Parenting issues aside...

How about a BMW 320i X-Drive? I just leased one for myself as a daily driver because I missed the small car experience after getting into a GLK.

180 HP, all-wheel drive, 50/50 weight distribution, and it can even get 30+ mpg! I don't miss the 300 horses in my 3.5 at all when driving this thing!

I think it is a great choice for a teenager who MUST have a luxury brand as their first car (I think this is a no-no, but whatever the OP can do what he wants).

My selling points:

1. Safe
2. Not too much power, not too little
3. Brand recognition
4. Great driver's car
5. Great MPG
6. AWD will keep him from doing silly burnouts
7. Reasonable price
8. Decent aftermarket for him to get his ****s and giggles.

My recommendation is a 2015 320i with ZSP (Sport Package) and ZMT (6MT) with NO other options (They call this the Jalopnik edition). If he really wants you can pay to upgrade the bumpers to the "M Sport" to give the car a more aggressive feel.

See my 320i below! Before and after the "M Sport" bumper retrofit. I love the car and I hope you decide to go with that one!

 

Give him the Bentley. It is a safe car, enough horsepower, maybe one of the Kardashian (sp) girls will notice him.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm pretty sure I've made up my mind. My son's first car will either be a 2014 Audi S7, MB E550 Coupe, OR A Jag XF Supercharged.

He's a good kid. He can handle nice things, and I'm sure he'll use his new car as motivation to work hard and lead a productive life. I don't think this purchase will make him become an entitled spoiled brat like the rest of you somehow believe it will.

 

Good Choice. Getting your son a high end starter car can teach him responsibility extremely well, not to mention motivating him to achieve the best throughout life.

 

The Bentley is an essential part of my fleet and won't be replaced until I exchange my current lineup for a new generation of cars.

 

Hi,


Sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you can advise me how you installed a rear view camera on your C250.
Is there an email I can contact you??

Thanks in advance,
M.T

 

That was beautiful.

 

You might not see him becoming spoiled and entitled, but just take a moment to put yourselves in our shoes. You have 10 cars, 5 of them in storage. Your Bentley is "an essential part of my fleet and won't be replaced until I exchange my current lineup for a new generation of cars"... hinting that any any given moment, you can get rid of your cars and just buy more.

Whether you earned your money through hard work or it was given to you, I really don't care; congratulations. You need to realize how disconnected from reality your posts are for us "regular folks". You're in a C class forum asking about buying your son a car that's more expensive than any of the ones that members here are driving... and then getting upset when people are telling you to get him a beater. I'm 33, have a 1400 sq foot house with a C300 and an old S class. I'm a full grown man and it took me 3 years to pay off my C300... and you're making it seem like you're casually going to buy your 16 year old son a better car than we're driving here.

I really don't care what happens; what car he "gets". Good for him, daddy is buying him a car. But please take a moment to consider the forum you're posting in and that we don't have a Testarossa and 4 other cars in storage, along with an "essential fleet of cars". Posting all of this is one level of being pretentious... but then to act surprised that folks think your son will be spoiled, that's some next level pretentiousness

 

Sorry for hurting your feelings. I did not mean to come off as "pretentious". Perhaps a little back story will help quell some of the ill feelings you have expressed towards me. I am the first generation son of Hungarian immigrants. I grew up poor, in the worst neighborhood you could imagine. Nice cars always motivated me. I used to have a picture on my bedroom wall of a 1988 Lamborghini Countach and I told myself that I would work my *** off until it was mine. My financial success did not come for many many years after that, and at the time that it did, I was living in an 800 square foot apartment with a mountain of debt to pay off. When you say I am "out of touch with reality" you could not be more mistaken. I spent my entire life living with the harsh and depressing realities of the world. I served four years in the military. I made the conscious decision to move to the sealed off fantasy land that is Fisher Island because I saw the things that went on in the outside world and I never wanted to go back to that. Cars are a source of pride for me, not a form of showing off, proof to myself that I really have made it. I've been a poor man living in the worst parts of town, and a rich man living in an exotic location that the public can't reach even if they desired to do so. And given the choice, I'd take the rich man every goddamn time. If that angers you, I encourage you to go to take your jealousy elsewhere.

 

Trust me, I'm not jealous. Not even in the slightest. I'm happy with the C300 I bought brand new and my old S class. My house is small, but suits our life great. Debt? I have none. And my biggest source of pride are my wife and 10 month old baby

I'm trying to provide you with context, because you acted butt-hurt when internet folks were speculating that your son would become spoiled

 

You know what. I'm glad to see you had that type of background. Look at the character it developed in you.

Now do the same for your son. I personally think it would do him a MOUNTAIN of good to join the military out of High School. That will definitely build character. Sure did for my son.

but that is not what you asked, and I think you got your answer in spades already.

 

With what you have shared, I find your story admirable and inspirational. You have lived the American dream. And, thank you for your service.

The hard work you have done has provided you with many well-earned rewards. In your desire to share your good fortune with your son, the concern is that you are trading off his opportunity to experience a fraction of the character development you enjoyed for his transient happiness for a new material possession (or perhaps one in a series). Do him the best favor a father could, and have him aspire to be like you, not your bank account, but you as a person. You can probably admit to yourself that if you had had so much good fortune rained down on you in your youth, you would not be half the man you are today. Don't handicap him with your affluence.

