docmirror

Well, that horrible day has arrived. My 16 YO son passed his driving test. We got the bad news from the insurance company, and put him on the policy. I'm letting him use the 90GT for commute from home to school, 3 miles each way.

It's the safest car I have, and I don't use it everyday. Am I being a complete idiot risking both him and the car? We have a very sharp, well behaved, straight A student, who is a musician and mentor for younger music lovers. He works part time(no driving) and is responsible to a fault. I still have doubts about this....

My advice was, despite having the fastest car at school, there's no need to make a show of it. Take it easy on the street, and if you want to drive fast, we'll go down to the track for a few laps.

Sleepless in Foat Wuth,

Doc

danglerb

Plus points for it being an airbag car.

My concern would be damage from other kids or cars in a school parking lot. Some times nice cars are not treated nicely by others.

OTOH if you want him to drive it like an old lady, why not just use an old Volvo?

aggravation

wow, I can't imagine being that age with that car and not wanting to know what it will do! Not to mention the temptation to show off to someone...
I'd be worried on a bunch of levels.
I'd consider buying a used car for him if it was within the budget.
For now remind him that if he gets caught driving anywhere near the speed that car can achieve in mere moments he will lose his license, not because you say so, but because the police will take it from him... Tell him that's how fast the car goes!

ROG100

Doc,
As I know your son and agree he is more than the normal 16 YO so I think he will be OK.
After all he can only get up to 160mph a couple of times in 3 miles so no worries!
Roger

chaadster

Whew! Ya got guts, Doc. A daughter? Maybe. But a son? Yeah, you got guts! Bravo! Bravo!

killav

Uh, this is one lucky kid. I can kinda imagine what this feels like pulling up in a 928 at high school. I drove my dad's 69 Chevelle that ran high 12's to school one time. Took me forever to convince him. I was so stoked. I kept thinking about getting back in that car all day long.

My stepson is 18. He has driven my 928 car back from Fort Worth--with me in the car. He did real good. He wants to drive it to prom this year (senior year). I might have to rig up a throttle stop.

Sounds like a good kiddo. Your not an idiot. Great thing to bond over-your showing great trust in him.

leperboy

No offense, but I know very few people with teenagers who don't think theirs are something special. Someone has all the rotten teens or there is some rotten teen in every kid.

When I was 16 I was a good student and the only trouble I got into was almost being expelled for stealing library books. But, I still hot dogged in my Pinto and made a lot of really bad driving choices. I think that is part of a 16-year-old boy's DNA. I also think that the higher the profile of the car, the more a teenager will want to show that off.

I would err on the side of caution and also realize that while he may be safe in an accident, others may not be when impacted by such a large and fast projectile. I'm sure there are some good used cars out there for a 3 mile commute at around $3000.

T Colvin

Peter Park,
With great power, comes great responsiblity.

Mark Anderson

My son bought a 91 AT when he turned 16. He has put more than 15k miles on it in the past 1.5 years. No tickets, no accidents and no regrets so far. The insurance was about the same cost as a newer Honda (still expensive). Our rule with him is any speeding ticket 15 mph and over the limit the car gets sold- no questions. It was going to be any speeding ticket but if he got one for 7 over and was going with traffic I think that would be a bit harsh.

RicerSchnitzzle

I had a 3.8 ave in HS. In the band and D&D club. 1490 on the SAT. Had to stay clean senior year for my ROTC scholarship. No girlfriend (Note D&D club above..). Worked 2 part time jobs. Never in trouble, didn't smoke, drink or do drugs. Had my new '85 Trans Am 3 months when I got arrested doing 120 in a 45 and lost my license for 6 months. Really sucked making payments for 6 months and not being able to drive it, plus I had to get my congressman to get me a waiver to keep from loosing my scholarship.

Moral of the story..Even the best kid will be temped. Ultimate power corrupts all unless you're Jesus. No wait, I think even Jesus would get pulled over smoking the tires of that GT coming out of the school parking lot.

Honestly if he knows how much your 928 means to you, he just might be smart and play it safe. Let him know, if any kids try to challange him, he should invite them out to the track to put their money where their mouth is...

Mark Anderson

[QUOTE=killav]Uh, this is one lucky kid. I can kinda imagine what this feels like pulling up in a 928 at high school. QUOTE]

My son got voted the freshman with the coolest car despite there being lots of new BMW's, Denali's, Escalades, ect.

123quattro

I'm not doubting your judgment, but I remember those days. I think I was probably a lot like your son. That said, it's not that you shouldn't trust your son. It's just that he doesn't have the necessary experience to drive a car with those capabilities. I would suggest something cheap that he can own. My first car was an 82 Escort. It worked out pretty well. I never crashed it, but I did almost put it in the ditch once or twice. I think the two best things to look for are ABS and a manual. If someone has to concentrate on shifting, they are much more attentive in general. There are numbers to back that up.

Good luck.

perrys4

Any 16 year old won't resist the temptation of driving hard long. I was very responsible as a kid but did a lot of stupid things in my car and my moms charger. I just got lucky and din't get busted or in any accidents. Cool that you trust him and maybe that will translate into him being respectful of your car. Time will tell.

docmirror

Well, kinda the same feel from most of you guys too. Leper, I take no offence, and agree completely with everything you say. Two honors students, regional band first chair, never in any trouble, does not compare well with many young people I know in his school. I apply my old behaviors to my son all the time, and if I had this car at 16 I prolly wouldn't be here today. The 928 does make a pretty good projectile at 160MPH, lotta kinetic energy.

Mark, kuddos to your son, and give him my steely-eyed good wishes. As I said, if there is ever any doubt about his driving style, he is out of the Porsche. We were going to buy a truck for him(Texas, you know) but we already have too many cars around. He rejected driving the Espada to school, wise boy.

IcemanG17

Doc
This is a good idea....but what Mark didn't mention is the low octane fuel chip he put in the LH.......:>) Might have disconnected the flappy too.....or possibly installed a bad O2 sensor or hall sensor.....there are ways to make 50+ HP disappear pretty easy!!

IMNSHO....a 928 and a 16yr old is not a good idea.....However there are 16yr olds out there that are far more responsible than I was at that age...& seem to manage to keep their licenses and 928's in one piece....which I doubt I could have at 16!!!!