Anything wrong with buying your teen an nice car? ($40,000 and up)

[Anonymous]

I would not buy my kid a $40k car -- but I am not rich. I don't think a kid cannot learn the value of money just because they are given expensive things. I grew up here and at the time, very wealthy. It would have been different at private but with my public school friends I was always by far the wealthiest. All three of us kids got new cars at 16. But we all played sports got excellent grades had summer jobs --went on to college and graduate school and have all worked professional jobs for 25 years. We all make around $200K and I believe have a good handle on the value of money despite being given nice cars as teenagers. Hell my car then-convertible Lebaron- is nicer than the Hybrid Camry I drive now

[Anonymous]

Why is it always about a high achieving kid somehow "earning" the nicer things? You achieve to your abilities, your parents pay for what they want for you- the 2 aren't linked. If you have wealthy parents and only a B average, what do parents use then to justify their purchases for you, or do you get left out of family vacations etc that are really nice. SO WEIRD.

[Anonymous]

I still think OP was trolling us. She hasn't been back, and the bit about the boyfriend and some of the other details were just weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our daughter really wants a loaded Jeep for her upcoming birthday, which is about $40,000. She's an all A student, co-captain of her athletic team, elected to student government, volunteers, works part-time after volunteer opportunity offered her a weekend job, dating a sweet boy at St Albans.

TROLL

There are no sweet boys from St. Albans - and why oh why does that have anything to do with whether she gets the car.

Her uncoordinated, unpopular, step sister is not very smart, and doesn't even have a boyfriend, so she will have to take the bus. [OP, see the logical extension of your reasoning here?]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is it always about a high achieving kid somehow "earning" the nicer things? You achieve to your abilities, your parents pay for what they want for you- the 2 aren't linked. If you have wealthy parents and only a B average, what do parents use then to justify their purchases for you, or do you get left out of family vacations etc that are really nice. SO WEIRD.

Every healthy upper middle class kid has the capacity to get mostly A's and be involved at school and shouldn't date losers. Deviate from any of those things and you shouldn't be rewarded. I would never buy a B student a new car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is it always about a high achieving kid somehow "earning" the nicer things? You achieve to your abilities, your parents pay for what they want for you- the 2 aren't linked. If you have wealthy parents and only a B average, what do parents use then to justify their purchases for you, or do you get left out of family vacations etc that are really nice. SO WEIRD.

Good results earn good things. Want better? Work harder/do better. In our family, *individual* privileges, including but not limited to owning personal items that are more of a luxury than a necessity, are earned by showing responsibility and a track record of achievement that shows high potential. We would allow a B student use of the family car, most likely, but not buy their own. As for family vacations or group purchases for the household-- that's not earned, it's a part of being a member of the family, which my kids are irrespective of achievement or responsibility. We would only ever even consider leaving a kid out of a vacation if their behavior was horrible toward the rest of the family and even then only after extensive discussion/warnings.

[Anonymous]

Dudes.

This is a troll.

Do not give advice to the troll, for it shall only wipe its own 16-year-old, begging-for-a-Jeep-for-Christmas ass with your advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it always about a high achieving kid somehow "earning" the nicer things? You achieve to your abilities, your parents pay for what they want for you- the 2 aren't linked. If you have wealthy parents and only a B average, what do parents use then to justify their purchases for you, or do you get left out of family vacations etc that are really nice. SO WEIRD.

Every healthy upper middle class kid has the capacity to get mostly A's and be involved at school and shouldn't date losers. Deviate from any of those things and you shouldn't be rewarded. I would never buy a B student a new car.

Jesus- NO they don't, and guess what?! It won't predict success outside a very narrow margin. But go ahead with your tiny world view that you think is actually broad. Here is just ONE easy reason: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/11/28/502601662/millions-have-dyslexia-few-understand-it

There are plenty more.

But I am answering a troll. I know that.

[Anonymous]

Duh, yeah. That's twice as much as our new car is. But, you know, I guess that's what rich people do. Whole different world from ours, clearly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it always about a high achieving kid somehow "earning" the nicer things? You achieve to your abilities, your parents pay for what they want for you- the 2 aren't linked. If you have wealthy parents and only a B average, what do parents use then to justify their purchases for you, or do you get left out of family vacations etc that are really nice. SO WEIRD.

Every healthy upper middle class kid has the capacity to get mostly A's and be involved at school and shouldn't date losers. Deviate from any of those things and you shouldn't be rewarded. I would never buy a B student a new car.

Jesus- NO they don't, and guess what?! It won't predict success outside a very narrow margin. But go ahead with your tiny world view that you think is actually broad. Here is just ONE easy reason: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/11/28/502601662/millions-have-dyslexia-few-understand-it

There are plenty more.

But I am answering a troll. I know that.

HEALTHY***** upper middle class kids have the capacity to get all A's. The only courses I'll allow an occasional B is high-level chemistry, physics and AP calc. Everything else is so freaking easy.

Dyslexia is obviously a condition which excludes a child from "healthy".

[Anonymous]

The last thing you want to give a teen is a car which encourages them to drive fast and show off. Go for an underpowered junker.

[MrTrevorRolling]

Yes, it's wrong. First, don't raise a douchebag. Second, make the kid learn to drive with a beater, like a normal person, and then make them work to buy their first decent car. It builds character. Third, so many adults make astoundingly stupid car-related financial decisions, it's best not to set your kid up for failure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our daughter really wants a loaded Jeep for her upcoming birthday, which is about $40,000. She's an all A student, co-captain of her athletic team, elected to student government, volunteers, works part-time after volunteer opportunity offered her a weekend job, dating a sweet boy at St Albans.

Absolutely no way would I do this OP. How many ways can you spell S.P.O.I.L.E.D.?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd pay $100,000 cash to have my teen daughter be anywhere near as accomplished as OP's!

New cars are safer and no headaches since they're under warranty. The Wrangler has the best resale value of any car in the US. If you unload it in 2 years you'll lose maybe 8 grand.

Hi again, OP.

[Anonymous]

Our kids have to save up money and pay for half of their car. Whatever they save, we will contribute that much to the total. Of course, they've know this all along so they save. Oldest is currently 14 and has $2200 as of now. If he bought a car now, he could buy a $4400 car. We could afford new cars for all three, but choose to teach them to save over the long term for something they presumably will want.