Reply to: Should I get my lad a car

[Platypus]

Whatever car it is, get a safe one. A girl at school was in a crash, two broken legs, arm, collar bone. She was cut out of the vehicle. Fireman said her parents saved her life by buying her a Volvo.

^This.

Car accident involving a lad from my daughter's school. He was killed. Just awful.

My daughter saved up for a car (she got a weekend job, aged 16). I topped up the savings with a loan. She got a 2002 VW Polo which is built like a tank. Lasted her while she learnt and for several years afterwards. I did help with MOT and repair costs.

I don't think the loan will ever be paid back, but she still considers the money outstanding, and I think that's an important principle.


EDIT: my folks bought me a car at 18. I wrecked it 18 days later. Easy come, easy go - something I've tried (not always successfully) to avoid with my kids.

[northernladyuk]

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh but it's every students jobs to pass their A levels. If he wants a car he's got to work harder for it. If that means putting a bit of extra graft in but not affecting his A levels then so be it. Maybe I was brought up differently but to say you can't do a Saturday or Sunday in a job because you are doing A levels smacks of the snowflake generation. He's got a year to define the rest of his life. They can give up a night buggering about with his mates (which mine seemed to have plenty of time to do!) if he wants a car and A levels. It's called graft. He'll hate it but it will pay off when he's at uni and the others can't do it.

Life got too easy for kids round here once they shut the mines.

Your mam says you took an evening job during your A levels and ended up with two E's and syphilis.

[lukemg]

Never thought I would say this but thanks a lot all, good advice really helped me out !!

Done a deal with my lad, whatever he can earn and save for a car, I will give him the same amount again and help him with the insurance, he was made up with this.
He is starting a weekend job and already put a spreadsheet together, researching starter cars, insurance etc.

I think it's a good compromise from just handing it on a plate which I had significant concerns about, especially after seeing my 2 brothers kids...

[SueEllen]

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh but it's every students jobs to pass their A levels. If he wants a car he's got to work harder for it. If that means putting a bit of extra graft in but not affecting his A levels then so be it. Maybe I was brought up differently but to say you can't do a Saturday or Sunday in a job because you are doing A levels smacks of the snowflake generation. He's got a year to define the rest of his life. They can give up a night buggering about with his mates (which mine seemed to have plenty of time to do!) if he wants a car and A levels. It's called graft. He'll hate it but it will pay off when he's at uni and the others can't do it.

Life got too easy for kids round here once they shut the mines.

Agreed.

If he can't work at the weekend for a few hours then he can work in the summer holidays.

Also if you as a parent know people there will be someone in your circle who will give or get him a job for a few hours on a weekend day.

[quackhandle]

I've always thought it could be worth going for the advance tutoring after they pass, speed awareness (ideally before they get done for it), even getting them on a race track to understand when and when not to use speed.

Mind that, they'll be driving themselves by the time my two start learning.

They can have an X-34 Landspeeder, not in demand much since the XP-38 came out so should pick one up cheap.

qh

[northernladuk]

If he was like that I would totally agree, it would be an easy decision !
He has been picking up some bits of work and sells Ebay stuff for quite a few people but his job is to pass A-levels and he is doing that to a level I am happy with.
I am up with making him aware of what the numbers actually look like and making sure he has some 'skin in the game' so it's not on a plate, it's a tough one though...

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh but it's every students jobs to pass their A levels. If he wants a car he's got to work harder for it. If that means putting a bit of extra graft in but not affecting his A levels then so be it. Maybe I was brought up differently but to say you can't do a Saturday or Sunday in a job because you are doing A levels smacks of the snowflake generation. He's got a year to define the rest of his life. They can give up a night buggering about with his mates (which mine seemed to have plenty of time to do!) if he wants a car and A levels. It's called graft. He'll hate it but it will pay off when he's at uni and the others can't do it.

Life got too easy for kids round here once they shut the mines.

[clearedforlanding]

Whatever car it is, get a safe one. A girl at school was in a crash, two broken legs, arm, collar bone. She was cut out of the vehicle. Fireman said her parents saved her life by buying her a Volvo.

This.

I bought my kids new cars. Sorry, I want them safe. Nothing flash, NCAP 5 star ratings.

[LondonManc]

If he was like that I would totally agree, it would be an easy decision !
He has been picking up some bits of work and sells Ebay stuff for quite a few people but his job is to pass A-levels and he is doing that to a level I am happy with.
I am up with making him aware of what the numbers actually look like and making sure he has some 'skin in the game' so it's not on a plate, it's a tough one though...

