Is giving a teen a car a privilege or so common that it’s not?

[Anonymous]

I'll end up buying a used car (likely something like a Prius, a very old one that is cheap with a crapton of miles - Toyotas run forever) in my name and let DS drive it. It won't be "his" car. School, sports etc. - why not. Public transport is not great where we live. When the day comes that he goes off to college, I'll sell it vs. let him take it. College he'll need to just get around like most college kids and not worry about parking it etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The MC vs UMC car buying reminds me of a Saved by the Bell episode from 1992. Zack and gang were working summer gigs at the beach resort. Zack spots a beater 1966 Mustang convertible for sale owned by his boss. He wants to buy it with money earned from the summer towel boy/waiter job. Funny because Zack had filthy rich parents--traveling exec waspy dad, Zack walked around with a $3,000 mobile brick phone--and he was buying his own beater car for probably less than his cell phone cost.

Lots of us with loaded parents never got anything. My ex’s dad made around 600k (we got his fafsa) and never paid a dime to college. No cars, no allowances, nothing. Told his kids to get loans and to be hungry. It didn’t work because my ex had to drop out because he couldn’t get enough loans without a co-signer. He lived with me for free.

If his parents were divorce, it probably went under mom's income only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For UMC kids, yes, it’s normall

No, it isn't.

Of course it is.

[Anonymous]

For rich families? normal For most people, no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are definitely not rich by dcum standards. All five of our kids got cars the summer before their junior years in high school. We bought them inexpensive, older used cars. It made my life easier for sure! Why would I choose to haul around my teens when they can drive themselves. It’s also a big step in maturity and independence. My kids drove to school every day their junior and senior years. I would not want to send an inexperienced driver off to college.

If you bought cars, helped pay for insurance and gas for FIVE, FIVE kids, yes, you are rich.

If they were rich, they wouldn't be buying older, used cars.

IF they were smart, they would. A teen does not need a brand new car. A reliable used car is just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, they sure aren't driving our cars because they are too expensive. I might get them a very safe car that is around $25k, whatever that would be. With 495, all the confusing street signs (NO TURN ON RED 2pm-5pm Mon-Sat) it's terrifying to imagine a child learning to drive in the DC area. I can afford to pay for their UBERs until they go to college but I fear UBER drivers aren't much safer than a 16 year old driver

So exactly when and where is you kid going to learn to drive? We live in MoCo and took our kids into the city as part of their driving instruction. Started out by having them drive us downtown and home on a Sunday when there is less traffic. My kids can now drive anywhere. You aren't protecting them, you are hamstringing them.

[Anonymous]

Kids who think this is normal don’t understand how privileged they are and that is on their parents.

[Anonymous]

We offered our kid he could drive our old car (2003). Instead he worked and earned enough money to buy a car he really liked (also old. and pretty beat up). We pay his insurance and he does all of his own repairs and maintenance which I know is really unusual.

So many of his HS friends are driving Audis and BMWs. I just can't wrap my head around that. He says he wishes we would just buy him a nice car. Not happening.

[Anonymous]

Upper 1% and our kids do not have their own cars.

[Anonymous]

...huh. My kid is still way too young, but DH and I both grew up UMC* in MoCo and our parents never bought any of their kids cars. But at least half of his classmates got cars (any price point), whereas only maybe 10-20% of mine did. The difference was that he went to HS in Potomac and I went to school in SS.

Anyway, I guess that was a long time ago, but I wonder... we now live in DTSS, a short walk from the Metro... I have no intention of giving our kid a car, but DH keeps saying he wants to give her ours when she's 16. By then it will be 15 years old, so... maybe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...huh. My kid is still way too young, but DH and I both grew up UMC* in MoCo and our parents never bought any of their kids cars. But at least half of his classmates got cars (any price point), whereas only maybe 10-20% of mine did. The difference was that he went to HS in Potomac and I went to school in SS.

Anyway, I guess that was a long time ago, but I wonder... we now live in DTSS, a short walk from the Metro... I have no intention of giving our kid a car, but DH keeps saying he wants to give her ours when she's 16. By then it will be 15 years old, so... maybe?

When I say UMC, I mean real UMC, like the equivalent of $150k in today's dollars. Not DCUM $400k HHI "UMC."

[Anonymous]

I am in the Midwest. Many, many kids have their own car at 16
Most are used cars. dS best friend just got a 2001 Honda Civic. Other parents give them their 10 year old cars and upgrade.

When the parents work, the kids need cars to get back and forth to school, sports, jobs.

Are you people chauffeuring your kids everywhere?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are definitely not rich by dcum standards. All five of our kids got cars the summer before their junior years in high school. We bought them inexpensive, older used cars. It made my life easier for sure! Why would I choose to haul around my teens when they can drive themselves. It’s also a big step in maturity and independence. My kids drove to school every day their junior and senior years. I would not want to send an inexperienced driver off to college.

If you bought cars, helped pay for insurance and gas for FIVE, FIVE kids, yes, you are rich.

If they were rich, they wouldn't be buying older, used cars.

IF they were smart, they would. A teen does not need a brand new car. A reliable used car is just fine.

I'd rather mine be in a brand new car with the latest safety features.

[Anonymous]

Yes it is a priviledge.

I grew up in the country. My parenrs both deove old used cars and drove them until no amount of duct take or bungy cords was going to keep the car going. they would then buy another old car. they both bought newish cars (only a couple years old) in their 60s. When we were teens we had a bearer car that was barely road worthy that a local
Mechanic had given my parents. Each of us bought our own used cars when we were 18. We took on all costs related to the cars too. We needed them to get to college. We all attended colleges within driving distance so we could live at home. My parents didn't have the money to pay for school. We all got degrees and have professional jobs. Having a car was essential to get to college but we would have have expected our parents to buy one. They could barely afford to keep their own cars on the road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t give your kid a car until they can show you how to change the oil and show they can keep up with the maintenance schedule.

Who has an oil bucket laying around and knows of a place to dispose of the old oil? We do because my son is a mechanic. But real life people take their cars in for service. Heck you don’t even have to know how to change a tire anymore because cars can run on a flat without the tire collapsing.