Texbuckeye

I agree with you completely and that is what I am saying to him about getting his permit. I won't let him get his permit and it is creating tension with both him and my wife. We are currently working through this and I am seeking solutions going forward from here.

leperboy

Why would you give a 16-year-old kid a car?

And if you do, why wouldn't you give him something genuinely safe, like a used Scion or Civic with modern safety equipment, good fuel mileage, reliability, cheap repairs and little power?

I really don't understand why the only options being considered are a Mustang or a 928.

Matt

Texbuckeye

We got a great deal on the Mustang and thought it would be ok for him. Now in hindsight I regret it.

James Bailey

So he has a private place to spend time with his girlfriend.......

snoz

I guess I just don’t see the need to give a teenager a cool and/or powerful car. Give them a beater and let them make the bad decisions or prove their responsibility in it.

Here’s what my parents “gave” me at 16. They gave it to me because the dealer wouldn’t take it in on trade. I was happy to have it.

MainePorsche

My daughter is 16 and just got her license. First of, this means she is eligible to drive, but may not necessarily do so without our consent... She is a good, responsible river so she does.
Our understanding with her was that no car until she got accepted to University. Life isn't so tough without one, and the sense of earning and accomplishment is the good lesson learned.
She will get a car and will have accomplished something to earn it - it will be given gladly without any compromise of my feelings. Spoiled, immature... no they don't get one.

CVDH

I'd be happy to have it, too...TE27 Corollas are in high demand amongst the oldschool JDM crowd, myself included. Nobody took enough care to preserve them, so they're few and far between now...they look killer lowered on a set of vintage barrels with fender mirrors, and are great fun with a well-sorted twin-carb motor.

Avar928

I had a friend in high school whose parents bought him a Mustang because they wanted him to be able to show it off to his friends. Lasted 2 weeks. Thankfully it had great air bags and that big front face can absorb a tree.

Think about this: You're giving a Mustang to a high school kid. Not a pony, a must have MUSTANG. Chick magnet. Power for the money. Show off burnouts and donuts all around.

Don't give him a 928 either, even if you modify it for slower which I think you shouldn't. Honestly, the car shouldn't suffer because of the son.

Get the boy a Scion. They look good. They handle well. They're slow. Or a Dodge Dart. Same thing. I'd probably go for the latter, seriously look at those Dodge Darts they look pretty darn good and reasonably priced for a new car.

If you still want Porsche, someone said it earlier - get a 944 or 924.

namasgt

I get to have my first car when I was 19 and that was in 2005, I totaled it at 20, hit a telephone pole, it was a sport car with only 140 hp. A 16 year old doesn't need a car, sure he can drive one of your current cars with you or his mother in the passenger seat. Its just too much of a risk to let a 16 year old have a car of their own, there will be many tempting moments specially with a sport car.

mickster

Don't rely on airbags. In fact, better you go with an 86.5 or 89.

Send him to PCA Teen Driver's course. Best to learn the limits of a car in the right atmosphere and learn respect for driving. I have never heard a bad word about this course and will send my son.

The 928 design is incredibly safe from day 1 if it is well maintained, which you know. I think ABS, S4 handling and brakes and an 86.5 or 89 rear-end (LSD ideally) can go a long way. The PSD is excellent and intelligent in 90+ but you have air-bags.

With Sean's changes, temper the power.

bronto

At 16 I was allowed to drive my dad's '73 Opel Manta. Handled great but slow. We didn't consider it especially cool. Not even the Rally version. Within a year I bought my own '70 Firebird Formula 400 (Ram Air III). Worked for me.

"need" for a car is relative, especially locationally. If you aren't in an urban environment you really need transportation to function.

Avar928

I totaled my car, an '03 Nissan Altima (which was actually my mom's car because my first car was given back to my dad who then gave my mom his then car who then in turn gave her car to me and somewhere along the lines I ended up with that car and my dad's Porsche 928...follow?) after 7 years of driving experience.

And yes, I was being stupid and cheap (didn't want to buy new tires, ran 'em to balding and it was a wet day around a curve and I was going too fast because the BMW behind me was too). I ended up having to buy my own car (instead of just new tires)...

I don't want to be pessimistic but that Mustang is not going to last if he is acting immature. It will join the grave yard of Mustangs that have all been crapped out because the driver didn't realize they couldn't handle it.

CVDH

+1

Dibs on the blower, heads, and center console!

docmirror

Don't even try. Maturity is the key here. You are a parent, maybe a step parent but still a parent.

Get him a 91-96 VW Golf with an automatic. Excellent safety rating, good economy and moderately easy to fix. No Mustangs, no Porsches, you could go with a Volvo from the same era with 6 airbags.

Don't even consider a 928. I'm a parent who knows what he's talking about. If that's not enough, go visit Rogers bone yard and look at what's left of a beautiful burgundy 928 that was driven by a teen for about all of one week.

bordin34

I think anything powerful and rear wheel drive is a very bad idea for a new driver. Especially a supercharged Mustang. There is no way he wont street race with it.
At 16 I bought and fixed up this. Luckily I was never too stupid, or at least I never got caught, and never crashed or got a ticket. But the torque of a V8 and rear wheel drive is too tempting. I was lucky that I had an old car and the police are a lot more lenient on muscle cars for some reason.

I think a great car for a new driver if you insist on getting a Porsche is an N/A 8v 944. It has very little power but is still fun to drive.