If 90% of a car turns up and he has to get it road-worthy, there's a nice carrot to dangle for him (assuming you're prepared to risk having a car sit there for a year and not move!)

[lukemg]

And that's part of the lesson. If his lad is sat on his arse at home, CBA to work and a car appears what's he learned? How's his attitude changed? What value does he attach to that car?

If he was like that I would totally agree, it would be an easy decision !
He has been picking up some bits of work and sells Ebay stuff for quite a few people but his job is to pass A-levels and he is doing that to a level I am happy with.
I am up with making him aware of what the numbers actually look like and making sure he has some 'skin in the game' so it's not on a plate, it's a tough one though...

[NotAllThere]

The whole box thing is not as clear and simple as they make it look.

My son had one fitted in his car - the insurer gave up on the program after a year. The data gathered from the GPS and accelerometers just weren't clear enough. The idea was that if you drove with lower acceleration/deceleration/cornering you were a safer driver, and got a discount. Trouble was, everyone was in the same range of values - there was no statistically significant difference between different drivers. I did like the idea of it acting as a black-box in the event of an accident though.

[northernladuk]

I really loved that bike. Partly because I'd worked so damn hard for it...

And that's part of the lesson. If his lad is sat on his arse at home, CBA to work and a car appears what's he learned? How's his attitude changed? What value does he attach to that car?

[Big Blue Plymouth]

My 17 yr old is tentatively tapping me up for a car.
I can easily afford this but I am very conflicted about it because I have seen things given too easy to kids which dulls their need to get stuff for themselves and push on.
But I also want to reward him for efforts so far and he rarely asks for anything (maybe cos he doesn't need to !)
OR am I just anchored on my own experience - £50 mini given to me when bruv finished uni, which lasted 12 months.
Anyone else in same boat ? What did you do/are going to do ?

I'd probably do something along the lines of what my parents did for me when I was that age and wanted to but a moped.

'Twas the summer of 1981 and I spent the holidays painting the windows of my folks' not exactly small country house for which they gave me £150. The rest I made up with a job as a plongeur down the local pub and a bit of sticking up at the same venue.

I really loved that bike. Partly because I'd worked so damn hard for it...

[northernladuk]

Sounds like a few have had this dilemma too.
Also - what car to get ? Used to be easy, get an old clunker, front up the insurance and give it a few years but that isn't the no brainer it used to be.
- Insurance rules so 1.0 city car ?
- Fit a box (ok with this, has to help with driving safety) ?
- New on a lease or 3yrs old or 5 yrs old ?

Plenty of guides for young drivers on the web. You've got to crunch the numbers and make your own decision. It's highly dependent on your area so have a look at the guides on the web and then start getting some quotes.

I'd expect every parent has this dilemma. Well maybe not the rich ones with spoilt kids but anyone that is watching a budget and want's their kids to understand the value of money and the responsibility of driving a car will. If you don't have a dilemma over this I'd say you are doing something wrong. For a start figures like 17-19 year olds make up only 1.5% of the licence owning population yet account for 9% of all serious accidents is heart stopping for a parent.

[LondonManc]

Sounds like a few have had this dilemma too.
Also - what car to get ? Used to be easy, get an old clunker, front up the insurance and give it a few years but that isn't the no brainer it used to be.
- Insurance rules so 1.0 city car ?
- Fit a box (ok with this, has to help with driving safety) ?
- New on a lease or 3yrs old or 5 yrs old ?

More money than sense. Not only that, but I doubt you'd get a lease for a youngster.

10 years old, something with good breaks and low acceleration. Petrol engine, very low number of gadgets for them to mess around with but ideally some way of plugging their phone into the stereo so they can simply put their music on and not crash while changing radio channels.

[TestMangler]

Sounds like a few have had this dilemma too.
Also - what car to get ? Used to be easy, get an old clunker, front up the insurance and give it a few years but that isn't the no brainer it used to be.
- Insurance rules so 1.0 city car ?
- Fit a box (ok with this, has to help with driving safety) ?
- New on a lease or 3yrs old or 5 yrs old ?

The whole box thing is not as clear and simple as they make it look. Small car (1.0/1.2) less than 8 years old as some places won't insure young drivers on cars over 8 years old.

The box thing looks good on the surface but some have curfews and most also don't define their 'rules' using conditions like "activity we deem to be likely to increase risk will cause a surcharge" so you actually have no idea what it ultimately cost you. Kid driving you to A&E at 3.00AM ? Kid regularly coming home after midnight ? Kid driving on the M25 ?