What what you get your 16 year old kid for a car?

[Guest Hal]

Does he have a job where he can save some money and you match it? It turns that $2000 car into a $4000 car.

[Buck531]

Damn you peeps need to chill out on the 16-20 year old comment. I know most of you paid the car with your own money. chill.

 

Funny that a few Jeeps came up. That's what he's aways wanted, but I don't like Jeeps and I've heard some horror stories in the past about various issues with it.

 

No, he doesn't have a job now. Yet. I'm not sure what I want to do at this point. I know that he'll be paying his own insurance on it.

 

He's not a mechanic. Well, neither am I, but I fool around with cars. I don't want to buy him a POS $200 car and have him either break down every other day or spend the next year under the hood repairing various shit in it.

 

I'm just looking at my options now. I'd like to get a 3800 with a blown motor or trans to swap in an go from there since I Know the motors in and out.

 

Maybe get something soon that needs a shitload of work and have him help me over the summer to get it going. I'm just unsure right now.

 

I guess I was looking to get a response from the older crown that already has kids that are driving and see what they did. How they did it and so on. Not that there's anything wrong with the younger crowd.. it's just that 100% of them have kids and would put a dad in this situation.

 

OH well.. flame on.

[GRN96WS6]

My parents didn't buy my first car either and I'm not so sure I'd be willing to pony up the cash to buy my kids one. I'd let them drive an extra car I have but they are paying their insurance on it and can save for their own vehicle.

[Bam]

My parents ponied up to match whatever I had for my first car, I ended up with about $4000, so $8k total and since I wasn't into cars yet, wanted the newest/decent car I could find. I found a 1 year old 5spd Focus Zx3, the 2dr hatch. This was 2002 and I had a 2001 car w/ I think like 9k miles on it. Felt great. After awhile I realized the focus wasn't cool/whatever when I got into modding, but I kept that thing 3 years and put a HARD 50k miles on it w/out a problem.

 

But for your budget I'd say a civic or similar, I just picked up a clean 98 civic auto, from original owner, w/ 120k on it for $2300 for a daily. Runs great, been averaging 34mpg mixed and I know when it comes time to fix it it'll be pretty easy.

[Guest Hal]

Damn you peeps need to chill out on the 16-20 year old comment. I know most of you paid the car with your own money. chill.

 

Funny that a few Jeeps came up. That's what he's aways wanted, but I don't like Jeeps and I've heard some horror stories in the past about various issues with it.

 

Fuck you, I bought my first car with my hard earned money!

 

Wait, nope, I didn't actually. I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee in high school, I loved it.

 

Just try to get some ideas from him and go from there. He'll need reliability and safety. Comfort is a nice bonus for friends too.

[Buck531]

I've always been a car nut since I was a kid. My parents bought me a $500 cavalier that needed work. I worked on it for about a year and then sold it for $2200 and then bought my 86 Corolla GTS.

 

I want to help him out a little.. not do EVERYthing for him, but some.

[Guest Removed]

 

Funny that a few Jeeps came up. That's what he's aways wanted, but I don't like Jeeps and I've heard some horror stories in the past about various issues with it.

 

No, he doesn't have a job now. Yet. I'm not sure what I want to do at this point. I know that he'll be paying his own insurance on it.

 

He's not a mechanic. Well, neither am I, but I fool around with cars. I don't want to buy him a POS $200 car and have him either break down every other day or spend the next year under the hood repairing various shit in it.

 

I'm just looking at my options now. I'd like to get a 3800 with a blown motor or trans to swap in an go from there since I Know the motors in and out.

 

Maybe get something soon that needs a shitload of work and have him help me over the summer to get it going. I'm just unsure right now.

 

I guess I was looking to get a response from the older crown that already has kids that are driving and see what they did. How they did it and so on. Not that there's anything wrong with the younger crowd.. it's just that 100% of them have kids and would put a dad in this situation.

 

OH well.. flame on.

 

that goes for any car/truck out there.

 

get him a job

 

i have had plenty of $200 cars turn into nice ones.

 

thats it make him work for it. you can hand him a pos, and help him fix it and what not. i think that is the best option.

[Guest Removed]

I've always been a car nut since I was a kid. My parents bought me a $500 cavalier that needed work. I worked on it for about a year and then sold it for $2200 and then bought my 86 Corolla GTS.

 

I want to help him out a little.. not do EVERYthing for him, but some.

 

i bought some old POS 78 mustang($50) that was barely running when i was 14, found a guy at a gas station that had a cobra, same body. and sold it to him. i turned around and was walking down a ally and found a 77 Camaro, 327, dual quads 4 speed, with a smashed nose for $250.(which i just sold the mustang for) fixxed the camaro up and was pulled over at 15 doing burnout's and hole shots on the side streets..damn dad was pissed.

[Dave1647545494]

if you kid likes jeeps go for it

 

easy to maintain and they look cool with simple stuff like rims and all terrain tires

[944s2]

Yep def go with a jeep 4 cyl 4x4 decent gas mileage reliable and fun to drive. Also pretty safe since he is up higher and like someone mentioned before it cant go over 70 mph......

