Is buying your teen daughter one of these a parenting status symbol?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Y’all are spending $40k on Jeeps and Civics?!?! No wonder all the squabbles about money on here - can only imagine how bad it is in your houses.

Some people can, easy peasy, no dent in the bank account at all. Not everyone has the same financial struggles that you do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:it's not 40k

I was at the lot recently and they had one for $86k!!

[Anonymous]

Op, this is not a car for a new driver. The center of gravity keeps the car bouncing all over the road. I know, I drive this car. I love it and it is fun but my new teenage daughter is not going to drive it, at least not any time soon. She instead drives a jeep renegade, 17,000 and she loves it. If you must, find some defensive driving classes like those offered by I Drive Smart so she can better handle that car and schedule those classes during wet weather. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is. If you want your message to be "I suck as a parent."

My DD is getting a car at 16 and it is about 2 years old, low mileage and a Honda and her comment was "If I get a car at 16, I am going to be excited about whatever car it is!" She is getting a car because I am tired of being the chauffeur and yet I want her to continue being involved in so many awesome activities.

But you're GIVING her a car?? She's not just borrowing the family car sometimes??

Yup. She’s mature. Has awesome grades and has activities that take her and her sibling around the area a lot. How can she borrow the family car to get to school at 6:45 am? How can she borrow the family car to get home at 5 pm from activities? And to her various jobs and such? I got a car at 16 and it was a great experience for me. And now I will do the same for my daughter but I won’t get her a 40k Car or some stupid perceived status symbol.

A Honda Civic can also cost 40K. A teen having their own car regardless of what it is, is about status. Drive your own kids. Sibling should not be parenting her siblings You should. She gets to school the same way she got there before age 16. 16 year olds don't need cars. Their parents want them to have cars as it makes your life easier. Yes, she can borrow a family car - you have three cars or share. I don't get buying a car at 16 given they are going to college (one would hope since you can afford a car, you will also pay for college).

NP. No, it can also be about convenience and not just status. Some busy teens need to get themselves to school and their many activities on their own. Call it their car or an extra family car, it's all just semantics. Hondas are solid choices. Very reliable and fuel efficient. If 40K were no big deal I'd much rather buy a Honda than a ridiculous Jeep.

I agree that getting a 3rd car when you add a teen driver can be about convenience. I think my parents handled it well -- although it annoyed me as a teen. Dad got a new car when my sister started driving. She was allowed to drive his old car which included driving me to school along with her. This was not "her" car. It was my parents car that she was allowed to use. When I started driving a year later I also got to use that car. It did not go to college with my sister because it was not her car and still needed at home for me to use. They did eventually buy her a used car when her college required her to have a car (she was in a nursing program and a car was necessary for public health home visits). About mid-way through college I was allowed to take the 3rd car (which was a different car by this point) to school to make it easier to balance my work and extracurricular activities. I was still not allowed to call it 'my' car. When I graduated they signed the car over to me and at that point it was "mine".

This is kinda how my parents did it but we drove the newer car for the safety features. My sister got a new cheap car for graduate school and I got a new cheap car for my senior year as I needed it for an internship. I always owned my car but they paid the insurance while I was away for college and graduate school. We'll keep three cars but we do now.

I'd rather have a Jeep over a Civic as they do better in the snow and bad weather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Koons has 33 unlimited Wranglers for under $33k. Only one over $40k. No idea why people insist they are $40k plus

Some are, but it depends on what you pick and how well you negotiate. The ones we are looking at are around 40K, maybe more.

I knew PP was wrong, so I actually checked: Nearly a dozen of their *NEW* 4-door Jeep Wranglers are near or over $40k. The ones in the $30s are crap interior, cloth seats, plastic soft top, no LCD display.

These are not the "new" Jeeps. They are being released on the 29th. The new version will have all the safety features, and LCD (I care about safety not LCD).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is. If you want your message to be "I suck as a parent."

My DD is getting a car at 16 and it is about 2 years old, low mileage and a Honda and her comment was "If I get a car at 16, I am going to be excited about whatever car it is!" She is getting a car because I am tired of being the chauffeur and yet I want her to continue being involved in so many awesome activities.

But you're GIVING her a car?? She's not just borrowing the family car sometimes??

Yup. She’s mature. Has awesome grades and has activities that take her and her sibling around the area a lot. How can she borrow the family car to get to school at 6:45 am? How can she borrow the family car to get home at 5 pm from activities? And to her various jobs and such? I got a car at 16 and it was a great experience for me. And now I will do the same for my daughter but I won’t get her a 40k Car or some stupid perceived status symbol.

