Boys first vehicle…..

[Thinkingman]

The world and economy sure has changed since most of us got our first car back in the 1900s. A few years ago we were in this situation and went with something newer because it was surprisingly cheap to insure with the modern safety features. Also we needed a solid backup if my wife’s car broke down.

I say you have to look at your situation and think of it as a family vehicle and not a teenagers vehicle.

I agree with certain elements of this.
My son turned 16 5 years ago.
He needed a car to commute to school and work.
He wanted something cool, dad was writing the check so I had 51% of the vote.
I ended up buying a 2009 Kia Optima, one-owner, 108k miles for a little over $3k.
Good condition, clean CARFAX, clean enough, non smoker car with a timing chain and a full suite of safety features(side airbags, ABS,).
The car needed nothing but I put new tires on it due to the date code on the old ones and my son learned to replace rotors and pads with a $150 kit from Amazon.
He drove that thing all over, completely reliable, good in snow(Montana winters) and the only concern is the rust scale that’s the result of the car being owned in Upstate NY for a period in its life.
I absolutely would follow the same pattern if I had another 16yt old.

Btw, thank you to the experts that like to sh!t on Kia…we got a car similar to a Camry but with half the miles, ten years newer, modern safety equipment and perfect reliability for the same $.

 

[fngTony]

I agree with certain elements of this.
My son turned 16 5 years ago.
He needed a car to commute to school and work.
He wanted something cool, dad was writing the check so I had 51% of the vote.
I ended up buying a 2009 Kia Optima, one-owner, 108k miles for a little over $3k.
Good condition, clean CARFAX, clean enough, non smoker car with a timing chain and a full suite of safety features(side airbags, ABS,).
The car needed nothing but I put new tires on it due to the date code on the old ones and my son learned to replace rotors and pads with a $150 kit from Amazon.
He drove that thing all over, completely reliable, good in snow(Montana winters) and the only concern is the rust scale that’s the result of the car being owned in Upstate NY for a period in its life.
I absolutely would follow the same pattern if I had another 16yt old.

Btw, thank you to the experts that like to sh!t on Kia…we got a car similar to a Camry but with half the miles, ten years newer, modern safety equipment and perfect reliability for the same $.

Very similar to us. We bought our daughter a car when she was 15. At the time just casually looking. Most dealers won’t let you touch or entertain a purchase on vehicles still waiting on the title but they will contact you when it clears. So this 2018 optima (we weren’t going to spend the book value of $18k) came back with a clear title but it was a recovered stolen vehicle. Dealer just wanted out of it because it would have been impossible for most to insure and finance a previously stolen Kia. Offered it to us for $11k as-is so we called our agent to guarantee insurance and moved some money around and paid cash. $11k was more than we wanted to spend but like you said it has all the safety stuff and Apple car play for hands free usage, blind spot monitoring and parking sensors. Yes it is a lot a Camry, a roomy but not huge car that is economical, nothing flashy yet doesn’t leave you feeling like you’re missing anything.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

my first car was a 2500 dollar Camry. I’ll do something similar for my kids. No 16 year old needs a truck. JMO

Same. An 89 Corolla with manual transmission.

Something slow with a manual tranny for a first vehicle is the way.

An old Toyota pickup or 4 runner with manual would be a great choice.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Same. An 89 Corolla with manual transmission.

Something slow with a manual tranny for a first vehicle is the way.

An old Toyota pickup or 4 runner with manual would be a great choice.

Mine was a manual as well. I burned through a few clutches…Lol

 

[Hschweers]

I haven’t done it from the parents side, and am still a ways out, but I plan to match whatever they’re willing to bring to the table. If they have $500, find a $1000 car. If they saved $10k, go buy ya something nice.

I started driving in 2013. Had to buy my own car, a 2002 ford explorer sport Trac with just under 100k. My parents’ deal was I buy the car and the gas, they pay the insurance. I had plenty of friends with nicer cars, but I promise they didn’t care about them 1/10th of what I cared about mine. When it broke (rarely), it was fixed in the driveway. I paid under $1k in mechanic repairs over the 9 years, 110k miles I put on it (75% of that was AC work that I didn’t want to mess with). When I was 25 and had a steady job, I upgraded. Was still able to squeak $1k out of the ole sport Trac when I sold it.

Agree with some of the sentiments earlier in the post - if your kid has skin in the game, they’ll care a hell of a lot more about it. Forking over $5500 at 16 was terrifying and I was going to make sure it was worth it.

