Kids First Car?

[ultrarunner]

Growing up we were just happy to have wheels... no one gave us a car unless you had an old aunt or uncle.

Things change and today the kids of people I work with are very particular with first cars... it is either a new Civic or Corolla if not a family car... no real in between... especially for girls... safety really sells and so do warranties...

My nephew loves his 96 F150 and makes me happy to have helped.

My 17 year old niece is a very good girl... works hard, respectful and really has little free time outside school, sports and work.

Her father and mother mentioned they were considering getting another family car... I heard of a 2 owner RX330, garaged kept with 70k miles... no rust in California.

They came to look at it and her father said it was only taking a look... they drove it and liked it... parents offered to match the 3k she had saved... owner wanted a lot more... I asked my niece if she liked the car and she said she loved it... her parents and the seller were stuck $1000 apart... I asked her again and she said Dad said not to get her hopes up...

So speaking out of turn... I said they could split the difference and I was willing to kick in the $500... everything went silent... for the longest time.

Sort story is they made the deal... and it did my heart good... she was beaming when Dad said OK...

I did have an ace in the hole... I have an old 66 Mustang she has asked about fixing up... and the mere mention of this has her parents in a tizzy...

 

[CalG]

Growing up we were just happy to have wheels... no one gave us a car unless you had an old aunt or uncle.

Things change and today the kids of people I work with are very particular with first cars... it is either a new Civic or Corolla if not a family car... no real in between... especially for girls.

My nephew loves his 96 F150 and makes me happy to have helped.

My 17 year old niece is a very good girl... works hard, respectful and really has little free time outside school, sports and work.

Her father and mother mentioned they were considering getting another family car... I heard of a 2 owner RX330, garaged kept with 70k miles... no rust in California.

They came to look at it and her father said it was only taking a look... they drove it and liked it... parents offered to match the 3k she had saved... owner wanted a lot more... I asked my niece if she liked the car and she said she loved it... her parents and the seller were stuck $1000 apart... I asked her again and she said Dad said not to get her hopes up...

So speaking out of turn... I said they could split the difference and I was willing to kick in the $500... everything went silent... for the longest time.

Sort story is they made the deal... and it did my heart good... she was beaming when Dad said OK...

I did have an ace in the hole... I have an old 66 Mustang she has asked about fixing up... and the mere mention of this has her parents in a tizzy...

So the kid's first car is a Lexus. Must be a liberal, and votes Democrat. 'Has expectations that future employment opportunities will accept her requirements for vegan latte frappes and contributions to animal rights foundations.

Get a grip, make them buy their own "first car".

YOU piss me off!

 

[ultrarunner]

And you would be wrong across the board...

I bought all my cars... first one cost a $1000 and I was 13 at the time... still have it and EARNED every penny to buy it... started paying into Social Security at age 12...

Same for all my siblings... all bought their first and every car after.

The 17 year old's Dad drives an 1983 with 330,000 miles and Mom drives 2003 Dodge with 207,000 miles.

I only pray you are wrong and her having to earn only half doesn't foretell her dropping out of school and joining a commune... this is the SF Bay Area after all.

What is a vegan latte frappes anyway???

You are posting to someone that has NEVER had a cup of coffee, if that is what it is?

You never know... my motives could be self interest... Paying it Forward???

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

These days, any kid who has saved $3k is a good kid.

Glad you got her a good, safe car. Pay it back; pay it forward.

 

[spitter]

Both of my kids played football wrestled and lacrosse ,both are eagle scouts both national honors They where stock boys at acme and picked various yard cleaning jobs.It was very hard to save for a car most of their money went for insurance.My oldest drives my 99 f350 v10 4250,000 miles and my youngest drives a 06 grand Cherokee the neighbor gave him for splitting wood .GC has 310,000 miles the good thing about that is they learned to turn wrenches fast.Oldest is 21 working as a diesel tech . Youngest is 18 working as a carpenter.:drink:

 

[oosik]

This thread really strikes home a fact - Man, am I ever old. I got my FIRST car when I graduated from college. My father refused to let me drive the family vehicles but promised he would buy me any new car I wanted when I graduated from college. So - I got married my last year of college and the next day after the last college class - my wife and I packed what little we had into our brand new Ford pickup and drove the Alcan Highway to Alaska. Thank goodness we got a pickup because in 1965 the Alaska Hwy was a real country dirt road. What an adventure that was - 53 years ago. We were both in our early 20's - heading into the unknown.

