Dennis C

Excellent point. When my son destroyed his Grand Am, the law in Indiana where we lived at the time required a new driver to be added to the policy and the default car selected for that driver was the oldest car. This was the C4S in our house. This resulted in a huge rate increase that was quickly remedied by purchasing the old Volvo.

hotelguy

It is not the car it is the kid...good kid then get him a great car....bad kid...get him a bus pass

DaveCarrera4

No...unless the boy attends the drivers ed for youngsters first, put on by PCA, which teaches the limits of the vehicle. I'd also set a few expectations, such as tickets, etc. = loss of driving privileges for a certain period of time! I'd also have him enroll in a a few DE events. All great training in automotive handling. At least he gets trained on how NOT to make stupid mistakes. I don't have a son, and forgive me if this sounds preachy...but I do remember doing donuts at 100 MPH down a two lane highway after an S curve racing a camaro in my 914 at a very young age...that stays with you...and I still consider myself lucky.

Kalashnikov

I never had parents that could afford a car for me. My first motorized form of transportation was a Suzuki FA50 moped I got after working all summer delivering flyers door to door in Oakland when I was 16, I was paid $50 cash per day. 6am...until you are done.

I then delivered food on that moped full time while finishing HS. Saved enough to buy a this, yes that is my actual first car. I paid $600 for it. It was a manual mazda 323, no power steering, no options. I was 17 when I got it. Learned to drive stick on it.

Buying a Porsche for a first time driver very unwise. I would have probably killed myself if I had a fast car in HS. Appeal of *****, little life experience, and hormones don't mix with 170mph car.

Now, I am 25. 996 is my 14th car. I graduated from Mazda 323 to V8 BMWs, to XJR, to Porsche.

Cuda911

Both of my daughters wrecked my cars shortly after getting their licenses. Neither of the girls are hot rodders, and neither car was particularly powerful (both were Hyundais). There is a reason why insurance is so high for new driers. They just don't have the experience, no matter what else their driving habits may be. Get him something safe for a first car.

I've posted this before, but will again, because of the cautionary message to all parents. Here's my car after my daughter, a very responsible driver, came upon an accident on the freeway, tried to swerve, and flipped the car several times at 65-70 mph:
.

Mhenry

If my kids were old enough to drive I would be giving a long hard look at an BMW E30 with a 5speed. Those things are built solid and easy to DIY.

5CHN3LL

My first car was an Oldsmobile Delta 88, and it kept me alive. Regardless of how responsible your son is, he will make mistakes because he lacks experience. Sometimes those mistakes can have permanent consequences, and having a great deal of car around you can make the difference between walking away and not.

I was an honors student in high school, and I lived alone about half the time because of the businesses my parents ran in California, Chicago, and Mexico. Even so, in hindsight, a sports car would have been a terrible idea for me.

One of the kids I went to elementary school and later high school with got an RX-7 for his 16th birthday, and he wrapped it around a phone pole six months later. Had he been in my Delta 88, he would have been paying for a new phone pole. Instead, his parents lost their son.

terbiumactivated

A guy near my home town let his kid drive his Ferrari 308 as a graduation, go nuts with your pals. His son got drunk and wiped it out at high speed, killed his pal in the passengers seat and went to jail even though the parents of the dis-ceased asked the judge not to. 5CHN3LL is right, you can't un-ring a bell.

NoGaBiker

When my daughter was 13 my brother got a new 2002 C2 Cab. He encountered the infamous 2nd gear problem while the car was just a couple of months old, and the dealer ordered him a new transmission. While waiting for it to come in, he invited my daughter over and taught her to drive a stick on his old transmission/clutch! Of course, I wouldn't let her anywhere near any of my Porsches at the time!

But when it came time to buy the first car, it was a mazda 3 for her, which she got at 16 and still drives, having just finished grad school this spring.

Hurdigurdiman

You are crazy to even consider giving or even selling him a car let alone a 911. If he piles it up you will never forgive yourself. Let him sort his own car out and his own Insurance. Let him work for his car. Giving your son something that could kill him in an instance is beyond words in my estimation. Would you give him cigarettes or alcohol???????????? then why a lethal weapon if not handled correctly. Now if he was mid 20s and a good few thousand miles behind him. There becomes the horse of a different color. And you may think that your son doesnt drink alcohol or take some kind of mind altering drug well think again. I never new a son that at least didn't try. Did you?

mas05

WOW!! That is awesome to have the means to give your sons some cool cars!!


My older two are driving age (17 and 15). I bought my oldest son a 1986 vw scirocco that we rebuilt together. He drives it and loves it! I just got my 15 year old son a 1988 Mercedes 190e that we are currently fixing up together. I have a $3500 limit that I will pay for a first car and they each chose unique cars to fix up instead of a new blandish car they could of gotten.... I am quite proud of them and their choices

5CHN3LL

Not only is a sports car a poor choice, but a sports car that is know (and relished) for its tricky driving dynamics, as a couple of those have mentioned, is an especially poor choice. A FWD sedan that understeers is a great first car... an RWD sports car that snap oversteers is not.

Everyone on every forum I have belonged to that asks this question insists that their kid is uber-responsible. That may be true, but even uber-responsible kids are...kids. We all made mistakes and learned from them . Putting your child in a car that is less safe than countless other cars may earn you loads of "cool dad" points, but it ain't worth it.

FRUNKenstein

All good points. I see the San Diego contingent is clearly in on the "No" side. Having lived in San Diego for 4 years (and loved it), I get that. The highways here are probably a little less intense.
It is a C4 with PSM, so snap oversteer not an issue.
Older brother has done well with his 951 and he takes really good care of it. We just swapped out brake pads on it together Thursday night.
Both boys are really good kids - won't bore you with details, but if they weren't, they wouldn't be getting a car at all. But still, I think of the stuff I pulled when I was 16...
With the price of these cars being so reasonable, it is an interesting topic. If I said I was buying him a $15,000, 8 yr old BMW 3 series, I don't think anyone would bat an eye (well, maybe Hurdi would still insist I have him ride to school on the back of a goat). But the BMW could well be a faster car that could haul 3 or 4 buddies along to distract him.

timothymoffat

A 175MPH Porsche as a 1st car? If my parents had done that I'd be dead. Probably have taken others with me too.

Learning to drive on the congested roads we have today is challenging enough. Concentrate on the act of driving first. A high performance car is not a good idea at this stage IMHO. PSM/C4 etc can only do so much.

mcbit

I was a model teenager but still a b*gger when I got in a car. I've had a number "near misses", in a low power front wheel drive, which could have had fatal results. No one else knows about this as I was always alone in the car when I pushed the limits. Think very carefully before trusting your kids in a high powered toy.

....and by the way I was known to my friends parents for being a good safe driver.