Well, I Failed...

[vosschs 5,000+ posts]

haha spoiled *** kids, glad you dont live in ILL although if you bring your charger here ill teach ya how to drive

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

I don't care if I have millions of dollars....both of my children will be purchasing their first car with the money they've earned and saved by working for the money without my assistance in any way, shape or form.

The deal Mom & Dad made with both me and my sister was that they would supply us our first car (my grandfather supplying the first car in my case) but we had to pay for our own gas and our own insurance. They added us to their policy so it wouldn't be as expensive as getting it on our own but the difference in premiums that resulted from adding us we were responsible for. And if ever we were late handing over that insurance money every month the keys were taken away post haste. So - similar concept, I reckon...

 

[soundstreamer 10+ year member]

i was given my first car. a 1983 ford escort bought for $500. i had to pay for gas and insurance though.

 

[jujumantb 10+ year member]

IMO parents shouldn't do such a thing in the first place. What are you teaching your child by doing that? That everything in life is free? There's no moral lesson in handing over the keys to a brand new car to a 16yr old.
I don't care if I have millions of dollars....both of my children will be purchasing their first car with the money they've earned and saved by working for the money without my assistance in any way, shape or form.

My very first car was an '84 Omega that I paid $100 for (and only cause it had new tires). Had a blown head gasket that I paid for and fixed. To this day I wish I still had that car. Why? Because it was my first major purchase. I paid for the entire thing with my hard earned money. No assistance. I did it all on my own. That gives you a sense of pride. Not driving around in the brand new car mommy and daddy bought for you.

Well there is another side to that. For instance, my first car was a hand-me-down from my sister that my parents bought for her, actually its the same car I have now, a 96 buick regal. Nothing extravagent, but it was a few thousand bucks, more money than I would have paid for a first car. This is exactly the reason they did it, I would have bought a $100 junker like you and bought all the safety issues that go along with it. Alot can go wrong in a 20 year old car doin 80 on the freeway, I dont want to put my kids in that situation. Obviously, a new charger is spoiling your kids, but I'd feel much more comfortable having my kids drive a modest, reliable used car than a $100 junker.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Obviously, a new charger is spoiling your kids, but I'd feel much more comfortable having my kids drive a modest, reliable used car than a $100 junker.

Who said the car was a junker?? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif Obviously they must purchase something worthy of being driven down the road.

My first car had a blown head gasket when I bought it, and the paint was in rough shape. But, after the engine was fixed, it ran like charm. And like I said before, it had brand new tires. Seat belts all worked properly. Nothing functionality wise made it a "junker". Just didn't look the prettiest.

Look enough and you can find great vehicles for under $2k (especially if you look for cars that need some little repair work that someone elderly doesn't want to mess around with having fixed...that's how I acquired my first two cars for pretty good deals). A lot even for $1k and under. Not pimp-mobiles. But definitely road worthy and safe. Hell, it wasn't until about 3 years ago that I owned a car that was worth more than a couple grand.

 

[Chevyaudio 5,000+ posts]

sucks to be you man...97% first time out....only reason that It wasnt 100 was, I went 18mph in a 15mph Zone. Better luck next time.

Edit...On a side note, my first truck was a 91 ford explorer with 140K miles on it I drove it for 3 years. I didnt get the 04 chevy until I graduated, my parents felt as if I had worked hard enough to diserve to drive a nice vehicle to college. I will admit, that I am spoiled, but I dont take advantage of my parents.

 

[saywhat? 5,000+ posts]

i dont see a problem with the parents making a deal with their kid for him to get a new car. I kept a 3.5 from 4th grade till 12th grade and was given any car of my choice ~20k. could have gotten something ~25 but I only liked what I got other than the equinox. I feel i earned the right to have a nice car by doing well in school. I know this is something i should do new car or not, but the new car kept me motivated. my first car was an 87 mazda b2200 i bought for 2 grand when i was 16 and had just gotten my license a few months earlier. That truck had a bad motor after a while of driving it, as if the seller through a motor together to run long enough to feel the money was worth the buy. It was ~4 months before the motor went, so I got the mustang like i was promised

 

[saywhat? 5,000+ posts]

PS...spoiled but not rotten

 

[Phlipbak 10+ year member]

EXACTLY!!! I have a 4.2 as well....

I know I'm spoiled but I'm not some rotten rich kid... and you all have no way of judging my parents

 

[jujumantb 10+ year member]

EXACTLY!!! I have a 4.2 as well....

Thats good and all, you should be praised for that, but highschool grades are a joke, its a small amount of work for an investment in your future, I graduated with a 4.0, yet my 20 minutes of homework per night was hardly worthy of a new car //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif If you can't get above a 3.5 in HS, you are either not trying at all or are just plain dumb //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/naughty.gif.94359f346c0f1259df8038d60b41863e.gif

 

[Phlipbak 10+ year member]

Well bud, I have over 2.5 hours of homework a night, seeing as how I go to a private school. But that doesn't mean I'm a brat or anything, I work my tail off. And YES I REALIZE COLLEGE IS A BILLION TIMES HARDER.

 

[JAZN 5,000+ posts]

I failed my first time. Passed the second. Nothing to fret over.

When I got my license, my parents bought me a brand new RSX when it first came out. Then I crashed it (my fault) and totalled it (not my fault). To this day, I wish they wouldn't have bought it for me. Now that I drive a cheaper car, it made me realize what I used to have. I didn't appreciate my first car at all when I had it because it was nice and it was just handed over to me. And no, I don't think my 4.7gpa earned it either. Like said, high school is a joke, because in college I now have a spectacular 2.85.

 

[headless 10+ year member]

LOL -- they actually had you drive on a highway? Rough. I drove around the parking lot. Once. Parked once. Stopped. Backed up some. Ta-da, license.

 

[JAZN 5,000+ posts]

LOL -- they actually had you drive on a highway? Rough. I drove around the parking lot. Once. Parked once. Stopped. Backed up some. Ta-da, license.

I heard you had to parallel park back in the day too.

 

[Termlab 10+ year member]

our driving test is fairly easy also. starts in a parking lot, goes through 1 stop light (twice, once outta the parking lot, once back). then through a couple stop signs also. relatively simple. passed it on my first try. the manueverability (spelling) test was a little harder. where you have to manuever through cones... i failed that. but passed the second time around.

my first care was a 1992 mitsubishi galant. i loved it. perfect shape, ran descent. had alot of miles. it was handed over to me also. then i crashed it (similar to the guys post above). like wise, my car wasnt 20k or even close to it (1200) but i wish it wasnt just handed over to me. i didnt appreciate it. then i ended up driving a couple beaters around for the next few years (had to purchase them and pay for insurance after that) till my current car. i love my current car and i baby it.