Boys first vehicle…..

[fngTony]

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.

Ok mine was also held back year but I’m that old

 

[ScreamingPotato]

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.

 

[Yellowknife]

I bought my own first truck... and I totaled it about three months later!

I'm in the same boat right now, needing to get my son some wheels to drive to school next winter. It will be purchased with cash, ~10 yrs old, as underpowered as possible, and probably Japanese. He's a fine, cautious driver... but 16 yr olds will break things, and a cheap car is a lot easier to insure and operate.

10 yrs old cars will still have plenty of safety features, but won't come with a distracting screen on the dash. Seems like the sweet spot to me.

 

[ShootOkHuntWorse]

Some of these responses haven’t truck shopped recently or haven’t tried finding parts for “an old reliable pickup.” Parts stores aren’t what they were even 10 years ago when I graduated. Toyota prices were through the roof then, if you wanted the doors to close. “Square bodies” are selling for 10k and 190k miles on a second motor if the body is somewhat ok. Toyota corollas of the reliable vintage are hard to find clean or so banged up and they still want 5k for it because “muh Toyota is reliable.” I wonder every day what my sons first car will be and I still can’t justify a 70’s Chevy that used to be a dime a dozen 15 years ago.

 

[Marble]

There are other reliable vehicles that are easy to work on that are in that 10k range. Most likely, the truck will be on a crash of some type. And, insurance on boys with vehicles like that is not cheap.

My boy had a Toyota worth about 6k. It did him well. I'm not a fan of giving a kid a car that is fairly pricey as a first vehicle. You can buy him a 10k truck and tell him if he wants something nicer, save his money, sell the truck, and buy another.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I think that is a dumb move. Just because you can, doesnt mean you should. You can get an older tacoma that will run forever for a decent price.

 

[cnelk]

Get him a car with a big back seat.
He’ll remember that car forever

 

[CorbLand]

Ok mine was also held back year but I’m that old

It worked out perfect for me. He got his drivers license a year before everyone. Twas nice.

 

[StuckoYota99]

Late 90s or early 2000 truck (I love my tacoma.) . learn basic mechanical repairs and maintenance along side your son. Save money and make memories

 

[wapitibob]

What motor in the F150?

 

[MallardSX2]

Get him a piece of junk and put liability only insurance on it. Make him pay for all of it.

 

[TaperPin]

It depends on the kid. I know plenty of kids who total their first car, nice or not. Others take care of them, nice or not. Kids across our family are a little high strung and have to learn the hard way that if you wreck it or burn up the motor from a lack of oil, that has consequences. Just the opposite, a friend of ours has kids who baby their first cars and I would be shocked if they aren’t still driving them 10 years from now.

Getting anything repaired is expensive if they don’t try to screw you, and every dealership seems to be a crooked as the worst of them, so I don’t think it’s a bad thing to get a decent vehicle if the kid is responsible.

 

[ScottinPA]

I agree with the OP - if not interested in working on a vehicle that truck would do nicely.
My oldest got a 90's cavalier that was my wife's grandparents. 4 cyl, auto, low miles - it did well for him starting out. He's pretty good at maintaining vehicles but not really into working on them.
My youngest got a 97 K1500 w/ 32K miles. It was in good enough shape to drive without a bunch of issues until he flopped in on its side. He paid for repairs and we've been doing stuff to it since - brake lines, shocks, louder muffler kinda stuff. He likes working on vehicles. He was helping me when I installed a small lift, new shifter, and new gas tank skid/mount on my Jeep.
I got my first car when 15. 1966 Nova set up for the strip. Dad made me pull the drivetrain and install something tamer. While I learned a lot on that (brazed in floor boards/trunk, wiring, minor body work, etc) , it was too much project for a 15-16 year old. I burned out on it and sold it after it was somewhat road worthy. Wish I still had that car.

 

[dan33]

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

Mine was a 1500 dollar chevy caprice then a 600 dollar Honda according then a 900 dollar s10. I treated that Honda like a 1 ton pickup for 5 years. That would be the route I would go.

 

[omicron1792]

Op. I think your idea is spot on and exactly what I will do for my two boys. Kids don’t need a new truck, but a 4 year old safe and reliable truck is exactly right for your 16yo.

 

[TSimons9]

My first pickup was 33 years old when I bought it from my dad at 15.

Nothing wrong with getting a nice first vehicle for your kid if they are responsible and it’s not a financial burden.

Just made me laugh thinking about driving my 1978 F250 to high school.

 

[BluMtn]

Op. I think your idea is spot on and exactly what I will do for my two boys. Kids don’t need a new truck, but a 4 year old safe and reliable truck is exactly right for your 16yo.

Spot on. For you guys saying, "Buy him an old Toyota pickup" have not priced "an old Toyota pickup". In our part of the country a 80's or 90's Toyota pickup will sell for around $10K if it has any life left in it. And besides, it sounds like the OP has no mechanical ability so who gets up at 1am to go get him broke down waiting for a tow truck. And as far as making sure it is underpowered is asking for more trouble than having one with enough power to get him out of trouble when he needs it. I am not saying 500hp, but a small V8 or inline 6.

 

[Geewhiz]

IMO a 4 year old truck is a new truck. Most adults with steady incomes are driving vehicles older than 4 years old.

I say make your son buy his own vehicle and let him save up as much as he wants and buy whatever he wants. One way or another he will learn valuable lessons, but not if you’re the one footing the bill.

 

[KurtR]

I just kept my 02 chevy 2500 hd and he has been driving that for 5 years now since he got his license at 14. He had to pay for up keep and after he broke a few things and saw how much that was going to cost him hasnt broke a thing yet. It has 140k miles and he will be graduating from diesel tech soon. I bet he drives that thing for alot of years he does not like to spend money. Saved working in a shop last summer and paid for his first year of school with no loans.

 

[Dos Perros]

My first car was older than me, but it was very reliable. My second was a 4 year old Honda Accord, also very reliable. Buy reliability, and that doesn't mean it has to be new or newish.

Also if you have access to YouTube you can pretend to be mechanically inclined pretty easily.