shmark

Maybe I should have said, I have no idea how I feel about my wife saying that about my car. I would have no problem with a 944 or a 928 as long as he's got the proper training, he's a pretty level headed kid. Manual transmission and a somewhat clunky 928 gearchange = no texting or other stupid stuff behind the wheel. Hell he's been around me long enough to know fun driving takes place on a track, period. But MY 928? Damn I've put a lot into this car! The deal we've always had in place with both kids is any money you earn towards a car, we'll match it. Well he's nowhere near earning half of my car. That said, I'm sure he could borrow it and impress the girls....

shmark

Oh and one more tidbit, we had been through a bottle of very nice wine when she mentioned this. That's either the wine talking or the truth really coming out, you pick.

hacker-pschorr

Mark,
Sell me the Fiske wheel's before he starts to parallel park it anywhere

123quattro

I think your 928 isn't a good first car. My first car was an 83 Ford Escort. It was a good choice by my parents. The first car has to be disposable.

hacker-pschorr

My first car was a mint, one owner Honda CRX that I sold for more money than I paid for it.

Never should have sold it

z driver 88t

If he's responsible it will be something he always appreciates. My first car was a '74 260Z back in the mid 80s. At the time it was one of the cooler cars in school and I loved it for many years. It gave me some of my best memories and started me on a lifelong automotive passion that has led to numerous forced induction Nissans and most recently to my first Porsche. Yes - I probably drove it over 100mph a few times, but I would've done the same thing in a big american clunker. I'd agree the 944 is a more user friendly car and easier to work on, but if your ready to move on to something else and he's mature enough - I would do it. I have two 1 year old daughters and even now I scan Autotrader thinking about getting them into their first Porsches.

SeanR

Yea.....I don't think he should get THAT car. Buy one that needs some work, both of you work to get it where he wants it, that way he might have a bit more respect for the vehicle and take better care of it since it's one he puts his heart and soul in to.

That's the plan for my kiddo.

Besides, if he curbs those wheels, I'll come after him.

neilh

I had planned to give my daughter my car on her 25th birthday, which is in May. My wife, in a rash moment, suggested I found her another 928 and keep mine - 2 days later I bought a 84 Euro, which i am now refreshing to be delivered in May. My insurance company limited my policy to no drivers under 21, so I didn't have the same issue!

Iwanna928

If I was going to be in a accident, or a head on collision with a 928 and a Olds 98 I sure would want to be in a Olds 98!

I had someone stop in front of me when I drove it in the rain, I stopped short of the car in front of me and then BAM the car hit me from behind and they hit me so hard they pushed me into the car in front of me. I smashed in the rearend of the car in front of me and the car that rearended me was pushed in bad. Both cars were not drivable and were towed from the scene. My car looked fine with minor dents in the bumpers and the rear bumper was out of alignment a little.

I drove away and never even fixed it. The best part was there insurance co sent me a check in the mail for 900 bucks which I recieved 2 days before spring break! I rebuilt the 350 w/ forged internals at 115k and added a edlebrock 2 plane manifold and a nice quadra jet. I finally threw a rod at over 450k on the car..I really wanted to hit 1/2 a million miles.

The car couldn't handle because of the suspension and weight so it never crossed my mind to try to make it handle, she drove down the road like a dream, it was super comfy and would drive down the highway forever.

Hacker You are awesome and I love what you have done with your OB's, your my hero....That said, inertia rules on the road when it comes to taking damage or giving damage. We are probably the same age give or take and If I hit you in your Honda with my olds at 55mph I would have squished you like a bug!
Thank god I didn't!

Want a cool safe car for you kid, get a 80's MB Turbo Diesel Wagon. I had on of those and they are a tank and can carry a lot of stuff! That motor also holds the worlds record for passenger miles I believe. If not doesn't really matter, they last forever, drivetrain that is!

Jadz928

Mark,
You're from the south. Up north, young driver kids get the "winter beaters" when it's time for 'em to be retired.

dprantl

The problem with those kinds of cars is that if you hit something fast enough that will not move, the car is so sturdy that it will take the hit and still may be driveable without too much damage. Unfortunately, all that inertia will be transferred into the squishy humans inside and they may not walk away from it. So when that honda is crumpling itself to death, it is actually doing that so the people inside don't have to.

Dan
'91 928GT S/C 475hp/460lb.ft

jayc67

Not without real driving training. My 15 year old is going to Bondurants 4 day teen driver course this summer.

He won't be touching the steering wheel of a car without that.

That said, his first vehicle will be one that

a) I can afford him to total in the first 6 months, because odds are good he will and
b) survive that first wreck

Makes me nervous just thinking about it.

Calgary Ole

My boys, 12 and 11 have already picked out the color they want there 928's to be when they turn 16.

hacker-pschorr

Tell that to my sister who was rear-ended by an Olds 88 going 70mph while she was almost stopped in a 1981 VW Rabbit. The guy in the olds suffered a broken nose and fractured foot while all four girls in the VW walked away without a scratch. Yes the VW was destroyed and the Olds "looked" like it fared better......

I'll take engineered crumple zones or "solid steel" any day of the week. The #1 problem with "old big cars" is they look like they survive the accident better but in reality they have no way of properly displacing the energy of a crash because they are so solid. The energy has to go somewhere and the soft tissue called the passengers takes the brunt of it.

Do a search on YouTube for a crash between a 1957 Chevy and a new (much smaller) Impala. IIRC both passengers in the 57 would be dead while the two in the new car walked away.

There are exceptions to the rule, I would not trust a SMART car against an H2.

I agree 100% on the Mercedes wagon……

I'm no hero, I'm a crazy SOB that refuses to listen to everyone else

Dino944

Much of what you should do is really based on your son. Unlike those of us on the net that don't know him, you know how responsible he is or is not.

My first car when I was 16, was a year and a half old 944 with 19,000 miles. My Dad taught me how to drive a manual shift car, and I treasured that car for the next 17 years I had it. My parents used to joke that I spent so much time washing and polishing it on the weekends that it was probably and inch shorter than when it was purchased. Sure I ventured over the speed limit on occasion, but every kid does. There were kids at school with new Mustangs and Buick Grand Nationals that were quicker and always trying to show off...but again that will happend anywhere. On occasion, my Dad let me drive his 86.5 928S or his 87 911 Turbo. We did a lot of car things together and had a lot of fun.

As for speed, friends goading him to drive faster than he should etc., that will happen in any car that a younger person is driving. I've seen plenty of idiots who think their modified junker with cherry bomb exhaust qualifies them to be in the next edition of The Fast & the Furious, and so they cut people off, ingore red lights, and do incredibly dumb things on the highway. If your kid is one of these people he will be a danger to himeself and others no matter what he drives. But if he is responsilble and you and a good driving school have educated him properly, he will use restraint, take care of his car, and enjoy it. My parents told me immediately, if I got lots of speeding tickets or recked the car, that would be it. So I knew it was more important to take care of my car than impress some classmates.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
Best regards,
Dino