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Would you buy your newly-licensed teen a brand new car?

22,510 8,433 December 15, 2010 at 08:37 PM in Chat
Why or why not?

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Would you buy your newly-licensed teenager a brand new car?
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Joined Dec 2006
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Hawk2007
12-15-2010 at 09:20 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:20 PM.
Quote from Maleficent :
He'll pay through the nose for insurance, too. We have one client that bought a brand new mustang for his 16 year old son... within two years, the kid racked up 4 speeding tickets driving it, his insurance more than doubled to over $3,000 every six months. LMAO

Ouch, and I bitch at paying $500 every six months for full coverage.
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RugratsGalore
12-15-2010 at 09:20 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:20 PM.
Quote from Maleficent :
LMAO That bad, huh? Yikes!
I'm convinced his eye balls are connected to his penis. Wherever the eyes wander, so do the urine stream.
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Joined Jan 2007
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Original Poster
Maleficent
12-15-2010 at 09:21 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:21 PM.
Quote from Hawk2007 :
Ouch, and I bitch at paying $500 every six months for full coverage.
Exactly. nod

Quote from RugratsGalore :
I'm convinced his eye balls are connected to his penis. Wherever the eyes wander, so do the urine stream.
LMAO

That's ummm... going to make things awkward later in life... Roll
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Last edited by Maleficent December 15, 2010 at 09:21 PM.
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RugratsGalore
12-15-2010 at 09:25 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:25 PM.
Quote from Maleficent :
Exactly. nod



LMAO

That's ummm... going to make things awkward later in life... Roll
He's 17 years,14 days old. I only have 351 days left before he is no longer my problem Roll Not that I'm counting down or anything Wink
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BayArea
12-15-2010 at 09:25 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:25 PM.
If you can responsibly afford it, why not? The attitude that "kids should get it their own damn self" doesn't make any sense to me.

A teenager will usually get paid between $8-$12 an hour. Forcing them to buy a car means working many hours to buy a piece of shit. They might cut out their school, study less etc. because they really want that car. They might feel disconnected from their parents because they have to work and pay for every damn thing and can't count on their parents for any support (when has it been reasonable to say a 16 year old can fully support themselves?) Instead, buy them the car and have them pay gas. Make sure you tell them that they need to be responsible with it because you won't be buying them another one.

Just because you had a hard time growing up, without completely spoiling them, I don't see how you would want to impose that on your children if you can financially afford to buy them things (car, cell phone). Confused
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Deal Hound
12-15-2010 at 09:31 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:31 PM.
Quote from BayArea :
If you can responsibly afford it, why not? The attitude that "kids should get it their own damn self" doesn't make any sense to me.

A teenager will usually get paid between $8-$12 an hour. Forcing them to buy a car means working many hours to buy a piece of shit. They might cut out their school, study less etc. because they really want that car. They might feel disconnected from their parents because they have to work and pay for every damn thing and can't count on their parents for any support (when has it been reasonable to say a 16 year old can fully support themselves?) Instead, buy them the car and have them pay gas. Make sure you tell them that they need to be responsible with it because you won't be buying them another one.

Just because you had a hard time growing up, without completely spoiling them, I don't see how you would want to impose that on your children if you can financially afford to buy them things (car, cell phone). Confused
This makes sense. It's strange how so many people seem to look at their kids as some sort of evil burdens placed on them against their will. I think people should avoid having kids if they feel this way. I also think people should make sure they are financially stable before having kids so they can afford things like college and cars.
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RugratsGalore
12-15-2010 at 09:34 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:34 PM.
Quote from BayArea :
If you can responsibly afford it, why not? The attitude that "kids should get it their own damn self" doesn't make any sense to me.

A teenager will usually get paid between $8-$12 an hour. Forcing them to buy a car means working many hours to buy a piece of shit. They might cut out their school, study less etc. because they really want that car. They might feel disconnected from their parents because they have to work and pay for every damn thing and can't count on their parents for any support (when has it been reasonable to say a 16 year old can fully support themselves?) Instead, buy them the car and have them pay gas. Make sure you tell them that they need to be responsible with it because you won't be buying them another one.

Just because you had a hard time growing up, without completely spoiling them, I don't see how you would want to impose that on your children if you can financially afford to buy them things (car, cell phone). Confused
Playing devils advocate.......and buying them a new car just because you can afford it may teach them that everything is handed to them. They may never learn to set a goal and work hard to achieve that goal, such as a brand new car.

Quote from Deal Hound :
This makes sense. It's strange how so many people seem to look at their kids as some sort of evil burdens placed on them against their will. I think people should avoid having kids if they feel this way. I also think people should make sure they are financially stable before having kids so they can afford things like college and cars.
How old are you and how many children do you have, if you don't mind me asking?
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Last edited by RugratsGalore December 15, 2010 at 09:35 PM.

