Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am just curious about everyone's views on cars for 16 year olds and how they pay for it-
I know there are so many different views on this But I bought my 1st child a used car of her choice- she pays for most of gas(has a job) I paid for car and insurance-
I see some parents who buy their kids brand new nice cars but most of them around here buy a nice used car for their kids- i am not sure how kids can make enough money to help pay for a car when they are 16-
We did not buy our 16 year old a car but we did give her DH's old car after he got a new one. We would not have bought her one had he not gotten another car. She would have had to save up for it and buy it herself which she had been doing since she was around 12. As it is now the car sits because she does not have a job yet and we are not paying for insurance or gas. She does have use of the family car but it's limited since they are in our use most of the time.
I am of the opinion that driving is a privilege and having a car is something that needs to be worked for not given. It's about 50/50 here some kids get nice cars given to them and others have to get it on their own or they just drive the family car. I would be surprised (except for wealthy people) if most of the new nice cars kids are driving are actual ones their parents had given them but rather the family car.
I don't think most 16 year olds are even mature enough to be driving let alone have their own car, at least the ones I see roaming around. Boys seem to be worse than the girls, but I think the driving age should be raised to 18 for all.
Years ago when the 40-60 year old crowds of today learned to drive there seemed to be fewer cars on the road so gaining experience was a lot easier; today with the traffic and cell phone drivers we have I believe you have to come into the game "ready".
A car is a not a toy like most kids think, rather a huge responsibility that weighs anywhere from 2500 to 5000 pounds, if not handled correctly it can certainly change someones life...
I am just curious about everyone's views on cars for 16 year olds and how they pay for it-
I know there are so many different views on this But I bought my 1st child a used car of her choice- she pays for most of gas(has a job) I paid for car and insurance-
I see some parents who buy their kids brand new nice cars but most of them around here buy a nice used car for their kids- i am not sure how kids can make enough money to help pay for a car when they are 16-
I think it really depends on the child and the family. In some families the car is for the benefit of the 16 year old and in other families it is for the benefit of the parents.
In our case having our son be able to drive will make my life less complicated. Since that is the case we are likely to get him a car, and pay for gas and insurance. He plays sports year round and not having to drive him back and forth to school at different times than his brothers go will be a big convenience for me. I also do not want him to stop playing sports and participating in school activities just so he can work to pay for gas and insurance.
We are comfortable financially so we are able to do this. I realize that others are not in the same position but I don't think this means that I shouldn't get my son a car.
We will not be giving him a new car. I am currently driving a Scion xB and we will give that to our son when he is old enough to have his own car and I will get a new car. It will be about 2 years old when he gets it.
I think this just depends on the family. Every family obviously has reasons for doing different things. I tend to generally not purchase brand new cars even for myself (the thought of something that depreciates the moment you drive it off the lot just sticks in my craw - we buy safe dependable cars that are only a year or two old are in excellent condition and have low mileage - but sometimes there are valid reasons/situations.....). Having 2 teens, our thoughts tend to be as follows - they don't automatically "get" cars simply because they are 16. When the time comes for a car a dependable and safe used car is fine - we will probably help my son purchase such a car. During HS - my thought is a safe yet older car is fine. It doesn't have to be cool. MY teen would only need a car to get to a job, sports practices and activities, and around town locally and his car will reflect that. If he has need to drive further, he can borrow my car...Cars in the HS parking lot get dinged. Friends use that special paint to decorate each other's cars all the time. I don't see the reasoning behind getting a 16 yo a brand new car (although judging by my son's hs parking lot, many people have other opinions). If one is financially able to do so, I could kind of see getting a used car for them when they are 16 (one nice and dependable enough to last through college) then (again if you are so inclined and able to do so) presenting a new or newer (but modest) car upon college graduation. Gas - they pay for themselves. Insurance - I will pay as long as they get the "good student" discount and have no infractions. If that changes, we would have to rethink things. Fortunately, we have yet to be in that position.....
Last edited by maciesmom; 11-07-2009 at 02:22 PM..
My view is that I wouldn't buy them a car or pay any costs associated with a car. If we had a family car (we don't at the moment) I would allow them to drive it when we weren't using it, but they would have to pay for their own insurance. Few of my friends growing up had their own cars (they drove their family's cars when available) and most of those who did had bought them themselves, or in a few cases, got the old family car if a parent upgraded to a new one.
This depends on location, of course. We've mostly lived in cities and a car is not a necessity. In many suburban or rural communities the kids often can't get around without a car. In that case I think it's reasonable for the parents to cover at least some of the costs (maybe everything except for gas); after all, it was the parents who chose to live there, and presumably the parents don't want to shuttle their teenagers around if they can avoid it. I would not buy them a new car, though; I think buying the parent the new car and passing on the existing car to the kid makes more sense.
My daughter isn't anywhere close to 16 yet, but I plan to do the same thing that was done for me. My parents matched what I had saved. I also paid my own gas, repairs/maintenance, and insurance. It was easily the worst looking clunker in the student parking lot at school, but I was proud that it was all mine. For me it was an important lesson - I learned time management skills (how to work part time, keep up my grades, and still have my hobbies and a social life). I also learned how to take proper care of it to avoid those costly repairs (and learned how to make some of those repairs myself). Most importantly, I learned to be a very careful/defensive driver because I knew mommy and daddy wouldn't replace it if I wrecked it.
No, 16-year-olds can't afford to buy a car, insure it, license it, maintain it, etc., not if they're going to school and studying as they should be. If you have a second car that could be available for them to use, let them use it, or buy one for them to use, but normally, don't put it in their name.
On the other hand.... When my son turned 16 we had several cars of our own -- fairly expense cars -- new Porsche, new Saab 9000T, new 4x4 "Jeep", and a restored '57 Buick convertible. Our insurance agent suggested that we get an old beater, put it in my son's name and only carry liability insurance on it. That meant we had an extra car to license and insure, but the insurance stayed the same on our other cars. It was cheaper that way, even though our son drove the Jeep while his old beater sat in the garage for nearly two years while we restored it.
Our insurance didn't go up that much when our daughter turned 16 three years later, so she "inherited" the Jeep and drove it.
We bought both of our kids new cars when the graduated from high school. We set a fairly low maximum price we'd pay and let them pick whatever new car they wanted for that price. That provided them with dependable cars for college, etc.
I'm not sure if our decision was the best or not, but it seemed to work okay for us.
Incidentally, my son totaled the first Porsche before he was 16 while driving with his mother, and my daughter wrecked my second Saab twice (both times she drove it), a new Toyota pickup, and very nearly rolled the Jeep. They weren't driving recklessly, just inexperienced drivers and not good at avoiding others. Be ready for that.
If I am still able to afford it when my son is 17 (he's 7 now) then I do plan to buy him a reliable, safe, but used car for him. I hope by the time that comes around they will have increased the driving age to 17 or 18. I am very uneasy with the idea of him driving at 15-16 (driving age here is restricted at 15) or riding with someone at that age so I imagine I will be stricter than most parents. I will probably let him get his license but probably not let him drive by himself (maybe to the grocery store or to school and back since they are both less than a few miles from the house and all the speedlimits are less than 35 ;-) or ride with other kids that age.
But, for paying for it, so much is going to depend on him at that age. If he is an honors student with straight As and active in several things at school then I would pay for the expenses. If he isn't active in after school or sports then I would expect him to get a part time job and under no exceptions would I let him drive if he didn't have all As and Bs anyway.
Simple. Teenagers need to hit a few mail boxes and pump into a few poles before their should be driving a new cars.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
