Stop letting your kids drive fast cars (buying, price)

[BCW]

The article stated that he was driving a 2004 Subaru -not exactly the car of choice for adrenaline junkies. (probably the family car) In this case it seems to be about lack of experience leading to poor judgment, maybe the weather/road conditions contributed. Very common with young drivers, male & female. More driving time under controlled circumstances (Drivers Ed. and/or practice with parental guidance/oversight) would likely help the most with these two interrelated issues. Maybe a more restrictive graduated licensing program would help too.

[NHP Guy]

Why isn't this type of stuff treated exactly the same as DWI? IMO, it doesn't really matter how you got to be a danger on the road, the point is that you are a danger. MADD should stand for Mother's Against Dangerous Driving. I'm not defending drunk driving, but does anybody else see the logic in giving somebody who is moderately impaired (BAC between .05-.07) who is driving fairly conservatively a far stiffer penalty than somebody who is stone cold sober but is driving very fast, following too closely, weaving in and out of traffic and cutting other people off? Like I said, both drivers are dangerous, yet in most cases the one that was drinking will wind up worse off than the sober driver. That makes no sense at all to me. The sober but dangerous/reckless driver should be held to the very same standards as the average DWI driver. The only exception that I can possibly see is if the driver is absolutely blitzed and he is driving like a total maniac.

[56 Fighter]

Originally Posted by BCW

The article stated that he was driving a 2004 Subaru -not exactly the car of choice for adrenaline junkies.

Don't be so sure about that... 2004 was when the WRX came out, which is definitely an adrenaline junkie car.

[Cardiff Giant]

Originally Posted by BCW

The article stated that he was driving a 2004 Subaru -not exactly the car of choice for adrenaline junkies.

If it's a WRX it has 227HP; if it's a WRX STi it has 300HP. That combined with a 3000 lb. curb weight is a recipe for disaster in the hands of a young driver. Subarus are very popular with the "fast and furious" set, they're not all family cars.

My first car was a Plymouth Belvidere. A 6 cyl. boat. When I had enough money to buy my own new car, I bought a 1987 Mustang GT, one of the fastest cars at that time. One time I was merging onto the LIE with a car full of people at full throttle; one of my passengers was my best friends older sister. She chided me for going that fast with people in the car and I never did it again.

[Huckleberry3911948]

stop letting your kids do -- fill in the blank -- is not an option. once the guy takes off his pants and she puts them on, from then on he is no longer in the drivers seat, its all about mama. kids figure this out pretty quick. the people with the wallet stopped pulling together long time ago, once the 1st highjack occurs the kids just imitate the procedure. the kids will buy pretty much whatever they want as long as mama is backing them up. the old man is just a rubber stamp these days. hot wheels no problem.

[BCW]

Originally Posted by 56 Fighter

Don't be so sure about that... 2004 was when the WRX came out, which is definitely an adrenaline junkie car.

Originally Posted by Cardiff Giant

If it's a WRX it has 227HP; if it's a WRX STi it has 300HP. That combined with a 3000 lb. curb weight is a recipe for disaster in the hands of a young driver. Subarus are very popular with the "fast and furious" set, they're not all family cars.

I stand corrected. I had no idea they put out such a car, nor that Subarus are popular with such folks. I've been considering a trade-up soon, and Subaru is one option. I've got this impression that they're 'safe family' cars from the boxy-but-good line. They sure are on the expensive side though! Yow, I've never spent more than $8,000 on a car.

My first car was a brandy new '79 Ford Granada -wow, eh? Bet everybody's impressed now!

[dman72]

Originally Posted by BCW

I stand corrected. I had no idea they put out such a car, nor that Subarus are popular with such folks. I've been considering a trade-up soon, and Subaru is one option. I've got this impression that they're 'safe family' cars from the boxy-but-good line. They sure are on the expensive side though! Yow, I've never spent more than $8,000 on a car.

My first car was a brandy new '79 Ford Granada -wow, eh? Bet everybody's impressed now!

The Subaru WRX is basically THE car for speed obsessed kids who prefer "rice grinders" over big engines.

Subaru's are expensive and they are worth it. They very good reliability and have great resale value. This particular model, the Imprezza WRX, is fast, and small, which means it flies off the road if someone doesn't know how to handle it. I rented an Imprezza hatchback once, not a WRX. Great handling. Nice, solid car.

[Speedaddicted]

Originally Posted by dman72

The Subaru WRX is basically THE car for speed obsessed kids who prefer "rice grinders" over big engines.

Subaru's are expensive and they are worth it. They very good reliability and have great resale value. This particular model, the Imprezza WRX, is fast, and small, which means it flies off the road if someone doesn't know how to handle it. I rented an Imprezza hatchback once, not a WRX. Great handling. Nice, solid car.

Wrong, the Honda Civic is THE car for speed obessed kids who prefer rice grinders. The WRX cant hold a candle to the Civic is sheer sales numbers for these kids.

The WRX and the STI are very very capable machines and they can be very fast if modified correctly. Big engines isnt always the best way to go.

[dman72]

Originally Posted by Speedaddicted

Wrong, the Honda Civic is THE car for speed obessed kids who prefer rice grinders. The WRX cant hold a candle to the Civic is sheer sales numbers for these kids.

The WRX and the STI are very very capable machines and they can be very fast if modified correctly. Big engines isnt always the best way to go.

Civic isn't the preferred car..it's the cheap one. Every kid driving a Civic would take a WRX in a heartbeat.

It would impress the girls more.

[Speedaddicted]

Originally Posted by dman72

Civic isn't the preferred car..it's the cheap one. Every kid driving a Civic would take a WRX in a heartbeat.

It would impress the girls more.

Not even close to being acurate. Most honda guys wouldnt take a Scooby if you gave it to them. There are more Civics with B16 swaps than Scoobies in the US I would bet. The Civic crowd doesnt just buy them because they are cheap. The WRX (non STI) isnt that expensive where a guy who does a B16 swap couldnt afford one. The Subaru is popular but its by NO MEANS at the top of the list. Hell the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO model is far more popular than the scoobie.

Put it to you like this, I worked at a store that sold parts and accesories for imports and the Civics outsold every other platform by a LARGE margin... a very large margin.