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I absolutely agree that handing everything to a child on a silver platter is a bad idea; however, I'd much rather my kids be invested in their college educations than in the beater they drive back and forth to school.
the 2 can go hand in hand. like I said, my oldest, paid for her own 1600.00 Grand Am when she was 16. finished 6 years of pharmacy school & is now a Pharmacy manager.
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 agree with you on this! Most 16 year olds are not mature enough...all the more reason not to 'buy' them a new car and to make them responsible for some portion of a used car purchase. It can be the gas or the insurance or if the payments are low enough, the car payments.
When our eldest daughter was a young teen I needed a new car so I decided to get one that I would feel ok about her learning to drive in, sharing with me, and eventually turning over to her. I ended up getting a new Honda Civic which I drove for a few years, then she got to drive during high school, and we signed over to her as a gift when she went off to college. I had a younger son that I decided to do the same thing with so I got myself another Civic. However he is now 19 and still doesn't have a license and doesn't even WANT to drive so I decided to keep the Civic for myself and when my husband bought himself a new vehicle last year we kept his old one around so if/when our son ever gets around to driving he can just have that one outright. We basically created our own "used cars" to give our kids and we know they were well maintained and reliable. Our daughter got the better deal and the newer car, but since our son has had me as a chauffeur longer it all feels fair to me!
My parents did the following - you want a car? you pay for it, you pay for the gas, repairs and the increase to our insurance for carrying you on it.
So, if I wanted a car (at 16 or 18 or anytime really), I'd have to save up the money to do so.
I knew this when I was 12. I socked away 50% of cash gifts from relatives, mowed lawns, raked leaves, shoveled driveways and when I was 16, I took on a part-time job as a shipping clerk at a UPS store for 15 hours/week. The 15 hours was the limit so as to not adversely effect my academics.
By the time I had my license, I bought a car that was given the thumbs-up by the parents (even though I was buying it, they wanted to inspect it to make sure I wasn't being sold a lemon) for $3300. I think it was probably the greatest achievement that I had by 16. Not many kids my age had bought their own car and paid their own way (gas/insurance).
Buying a used car with cash made from doing odd jobs and saving some cash gifts from birthdays/christmas/etc can go a long way. It is a great learning experience.
If your kid opts to trade in 100% of his "gifts" or "hard work" for video games, movies, etc instead of saving for the big 16-year-old prize, that is their choice. Sacrifice and planning are life lessons. Learning these as a child helps them reach maturity earlier.
Isn't simply BEING a 15-17 y.o "living in a state of mental anguish and arrested social development" anyway??
You think being 16 years old is a state of arrested social development?
I think a 16 year old is going through a faster social development than just about any age out there.
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Seriously. Not having a car might be inconvenient (and even embarrassing) but people HAVE survived, lived to talk about it and gone on to live healthy and productive lives...
funny, I don't remember saying anything about survival.
Knowing that attitude she has to deal with, I sure do feel sorry for Macie, though!
I got my first car @ 21 and I bought it myself. I never had a car to use from 16-21.
I got my first car at 23 after I saved up money. I was a college student 18-22. At 16 my brother had a car bought for him (numerous cars, I recall) but no, not me or my sister.
Yes, it sucked to be 18 and on the bus like a damn nerd. But what can you do? I'm 43 and still can't afford my own car (we have one family car).
I think part of being a parent is supporting your child. So I am OK with the 16y.o. driving a car. In fact they can drive my car and I will go and drive this car
Isn't simply BEING a 15-17 y.o "living in a state of mental anguish and arrested social development" anyway?? Seriously. Not having a car might be inconvenient (and even embarrassing) but people HAVE survived, lived to talk about it and gone on to live healthy and productive lives...
Yep, I survived just fine. I didn't even get my license until I was nearly 18. My birthday is in October, so I wasn't 15 1/2 at the right timw to take drivers' ed as a sophomore with my friends. I had to take it my junior year and turned 16 while I was in the class. My dad wouldn't let me get my license until I had either taken auto shop or spent a certain number of hours helping him with the cars. I was very involved with ballet after school, so I chose the auto shop option. I took it senior year because I wanted my academic classes out of the way and didn't have room for another elective. Besides, I didn't have a car, so why did I need to get my driver's license? My dad wouldn't let me drive his Mustang, and my mother had a ginormous van.
When I was about to graduate , I told my parents that I was getting a job so that I could afford a car. I was going to a community college but didn't know how I was going to get there, so I decided to wait a semester and save some money. My grandparents protested and let me buy their car from them. I worked two or three part-time jobs the whole time I was in school and paid them every month. I paid for my own gas and repairs.
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 wouldn't do it. I would make a family car limitedly available, but I would not buy a teen a car.
I didn't own a car until I could buy it and my insurance myself. I was a junior in college, and it wasn't a new car by any stretch, just a used but reliable hatchback - I had to drive about 800 miles each way to get to and from school, so operable condition was important, but not newness.
Prior to that, I used the family car when need be at home, and didn't have a car when I was away at college. Part of the deal for the privilege of using the family car was that I was required to help run errands, pick up and drop off siblings at school activities, etc., in exchange for any personal use.
My brothers (twins) went in on an $800 10-year old Plymouth Horizon that they shared when they were high schoolers. My sister, the youngest, tried desperately to play the "mental anguish if you don't buy me a car, preferably a Mustang, for my 16th birthday" card, and would go and test drive sports cars at local dealerships and have them call my parents about financing options...all in vain. She ended up buying her own Geo Metro by scraping together the cash herself.
Last edited by TabulaRasa; 11-09-2009 at 03:52 PM..
My dad bought me a pickup truck when I was 14. No engine, no transmission.
He said, make it run, it's yours. Took me one year to find an engine, find a transmission and put it all together. Of course, it helps that my dad's an ASE certified Master Tech.. I'm 25 now and we still joke about my ole' pickemup truck.
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I'm 25 now and we still joke about my ole' pickemup truck.