A Honda Civic can also cost 40K. A teen having their own car regardless of what it is, is about status. Drive your own kids. Sibling should not be parenting her siblings You should. She gets to school the same way she got there before age 16. 16 year olds don't need cars. Their parents want them to have cars as it makes your life easier. Yes, she can borrow a family car - you have three cars or share. I don't get buying a car at 16 given they are going to college (one would hope since you can afford a car, you will also pay for college).

What a simple life you lead.

The car’s value is about 12k- like I said, it’s not brand new. I work full-time plus. I am a single parent and have a significant health issue. Not that I need to justify anything to you.

Don’t worry about my college fund. Despite being a single parent with virtually no child support- it’s fully funded. For both kids. Sorry you are such a poor financial planner. And that you feel the need to hover over your 16 year old. I don’t. I raised my kids right.

Good try... we are far from poor or poor financial planners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Y’all are spending $40k on Jeeps and Civics?!?! No wonder all the squabbles about money on here - can only imagine how bad it is in your houses.

I plan to spend $40K, maybe more on a new one this year or next year, or another SUV. Cash, I hate car notes. Have the money ready in my checking account. Some of us live below our means so we can splurge when we want to. I would never pay $40K for a Civic... boring cars, not much fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is. If you want your message to be "I suck as a parent."

My DD is getting a car at 16 and it is about 2 years old, low mileage and a Honda and her comment was "If I get a car at 16, I am going to be excited about whatever car it is!" She is getting a car because I am tired of being the chauffeur and yet I want her to continue being involved in so many awesome activities.

But you're GIVING her a car?? She's not just borrowing the family car sometimes??

Yup. She’s mature. Has awesome grades and has activities that take her and her sibling around the area a lot. How can she borrow the family car to get to school at 6:45 am? How can she borrow the family car to get home at 5 pm from activities? And to her various jobs and such? I got a car at 16 and it was a great experience for me. And now I will do the same for my daughter but I won’t get her a 40k Car or some stupid perceived status symbol.

A Honda Civic can also cost 40K. A teen having their own car regardless of what it is, is about status. Drive your own kids. Sibling should not be parenting her siblings You should. She gets to school the same way she got there before age 16. 16 year olds don't need cars. Their parents want them to have cars as it makes your life easier. Yes, she can borrow a family car - you have three cars or share. I don't get buying a car at 16 given they are going to college (one would hope since you can afford a car, you will also pay for college).

NP. No, it can also be about convenience and not just status. Some busy teens need to get themselves to school and their many activities on their own. Call it their car or an extra family car, it's all just semantics. Hondas are solid choices. Very reliable and fuel efficient. If 40K were no big deal I'd much rather buy a Honda than a ridiculous Jeep.

I agree that getting a 3rd car when you add a teen driver can be about convenience. I think my parents handled it well -- although it annoyed me as a teen. Dad got a new car when my sister started driving. She was allowed to drive his old car which included driving me to school along with her. This was not "her" car. It was my parents car that she was allowed to use. When I started driving a year later I also got to use that car. It did not go to college with my sister because it was not her car and still needed at home for me to use. They did eventually buy her a used car when her college required her to have a car (she was in a nursing program and a car was necessary for public health home visits). About mid-way through college I was allowed to take the 3rd car (which was a different car by this point) to school to make it easier to balance my work and extracurricular activities. I was still not allowed to call it 'my' car. When I graduated they signed the car over to me and at that point it was "mine".

This is kinda how my parents did it but we drove the newer car for the safety features. My sister got a new cheap car for graduate school and I got a new cheap car for my senior year as I needed it for an internship. I always owned my car but they paid the insurance while I was away for college and graduate school. We'll keep three cars but we do now.

I'd rather have a Jeep over a Civic as they do better in the snow and bad weather.

Actually, 4WD doesn't really do anything for safety in snow or bad weather; it only helps you start. Every car has "four wheel braking" and "two wheel steering." If you want an actual safety feature for snow and bad weather, make sure you're using winter tires on every vehicle.

http://www.thecarcrashdetective.com/2015/03/5-reasons-to-buy-winter-tires-for-your-car-suv-or-minivan.html/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is. If you want your message to be "I suck as a parent."

