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Smart Shopper Best Car for a new teenage driver
554 messages, Last post on Nov 08, 2009 at 7:33 PM
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Replying to: pat (Jan 23, 2007 12:34 pm)
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Replying to: qbrozen (Jan 23, 2007 1:32 pm) I knew it was just a matter of time until we heard that one.  .... but I actually did that once when I got lost in a new neighborhood.  jmonroe
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Replying to: jmonroe (Jan 23, 2007 1:47 pm) I lived on the back side of a large hill, borderline mountain IMO, and the campus sat on the other side of the valley by that hill. So I walked up the hill then down the hill then up the other side of the valley to class. Rinse and repeat for the afternoon. |
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Replying to: graphicguy (Jan 23, 2007 9:31 am) We seem to be in agreement, again. Heaven forbid if the child has their own car and it is used and even worse, the wrong brand. I come from the generation that if someone could see the label on your shirt, you were told that you had your shirt on inside out. Too much …. too soon…. too bad for the parent/child now and later. jmonroe |
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Replying to: graphicguy (Jan 23, 2007 9:31 am) my parents didn't make me buy my own car or pay for gas, but i learned about it when i needed to. we have told our kids, 'your job is to get good grades'. so far, so good.
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Yikes, i've been reading some buick-hating coments. Let me just say that i received a hand-me-down 98 Regal with 105k on the clock in '02 and it has treated me fine ever since. I received the car when I turned 16 and used it for senior year of high school, served its purpose well and now its a great car for oncampus college duties and going to and from home. those 3.8L V6 really are bulletproof, the thing will not die and has never faltered. I think buicks are the perfect teenager car, big, comfy and fast enough. It gets you from Point A to Point B with absolutely no desire for you to exhibit spirited driving. Now any kid that demands something "better" is simply spoiled due to parenting or surroundings [associates w/ other kids that are spoiled with nice cars]. I agree with all those here deciding on the used sedan option, easy to drive cars that are fairly versatile. Now for the thread creator's question, I like the idea of a CRV w/ awd, should get the job done just fine. Im unsure of the insurance though. |
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This begs the question, are we really doing our children a disservice by handing over a car to them. Personally, I think we are. Before I get preachy (and I'm about to), I've made the same mistake. I believe my only child (20 year old son) has had it pretty "cushy". I pay for his college tuition (he pays for books and fees). He won't have student loans to worry about when he graduates. He lives at home (I'm not asking for rent). He's got plenty of food. Really, all he has to do is to do well in school, and work part time (weekends only...full time in the summer)) to cover his car expenses, gas, insurance, maintenance and incidentals. I'm not a complete ogre. When he's real tight on cash, I do flip him a $50 bill on occasion. I'm a single parent and have overcompensated at times with my son because of his Mother and I divorcing. So, I'm guilty of some of that "over compensation" at times. I believe it's easier for a parent to buy a car for their kid(s) than it is to teach them some life lessons. Does giving them a car make them a better person? I don't see how. Taking the time to teach them about a budget, about cash flow, about building some cash for life's "gotchas" (like unexpected car repairs), is much harder than just handing over the car keys to them. But, without some skin in that game, the teen learns nothing. Hopefully, the little lessons he's learning about car ownership will serve him well, not only about cars, but about life. He knows he's got to come up with an extra $75 this winter to get a new battery. Better to save for it now and replace it before he gets stranded down the road. Better to keep a clean driving record that to face astronomical insurace premiums he'd have to pay to keep the wheels on the road. It's better to keep that car tuned up to get better MPG than to pay for more gas than he has to. Giving a car, without the responsibility that goes with it, really is a disservice to our kids. Yes, it's easier (for the parent) to just hand over the keys. It's better to have them learn something from having a vested interest (financially) in the car. There's so many learning opportunities by doing so.....some of them are very hard lessons. It just takes more of our (any parent's) time to do so, though. I think our kids are worth it, though. Preaching over!!!!!!!!!!
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Replying to: graphicguy (Jan 24, 2007 6:32 am) I've got 3 kids (20 yo stepson, 18 yo step-daughter, 17 yo son), so I've had a chance to refine the technique. The 20yo is on his own now - well, he lives with his dad in Utah, but he pays his own way. Has a small car payment ($150/mo) and covers all his own expenses. He's got a 2001 Saturn L200 and has taken pretty good care of it. In the past year, he's put new tires, shocks and struts onto it. He does regular oil changes. He knows that this is the last car we'll help him with - car is in his name, we cosigned the note. The 18yo is a freshman in college about 100 miles from us. She is driving a new Saturn ION, which we bought last summer. We pay the note and maintenance, she covers gas and insurance. She is not working now, but will over the summer. She has enough put away to cover gas and insurance to the end of the school year in May. She, too, knows that this is the last car we'll buy her. The ION only has 4K on it in 7 months, so I suspect it will last her a good, long time. The 17yo lives in CA with his mom. As has been previously mentioned here and on other topics, he will be getting my FIL's '92 Subaru Legacy AWD wagon in June as a graduation gift. Currently, he is neither working nor has a drivers permit. He'll be 18 in June, so he should have his license when graduation rolls around. He also knows that when I sign the car over to him, he is responsible for everything - gas, insurance, maintenance, etc., so he knows that he'll need to have a job to cover those costs. |
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Replying to: graphicguy (Jan 24, 2007 6:32 am) You obviously realize that your son needs to learn responsibility, and you take the time to instill values in him that will lead him towards becoming a responsible adult. I think many parents would agree that there is nothing inherently wrong with helping a (well deserving) child out by giving them a good used car, or reasonable new car. I do not think giving a child a used car or reasonable new car is neccessarily doing them a disservice, as long as you do like you are doing, and make them understand and handle the insurance, gas, and maintenance that goes along with it. However, I would be quick to let the kid know that if the grades slip, or if he gets in trouble (even if the trouble has nothing to do with the car), the car is a privilege and that particular privilege will be revoked until he gets things back in line. I think the disservice part comes in when "Johnny 16 Year Old" shows up in the high school parking lot with his loaded up '07 Mustang GT. Couple that with the fact that his parents are also probably paying for the car insurance (regardless of whether he gets a speeding ticket or 2), giving him gas money, and taking care of all maintenance issues for him as well.
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Replying to: graphicguy (Jan 24, 2007 6:32 am) Speed? Oh, yeah, the driver was the captain of the football team and supposedly a very good kid. BTW, a study, years ago, indicated that for most HS kids who got a car their grades went down. |
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