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I borrowed my parents car. I rode with friends. When I went off to college, my parents got me a gas card for a station near campus. The helped pay the gas bill. I always had a ride when I needed it.
When I needed a car more often than buying gas would allow, I bought my own car.
BTW beaters don't have to be unsafe, they can just be old, ugly and not popular. My daughter referred to her 6 yr old 4 dr as a granny car, it just didn't have the same oomph factor as her friends brand new SUV, lol. She's moved on and I now drive her granny car because it's more comfy than my saturn was.
We couldn't wait to get our children their drivers license and a car. I dropped them off at school each day and hubby picked them up. We had volleyball practice, basketball practice, football practice, soccer practice, band practice, dancing lessons, orthodontist appointments, one did volunteer work reading to children after school. Hubby and I was the super taxi company for our teens until they reached the age to drive.
Oldest one got her car ... next year middle daughter got her car and then number 3 got his car. They all had different schedules after school and different places to be. The rules ... if you get a ticket for any violation, you will go to court and face a judge and explain you are sorry for your foolish behavior. In addition you are on your parents automobile insurance and please don't penalize them causing the auto insurance to go up due to your actions. Offer to pick up trash, mop the floors, clean toilets, whatever just please help me out with this violation and I will not do this again.
Oldest daughter received one ticket, middle daughter was stopped and started crying so bad the highway patrol had to bring her home, rang our doorbell and told us where the car was located and could we please get her to stop crying, he said I didn't do anything to her. LOL Son received one ticket. Oldest daughter and son went to court and faced the judge. Great learning experiences for both of them ... no more violations.
I have two Sons who are now 42 and I helped them build their first cars. We bought them project cars when they were about 14 and by the time they got their licenses at 16 they were almost done. I didn't have the money to just come right out and buy them new ones so we did it this way and they appreciated them a lot more because they had invested a lot of time and work into them, and we got to do them together. They were also proud of them when they took them to their first car show and won trophies.
But we generally were parents who tried to do everything we could for our kids, they were the center of our lives. It must have paid off because both have never been in any trouble, both have great careers, and both have better morals and respect for others than even I do. They tell me I was a strict Dad, and I guess I was, but it was all done with love and compassion.
Do most parents on here think they should purchase their teenagers first vehicle?
Huh? Why on earth should parents do that? I told all children that by age 16 they were responsible for finding employment to get the things they wanted: Make up, Clothes, Electronics, CARS. Of course they should find means to get their own vehicles. What do we teach our children when we hand them everything they need and desire?
I'll play Devil's Advocate here for sake of discussion. I think you can be very generous with things you get your kids and still have them turn out to be productive, hardworking, appreciative adults.........if it is done the right way. I am not saying you want to spoil the child, but if you can afford luxuries for yourself why not include your children in that ?
When my Sons were young we had good financial times and bad financial times. As a family we weathered those bad times and we enjoyed the good times also. Even when my kids were 6 or so I would give them $10 each on payday (sometimes more if I had it) so they could shop for some things they wanted. As they got older I increased that amount, and they were always very appreciative of it and never took it for granted. Sometimes when we were in a store they would come up and quietly ask me "Dad, how are we on money today ?" and I knew they saw something they wanted to buy. If I said "We are a little low" that was the end of the conversation and they would understand that I just didn't have it.
Now that they are in their 40's they have turned the tables on me. I will come home and find something they have bought me just for no reason at all. When we go out to dinner we all fight for the check until it gets embarrassing almost. They take really good care of the old man. If I ever mention that I am thinking of buying something they are offering me money to help me get it.
My point is that being generous with your children does not automatically equal spoiled unappreciative children. As a family unit I think everyone should share in the wealth and the hard times too, it makes them understand that life can be very good or not so good, and you just have to keep plugging away until it improves. That is my take on it.
I guess times have changed... my friends and I all bought are own cars in High School... there was only one person with a new car his parents bought and it was the topic of discussion.
Fast forward to today and all my co-workers buy cars for their kids... some even new and all fairly new.
The reason is they don't want to be bothered with repair expenses and they want cars with airbags, abs and good mileage...
Times have really changed!
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 06-05-2013 at 09:49 PM..
BTW beaters don't have to be unsafe, they can just be old, ugly and not popular. My daughter referred to her 6 yr old 4 dr as a granny car, it just didn't have the same oomph factor as her friends brand new SUV, lol. She's moved on and I now drive her granny car because it's more comfy than my saturn was.
I definitely agree that a beater car is not necessarily an unsafe car. One of my friends had a large, ugly, old truck that survived a bad accident (not her fault) because it was very tough. However, I do know a lot of people in their teens and 20s who drive cheap, falling apart cars that I would not trust in any kind of accident! I don't think parents are obligated to buy cars at all, but I have to wonder about parents who don't at least guide their teens on making good car choices instead of assuming that an unsafe, old car is a rite of passage.
I don't actually remember anyone at my high school getting a brand new car from parents. The people who got cars from their parents either got hand-me-downs or went car shopping with a parent and learned how to pick out a good, reliable used car.
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