 

[Einthewoods]

Wow...read the OP first post thonking this will be a good thread and then all heck broke lose. Sounded a bit like me when I post after having a few too many bourbons. :laughing: though I did like the "vegan latte frappes" bit.

My two oldest kids got hand-me-down cars. Too good to sell for the little they were worth and both in good mechanical shape. My youngest wants my truck but I plan to keep it until it is no longer financially possible to keep. So, he'll have to go halves or something on a used car we'll find.

I get the idea that kids these days don't work for things. Even if they have jobs it would seem that they blow their money on crap. The bigger things like cars tend to be given to them. So it is the fault of parents for going that route.

I try ro remind myself that each generation thinks the next is a bunch of freeloaders. And in reality it is a short sighted and not often correct view.

In your case, if the kid saved $3k and is using it for the car, that sounds like a good kid to me with a understanding of saving.

A Lexus though? That is the worst part of this story. Lol and goes to show everyone has different tastes.

 

[Gary Fowler]

When the girls (3 of them) were still in school, I bought them a very used Nissan Sentra for group use. Mostly this was to alleviate the need for us parents to go pickup one or the other from school functions, so the older kids always did the pickup for the younger. This old car lasted most of the high school days. I think each of the girls had minor wrecks with it in which none of the dents were fixed.
I did help everyone of them to get their first new car by co-signing the note and providing some of the down payment so they could get a good start with credit. This was after they all had jobs but were still living at home. They all made the payments on time and got a good credit history so that they were able to buy their next car easily without my help.
I think each parent is obligated to help their kids get a good financial start and teach them how to manage their credit and cash flow. I don't think a 16 year old needs a $50K car to ride to school and show off in. This just encourages them to want more and more for doing less and less. Giving them a free high dollar ride without any work just makes them expect a free ride in life and that doesn't happen.

 

[MossRoad]

Good job uncle! :thumbsup:

We've followed your posts long enough to know you're giving the youngsters some good life lessons.

Keep it up.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

When the girls (3 of them) were still in school, I bought them a very used Nissan Sentra for group use. Mostly this was to alleviate the need for us parents to go pickup one or the other from school functions, so the older kids always did the pickup for the younger. This old car lasted most of the high school days. I think each of the girls had minor wrecks with it in which none of the dents were fixed.
I did help everyone of them to get their first new car by co-signing the note and providing some of the down payment so they could get a good start with credit. This was after they all had jobs but were still living at home. They all made the payments on time and got a good credit history so that they were able to buy their next car easily without my help.
I think each parent is obligated to help their kids get a good financial start and teach them how to manage their credit and cash flow. I don't think a 16 year old needs a $50K car to ride to school and show off in. This just encourages them to want more and more for doing less and less. Giving them a free high dollar ride without any work just makes them expect a free ride in life and that doesn't happen.

Pretty much what we did with our girls. We bought them their first car and paid the insurance with the stipulation that they have to pay their own gas and maintenance. Living in a rural area, they couldn't work and go to school without a car. This solution worked well; the girls got their cars, they also got jobs and learned a lot about making their own money and what it meant. The oldest burned the engine up in her VW, but it wasn't her fault. The old VW engines had a tendency to drain gasoline down into the engine and dilute the oil. I paid for a new engine; $800. She repeated the problem a couple years later, when she didn't check the oil.
I called the bank and made arrangements for them to lend her the money to fix it...and had her go to the bank by herself and "arrange" the loan. A lesson learned. She and her husband have raised three great kids, all with college degrees.
We also helped them with their first new car and down payment, although payments were their responsibility. I think it's a parent's responsibility to teach their kids some of the facts of life and although the best things in life may be free; cars, insurance, beds, Guess jeans and rib eye steaks come at a price.

 

[Howling]

Shortly after our eldest got his license I bought a $1400 older Subaru as a kids car. Considered it insurance for our cars. And reduced our running kids around. First evening after getting that car we said go pick up your sister. She was also first to dent that car. Between a couple hand me downs minivans, I bought and fixed a $300 Honda that all 3 drove at times. Made sure they has functional and safe vehicle to get to school and other places. Status and fancy waits until they buy their own.

The older two are out have bought their own cars. The youngest is still in school and driving 2001 Focus handed down when his grandfather stopped driving.

