How many 16YO owners?
Mach 1 Member
Joined: October 12, 2009
Posts: 963
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From: New Orleans, LA
But if your child has money saved up and has been responsible, IMO you should let then buy their own car (within their means of course) as SOON as possible. Again I had a long life story message typed out, but my story doesn't matter and no one wants to hear me whine about my situation, but you parents out there need to realize that there comes a point in your child's life that no matter how many times you try to TELL them something, they just will not take it to heart until they've done it on their OWN. And the majority of us on this site are car enthusiasts, raise by car enthusiast parents, and will probably raise car enthusiast children. I've had so many deals with my parents fall through when I was younger, that in some ways I don't trust them. I never ever asked them to buy me a car. And well, they never did anyways, but I was handed down both of the only cars I have driven to date, one by my godfather, and my current V6 used to be my mom's. I've paid all for all the maintenance and insurance and mods though. The thing is though, I had money saved up for a car. Living under their rules, with them paying for my school meant that even though I had money, they wouldn't let
me spend it. Well not on a car anyways. They let me waste as much as I wanted on my ex girlfriends without telling me that would be a waste. I would have much rather them let me "waste" my money on the car that I wanted when I could have afforded it, as even though it would literally be a waste of money too, it would at least still be around today!
...My point is, the only way they are going to learn, as evidenced by the guys who have chimed in on this thread, is if you let them teach themselves, as young as possible. If you try to shelter them all through college, they will never grow up. I am fortunate enough to have been still living at home when I lost my job last month (I graduate last May, 2009). But I have wanted nothing more than to be out on my own, since I was 16. But being an only child, and a cop's son, I haven't been "allowed" to do that. Luckily so I do have parents that love me, but in a way, they have done TOO much for me, more than I asked them to. I know I won't know what that's like until I (hopefully) have my own kids, but I know there are many things that I would do differently.So while some of you guys are young and have your dream cars now, if you bought them yourselves and are doing well, I salute you. But you guys sound like you have this complex of being representative of our whole age group. And really, you don't. You/we are the minority. And I do NOT want to think about the majority of kids our age getting a 305+ hp RWD car for their 16th birthday. Not only because I would worry about driving next to them, especially in the rain/snow, but also because once I am in a position to (fricken finally) buy my dream Mustang again, I want to actually be able to afford the car AND the **** insurance. I'm young, I want to be able to buy and enjoy my **** toys before gas costs $10/gallon and the govt takes away our high horsepower V8s! If there's one thing that my parents have tried to teach me, but I failed to grasp until I learned it the hard way (multiple times now, sigh) it is to prepare for the worst. Calculating things out, assuming I live a healthy life into my middle age, the world for us car enthusiasts is going to get pretty ugly in the next 20 years or so (especially in California, as if it wasn't bad enough already). Those of you who are enthusiasts who are raising enthusiasts, let them get out there and buy their dream car, within their means, as SOON as possible. Nothing will teach them responsibility better than owning their own dream car, paid for with their own money. You say you want them to focus on school? Well trust me, if they're any kind of enthusiast like I am, they will be much more focused knowing they have that shiny Mustang to go out to after class, that they bought for all themselves. Throughout my 16 years in school, I would guess that in total, I have spent 2-3 years of that day-dreaming about buying and modding my own V8 Mustang. And if they're anything like me, a V6 will not cut it. I'd rather have many other cars than a V6 Auto Mustang, and I mean this, no offense to any of you guys who own a V6 Auto. It just doesn't do it for me. And honestly the 11s are in such a different league than the SN95 cars, that I don't even think about them when I say that!
. Not only that, a car that I was handed down, without asking for, does not cut it for me. Call me ungrateful, call me selfish. I'm not. Giving me that car didn't teach me anything, other than my parents love me. And I didn't need them to give me a car to tell me that. I would have much rather them let me blow my savings on a POS barely running 5.0 that I had to work on to drive. Trust me, I would have gotten my homework done a LOT faster knowing my own car, that I bought with my own money, was waiting for me to put my elbow-grease into, than sit there day-dreaming about putting my elbow grease into a car that I didn't have...Do you guys get it now?!? Yes, I'm obsessed. I blame my parents.
It sucks that I had to wait and it really cost me. I had a decent amount of money saved but due to waiting started blowing it all because I didn't need to spend it on a car. Now that it may finally be time for me to get a new car I will have to really watch my budget. I blame them but in the end it is my own fault that all this money was wasted.
I know my parents had really good intentions but sometimes that is not good enough.
Cobra R Member
Joined: June 3, 2004
Posts: 1,569
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From: PA
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JonathonK
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Sep 29, 2015 09:27 AM