 

[CorbLand]

Mine was a manual as well. I burned through a few clutches…Lol

Mine wasn’t a manual but it was a 79 Ford that my dad bought brand new. Got like 6-8 MPG depending on the wind direction/speed and if it was down hill.

Started driving when gas hit 4 plus bucks a gallon back in the 2005-2006. Can’t remember the exact years but it had dual 20 gallon tanks. Rolled into the gas station, put a nozzle in each tank and blared “Rape Me” by Nirvana. Had the entire place rolling on the ground in laughter.

 

[TheCougar]

Can I be your son?!? That truck has half the miles and is 8 years newer than my truck.

My son is 16 going on 17. I have 3 more kids coming after him in the next 7 years, so buying him a car would mean that I would have to do it for everyone. We have a truck and a van already. I bought a 2017 Corolla and it’s “my car”. The kids don’t get a car… he gets to drive my truck and the little commuter car as a privilege, not a right. I would never consider spending that much on a car for my kids, especially given the likelihood that it’s going to be totaled in the next 2 years. I think it’s unwise and sends the wrong message to spend that much on them, in addition to their gas, insurance, etc.

Our deal is this: driving is a privilege, not a right. He pays any tickets, accident deductibles, and insurance increases because of his behavior. He is a good kid and a hard worker, so I pay for almost all his gas and his insurance as long as he is responsible and gets good grades. He also has trackers on his phone that narc him out for speeding, phone use, etc - in addition to a completely locked down iphone without internet access unless it is needed (with monitoring software). Again, it’s a privilege not a right - if I pay for it, I control the terms. In turn, he is my personal errand boy. If he wrecks a car, he’s on the hook to replace it, otherwise he can ride a bike. FWIW, my first car was a 1991 Buick LeSabre with 200k miles that I bought with my own money.

 

[TheCougar]

I would doubt it. He was held back a year but it was only one. For it to be the same person, he would have had to have been held back like 75 years or so you old fart.



To add something constructive. I would suggest finding an older Tacoma or first gen Tundra. Good old pickups and can be found for around 10K. I don’t see anything wrong with buying your kid a nicer vehicle if you can afford it though.

Off the top rope!!!

 

[Ucsdryder]

Can I be your son?!? That truck has half the miles and is 8 years newer than my truck.

My son is 16 going on 17. I have 3 more kids coming after him in the next 7 years, so buying him a car would mean that I would have to do it for everyone. We have a truck and a van already. I bought a 2017 Corolla and it’s “my car”. The kids don’t get a car… he gets to drive my truck and the little commuter car as a privilege, not a right. I would never consider spending that much on a car for my kids, especially given the likelihood that it’s going to be totaled in the next 2 years. I think it’s unwise and sends the wrong message to spend that much on them, in addition to their gas, insurance, etc.

Our deal is this: driving is a privilege, not a right. He pays any tickets, accident deductibles, and insurance increases because of his behavior. He is a good kid and a hard worker, so I pay for almost all his gas and his insurance as long as he is responsible and gets good grades. He also has trackers on his phone that narc him out for speeding, phone use, etc - in addition to a completely locked down iphone without internet access unless it is needed (with monitoring software). Again, it’s a privilege not a right - if I pay for it, I control the terms. In turn, he is my personal errand boy. If he wrecks a car, he’s on the hook to replace it, otherwise he can ride a bike. FWIW, my first car was a 1991 Buick LeSabre with 200k miles that I bought with my own money.

A minivan?! Poor guy is never going to get a girlfriend!

 

[TheCougar]

I raised three boys, they all started with beaters because that's all we could afford really.

I'm not a fan of beaters though. Kids are higher risk of accidents which is why people say to go with a beater. I want the safest vehicle I can afford, air bags and crumple zones, everything I can swing. Another consideration is I don't wanna have to deal with them breaking down, they can learn to handle that later in life when they're responsible for themselves. They all had to pay their insurance though, no insurance no driving.

I’m not sure that’s realistic… my son’s insurance is 2300 a year, and that’s after shopping around and finding every bundle and deal I could. Hell, USAA was another grand higher. They already have the first accident baked in. It’s crazy how expensive insurance is. He makes money, but doesn’t have a steady job because we want him to focus on school.

 

[TheCougar]

A minivan?! Poor guy is never going to get a girlfriend!

