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

[Anonymous]

OP: the Trump campaign should have filmed this conversation between you, hubby, and daughter and broadcast it as the perfect illustration of DC elites and their entitled, spoiled children. Had they done so, Trump would have won the popular vote by a landslide.

You (and whatever lawyer/hobbyist hubby does to earn (steal from taxpayers) that kind of income in the DC area) are hopefully part of the swamp that is about to be drained.

[Anonymous]

^^^Correction: lobbyist hubby

[Anonymous]

Wow, and you are delusional enough to think Trump is the one who will drain that swamp? It will be corporate welfare and tax breaks for the 1%, all the way (including lobbyists, some of whom are now in his cabinet). The little people be damned.

[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.

You're basically asking does the perfect child deserve a reward. Yes, she does. Sounds like she's going to glide into an Ivy or UVa at worst, which is something every parent here dreams of.

UVA, seriously?! Sorry, just not getting it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of kids have cars this expensive, so its not out of the norm. Sometimes it IS the norm as many people have mentioned. My kids aren't this old. I have had a bunch of aupairs. Nearly all of them, supposedly experienced good drivers, had fender benders and what not on my cars. Point being is that I would expect an accident and the insurance to go up even more. From a money perspective, its going to be expensive (more than the 40k for insurance, accidents etc). Second, that is a car that everyone wants to go out in. She will be the driver or, worse yet, she'll let the St Albans kid driver the car. More liability there with all the friends driving around in the car. So you can add some headache and potential $$$ there. Then, add in the danger factor. I do not think this is the safest car. If $ was no object, then for safety sake - I agree - I 'd go for the volvo or the bmw. No reason for a kid with so much potential to potentially die. Now that would really suck. I'm sure a parent of a kid with so much potential can understand this risk. Then from a values perspective - I have decided that kids need to learn how to deal with wealth and money. Money is just a thing. Sometimes you have a lot, sometimes you don't. Based on your post, I'm guessing you have a lot, I would make a deal - buy an expensive car but if its wrecked, its a used honda civic or something very mundane. That would give some clarity around expectations. However I definitely agree - its nicer to work UP to stuff than have it ripped away (From accident or what not). But that is not how most parents want to play these days.

Personally, its the used honda crv for my kid when they are old enough. Not embarrassing, decently safe. Relatively cheap. Then I have promised a better if they do get some scholarship or something very good at college.

Just my 2 cents.

I would not even get a used CRV for them! 5-10 year old Civic if that. If that car is too "embarrassing" for them, they can go out and earn $$ for a less embarrassing car.

But, I am not embarrassed by a Civic. We have a 30k new car and a 2005 Civic, both bought in cash. If someone judges us when we roll up, that is their pathetic issue.

[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.

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.

[Anonymous]

The only kid in my high school to have a jeep (everyone was jealous) flipped his about 3 months after he got it. Ejected. Tons of injuries. Lucky to be alive. Missed 4 months of his Senior year. No one was jealous of him after that.

[Anonymous]

I just threw up in my mouth. Not because of the money, but because of her choice.
Ah, go ahead. When she can't drive or park that big thing, don't say you didn't see it coming, because she sure is good at everything else.

[Anonymous]

Fake post, Jeep is not a nice car it's a pos

[Anonymous]

If you can afford to buy her the car she wants - or another (maybe safer) $40K car - why wouldn't you? If money isn't an issue, I don't see why you would hesitate. My parents bought a brand new car for each of us (3 girls) and the cars each cost well above $40K. This was in line with what they had provided us all our lives - the best of everything - and we each worked our asses off in school, college, grad school, and professional lives to make sure that we could continue giving ourselves the best of everything. They didn't set us up for failure or disappointment. We had a certain standard of living growing up and we each made sure we could give ourselves the same life our parents provided us without having to rely on anyone else.

[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.

Sounds like you have sold yourself on getting it for her. Do it if you can afford it. Though. If your kid was not as athletic or struggled in school would you do the same?

[Anonymous]

You need to be thinking about safety--and a Jeep is NOT the safest car you can buy if you are willing to spend $40K for your kid.

BTW, wtf does her dating a sweet boy from STA have to do with buying a car? Why are you bragging about that alongside her other accomplishments? Better than telling the world about your DD's romantic life, maybe you'd better be thinking about things like how responsible she is with her cell phone, whether she is able to withstand peer pressure, whether or not said BF is going to be in the car with her (having another teen in the car is a very high risk factor for fatal crashes).

Re-think your priorities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A brand new fully loaded Jeep? No, no way. We could afford it, but we wouldn't do it. First of all, a Jeep isn't even that safe of a car for a new driver.

A list of the cons of a Jeep Wrangler, from Edmunds:

Mediocre crash test scores; long braking distances; sloppy on-road handling; noisy interior; busy ride; questionable security with soft top; missing many of the latest safety and technology features; cumbersome convertible operation.

Second of all, I wouldn't buy a brand new car for myself, let alone my teenage child. I don't think it does teenagers any good to have their dream cars handed to them at the age of 16. They should have something to strive for in that department.

+1 -- And, FWIW, our kids (in HS and college) are also great students with sterling records in their extra-curricular activities. The rewards for these accomplishments are much greater in value than any car -- they've learned discipline, resilience, teamwork, and dedication to their goals. Those lessons will last a lifetime --unlike a car. (And, BTW, millenials all drive zipcars and take uber.)

[Anonymous]

I bought myself a new car and gave my nice older to car to kids.

[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.

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

Sounds like she has her head on straight. Show me your friends (and boyfriend) and I'll show you your future.