Would You Buy Your Child A Car?

[krzysiu]

It depends on how much money is there. 1 guy at his Uni got given a 1994 BMW by his dad. Then about a year after that his dad bought him a Off the Showroom Floor brand new Mazda 3 SP23.

[xRHETTx]

My parents matched every dollar that i could save for my first car. But being in Victoria meant that didnt happen til i was 18, i had saved $2000 so i spent $4000 on a r31 wagon.

I would NEVER buy my kids a car, but i would consider matching what they saved, if it meant they were getting a safer/more reliable car than they would otherwise.

I would NEVER put in for a sports car for my kids, if they want something thats going to cost them alot of money they can pay for all of it themselves.

And just like me, my kids will certainly not be driving a turbo car until they are 21. It just doesnt make sense.

[HannahMc]

Plus I guess there's always the stereotypes, kids would be more likely to get in trouble with a turbo car since it'd be seen as rebelious and irresponsible.

[Trust33]

My parants bought me a rwd gemini auto.They bought a reco engine for it after the epa were driving behind me and sent me a letter saying if the problem was not rectified i would cop a $3000 fine.So it was either that or put the new engine in.

After that it had a new trans put in and another engine ayear and a half later.Paid for by me.

In short i think it's allright to buy your children a car as long as it's a low power car that they can learn on.I would never hand them the keys to my high power car untill i thought they were ready.

And if they worked for their high power car,and had no experience,then i would find myself compelled to send them to a driver training,skid pan,track etc.

I know they say it makes a hoon a hoon what he/she is exposed to,but,id rather them have the knowledge to be able to get themselves out of a potentially fatal situation.

I myself learned to drive on a farm,with massive open fields.When i gained confidence i was drifting it when i was 14 now im 26.Had i not been exposed to this sort of sideways experience then i most certainly would have been killed or seriously injured while behind the wheel.

I once was in the rain on a road that had a deisel spill in my 1st car.The car lost controll, and oversteered like it had 600 hp.While i had saved myself 2 cars up ahead were into a guard rail,totalled.

M2C...

[**JaR**]

my car is my first car but my parents havnt payed for it for me. they said if i wanted a skyline then i'd have to save, and then take out a loan to cover the rest. so i did....

havnt even had it for a year and i've nearly payed it off.

[GTR32GUS]

I would not buy my kids if i had any a car , I am 25 and owned 7 cars brought everyone my self with value between a stick to 21000 , when u drive a car which is worth $25 u really get to know what a bad car is and how to keep it going

[r33skylinegtst]

Depends on the kid! If they seem like responsible drivers, sure! It's one less thing to worry about, but i'd do what my parents did, once the car is bought every other expense is their responsibility. Rego, insurance, petrol, servicing etc. They can't manage their money to keep the car on the road, they don't drive it. simple.

[gts25t4door]

My parents bought be a VC Valiant for my first car. It was $1500 and was registed. I have since paid for everything else to do with the car. It also tought me not to thrash my car as it will break (and it did..many many many times), I still have the "old beast" and even though I have purchased my Skyline. I have learned lots by having an old car and has given me basic mechanical knowledge that I will continue to build on with future cars.

I think that parents should help you with buying the car and then its up to you what you do with it.

Chris

[Ruffels]

hmm interesting comments here... i knew back when i was 13 that my parents wouldnt be buying me a car... so i thought if i want a good car.. i better start saving early.. i started saving for my r33 when i was 14.. and bought it when i was 17 and a half ... worth every hour i slaved over those hot cookers ay kfc!

unfortunatly the po' po' (cops) agreed with most of you in that i didnt have the experience with driving it... and that they would forbid me to drive it especially under the power/weight laws...

so now i have an r32

still great car... but not the car i worked hard for... moral of the story... do your research before you buy a car coz most likely you'll be told you cant have it in one shape or another lol

/end bitter and twistedness

all of my mates parents bought them cars... but i think for the year i had my r33.. it was the best year of my life

but back on topic.. i have no problems with parents buying kids first cars... i just think they arent doing them any favours

-Ruffels

[Triskillion]

all i could think about in year 12 was driving and owning a car... so i couldnt concentrate in class and just made car noises in my head and gear shifts under the table when no one was looking.

