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Buy a kid their first vehicle and see how poorly they treat it.
That is a generalization that simply does not hold true in all cases. Our kids were/are very well aware of how to properly care for things and don't "expect" things. They are grateful that we've been able to help them in that way.
Neither my spouse nor myself were raised in families where we were given cars or much financial help as young adults. While we were able to provide more for our kids, they were also not raised to feel entitled to things and appreciate/d what they were given. It's long been part of the "American Dream" for one's children to have a better life than the parents or grandparents.
No.
Our son survived high school, college AND graduate school without ever owning a car. He said that it was amazing how much money he saved by not having to pay for car insurance and car expenses. I should point out that his college years were spent in cities that had great bus systems and were extremely bike friendly.
He finally "got a car" when he married at age 29 and uses his wife's car.
Our daughter went to college in a very large city where you needed to get to various suburbs for different appointments, part time jobs, internships, etc. We gave her our old car when she was 21 when we purchased a newer car. We paid for her insurance as it is the third car on the policy thus very inexpensive (and she is still looking for a "professional" job).
When it is for the convenience of the parents, yes. When our kids were teens, we provided another car for them to share, since DH and I did not want to share our cars, or drive them places. They had to pay the insurance.
Buy a kid their first vehicle and see how poorly they treat it.
This is not always true. Our son is driving our Scion xB since he was 16. He is 19 now and he takes very good care of the car because he knows it has to last him until he can afford a car on his own. He wants to work only in the summers so that he can be focused on his studies. He is very careful to to do routine maintenance on the car so that it will last him through college.
I think that much of how a young adult treats expensive things has to do with how they were raised not whether things were given to them. There are plenty of kids who have generous parents who appreciate their parents and the things they have.
Obligated - no. Every family situation is different and every child different as to whether or not they can handle the responsibility.
We had an older car that had been paid off and we hung on to and gave to our son when he turned 16. Once we gave it to him he knew it was his responsibility. He has had to pay for all maintenance, repairs, gas and insurance.
Absolutely not. In fact I think parents do their kids a huge disservice by purchasing that first car.
We let our kids have liberal driving privileges with our own cars but they had to ask permission every time- did not have their own car keys- had to return the cars without any napkins or other trash and had some pretty strict rules about paying for gas, number of passengers and curfews.
Our son worked in highschool and he hitched a ride to work but we picked him up after dark. We sold him the car when he was in college with no interest and at a fair price. He kept that vehicle till it was 20 years old and literally had to have it towed from his driveway. When it died he was in graduate school and decided to forego a car, instead riding his bike and using a very convenient car rental plan on campus.
Our daughter bought a car from us under the same terms and she takes excellent care of it. This car is now 15 years old and will probably last 5 or more years.
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