Anonymous wrote:I'm pretty surprised by the responses here. DS and DD were able to pick out a car in the price range we saw fit (20-25k) when they started to drive. I was given a BWM convertible on my 16th birthday and I still love and miss that car today, my parents required I make all As for them to pay the insurance and gas. We have the same policy, Bs mean the child pays for gas and Cs mean you pay the insurance anything else and you lose the car.

Lol, so you grew up in a bubble and STILL live in one?

Thoughts having the kid learn on a manual? At least it discourages texting and driving, or anything else requiring other than two hands.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live 0.6 miles from the High School. She can walk. Heck, we are almost closer than the student parking lot is to part of the school (school is 1/4 mile across based on Google Earth measurements).

What if your kid were offered a great after-school job or internship that s/he needed to drive to? (I ask because my first thought in discussions like this is, "Why would I buy a car for a high-school student. Take Metro! Walk! That's what I did, consarn it!" But I'm not sure if that's always feasible. Or do you just rule out anything that would require a car?)

PP Here. DD just entered the 6th grade. I have 4.5 years before she is old enough to drive. My guess is she could drive our then 7 year old subaru outback. My VW GTI is too fast for a kid. I am not buying a new car for a child....but the Subie might be in need of replacement. I had been threatening to let her drive the Minivan which we got when she was born. But, we got rid of it for my toy car.

We bought a 1988 Volvo wagon from a neighbor (no A/C) and the kids used it as a bumper car to learn on and drive to work. It was ugly, slow and very very heavy. Because it was a 240 it was also kind of cool.

However, I can't believe the parents here that think kids can't get good grades and work at the same time. My kids worked through high school and got good grades. Working helped them budget their time and taught them responsibility as well.

Anonymous wrote:We live 0.6 miles from the High School. She can walk. Heck, we are almost closer than the student parking lot is to part of the school (school is 1/4 mile across based on Google Earth measurements).

Local school systems provide transportation to school. Why do parents give teens cars to drive to school? The roads are crowded enough already.

Anonymous wrote:I would never buy a car for a teen of any type. We live near the bus and my kid takes the bus.

+1

We live near downtown Silver Spring and our 16yo uses the bus, Metro, his bike, and his legs. No plans to fund or support him getting a driver's license anytime soon. When we do get to that point, he will use the family car and will pay for his own gas and a portion of the (higher thanks to him) insurance premiums with money he earns himself.

Anonymous wrote:It's too bad high schools don't have auto shop Anymore.
At 16 I bought a 60s mustang coupe.
Put in a bigger motor and had a lot of fun.

When you build the car, you take pride and learn
Not to destroy it or kill yourself in it.

Not sure if is give my kid a 70s car with a
440 in it, but is think of letting him start restoring
Something in 9th grade so when he turns
16 he will have built and earned his wheels.

Stats on your mustang please. I had a '68 Merc Cyclone w/ a 390 in HS. Had so much fun blowing away Vettes and Iroc camaros. I probably would have wrapped it around a telephone pole if I hadn't sold it and got something tamer.

Out 17 year old uses our old Honda Accord to drive himself and his sibling to school and for social events, visiting friends on weekends, etc. We won't be buying him his own car anytime soon. In fact, we just allowed our college junior to take our old Volvo wagon for the semester. I really cannot see buying young kids cars, except maybe if it's a very basic used model and there's a true transportation need. Even then I'd expect my kid to contribute something to the cost.

Anonymous wrote:I'm pretty surprised by the responses here. DS and DD were able to pick out a car in the price range we saw fit (20-25k) when they started to drive. I was given a BWM convertible on my 16th birthday and I still love and miss that car today, my parents required I make all As for them to pay the insurance and gas. We have the same policy, Bs mean the child pays for gas and Cs mean you pay the insurance anything else and you lose the car.

Personally, I think the idea of tying a fancy car to getting A's is messed up.

Anonymous wrote:We live 0.6 miles from the High School. She can walk. Heck, we are almost closer than the student parking lot is to part of the school (school is 1/4 mile across based on Google Earth measurements).

What if your kid were offered a great after-school job or internship that s/he needed to drive to? (I ask because my first thought in discussions like this is, "Why would I buy a car for a high-school student. Take Metro! Walk! That's what I did, consarn it!" But I'm not sure if that's always feasible. Or do you just rule out anything that would require a car?)

We live 0.6 miles from the High School. She can walk. Heck, we are almost closer than the student parking lot is to part of the school (school is 1/4 mile across based on Google Earth measurements).

I would never buy a car for a teen of any type. We live near the bus and my kid takes the bus.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm pretty surprised by the responses here. DS and DD were able to pick out a car in the price range we saw fit (20-25k) when they started to drive. I was given a BWM convertible on my 16th birthday and I still love and miss that car today, my parents required I make all As for them to pay the insurance and gas. We have the same policy, Bs mean the child pays for gas and Cs mean you pay the insurance anything else and you lose the car.

Aren't you and your kids soooo lucky? Gosh, it must be nice to be you.

Yeah, this discussion came up at the pool this summer. One of my Mom friends asked my DH what car we were thinking of buying for our DD when she starts to drive. My DH's response was that DD can get whatever car she can afford to buy with money earned from summer and part-time work or she can drive one of our two family cars just as he and his siblings did growing up. This provoked an "I think that is a good idea" from another friend and a discussion on the types of jobs teens can find and do.

The reality, of course, is that we may have to spring for a 2nd car for my DH that DD would actually use. My car is an SUV - totally inappropriate for a teen driver - and my DH's car - a BMW 325i - is probably a bit too fast and not safe for a teen driver. So, DH will buy himself a "big, slow car."

Anonymous wrote:Well when we have a spare few thousand lying around to buy a perfect car, we will. Until then, he will learn to drive as much as possible in the Xterra so he can get used to handling it and be warned of the possibility of rollovers. It's what we have to give him so we just have to work with it!

Why do you have to give him a car at all? Seems ridiculous. Trade in the Xterra and get an old Accord or something if you "have" to.

It's too bad high schools don't have auto shop Anymore.
At 16 I bought a 60s mustang coupe.
Put in a bigger motor and had a lot of fun.

When you build the car, you take pride and learn
Not to destroy it or kill yourself in it.

Not sure if is give my kid a 70s car with a
440 in it, but is think of letting him start restoring
Something in 9th grade so when he turns
16 he will have built and earned his wheels.