Avar928

...it's a supercharged Mustang?

He'll crash that thing going in a STRAIGHT LINE because he'll fish tail and over correct.

Just buy him a 928, an 85-86.5 preferably so that when he does safely wreck it I can cannibalize the car to restore my 86. Make sure that 928 has fresh gears, I need those...and the fan clutch and radiator...make sure those are new too. ABS sensors and the rear hatch upper lock and also make sure he wrecks it so that the windshield is intact and pristine. Get a 928 with one that has the antenna inside. I also need a new dash and pod, in brown leather so I'll take that too from the remnants of the car. I need the side trims so tell him to avoid a side impact. Just have him run over something at high speed and bend the frame and stuff, but not the transmission or torque tube...I'll probably take that as well. Oh, and the steering rack. I could probably make do with all those parts if he backs up into something showing off a high speed flick maneuver or one of his racing buddies smashes into the back side.

Randy V

I looked to see if this thread was started on April 1...

Don Carter

Even though we have extra 928s around, we decided to get my 16 yr old daughter a 02 v6 mustang (red). That was about 4 months ago and it has worked out well. Girls are different than guys and are not as likely to try to see what it will do. The v6 stangs have a good reliability reputation and decent safety features. Its easy to work on and parts are everywhere and cheap.

You didn't mention the year or v6/v8, but the latest convertable stangs actually have a 4 star safety rating. Very good for a convertable.

One of the reasons I didnt give her a 928 to drive was gas mileage, but unfortunately the v6 isnt doing any better than the 928 at 15 mpg in the city. Replaced the O2 sensors today which I hope will make a difference.

For my 14 yr old son, I'm thinking about a 944.

For those saying 16 yr olds shouldn't have a car, I can understand that, but my thinking was the more practice they have before going off to college the better and its not always practical to let them drive the parents cars.

G8RB8

Excuse me, but why does a guy with a garage full of Porsches need to put up with crap from a woman or a kid?

17prospective buyer

Get him to buy it all himself and do it all himself... that's the attitude my Dad put towards me when i was interested in getting a 928. So far i have bought it all myself and am doing all the work myself, only time he helps is when brute strength is needed to break torque on a bolt or something along those lines.

Fogey1

Every car I drove before and for a long time after after I got my license was WFO a fair piece of the time. Most ended up bent and it's fortunate I didn't kill myself or anyone else.

Car to a snotty kid? Not something I'd do. Fast car to a kid, snotty or otherwise, definitely not.

Let his bio-Dad buy his love with a car, if he's still around. If not, let the boy learn to cherish you as the man with the keys. If your wife's not on board with you she is, and has been, part of the problem.

Sorry about the harsh, but you'll do him no favors to let him keep believing he'll get what he wants if he's sufficiently unpleasant to be around.

tmpusfugit

One of my high school aquaintances (many years ago) got a brand new Corvette when he turned 16. He totaled it in very short order. Walked away from the wreck with minor scratches bumps and scrapes. Dad bought him a second new one....by the time he turned 21 he had totalled 3 new Corvettes. I don't think he every had any one for more than a year.....I don't know who was the more foolish, dad or son. Maybe in that case it was hereditary? Actually son had a significant dependency problem, and dad was a successful business man...and he aided and abetted the dependency by giving Keith everything including new Corvettes.

My 2 daughters first car was a old Ford V8 (small) with auto, it had been my fathers car...they managed to bend and break it a couple of times in fairly short order. Nothing major. After that they got to buy their own cars, they seemed to treat those a lot better. Something about pride of ownership when earned?

Personally, I would not give any of our kids a 928 as a starter car, or a V8 supercharged Mustang. Sort of like giving the kid a rattlesnake with PMS and a loaded gun with the safety off...nothing good is likely to happen IMHO!

Barry Chan

No car is safe...they all can go 100 mph...they all can flip over, he must be aware what driving a car means...his life and others...responsibilities...take him to track to drive fast then set him back to reality...daily driving...driving is fun only if you are alive...get him to UNDERSTAND ...

Maleficio

Jam a potato into the tail pipe, bore a small hole in it.

Jerry Feather

Tell your wife that you had hopes that her son was going to mature better than he has, so that the Mustang was not a good decision. Tell her that you and she are going to sell the Mustang; so what kind of car does she think will be better for her son who is immature for his age; or any car at all for that matter. If she disagrees with you then she is probably immature for her age. Now the decision begins to get a lot easier.

Jerry Feather, Divorce Lawyer

Hilton

You should probably be keeping a close eye on the spare keys for your 996 and Boxster.

Get him something safe, relatively underpowered, and economical (he should be buying his own gas). I'd also consider buying it as your (or your wife's) second car, and "lending" it to him, although still making a point of using it yourselves sometimes - so he doesn't feel entitled to it.

Sit down and have a talk about looking after the car and explain that if he looks after this car, doesn't get any "stupid" tickets (I'd overlook one or two tickets for <10mph over the limit), saves money and keeps his grades up, you'll match his contribution towards a better car of his own for his 17th.

In your shoes I'd be looking at 6yo VW Golf/Passat or even Audi A4 - good build quality, safety, and decent interiors.

Texbuckeye

I really appreciate all of the good advice. Even the snide comments were funny. We did buy it as our car. It won't be a gift whatever it is. I am not spoiling him that much. I am sure over time we will decide what to do and it will be with his safety in mind.

Dave928S

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BTW ... I agree with lots of the previous posts suggesting starting with a conservative and safe choice. Kids need to have some financial stake in their car, and have worked hard for it, to be likely to truly value it and take care of it. That doesn't mean you can't help them out, practically and financially, to make sure it's safe and reliable ... which is what I did with my kids. I think they need to start with something simple and safe .. and work towards their dream car, perhaps with some help.

Landseer

Risk is relative. One horsepower can be worse.

Here, the big worry is the Amish kids.

You see 'em out on US 20 near my house, going to meet friends on Saturday evenings, running buggies on the shoulder with semi trucks blazing past.

My father-in-law is 80. Tonight we made a wine run to the CVS. He's still recovering from the 4 mile trip. Between the kids driving buggies and a taste of Porken's chips, he's a nervous wreck.

Back to the point though, make the kid wait an extra year til he wises-up.

snoz

Here’s the car a friend of mine was given at the same time I got mine (picture previously posted). It was a ’68 or ’69 Cutlass. He had a learners permit. He was only supposed to drive to and from school or work with no passengers. It was a fairly quick car. This accident happened with 6 teenage kids in the car. I was the lucky one sitting in the passenger seat. Luckily none of us died. Young men tend to make rash, impulsive, and inappropriate decisions. It’s the way many of us are at that age. Why give them the tool that will make them the first one at the scene of the accident?