My DD is getting a car at 16 and it is about 2 years old, low mileage and a Honda and her comment was "If I get a car at 16, I am going to be excited about whatever car it is!" She is getting a car because I am tired of being the chauffeur and yet I want her to continue being involved in so many awesome activities.

But you're GIVING her a car?? She's not just borrowing the family car sometimes??

Yup. She’s mature. Has awesome grades and has activities that take her and her sibling around the area a lot. How can she borrow the family car to get to school at 6:45 am? How can she borrow the family car to get home at 5 pm from activities? And to her various jobs and such? I got a car at 16 and it was a great experience for me. And now I will do the same for my daughter but I won’t get her a 40k Car or some stupid perceived status symbol.

A Honda Civic can also cost 40K. A teen having their own car regardless of what it is, is about status. Drive your own kids. Sibling should not be parenting her siblings You should. She gets to school the same way she got there before age 16. 16 year olds don't need cars. Their parents want them to have cars as it makes your life easier. Yes, she can borrow a family car - you have three cars or share. I don't get buying a car at 16 given they are going to college (one would hope since you can afford a car, you will also pay for college).

NP. No, it can also be about convenience and not just status. Some busy teens need to get themselves to school and their many activities on their own. Call it their car or an extra family car, it's all just semantics. Hondas are solid choices. Very reliable and fuel efficient. If 40K were no big deal I'd much rather buy a Honda than a ridiculous Jeep.

I agree that getting a 3rd car when you add a teen driver can be about convenience. I think my parents handled it well -- although it annoyed me as a teen. Dad got a new car when my sister started driving. She was allowed to drive his old car which included driving me to school along with her. This was not "her" car. It was my parents car that she was allowed to use. When I started driving a year later I also got to use that car. It did not go to college with my sister because it was not her car and still needed at home for me to use. They did eventually buy her a used car when her college required her to have a car (she was in a nursing program and a car was necessary for public health home visits). About mid-way through college I was allowed to take the 3rd car (which was a different car by this point) to school to make it easier to balance my work and extracurricular activities. I was still not allowed to call it 'my' car. When I graduated they signed the car over to me and at that point it was "mine".

This is kinda how my parents did it but we drove the newer car for the safety features. My sister got a new cheap car for graduate school and I got a new cheap car for my senior year as I needed it for an internship. I always owned my car but they paid the insurance while I was away for college and graduate school. We'll keep three cars but we do now.

I'd rather have a Jeep over a Civic as they do better in the snow and bad weather.

Actually, 4WD doesn't really do anything for safety in snow or bad weather; it only helps you start. Every car has "four wheel braking" and "two wheel steering." If you want an actual safety feature for snow and bad weather, make sure you're using winter tires on every vehicle.

http://www.thecarcrashdetective.com/2015/03/5-reasons-to-buy-winter-tires-for-your-car-suv-or-minivan.html/

Being able to actually DRIVE if it’s snowy is in fact ‘an important feature’

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it's not 40k

I was at the lot recently and they had one for $86k!!

The Rubicon- there are 3 on my street (burbs) and all are the parents' car only

Its not a super high SES area either- houses are anywhere from 480-620 (SFHs)- Jeep peeps love their jeeps!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
NP. No, it can also be about convenience and not just status. Some busy teens need to get themselves to school and their many activities on their own. Call it their car or an extra family car, it's all just semantics. Hondas are solid choices. Very reliable and fuel efficient. If 40K were no big deal I'd much rather buy a Honda than a ridiculous Jeep.

All the kids driving nice new cars is 100% a status / ego thing for upper middle and rich families.

The truth is simple: new cars are safer and don't have the hidden issues of used cars. If you have lots of money and can easily afford to buy your kid a new car, its really no big deal. The only people, honestly, who make a big deal out if this are jealous people who cannot really afford to buy a new car. If you rereading this and saying "no, thats not it, its tacky," to yourself, try and be honest, at least with yourself. You owe yourself that. The only people who get upset about what other people buy their kids are people who cannot do the same.

If you think a three year old Civic is unsafe/unreliable, you are poorly informed.

I'm not jealous of people who spend $40k on a teen car. I think they're stupid. I laugh at them when the kid inevitably totals it.



If your kid wrecks a $13k used Civic, who cares?

[Anonymous]

Not safe- no way!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is. If you want your message to be "I suck as a parent."

My DD is getting a car at 16 and it is about 2 years old, low mileage and a Honda and her comment was "If I get a car at 16, I am going to be excited about whatever car it is!" She is getting a car because I am tired of being the chauffeur and yet I want her to continue being involved in so many awesome activities.