 

[MossRoad]

When I was young, I went through many $500 cars. Safety, dependability, and crash survival were not high priorities back then. I would by $500 early 70's Novas, take anything that was working off the dead one, transfer it to the new one, and run it till it died, then repeat. But I lived with my folks and could borrow their car if mine died, which they did, often. I was allowed to live at home rent-free as long as I was in school. And I thank my parents for that every time I think about it. They did me a great service, I was able to pay for my schooling 100% because I was working several jobs. I got out of school debt free. And my wife and I were able to say "I do" and walk into a house we purchased 4 months before the wedding with our finances well "in-the-black", as they say. Starting your married life with a positive and growing net worth is a gift you can never repay. Thanks mom and dad, for giving me that head start.

We just went halvsies with our youngest on her first car. She's a junior in college. We'll pay her insurance. She'll pay for gas and oil. We'll split maintenance costs and repairs until she graduates. We'll keep the title in our name as long as she's a student. Once she's independent or moves out of state, the title gets transferred to her name, as well as all other costs. That's what we did for our first child and it worked out well for her, too. Although we did help her out with one major repair and she paid us back. We just loaned her $13K for a nicer used car when she got her first "real" job after grad school. She set up a payment plan and sends us cash monthly. :thumbsup:

I'm sure if my parents had the financial means to help me and my 4 siblings out more, they would have. What they did offer was a warm safe place to live while we went to school, great words of encouragement, and some good life lessons based on what they knew at the time. That's a pretty good deal, right there.

 

[MossRoad]

Shortly after our eldest got his license I bought a $1400 older Subaru as a kids car. Considered it insurance for our cars. And reduced our running kids around. First evening after getting that car we said go pick up your sister. She was also first to dent that car. Between a couple hand me downs minivans, I bought and fixed a $300 Honda that all 3 drove at times. Made sure they has functional and safe vehicle to get to school and other places. Status and fancy waits until they buy their own.

The older two are out have bought their own cars. The youngest is still in school and driving 2001 Focus handed down when his grandfather stopped driving.

The real question there is....... where did you find a $1400 Subaru?????? :laughing:

Those things are priced like gold around here!

 

[dieselcrawler]

A teenager/young adult showing signs of responsibility and maturity should be helped and encouraged, as I was, and as we do for our kids. Our oldest is going into his senior year of high school, is working at the local community swimming pool for the 3rd summer and his boss speaks highly of him. He is in the top 5 students of his class in school, and works hard at other side jobs, mowing yards, and helps out at home. He's been driving a beater of an '05 Chevy Cobalt for a year, but has had his heart set on a Jeep Wrangler for a while. I'm ok with helping him get one... under the right conditions. Old, cheap, and needs work... work which I am willing to help with, but expect him to turn some wrenches too. And he's got a payment plan worked out with momma for repayment of the purchase price, which we covered initially. With a bit of effort, he will have a Jeep to be proud of, for a reasonable investment, and a fair share of 'sweat equity'.

 

[4570Man]

My parents paid my insurance for a year or maybe 2 years. The vehicle purchase, gas and maintenance was my responsibility. I never had an allowance either. I mowed my grandpas and a few neighbors yards for money. Once I got my DL the job opinions expanded.

 

[ultrarunner]

Growing up around the car business as a kid people would often ask for help when buying cars... not so much any more... but a lot back in the day when all my friends were buying $1000 cars.

The sleeper cars were ones with low mileage, garaged and maintenance records where situations changed and they needed to get rid of Grandma's car or Aunt Tilly stopped driving.

Never been a Lexus in the family... Toyota Corolla and the family have a long history!

The Lexus was just one of those deals I stumbled on... car had not been driven for almost 1 year to the day... the owner did not renew her license after having a minor bump...

Totally on me as to finding the car... 2005 or 13 year old, with low miles and all service records.

Battery was stone dead and the keys had been misplaced which delayed everything... battery came back but locksmith needed.

When it became apparent the owner was not going to be renewing her license... her family said get rid of it... thankfully the tags had been renewed because expired tag penalties can add up to over a $1000 in California if let go.

Just prior to posting last night, the seller called to say what a lovely young lady and how pleased it all worked out...

Niece spent the rest of her day cleaning and detailing... shampoo for the mats and wash and wax the exterior... checking the fluids... she asked if I could show her how to rotate the tires but I had to go to work... told her we could check the brake pads too.

I had been looking for a good used Corolla for her... but, Corollas here really hold their price... had this been a 2005 Corolla, the price would have been 5k easy in similar shape as we have zero issues with rust here...

