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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you get her this now, what is there for her to look forward to? Buy her something safe and used; and have her work for and look forward to her dream car.

~signed, buyer of a red Miata during the Miata craze. Loved that red Miata. Worked so hard for it.

+1 Aside from the obnoxious mention of her daughter's boyfriend's school (talk about reflected glory!), OP isn't taking into account the value of working hard for something. Should OP get her daughter a car? Sure. But not the exact car she wants, and nothing fancy. Her daughter has years to work her way up in the world, let her do it on her own merit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get her a used volvo that gets passed to her younger sibking when she goes to college.

If she manages to pay for college through scholarships and graduwtes debt free, offer her the choice between the new loaded jeep or grad school paid for in full.

Hopefully by then she will have learned enough to make a sensible choice.

The new volvos are expensive we just paid 70k for a new one

No one said anything about a new Volvo. But, congratulations.

[Anonymous]

My parents could have given me what would today be a $40k car. Instead I got my mother's 5 year old Chevy Nova when she got a new car.

It worked fine and taught me a lot more about value and values than if they'd given me a brand new toy that cost 2-3 times as much.

When I wanted / needed a new car after the Nova was totalled in a wreck (not my fault), I was told if I earned at least 50% of the cost (of what today would be a ~$16k car), my parents would match it, so I worked like a dog in the summer in the US Merchant Marines, in the engine room of a transatlantic ship.

That taught me about value.

So yeah, I think it's nuts to buy a teenager a $40k vehicle just because they want one.

[Anonymous]

Sure, why not? A good kid who is great in Academics, EC activities etc, should not be penalized for having rich parents. Her value systems are great too, aren't they? She gets what she earns and deserves, doesn't she?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sure, why not? A good kid who is great in Academics, EC activities etc, should not be penalized for having rich parents. Her value systems are great too, aren't they? She gets what she earns and deserves, doesn't she?

If her values are that she should be handed a $40k car for doing a good job in school, etc., than I'd say no, her value system is not great. How did she "earn" a $40k car by doing that? "Deserves" is up to the parents but the rest of that calculus is FUBAR IMO.

[Anonymous]

OP - If you can afford it, I would look at the safety ratings very carefully of all the cars you mentioned because your daughter is still a relatively new driver and if she has never handled a jeep before that in itself will be a learning curve. You need to consider in the safety stats not only for her, but for the friends she is likely to be driving around, too.
Safety in terms of a new driver would trump my decision if I could afford it. And there would be clear ground rules of usage with other teens.

[Anonymous]

I would get the smaller version of that, that's a really tough vehicle to handle as a young girl. But, absolutely. Just put a governor on it, and she's good to go!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s your call, but I live by words of my father.
It is hard to appreciate, and care for properly, something that you have not poured your own blood, sweat, and tears into. I have actually witnessed this with our children (now adult). If you are given something (especially something of such great value), you will not take the energy to care for it like you would had you purchased it yourself.

I would not buy my kids a car, but if I did, I would buy them something that is not so expensive, and probably used. Then, when they are making enough money to pour into an expensive vehicle, they can trade the one I bought them in for something different.
Also, I am not a fan of expensive cars..... I think money is better spent on other things. Just my opinion.

So so true. I have experienced it myself as a spoiled teen and as a parent trying not to spoil my kids.

Don't do this to your kids, OP.

[Anonymous]

Op, here's the thing ~ this is not a car she could afford. Even if she were a little older and working. As a young professional, she could not afford this car. You are setting her up to feel not-good-enough, not successful enough, in the future when she has to buy her own car. You are getting her use to a lifestyle that she, herself, can not provide. I would get her a type of car which, if it needed to be replaced, would be something more in-line with a young professional's starting salary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents could have given me what would today be a $40k car. Instead I got my mother's 5 year old Chevy Nova when she got a new car.

It worked fine and taught me a lot more about value and values than if they'd given me a brand new toy that cost 2-3 times as much.

When I wanted / needed a new car after the Nova was totalled in a wreck (not my fault), I was told if I earned at least 50% of the cost (of what today would be a ~$16k car), my parents would match it, so I worked like a dog in the summer in the US Merchant Marines, in the engine room of a transatlantic ship.

That taught me about value.

So yeah, I think it's nuts to buy a teenager a $40k vehicle just because they want one.

This. Be the parent, not the friend. There are inherent life lessons in much of what you do for your kids. This is one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get her a used volvo that gets passed to her younger sibking when she goes to college.

If she manages to pay for college through scholarships and graduwtes debt free, offer her the choice between the new loaded jeep or grad school paid for in full.

Hopefully by then she will have learned enough to make a sensible choice.

The new volvos are expensive we just paid 70k for a new one

Used.

Not new.

Or used toyota

Or used Ford Taurus (very safe and reliable).

But used. And not flashy.

[Anonymous]

In this thread: Jealous adults.

[Anonymous]

OP, no teen driver needs a "loaded" car (first or second car).

The more "loaded" a car is, the more buttons, screens, bells and whistles there are to distract a new and inexperienced driver.

The cooler her car is, the more friends will want to pile in and ride with her. More friends = more distractions. More friends = a greater likelihood of safety rules being ignored (Lola and Larla, you are both skinny, why don't you just double up on the seatbelts. Just sit on Aiden's lap so we can all fit...he will hold tight to you.)

Don't you remember anything about being a teen OP?

A jeep is not a good car for a teen driver, especially one so eager to show off her fancy loaded car to her grouos of friends.

A first car needs to be stable, safe, easy to handle, solid/heavy in a crash, slow, and full of safety features NOT loaddd with fun and distractions.

Quit trying to be your kid's bff and start thinking like a parent OP.

[Anonymous]

Gift taxes?

[Anonymous]

I grew up with several girls who got new BMWs when they were 16. They are all successful adults.

Used cars are a headache and don't have the latest safety features.