But you're GIVING her a car?? She's not just borrowing the family car sometimes??

Yup. She’s mature. Has awesome grades and has activities that take her and her sibling around the area a lot. How can she borrow the family car to get to school at 6:45 am? How can she borrow the family car to get home at 5 pm from activities? And to her various jobs and such? I got a car at 16 and it was a great experience for me. And now I will do the same for my daughter but I won’t get her a 40k Car or some stupid perceived status symbol.

A Honda Civic can also cost 40K. A teen having their own car regardless of what it is, is about status. Drive your own kids. Sibling should not be parenting her siblings You should. She gets to school the same way she got there before age 16. 16 year olds don't need cars. Their parents want them to have cars as it makes your life easier. Yes, she can borrow a family car - you have three cars or share. I don't get buying a car at 16 given they are going to college (one would hope since you can afford a car, you will also pay for college).

NP. No, it can also be about convenience and not just status. Some busy teens need to get themselves to school and their many activities on their own. Call it their car or an extra family car, it's all just semantics. Hondas are solid choices. Very reliable and fuel efficient. If 40K were no big deal I'd much rather buy a Honda than a ridiculous Jeep.

I agree that getting a 3rd car when you add a teen driver can be about convenience. I think my parents handled it well -- although it annoyed me as a teen. Dad got a new car when my sister started driving. She was allowed to drive his old car which included driving me to school along with her. This was not "her" car. It was my parents car that she was allowed to use. When I started driving a year later I also got to use that car. It did not go to college with my sister because it was not her car and still needed at home for me to use. They did eventually buy her a used car when her college required her to have a car (she was in a nursing program and a car was necessary for public health home visits). About mid-way through college I was allowed to take the 3rd car (which was a different car by this point) to school to make it easier to balance my work and extracurricular activities. I was still not allowed to call it 'my' car. When I graduated they signed the car over to me and at that point it was "mine".

This is kinda how my parents did it but we drove the newer car for the safety features. My sister got a new cheap car for graduate school and I got a new cheap car for my senior year as I needed it for an internship. I always owned my car but they paid the insurance while I was away for college and graduate school. We'll keep three cars but we do now.

I'd rather have a Jeep over a Civic as they do better in the snow and bad weather.

Actually, 4WD doesn't really do anything for safety in snow or bad weather; it only helps you start. Every car has "four wheel braking" and "two wheel steering." If you want an actual safety feature for snow and bad weather, make sure you're using winter tires on every vehicle.

http://www.thecarcrashdetective.com/2015/03/5-reasons-to-buy-winter-tires-for-your-car-suv-or-minivan.html/

Being able to actually DRIVE if it’s snowy is in fact ‘an important feature’

As noted above, snow tires do far more for starting than 4WD.

[Anonymous]

I find the responses from non Jeep owners quite funny! We have actually owned a few. Currently a 2015 Wrangler Sport Unlimited. While we have only put 75,000 on it so far the only repair it’s had was the radio being replaced. I think this was due to the Top and doors being off during a hail/ thunderstorm. I can’t really blame that on Jeep! Jeep also has the best extended warranty out there at the moment. LIFETIME! Works great for us we keep most of our cars till the insurance company totals them. These are not the Jeeps of the eighties they have comfortable front seats great heat and air conditioning and ride much nicer than my 79 CJ5. My neighbor has a 2000 Wrangler with 480,000 on the original motor and transmission, he just put his second clutch in. I guess that considering he spent 23 years in Special Forces he keeps up on maintenance pretty well.
Also the Wrangler has been listed as one of the ten cheapest cars to insure for quite a few years now. We get close to 20 mpg when it was on stock tires. Now that I put 34 inch tires on it’s down to 18.5 on my wife’s 85 mile round trip to Reston.
Oh and one of my daughters friends would much rather ride in our Jeep with the top off than ride in her parents 130,000 Range Rover????

[Anonymous]

My BIL owns several Jeeps. He calls them matchstick cars, because they get cheap fast and he replaces them a lot. M own teen drove his/nicer Jeep over the summer, uncle let him use it and he used the "junk" one and yes, my DS liked how it drove. No way we are buying that car. The best they can get is Elantra or used Honda and first 6 months have to drive our old junky car. They will scrape it and scratch it.
My DD likes these Jeeps, but she knows that Range Rover is the status symbol. She isn't getting that either.