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BayArea
12-15-2010 at 09:38 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:38 PM.
Quote from RugratsGalore :
Playing devils advocate.......and buying them a new car just because you can afford it may teach them that everything is handed to them. They may never learn to set a goal and work hard to achieve that goal, such as a brand new car.
See.. I don't think so. If you raised them their whole lives without completely spoiling them, I don't see how a single purchase like a car would completely change them. By the time their 16, they're mindset is either everything is handed to them or their normal people that understand the value of a dollar and that everything is not handed to them. Buy them a car, doesn't have to be new, and make them pay the gas and even chip in for insurance or routine maintenance.

I just see too many teenagers working more and more hours for $8 an hour so they can buy things they want. They neglect school and their studies. Would you rather have your child study and excel in school or waste that time working to buy their $2,000 cars?
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PaintTheSkyGrey
12-15-2010 at 09:40 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:40 PM.
Quote from BayArea :
If you can responsibly afford it, why not? The attitude that "kids should get it their own damn self" doesn't make any sense to me.

A teenager will usually get paid between $8-$12 an hour. Forcing them to buy a car means working many hours to buy a piece of shit. They might cut out their school, study less etc. because they really want that car. They might feel disconnected from their parents because they have to work and pay for every damn thing and can't count on their parents for any support (when has it been reasonable to say a 16 year old can fully support themselves?) Instead, buy them the car and have them pay gas. Make sure you tell them that they need to be responsible with it because you won't be buying them another one.

Just because you had a hard time growing up, without completely spoiling them, I don't see how you would want to impose that on your children if you can financially afford to buy them things (car, cell phone). Confused
3 hours a day at $8/hour comes to $168 a week. We'll say they get to keep $140 of that after taxes. In two months, they'd be able to afford a decent clunker. If they want an even better car, stick to it for another two months. It's not like it's some vastly unattainable cost, especially if the parent is paying for insurance and tax/registration. The insurance is gonna be more than the car.
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Iaaaiws
12-15-2010 at 09:41 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:41 PM.
Quote from BayArea :
If you can responsibly afford it, why not? The attitude that "kids should get it their own damn self" doesn't make any sense to me.

A teenager will usually get paid between $8-$12 an hour. Forcing them to buy a car means working many hours to buy a piece of shit. They might cut out their school, study less etc. because they really want that car. They might feel disconnected from their parents because they have to work and pay for every damn thing and can't count on their parents for any support (when has it been reasonable to say a 16 year old can fully support themselves?) Instead, buy them the car and have them pay gas. Make sure you tell them that they need to be responsible with it because you won't be buying them another one.

Just because you had a hard time growing up, without completely spoiling them, I don't see how you would want to impose that on your children if you can financially afford to buy them things (car, cell phone). Confused
Why does a teen need their own car when they are still in high school in the first place? If they want it bad enough they should have to work for it.
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Deal Hound
12-15-2010 at 09:41 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:41 PM.
Quote from RugratsGalore :
How old are you and how many children do you have, if you don't mind me asking?
I'm just old enough to barely remember the demise of the Challenger. I don't have any kids, and I don't want any until I'm ready for kids. If I had a kid now, I'd crap in my pants.
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Maleficent
12-15-2010 at 09:43 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:43 PM.
Quote from PaintTheSkyGrey :
3 hours a day at $8/hour comes to $168 a week. We'll say they get to keep $140 of that after taxes. In two months, they'd be able to afford a decent clunker. If they want an even better car, stick to it for another two months. It's not like it's some vastly unattainable cost, especially if the parent is paying for insurance and tax/registration. The insurance is gonna be more than the car.
Quote from Iaaaiws :
Why does a teen need their own car when they are still in high school in the first place? If they want it bad enough they should have to work for it.
Iagree


When I was growing up, having a job and having a car were both privileges. If my studies had suffered, they would have been real quick to take both of those things away. laugh out loud
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PaintTheSkyGrey
12-15-2010 at 09:44 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:44 PM.
Also, a summer job wouldn't impact their schooling, and they could work full-time. So let's assume a 40-hour work week, at $8 an hour. That's $320, about $300 after taxes. By the end of the summer, they'd be able to afford a $2,000 car easy.
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BayArea
12-15-2010 at 09:44 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:44 PM.
Quote from PaintTheSkyGrey :
3 hours a day at $8/hour comes to $168 a week. We'll say they get to keep $140 of that after taxes. In two months, they'd be able to afford a decent clunker. If they want an even better car, stick to it for another two months. It's not like it's some vastly unattainable cost, especially if the parent is paying for insurance and tax/registration. The insurance is gonna be more than the car.
A $1000 car is not reasonable at all. I wouldn't want my daughter driving a $1000 car at night or on the freeway. Not because of the cost, but because of reliability.
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Joined Jan 2004
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Iaaaiws
12-15-2010 at 09:45 PM.
12-15-2010 at 09:45 PM.
Quote from Deal Hound :
Would you have done that if the car belonged to you? If so, all I can say is I hope I don't end up with a kid like that, or I might have to reconsider buying a new car.
Yep, I beat the crap out of every motorized vehicle I owned up until I was in my twenties. When something broke I had to fix it so I learned to be a pretty good mechanic and also learned to be a thrifty shopper.

I had a few friends who were pretty gentle with vehicles in their teens but in the group of people I hung out with I would say those fit maybe 10% of the teen population.
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