 

[Wakey]

Good on 'ya Ultra, she saved some of it.

I bought my first car the day I turned 16, THE_DAY! 1976 Super Beetle.

I washed cars, mowed lawns (dad made me buy my own mower) and the day I turned 14 I was manning a register at the grocery store.

So I had my money for the car and my Grandpaw helped me look.

Only a couple kids had cherry rides in HS back then, now it is much more common.

 

[ultrarunner]

Back in High School... only two kids in my class had brand new cars gifted to them... both had parents that owned factories...

There was another guy the bought a brand new 455 Tans Am loaded... at 16.

He had worked years at the corner filling station... he was always working and when he turned 16 spent his life savings on that car...

The girls were lucky to use the family wagon or for me and most of my friends... we cobbled together cars.

After school... still remember saving up for a battery and parking on an incline so I could roll start it or going to the wrecking yard to buy tires or a radiator... it was a common bond among men.

I was set to help me niece restore a mustang from the 60's... she has helped me with projects in the past... it was her parents... more so my brother that said just get that idea out of your head... the last thing she needs is a car that is likely to get stolen, lacking safety advances... etc.

 

[strantor]

When I turned 16 (2001) my dad bought me a truck. He would have preferred to see me buy my own, but we lived 20mi from civilization and in order to have a job to make money to buy my own, I needed transportation, and he didn't want to drive me to work. So he wheeled and dealed and through a complex series of buy/sell/trade transactions involving other vehicles, tools, scrap metal, and misc crap, he emerged with a $1,000 Mazda B2000, which he essentially paid somewhere between -$500 and $0 for. The truck was 2 years older than me, and had 305,000 miles on it. The body was in pristine condition and despite it's age and miles, it ran like a top, so I had nothing to legitimately complain about (not that I would anyway)... well, except that it had no A/C, and we live in TX with a common heat index of >100f, so there's that.

It was a perfect first vehicle and I think his approach was pretty good. What he bought me wasn't an unreliable rusty bucket of bolts. It was a solid truck. But it was also a nutless, gutless embarrassment to drive. It's humbling to pull up to a friend's party and park your dinosaur next to everyone else's nice shiny rides, and get out with your chest stuck out like you're somebody. And you can't even say to the other kids "wow, nice ride, how much did your daddy pay for that?" - because your daddy bought yours, too. It left me wanting more, and I used that truck to get to work, save up my money, first to get the A/C fixed, and then about a year later I bought my own, much nicer truck.

In my opinion, there's no shame in paying for your kids' first vehicle. But it should be outside their comfort zone. If you get them something that elevates their status, then they have no incentive to work towards improvement. It can be a challenge to find a vehicle that's both safe & reliable, and simultaneously undesirable, but that should be the goal IMO. My daughter is 11 and we are already having occasional talks about when she gets her first car. I've already told her that it will be a disappointment. I've told her that she isn't getting what she wants, and moreover she should probably stop telling me what she wants, because every vehicle she mentions, I add to the list of what I'm 100% for sure NOT going to get her. I've explained my reasoning and made it clear that I expect her to move onwards and upwards from where I start her out, and buy her own car as soon as she can. She's already saving up for it. I've got her mowing our 2.5ac yard at $40/pop (on my 60" zero turn, it's not as bad as it sounds), which goes straight into her car fund. At the rate she's going, I might just need to throw $2k into the pot and she can start out in the vehicle she wants, having paid for it mostly with her own money.

 

[ultrarunner]

The car I drove to High School and College and for 10 years after is a 1972 Green Plymouth Valiant with 6-cylinder... the A/C was also broke but is was straight and I found the rubber floor mats to very practical... paid $800 for that car and it served me well for 20 years.

The problem was it embarssed my employer... I was even summoned to the CEO offices and told to sit down...

She said bluntly... I know what I pay you so why in God's name do you drive the ugly car?

After the initial surprise wore off... I said I have had since high school and my cost of ownership is nil...

Note the car did not need any body work... had clean white wall tires... etc.

Then I reminded her all the money I save the hospital because of my frugal ways... she admitted I was right... but left saying I really need to do something about my car...

I told her I would drive one of my other cars to work the next day... which was my mint 62 Corvette...

Well that also got noticed... in passing... she asked if I was driving the White and Red Corvette... thinking all would be good... but it wasn't... one of the Doctor partners commented she was paying me too much if I could afford such a car...

Sometimes you simply can't win for losing... and I still have both cars today...