jej3

Okay, I know this is a bit crazy but my 12 year old (13 in a couple of months) is really in love with Porsches and I'm contemplating getting him a s4 we can wrench on for the next couple of years before it hits the road.

I know I'll probably pour another $8K in parts into whatever I find but it will be nice for him to work towards having one of the nicer cars around.

My goal is to get him respecting cars rather than just being handed the keys like I was. Ultimately, he'll probably have access to a Cayenne and an S4. If he gets all the girls, well, good on him

So, am I crazy? I'd rather search now and here on RL vs Fleabay where I was LUCKY and found an S4 with a rebuilt engine and TT for under $7K 18 months ago.

Thanks for your opinion

jbrob007

Not a bad idea... as long as he knows & respects the kind of HP & Torque his foot will be applying ONCE he sits in the driver's seat. Most kids need something to wreck FIRST before they learn to appreciate what a car can and cant do... A 928 will amp up the anty quite a bit.

EspritS4s

I wouldn't do it.

928mac

Read this

http://bsornot.whipnet.net/priceless/ferrari.html

Mcardenal

I agree that kids need a basic starter car. It's almost guaranteed that they will get into a little fender bender or go a little too fast. However, I had a budy that all throughout high school he helped his dad build and restore his dads dream car (65 mustang). At the end of our senior year he came to my house with a huge grin on his face to show me his graduation present. He never expected that his dad was restoring the mustang with the intention of it always being his sons graduation present. I always remember thinking what an awesome experience that must have been for them.

jej3

Okay. Good advice particularly Martin, great story!

Spun

best start taking him off road and sliding in 4x4 first so he knows how cars perform and learns to respect them. Imagine what you would have done with a car that could breach 160 at 16? Now imagine a kid today... he will test it.

MGW-Fla

You might look up Soupcan(Brian C) here on RL for his thoughts. Pretty sure that he has one of his 928s for his son & he to work on with the intent of it one day being his son's. And his son is not quite as old as yours.

depami

You know the kid. We don't. Do you trust him? Will you trust him in 3 years? Is he willing to work on it with you? Will he get involved or just "be there"? Is he capable of learning to wrench on a 928?

Starting now and getting him involved would be much better than handing him the keys at 16. Plus, it may allow you to get to know him better. Quality time with the two of you wrenching may give you better insight on how he would behave in a 928. Observe and grow his maturity throughout the process and teach him proper respect for such a machine. After 3 years of father son time wrenching you should have a better feeling of trust (or untrust) and can always "change the rules" if necesarry.

I say ..... go for it ..... slowly and cautiously.

Best of luck and stay safe.

Denny

Alan

No

EspritS4s

Buy him a 924 or NA 944. Or better yet, buy him a more modern car with airbags and stability control.

He can always help you wrench on your S4.

bradartigue

Would you consider getting your kid a VW GTI when he/she is of driving age? Or a Golf R? A GTI is 1 second slower than an S4 in 0-60; a Golf R is 1/10 second faster. I see kids in GTIs (I've never seen the new R) and wonder sometimes where the logic is in it; do the parents think the innocuous exterior means a lazy car?

I wouldn't even consider a 928, even an OB, for a kid. Besides the outright issues of "it's too damned fast for a kid" there are numerous technical issues with old cars, esp. complex ones.

outbackgeorgia

Simply, NO.
It's not a matter of trust, but experience and maturity.
My son, in his early 20's totaled his pristine 968 just blocks from my house. They are just not mature enough, some never grow up. You do not want to find out via a phone call that you were wrong. Chances of you being right are small.
Dave

S4ordie

Most adults find it near impossible not to push the limits in these cars, for a 16 year old it would be impossible, especially as he would have a very popular Florida "Scar Face" car.

RKD in OKC

My first car in 1976 was a 1968 Ford Country Squire Station Wagon my dad wrangled for me to buy for $1.00. Didn't have a non-bent panel or fender, and had to drop it at the dealership on the way home to get the transmission flex plate replaced (around $100). Most of the front seat upholstery was duct tape and the rear window only operated manually by pushing it up and down by hand. It was a great car for being in band, going to games and events as it sat 12 comfortably and all the instruments fit up on the rack.

A 16 yo girl in her brand new car broad sided me. I was just driving along on a major 4 lane street, she pulled out from a side street into the side of my car. There was lots of traffic and there was no place for her to pull into and I had no place to go to avoid being hit. It added very few dents to my car and the doors and windows still worked to I told her not to report it so she could save her insurance. We did exchange info. That night her dad called me and wanted to meet me. I had dinner at her house and met her dad. When he saw my beat up old station wagon he laughed and said no wonder. He was curious as to why I didn't care about his daughter hitting my car when the accident had done so much damage to her car. He was very grateful to fix her car himself and not have the accident on her insurance. He also commented that he should have gotten his daughter a tank like mine, and that a tank like that was very wise for a first car. I did go out with her a few times after that.

Not that I was the best driver. Driving down a side street just after dark I hit a parked car head on. Just driving along and this chick was dancing naked on her front porch. I did a double take not believing what I thought I saw and CRASH. The policeman laughed while writing me a ticket for failure to devote full time and attention (my first ticket). When my dad took me to our insurance agent to report the accident, the agent laughed and said that must of been on so and so street, that he lived around the corner and she did that all the time. My insurance did not have to pay for the parked car because it was parked pointing the wrong way for that side of the street. I didn't find enough damage to the front of my Ford to do anything about it either. The ticket was the only bad thing that happened.

Just something to think about.