houtex

That's true of all drivers. Just because it's got 426HP versus, oh, 90... doesn't mean it won't wrap around a telephone pole when they fail to negotiate a curve. Or smack a person they didn't see in a crosswalk. Or run up into some other car when they're texting. Or...

Well, I'm sure you get the idea.

/haven't done those things, m'self...
//well, not the texting version of running into another car anyway.

2k7gtcs

Is it really wise to give a kid a $35k car when he didn't work for it or pay for it in any way. Not even 1/2 of it. Maybe he did. I didn't watch the video. 5 minutes is too much of my time to waste on something like this. But come on. It's just not good parenting. I can see giving a kid a car, but I'd much rahter them have a vested stake in it in some way. Maybe they work for half and you match them. Maybe the Camaro is for college graudation. you have to have done somehting. This isn't good on so many levels. But hey. WTF do I know. I haven't reached this point yet with my kids. But I've always said you work and save, birthday, christmas, etc, and I'll match what you earn. That way they will take care of it better. Who takes care of a car better and learns responsibilty better than someone who has worked for what they've gotten.

Look at the people that get free stuff in our society versus those that have worked for it. How do they treat their free housing versus someone who owns their housing. I know its a bit different, but when you've worked so hard for it, waited for it, saved for it, you will take care of it. You'll keep it clean. You'll drive safer. You know that if you destroy it you'll have spent those hundreds of hours for nothing.

Its just not good sense. No matter how much money you have.

Wolfsburg

I'd say he's far more likely to hoon a 400HP car than a 90HP car, but anything is possible...

houtex

Honestly, you should really deal with your own disappointment regarding your first car...

J/k!

Seriously, I do get your points, but the truth is, some families work differently than others. And you just simply do not know the full situation. He may have earned it 10 times over for all we know.

Zastava_101

You got a point there, but not everybody is like that.
I got a brand new '00 Mustang from my parents for my 16th birthday and I took a great care of that car. Even now, 10 years later, interior looks brand new. There are few scratches on the outside, but that is expected with 10 years old car.
I take care of my '08 Mustang the same way, which I paid for it (actually, I'm still paying for it).

stangfoeva

This is exactly the philosophy my mom took with me. It made dreadful shifts at Taco Bell worth it. For every guy like Zoran who was given a nice car and was actually appreciative, there is a kid like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bohDv...layer_embedded

Skotty

I worked my butt off as a farm hand for far less than minimum wage to make enough money to buy my first car, a 4-cyl 1981 Mercury Capri for about $1100 (this was in 1991). And that's the way it should be.

BoogieNights

I am with you on this one. I washed semis to get the money for my first car which was a 1970 Ranchero. I had to pay for it myself as well as keep the maintianance on it up myself. Now there were times that I had to borrow money for it but for the most part I did everything myself.

scopedope

I was given a family hand me down for my first car to drive. It was a 62 chevy II wagan. I was given it to drive and maitain. I hated the fact it was a station wagon, and to this day I will not own anything that remotely looks like a station wagon and that includes SUV's

goldhillstang

Unbelievably stupid. It's like a game of Russian Roulette. EVERY 16 y/o is gonna crash a car. I just hope the kid survives. They should charge his parents with child abuse.

houtex

There we go.

I didn't have a wreck all while I was 16, btw... come to think of it, I want to say neither did my brother or sister, when they were 16... so what's up with your generalization?

bob

Well I've read about worse. Anybody remeber the 17 yr old (IIRC) kid that got the GT500 and wrecked it so his mom went out and purchased another one for him.

And I can't remeber if somebody told me here or elsewhere that they had a buddy in high school that was given an M3, he went out and wrecked it and the replacement was a 1st gen Viper (which even most adults have no business driving).

Skotty

I'm okay with the idea of hand-me-downs, or doing the pay-for-half thing, or even buying them certain lesser new cars, but an SS Camaro fully paid for is over the top.

2k7gtcs

I agree. That's the part I really can't wrap my head around.

PTRocks

Well, we can keep tabs on him to see if his name pops up in the news.

Here's his MySpace page

Zastava_101

Let me guess: you're one of those people who got a Pinto Station Wagon for 16th birthday?

2k7gtcs

I will admit that I had a wreck at 16. Well it was very minor, but because I was in a truck. My first car was a truck with a 2.5L 4 banger that wouldn't go over 70 mph with the tailgate up.

But anyway. I rear ended a car because I was flirting with the girl I was giving a ride home to. I had the truck for about 2 weeks. Neither of us had any damage as I was able to brake mostly in time. But it did scare the crap out of me and I never did it again. Ever. To this day its the only accident I've ever been in. All the others that would have been caused by other drivers I have thus far managed to avoid. *knock on wood*

goldhillstang

This coming from a guy that got a 4 cylinder Mustang. Must have been tough carrying those peanuts in that sac of yours. Actually I had a '68 Camaro SS 350 with a Muncie rock crusher, and my dad was crazy to let me drive it.

Zastava_101

What makes you think that I had a 4-cyl Mustang?

goldhillstang

Gee, you and your family must be direct descendents of J.C. himself. I didn't know there were that many perfect people walking the face of the earth. So you're telling me you, your brother and sister NEVER touched anything but air with any car any of you ever drove.And none of you had any wrecks before 18 WOW. I'd like to meet you all and shake your hands. Did any of you ever drive a 426 hp car? Did you ever have friends you were trying to impress? I only know on the planet I live on that EVERY teenager has done something stupid at one time or another. I wouldn't want to be the parent that gave my kid an easy means to do it.