanted. However, I had to get a job and pay for my part of the insurance, and I had to put gas in it if I used them. I bought a motorcycle at 18 and my dad gave me his '70 Nova around that time, as well, as it had high miles and he bought a new Toyota. From that point on, I bought all of my own cars. Lots of used beaters. My girlfriend (now my wife) had a car that she bought half of when she was in high school. She bought a new car when she got out of college before we got married. Anyhow, many cars later when we had our own kids, we taught them to drive our cars and let them use them to get to work and school. It was a necessity due to our jobs, to let them drive. Oldest bought her own very used car (we paid for half of it) 3rd year of college. She pays for all insurance and most upkeep. But when she gets hit with major repairs, we'll help her out with half the repairs. In the mean time, she is working through grad school, working two jobs and paying down her student debt. I see no reason not to help her out if we have the means, as long as she is putting in the majority of the money from her own hard work. She says thank you very often and does not expect any help from us. :thumbsup:

 

[ultrarunner]

I was self taught and asked questions when it came to learning how to double clutch a manual trans.

At 12 I started working for a Dealership... all summer I would wash and vacuum cars, put the plate frames on, start all the cars on the lot every Saturday and run the extension cord/charger to boost weak batteries.

I started to read the owner's manuals while letting the cars warm up and soon I knew more than the sales staff as to the features each model had.

Moving cars around was a lot of fun... and something I just started doing to help out for test drives... I got a few looks and one day the owner asked me how long I had been moving cars around the lot and I said for a couple of weeks... he paused and said OK... just be **** careful.

The best part would be when on weekends when the lot was busy... sometimes I would get sent out on test drives... couldn't believe my luck... getting paid a $1.65 for sitting in an air condioned car and answering questions.

I started to be called the closer... as a kid I was unassuming and knowledgeable and 99% of the customers were very much at ease...

The lucrative part was often on the Used Car side... sometimes a car would come on the lot as a trade in the morning and would be sold that same afternoon after I cleaned it up and filled out the checklist... only thing needed was a quick state brake check which meant the shop would have to pull all 4 wheels...

It was fun for a kid and a $1 was enough to buy a burger and a shake for lunch at the burger stand 5 blocks away... even opened my first bank account because the Bank of America branch president said anyone earning a regular paycheck was old enough to open a Bank Account... no parents involved.

I do think it is sad that similar isn't available to kids today...

Posted before at being 16 with several high school friends over spring break driving from the SF Bay Area to Canada and back to visit his uncle who had recently moved there... today, I'm sure that would be child endangerment, border crossing problems, insurance and just checking in a motel would all be problems... not to mention kids are not allowed to drive kids in California!