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I was with a friend today and when saying good bye, he made me feel like I was in the Subaru commercial, of the dad with his daughter, now a teen, but always his little girl.
Here's the catch in that Subarus, if properly maintained, can last forever. Mine is a 2002 and if I had to give mine to a "son or daughter", I would.
So when does one start picking the car, especially if they are not rich enough to buy a new one for them?
My first cars were hand me downs in a Plymouth Volarie and an Isuzi Opel (inherited from an Uncle), cars that certainly fit the hand me down but I'm not sure where they stood on safety, back then.
Does one buy a car thinking that in a number of years, it will be the child's car?
In the first place, we had never had the idea that we would "give" our children a car. Only one of our children is currently old enough to drive. We let her use one of our cars to drive to and from school and such, but it's our car. Not hers.
Neither my husband nor I was ever given a car, either. We bought our cars.
Secondly, we don't buy new cars. Ever. Not for her and not for us. All of our cars are bought used. My husband is a mechanic, so he keeps them maintained. The oldest is a 1996; the newest, 2004. They are all well built (BMWs) and have air bags. If they're safe enough for us, they're safe enough for her.
So that's my answer. No new cars for anyone, and the teens drive our cars with our permission, until they have enough money to buy their own.
Seeing how a teen does not have the experience in driving that the parent does, is that really a wise approach?
Otherwise, all the other matters mentioned are indeed your affair.
Good point!
To answer your question, we never bought a car thinking one day it would be one of our kids' cars, but that's how it worked out, twice.
I would caution anyone on this board to think "never say never" when you're talking about something that is years in the future. We never thought we would buy our kids their own cars, period. Neither DH or I had a car of our "own" in HS. But, it simply became more convenient for the kids to have their own cars than to do car-sharing.
Seeing how a teen does not have the experience in driving that the parent does, is that really a wise approach?
Teens are required to log a considerable number of behind-the-wheel hours, both with an instructor and with parents, before they're licensed. During this time all the adults involved observe whether the teen has learned when to brake, how to change lanes, etc. Anyone who does not demonstrate good judgement about those things should not be driving.
I don't think it's obligatory or necessarily even wise to buy a teen a brand-new car which makes decisions for them. If nothing else, these features can give a young driver the idea that it doesn't really matter what they do wrong. If they forget to brake in time, oh well! The car will do it for them.
....... If they forget to brake in time, oh well! The car will do it for them.
Well, funny you should bring this one to the table for several months ago, I asked about the wisdom of having a car that defeated a kidnapping defense. That is, if someone is in the car and kidnapping you, floor it and ram the car into something; the airbag, seat belt will protect you while they are thrown into the windscreen.
At the time, my suggestion was shot down on the grounds of defeating a much more likely scenario, failure to pay attention, was better than a much less likely incident, being kidnapped.
Now this isn't a situation I was thinking about when I started this thread, but now that you mention it.......
Teens are required to log a considerable number of behind-the-wheel hours, both with an instructor and with parents, before they're licensed. During this time all the adults involved observe whether the teen has learned when to brake, how to change lanes, etc. Anyone who does not demonstrate good judgement about those things should not be driving.
I don't think it's obligatory or necessarily even wise to buy a teen a brand-new car which makes decisions for them. If nothing else, these features can give a young driver the idea that it doesn't really matter what they do wrong. If they forget to brake in time, oh well! The car will do it for them.
Oh, c'mon! Nothing replaces the years of driving experience that the parents have. I am always amazed at the parents who let their kids drive the very crowded interstate into downtown Denver within weeks of getting their licenses; ditto allowing kids to drive in the Colorado mountains at a young age. The papers are full of stories about some who get into terrible accidents that may have been avoided with more experience.
I don't know of any cars that have automatic braking. I just got a new car with lots of features my 14 year old car did not have. Mostly it's alarms. I mean, why bother with air bags, either?
I will point out the OP was not referring to new cars, but cars in general.
"So when does one start picking the car, especially if they are not rich enough to buy a new one for them?"
I don't know of any cars that have automatic braking.
Subaru. And, actually, these days cars from almost all manufacturers do.
Quote:
Nothing replaces the years of driving experience that the parents have. I am always amazed at the parents who let their kids drive the very crowded interstate into downtown Denver within weeks of getting their licenses; ditto allowing kids to drive in the Colorado mountains at a young age. The papers are full of stories about some who get into terrible accidents that may have been avoided with more experience.
How are knowing how to brake and change lanes--pretty elementary skills--comparable to sending a newly licensed driver off in an unfamiliar direction on the freeway (interstate to you) or up a mountain?
The day after my daughter got her license, she got in the car and drive 15 miles to school on the toll road, on the same route she'd driven (with me in the passenger seat) every school day for the past 6 months. I even stood on the porch and waved goodbye.
If she needed a car to brake for her or to beep when she changed lanes, or another person present telling her what to do, I wouldn't have sent her off alone at all, and she shouldn't have been granted a license.
I was with a friend today and when saying good bye, he made me feel like I was in the Subaru commercial, of the dad with his daughter, now a teen, but always his little girl.
Here's the catch in that Subarus, if properly maintained, can last forever. Mine is a 2002 and if I had to give mine to a "son or daughter", I would.
So when does one start picking the car, especially if they are not rich enough to buy a new one for them?
My first cars were hand me downs in a Plymouth Volarie and an Isuzi Opel (inherited from an Uncle), cars that certainly fit the hand me down but I'm not sure where they stood on safety, back then.
Does one buy a car thinking that in a number of years, it will be the child's car?
We considered doing this but ultimately decided to get what we (I) want to drive now, instead of something we might hand down in a few years.
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