Mike C.

Agreed; the mini van is too close to a party vehicle (if this van's a-rockin', etc.). One estimate to repair: $800 which includes repainting the whole quarter panel (not including the broken taillight, marker light). It's coming right out of his savings for guess what... "This humbling exercise in an era of quicker than instant gratification could be helpful" I agree.

PaulStewart

BTDT

I wouldn't buy him a car at all. Let him buy his own. A lot of kid these days that have everything at home, once they are on their own, work just enough to survive and depend on their parents to bail them out of their latest shortage of funds.

944Ross

It's all about balance; the kid needs to learn about consequences, but going postal on him could just alienate him and turn it into a bigger problem.

There are few legitimate reasons for a 16-yr-old to have a car anyway. It just starts the vicious cycle of having to work to pay for it, at the expense of academic efforts.

Mike C.

"It just starts the vicious cycle of having to work to pay for it, at the expense of academic efforts". Exactly. That's why this incident has a silver lining since it supports my long standing argument with him (and his grandmother) that it is foolish for him to get a 'nice' car for the first one. Inexperience does tell..

944Ross

Actually, my point would be, ANY car at that age is a waste. It costs as much to insure a new Lexus as a '78 Oldsmobile, except for the collision coverage. Same for a new Mustang GT as a Falcon. Around here the bare-bones insurance cost for a 16-yr-old is right around $2600/yr, or about $220 a month. For a kid to earn (net) that much means working 10 - 16 hours a week. Basically all weekend or at least 4 nights a week. How is that not going to impact scjhoolwork, social life, etc?

On the other hand, there is the argument that it builds time management skills, fosters responsibility, etc. I'm glad it's now YOUR turn to make this decision!!!

LP944

I feel your pain. Someone in the parking lot backed up into mine on the left side quarter panel, the light is trashed and a huge dent. I think of it as a chance to fix the whole car because the last paint job the previous owner had done was really low quality.

Yummybud924

man I have pretty much the same damage on my car. most body shops quoted me 1200-1500 to fix it.

but i found one shop that quoted 700 bucks to fix it and they fixed a dent in the front of my car and it looks okay, only I can tell it was repaired. so i'm probably going to pay the 700 to fix it soon when I have the cash.

I tried pounding it out myself and it didn't really work...... and the paint started chipping off and cracking so I just left it.

JerryW

Buy him a **cheap** 944.

It will spend so much time parked waiting to be fixed that the insurance should be able to be limited mileage cheap rate, you wont need comprehensive.

And he cant complain you didn't get him anything !




Joking aside. I bought my 15yr old son a basket case 944 (N/A - not Turbo) and told him that if he restored it mechanically I'd get it painted when he was finished. Took him the year (15-16) to get it reliable. I got it painted and it became his car. However the amount of work he'd put into the car and the knowledge that I'd sell it instantly if he F&^% up allowed him to resist the temptation of his peers in doing stupid ****.
(I also took him autocrossing to keep the speed/boy racer part under control. He also got proper instruction in street driving ).

Mike C.

Valid point for sure Ross. We were planning to partially subsidize the insurance (~50%) so the work/school equation doesn't get too skewed. The idea of buying a car to fix up so it is ready when the kid has a license is good if your kid shows some mechanical inclination and the maturity to strive for a long term goal. I haven't yet seen much of either yet Jerry...

As for the dent, my body guy said he would not be able to save the paint since a fair amount of hammer & dolly work would be needed. It definitely isn't a paintless dent removal candidate...

944CS

You know, this story could end in many different ways, it will take some time to find out if there was a lesson learned here. Make him either fix it himself or pay for the repairs.

Getting him a car that's lame won't help the situation, if the lesson to be learned here is respect and responsibility. What would motivate him to want to care for a POS he didn't want in the first place?

When the time comes, he should be put in a car he likes that he either needs to put sweat into to be able to purchase and pay for maintenance himself, or if he is an aspiring wrencher, get him a fixer upper of a car he likes.

PaulStewart

Or you could just repair the tail ight and drive let him drive it the way it is.....

Mark944na86

From my perspective, it's not really about the car, cheap or expensive, lame or cool. It's fundamentally about responsibility. Any car can kill and maim. Driving a car on a public highway is (and should be) a privilege, not a right. Maturity is not something you can impose on a person. Sometimes, you just have to wait for them to grow up, regardless of what the "legal" age of holding a licence is. Pay attention to the developmental clues, not so much the the calendar.

Seriously, I would wait for the maturity to kick in, with all the supporting evidence. The possible consequences are too terrible to consider otherwise. There are alternative and better ways of learning all the life lessons associated with car ownership.

I'd support the idea of taking some advance driver classes for _any_ kid before letting them loose on the roads.

JerryW

That is true - I forget that not everyone has an affinity to wrenching (or even the desire).
Good luck in what ever you decide the right route is - but you must get him to understand the VALUE of the car - otherwise it wont be treated appropriatly whether it is a 944 or a Volvo Station wagon !

Mike C.

Does anyone remember when a kid was lucky to get any kind of car at 16? Seriously though, I agree getting a driver's license is not a right, it's a privilege and it should require demonstration of maturity to obtain one ("should" is only a pipe dream as evidenced by the huge number of U.S. drivers whom demonstrated little more than a pulse to pass the test). Despite the whole reason for this post, he really isn't a bad driver in terms of basic skills, driving a stick, being observant, using signals, etc. I'm certain overconfidence and adrenalin are what got him in trouble (and not knowing how to operate the defroster). I really don't think advanced driver classes will prevent a kid from doing something this stupid. It isn't as if I didn't remind him many times that his driving was illegal without a permit and that if we got caught he probably wouldn't be able to drive until 18.

944Ross

My old man absolutely refused to allow me to have my own car when I was 16. He wanted me to concentrate on school (but work for him every spare minute!). He had the idea to placate me to let me get a "motor scooter" -- he had a Vespa in mind. This was 1968, Jap bikes were coming on strong, and I ended up with a Suzuki 120. Big mistake! Within a year I had a 150, then a 450, as soon as I was out of college I got a Beezer, then a Norton, a Harley.... But I agree with him in concept, kids will spend every nickel on their cars, too much time, and ignore almost everything else that's important. Driving the family wagon is hardly cruel and unusual punishment, it's liberating.