i drive 5 hours a day minimum and feel sick if i dont.

what i would do with my kids is give them a non turbo rear wheel drive manual. like a r31 or silvia, get 3rd party insurance for them. and tell them to go practise in the wet. but make sure they pay for anything that breaks on the car. tell them to drive that car for a year and 6 months. then after buy them a decent car.

that way theyll practise and sortof thrash the car but not till its screwed coz theyll need that car for a year...

then again my first car was a front wheel drive. i got heaps of driving experience and learnt about traffic conditions and wet conditions etc. if i had a rear wheel drive for my first car i probz would of crashed for sure. not knowing to much about the cars limits. i just bought my r33 and are slowly learning its limits

[BHDave]

No way. If you cant afford to buy it, you cant afford to run it, and there's no way you are going to respect it.

If the kids don't have a job then there would be no way they'd get one as you know who would be paying for insurance and repairs and petrol.

Treat it as a life lesson, there's no free lunch and when i die there will be no inheritance!

[jonjon]

I would rather have my child concentrate on his/her studies than thinking about cars so I am happy to buy them a cheap brand new run around car. From my experience, I would rather have my kid not worry about the car breaking down like I did when my parents bought me my first car which was an n13.

[342Four]

damn - i really wish my parents bought me my first car

well they did, but i owe them now

and now that i had to pay for head work its set it back big time

i hope to have the car payed off by the end of this year (yeah right)

[TracidTrax]

are they good kids?

[stolen_s15]

I buy them a car, nothing flash though. And only to ensure they were not on the road in an unsafe rust bucket, peace of mind for everyone. Mind you i'm only 20 so i'll cross that bridge when i come to it.

[GTS25-t]

I wouldnt buy it for them, might pitch in a bit tho. Oh and it wouldnt be a turbo thats for sure.

But i would definatly buy them a tool kit and a service manual for it

[32GTRB]

my parents bought me the car i have now. i do not think that buying your kids is such a bad idea. i am 17 this year, and my first car was my incentive or motivation if u like to get into uni.

ive just started a bachelor of commerce/bachelor of arts at usyd. Parents are happy so they don't complain ^^

Rego greenslip and insurance for the first year was paid for by my mum, however i pay all the fuel, and all expenses will be paid by me in the years to come.

Only downside of my first car is that it guzzles fuel like a madman

[blags]

My parents bought me my first car about 1 month ago. I've been begging them for about 2 years now.

They said they would buy me a car if i got a high enough yr 12 Enter Score, unfortunetly not high enough for them but i still got into the course i wanted, 6 months later and i have my car ( but no lisence yet haha 1 month away)

As for buying my kids a car, dont have any kids yet, but ill make sure that the only way i buy them a car is if they have attempted to save money and also do well at school.

Billy

[ellie]

jebus! An XR6 for a first car, doing it tough Are your perants adopting?

I went into mechanics and the first car I purchased was a bright yellow 1982 carona for a carton of vb which a friend had left in my fridge! This thing was mint and I loved it!

Many much more expensive and quick cars followed but my fondest memories still sit with that yellow carona. The point to this waffle is, I appreciated that car so much because I achieved the purchase and maintainence (everyday) on my own and it had a great story behind it. That car has passed through 4 of my friends hands and never missed a beat even after 350,000kms

It all depends on your values I guess but I think no matter how rich you are, if you earn what you get it's that much sweeter!

EDIT: must clarify that by achieving the purchase, I had got a vehicle for effectively left over beer and by sacrificing then i got much better cars along the way and at 23 now own 90% of my house, have an R32 and an R1 on a crap wage. Not show ponying but as a father started this thread - If you give your child the building blocks they might just build a castle

Edited April 24, 2006 by ellie

[ross80]

I think a cheap run about is the go. I would want to see some sort of effort on their behalf if I was prepared to pitch in for their first car.

I deffinantly would not buy a performance car as a first car for them. If they wanted that they could save and it would work out well as they would be gaining experience as they scrape money together for their dream car.

I think it is different for boys and girls to. Girls tend to be more responsible and look after themselves and their things.

I basically ruined my first car and blew the head gasket on my girlfriends car too! But after a shitload of money you soon learn to balace stupidity with your budget.