[gillbot]

I've always been a car nut since I was a kid. My parents bought me a $500 cavalier that needed work. I worked on it for about a year and then sold it for $2200 and then bought my 86 Corolla GTS.

 

I want to help him out a little.. not do EVERYthing for him, but some.

 

Then get him a cavalier.

[Chad Bittle]

I had to buy my own vehicle.....bought an '87 Dodge Ram for $500. My dad told me he'd help me fix it up if I bought everything we needed. It had an inline 6 with a 5 speed and was in real bad shape, so I bought some body filler, sandpaper, primer and some paint and we spent the next six months together fixing it up. I later saved up some money and bought a remaned 360 and we put that in backed by a 727 he had layin around.

 

 

Now we're doing this Avenger project because we had so much fun the first time. I only hope I have the ability to do the same for my kid when that time comes.

 

And not to be a dick, but I think the fact that your kid is 16 and doesn't have a job is doing enough for him, let alone buying his car too.

[Big Steve]

I have a 98 lumina if you want bucky.

[SpaceGhost]

If my kid is smart and getting good grades and has a chance to go to a real good college, I would rather buy the car for her and her not work and keep the college goal ahead of her. I started work at 14, I want her to have a childhood. She has most of her life to work and earn a paycheck.

[SRTurbo04]

 

Oh yeah. if you're in the 16-20 age bracket, GTFO. you just got your license. I don't want to hear what mommy and daddy got you .

 

 

 

Damn you peeps need to chill out on the 16-20 year old comment. I know most of you paid the car with your own money. chill.

 

.

 

ughhhh what the hell big man that doesnt make sense... lol

 

x2 on the having ur kid match you $ for $ .your smart find your self a grandprix an fix it man youve been around them long enough

[Big Steve]

If my kid is smart and getting good grades and has a chance to go to a real good college, I would rather buy the car for her and her not work and keep the college goal ahead of her. I started work at 14, I want her to have a childhood. She has most of her life to work and earn a paycheck.

 

Yeah I started working in the 10th grade. Sux when u have a gambling/alcoholic father that did not work. All my basketball dreams were killed by working and having money to buy stuff for myself. I should have stuck it out and kept playing basketball. D-1 offers down the drain

[SpaceGhost]

The old school ways are the majority here, to each their own, I don't want my kids to struggle, I want a better life for them. Not meaning like a Paris Hilton lifestyle, not that I will ever have that kind of money, but if my kid goes to college and gets her first job after college, and it's not hanging upside down on a pole, I will feel like I accomplished something. I could be putting in a bunch of money in my STI right now but I'd rather "mod" my daughter's future with the little I can right now.

[wnaplay1647545503]

My kids will drive nicer cars than me. I have 2 years until my oldest is driving and I cant wait.

[thorne]

gtpo with blown motor and Cl for 700

Regal GS 2000$ on cl

[Buck531]

ughhhh what the hell big man that doesnt make sense... lol

 

x2 on the having ur kid match you $ for $ .your smart find your self a grandprix an fix it man youve been around them long enough

 

1st one I wrote last night and was drinking.

 

2nd one was this morning and I was not.

 

I didn't think all the kids on here would be all pissed off because of that comment. Guess I was wrong.

[mseebs]

get him a nice mountain bike.

[Fiji ST]

Here's what I came up in your low price range.

 

Small: Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra or Altima, Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla, Mitsubishi Lancer, Dodge Neon, Chevy Cavalier/Cobalt, VW Jetta.

 

Midsize: Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable, Chevy Lumina/Impala/Malibu, Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Century, Nissan Maxima, Mazda 626.

 

SUVs: Jeep Wrangler or Cherokee, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Ford Explorer, Chevy Blazer 2-door, Isuzu Rodeo, Nissan Pathfinder.

 

Sure there are more to add, but that's what I could think of. Have fun.

[Aaron]

My first car was a 1995 Taurus SE 3.8 Auto with about 75k miles on it. It was my dad's car and was given to me. I took Excellent care of the car, and sold it for 3200 about a year later. With some of my own money from working I bought a 1995 Taurus SHO and replaced the trans for about 5k total.

 

I have kept all of my cars in excellent shape and it had nothing to do with whether I paid for it or not. Some of you guys are MEGA sensitive about the whole parents paying for cars thing. If a kid respects what they have, and respects that it was a generous gift, then there will be no attitude. I was given a lot and still am helped by my parents while in college and have nothing but appreciation for what my parents have and are giving me.

[y2k2gt]

In 2004 I bought my daughter a 2005 Sunfire. It was a very nice car. I never had any problems with it and the insurance was pretty cheap. When she graduated she wanted a Mustang, so I got rid of the Sunfire and bought her a 99 v6 mustang.

[ZappBrannigan]

Have him get a 4cyl 5speed jeep wrangler

 

+1. Thats the car I picked up for myself when i was 17, only mines an auto. I was actually thinking of selling it this summer because i rarely use it anymore. Its kind of old now though, a 95' with i think 80k miles. Hard to believe i was 17 8 years ago