If you have a high HHI does your teen expect a car?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whatever happened to getting a summer job so they can buy a car? That is what my kids will be doing, just like I did.

What summer job now could possibly earn them enough to afford a car? They can't get a used Pinto for a few hundred bucks like you did.

[Anonymous]

I went to private school and I got a nice new car. Of course I totaled it less than a year later.

[Anonymous]

In the suburbs, almost every teen I know got a car when they turned 16.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like around here many of the higher HHI teens I know don't drive and/or don't have cars. They tend to live in walkable parts of N. Arlington or Georgetown and have plenty of money for ubers, etc.

On the other hand, the LMC teens I know who need to get jobs and drive younger siblings to school and live in less accessible areas often get cars as soon as they are 16.

yeah no

I live in one of these areas and the teens near me could be driving/are of age and haven't gottne licenses yet.

[Anonymous]

It seems reasonable for an adolescent of driving age to expect to be given the use of a car, at the discretion of the parents involved. That is not the same thing as being given a car outright to use as he pleases. The former can be taken away or restricted as needed, but the latter cannot. All of this assumes that the parents can afford to keep a hand-me-down car or buy a modest used car. No one should expect parents who are struggling to put food on the table to provide their children with cars.

While I think that there is some merit to the idea of expecting one's child to earn the money for his first car on his own, the practical side is that part-time jobs may detract from schoolwork and other more important tasks. Also, most parents probably do not want their children to be driving the kind of cars that could be purchased with money from a part-time, minimum-wage job, which may be unreliable and/or unsafe. Also, if the child pays for the car himself, parents cannot legitmately take it away if the child mis-behaves. Personally, I would rather provide a good, safe, reliable car for my child and maintain control over its use. Maybe expect the child to pay for gas and/or insurance in order to teach some responsibility.

I'm not a believer in buying a new or even "nice" car for a child. Safety and reliability would be my only criteria for purchase. The child can look forward to buying a new or nice car later on in life when he has the funds for it. I never understood the parents who buy their kids a car that is nicer than what the kids will be able to afford when working at their first "real" job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the suburbs, almost every teen I know got a car when they turned 16.

Clearly you and my son traveled in different circles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DCs will get hand me down cars to use. At this point, the first one will be a 16 year old civic if that car makes it until oldest dc is of driving age. It’s also a manual transmission so DC will be the only person driving it (no friends). Thanks

Funny. I’m pretty sure my civic will last until DD can drive. It will be 18 years old then. It’s an automatic but I’m kind of loving the idea of a manual transmission. Not only do I think it’s an important life skill but it’s definitely not a common one

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait, isn’t this normal? A rite of passage? I’m not talking about a new BMW (which happened often in my HS), but an old beater, a pick up, a used car w/ some miles on it...High school lots are filled w/ student cars so obviously it’s the norm.

I had the near-exclusive use of a car (my parents old car; they bought a newer one) but it was not "my" car. It was in their name and they could revoke driving privileges on it. Also, I had to keep my GPA high enough to get the good student discount on their car insurance or else I had to pay to insure it myself. I think it's not unusual for high-school students to "get a car," but I think for most people that means they are allowed to use a family car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems reasonable for an adolescent of driving age to expect to be given the use of a car, at the discretion of the parents involved. That is not the same thing as being given a car outright to use as he pleases. The former can be taken away or restricted as needed, but the latter cannot. All of this assumes that the parents can afford to keep a hand-me-down car or buy a modest used car. No one should expect parents who are struggling to put food on the table to provide their children with cars.

While I think that there is some merit to the idea of expecting one's child to earn the money for his first car on his own, the practical side is that part-time jobs may detract from schoolwork and other more important tasks. Also, most parents probably do not want their children to be driving the kind of cars that could be purchased with money from a part-time, minimum-wage job, which may be unreliable and/or unsafe. Also, if the child pays for the car himself, parents cannot legitmately take it away if the child mis-behaves. Personally, I would rather provide a good, safe, reliable car for my child and maintain control over its use. Maybe expect the child to pay for gas and/or insurance in order to teach some responsibility.

I'm not a believer in buying a new or even "nice" car for a child. Safety and reliability would be my only criteria for purchase. The child can look forward to buying a new or nice car later on in life when he has the funds for it. I never understood the parents who buy their kids a car that is nicer than what the kids will be able to afford when working at their first "real" job.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like around here many of the higher HHI teens I know don't drive and/or don't have cars. They tend to live in walkable parts of N. Arlington or Georgetown and have plenty of money for ubers, etc.

On the other hand, the LMC teens I know who need to get jobs and drive younger siblings to school and live in less accessible areas often get cars as soon as they are 16.

yeah no

NP I am sure there are exceptions, and different pockets, but this is exactly what I see around me, as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the suburbs, almost every teen I know got a car when they turned 16.

Clearly you and my son traveled in different circles.

I am out here in Vienna and of the 10 or so 16+ teens I know, only 2 of them have DLs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, isn’t this normal? A rite of passage? I’m not talking about a new BMW (which happened often in my HS), but an old beater, a pick up, a used car w/ some miles on it...High school lots are filled w/ student cars so obviously it’s the norm.

I had the near-exclusive use of a car (my parents old car; they bought a newer one) but it was not "my" car. It was in their name and they could revoke driving privileges on it. Also, I had to keep my GPA high enough to get the good student discount on their car insurance or else I had to pay to insure it myself. I think it's not unusual for high-school students to "get a car," but I think for most people that means they are allowed to use a family car.

We have a third car and it is known as “the car ds drives”, not “ds’ car”even though he is the only one who drives it. It is 12 years old and was dh’s before he got a new car last summer. It’s perfectly fine for what he needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DCs will get hand me down cars to use. At this point, the first one will be a 16 year old civic if that car makes it until oldest dc is of driving age. It’s also a manual transmission so DC will be the only person driving it (no friends). Thanks

Funny. I’m pretty sure my civic will last until DD can drive. It will be 18 years old then. It’s an automatic but I’m kind of loving the idea of a manual transmission. Not only do I think it’s an important life skill but it’s definitely not a common one

I had a hand me down Honda with manual transmission. Most of my peers had automatic transmissions in their cars so mine had a bit of a novelty factor. I definitely gave driving lessons to a few without my parents' knowledge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ridiculously indulgent

Oh please! We bought my teen a used car. Not indulgent at all. He has excellent grades and works in the summer.

[Anonymous]

Mine does even though I have said since both were toddlers that they will not drive until they are 18. I just don't believe in teens driving. Its an unnecessary risk especially with uber now. I'd rather they smoke pot or have protected sex than drive a car.