He’s not allowed to drive it. It’s my wife’s ride and it’s the newest car we have (100k 2020). He can drive my truck and the little Corolla.

 

[Ucsdryder]

He’s not allowed to drive it. It’s my wife’s ride and it’s the newest car we have (100k 2020). He can drive my truck and the little Corolla.

I like your style. Your newest is 2 years newer than my newest.

 

[CorbLand]

My wife and I had the conversation about kids and vehicles a month or so ago. She said that “kids can pay for their own gas and buy their own vehicle.” I told her, “out of all the stuff kids can do these days, if my kids just want to be in the mountains shooting things, it’s going to be pretty hard for me not to buy them a pickup and put gas in it.”

 

[TheCougar]

My wife and I had the conversation about kids and vehicles a month or so ago. She said that “kids can pay for their own gas and buy their own vehicle.” I told her, “out of all the stuff kids can do these days, if my kids just want to be in the mountains shooting things, it’s going to be pretty hard for me not to buy them a pickup and put gas in it.”

I don’t think your wife has looked at car prices these days either… I was shocked when I did.

 

[flyfisher117]

comments in here did not disappoint.. lol

Buy your kid what you feel is best. You will do wrong in someone's eye on this forum.

My parents didn't want me wasting my money on a pile of shit. They helped me best they could and I was and still am grateful for that.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

I’m not sure that’s realistic… my son’s insurance is 2300 a year, and that’s after shopping around and finding every bundle and deal I could. Hell, USAA was another grand higher. They already have the first accident baked in. It’s crazy how expensive insurance is. He makes money, but doesn’t have a steady job because we want him to focus on school.

That's about right, $200/mo. All three of mine covered that if they wanted to drive.

 

[go_deep]

My oldest son got a sheriff auction Jeep Cherokee, $1,700, 169K miles, loaded with AC tow package. Put a few hundred into parts and cleaning up the interior, all done by ourselves, but a year later still running strong.
He talks about the different kids at school that have all the nice vehicles that they're parents but for them, and I just respond with, that's to bad for them. I think he kind of gets it, I know he'll full appreciate it someday.

My vote is for a cheap historically reliable ride.

 

[KurtR]

I’m not sure that’s realistic… my son’s insurance is 2300 a year, and that’s after shopping around and finding every bundle and deal I could. Hell, USAA was another grand higher. They already have the first accident baked in. It’s crazy how expensive insurance is. He makes money, but doesn’t have a steady job because we want him to focus on school.

Damn that’s expensive for full coverage on an 02 2500 Chevy crew cab it’s 90 dollars a month here for my kid.

 

[CorbLand]

I don’t think your wife has looked at car prices these days either… I was shocked when I did.

She totaled my pickup last year and got a crash course in how expensive they are. We have been wanting to replace her car in the next year or two and that’s probably not going to happen.

Honestly, when it comes to this stuff, all of it really comes down to parenting, period. I have an uncle that is a multi millionaire. All of his kids have bombed around in his old hand me downs. They have unlimited access to dirt bikes, sleds, RZRs, a boat, trailers and pickups to pull them. Spoiled they are and they are still good, respectful kids.

My in laws went the “kids can buy their own stuff” route. I cannot say the same thing about all of their kids. Honestly, outside of my wife, the other four are kind of **** ups.

I grew up in farm country and most of the kids I went to high school with drove their dads old diesel, many only a couple years old. Some were assholes, some were nice, most were just typical teenagers.

 

[OKHunter84]

My first truck was an 82' Chevy Silverado long bed two tone brown, had the 305 V8, ugly as sin. Dad helped me buy it for $1750. I sold it a year later and bought a 78' Chevy short bed with a 350 V8 4 bolt main, shift kit, rims, Edelbrock 600 carburetor (against my dad's advice). I maybe got 8 mpg and almost killed myself a couple times, had oil leaks, on cold mornings I would have to have my cousin spray ether in the air breather and start it real quick so we could get to school.
I sold that and ended up with a 98' Honda civic. Much better ride, maybe not as many cool points, but lasted 200k miles through the end of high school and college.

I've seen either philosophy turn out: Kids bought new vehicles turn out not spoiled and kids bought junkers not appreciate anything and visa versa. I think there's more to the equation of them being well rounded then only what their first car is. That being said, it does seem silly seeing a 16 year old driving a brand new fancy rig.