Please consider this, including the thoughtful assessment of Warren Buffett:

http://www.businessinsider.com/tycoo...ds-2013-8?op=1

Best wishes to you both.

 

(This post is way above my pay grade.)

 

What I also hate is he is asking advice for the C-Class and listed other cars of similar price and the in the end, just blows it off and says I'll spoil him with a E550, Jaguar, or Audi S7.

I don't see how you think your kid is good and you are going to reward him for apparently throwing a house party, which involves alchohol and drugs?

Might as well buy him a good car in the end, considering that it will be where he lives in for the next 20 years since he expects and not appreciates....

 

It's too bad this thread turned out the way it did. It reaks of jealousy and patronizing demeanors, even though OP came off as open and humble.

It's really unfortunate that some of our members assume that affluence among youth causes irresponsibility and failure. An expensive car will not turn OP's son into Justin Bieber. Bad parenting will, and there is no reason to believe OP is a bad parent. It's asinine to believe otherwise.

 

Completely agree with you.

 

Alcohol and drugs? The OP never mentioned that; you shouldn't make assumptions like that, especially ones that accuse him of breaking the law. It's just like all the other stupid parallels made in the post: expensive car doesn't equate to reckless and irresponsible driving nor does throwing a house party equate to the use of illegal substance.

 

I've read your post and I understand where your coming from . It's obvious that your very rich and have a style of living that way above must people on the MB Forum and most people period. If you want your 16yr to make to 18yr don't buy him a high powered car he will "KILL HIMSELF" in it and you can only blame yourself. Buy him a appropriate 16yr kids car , ford focus , chevy cruse, on a little foreign car, Mini copper or something. Remember he's been in your high powered machines with you , he differently wants prove he drive like dad does. When he's actually earned something in life like a college degree and staying out of trouble than I'd co-sign for big money machine when he can pay the car note. Just my thoughts. "your not teaching anything about life in our social system "capitalism by giving to much unearned . Sounds to me that you have your "EGO in this to much my son driving a sweet big money FAST CAR at 16 Take your ego out of it. I'm not trying to offend you

 

Oh , I've been through this same thing with my 20 something kids and their in college

 

I've been there done that, every teenage party has some form of illegal activity. If he wanted to throw a party, why didn't he ask for permission from parents to have one, unless there is a reason not to?
However, I think you know the reason.

Also, I agree badm.

 

Okay fine, I'm from Canada so maybe the social norms are different down there. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't assume one thing with another. Just because you've seen kids with high end vehicles who drive irresponsibly doesn't mean every kid will do so. Like I've said before, people at my old school received R8 V10's, SlS's, M5's, etc from their parents - they were respectful to everyone, responsible, and most importantly, had the mindset that if they wanted to have the same if not better in the future, they would have to rely on themselves as their parents won't be there for them forever.

Meanwhile, there are other kids whose parents get them a car, not the one which the kid wants and end up performing illegal tasks to get the money themselves.

Am I saying every kid is like that? Absolutely not.

 

Here

http://www.apexstrategy.com/teens.html

 

Once again, that's just a study; it doesn't mean that every single kid out there will be like that.

You might be asking me why I seem so defensive about this case. Why? Because I've been in the exact same situation; my mother has bought me some of my cars. Am I a reckless driver? No, and I never want to be. Have I gone above the speed limit? Yes, I'm sure everyone has. By my mother getting me a pretty good starter car, it has motivated me to always achieve the best in life and that sort of mindset has got me pretty far in pretty short career in property development.

 

Just drive by a private or boarding high school; the streets are lined with high end cars, yet 95% of the students don't drive irresponsibly there.

 

Same with me. I was born and raised in one of the richest cities in the United States down in South Florida, and some of my friends came to school with various sports cars such as Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and even McLarens. Of course I was jealous, and yes I believe I received a safe and reliable car for my first one, a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 sport. I am 18(received this car in January 2014 for my successes in education) and enjoy this car with much appreciation and try my best to take car of my reward of hard work and dedication. I now live in North Florida for College. I can still say I own my first car.

However, back on the topic with teenagers owning supercars. You may not be a reckless driver I'm sure, but if you were given a car with 400HP+ guarantee you would love to show and impress your friends with your toy. I have seen in numerous times at my old school, some kids even received suspension from school, for performing burnouts and donuts in the parking lot. Even two kids decided to take a 60mph turn near my school and end up in a canal. Greatful enough they only had cuts and bruises. One owned a Porsche 911 the other was a Bentley Flying Spur; on the news of course and one was 16 other was 17. Both cars where totaled.

Also how can a study only just be a study? This is evident proof that teenagers should not own fast cars, let alone supercars. We are inexperienced drivers that at times think we are experienced and believe we own the road. I'm not going to lie, since I am telling you how it is as a teenagers point of view.

Wonder why insurance prices are high for teenagers? And even higher for teenagers with a automobile with 8-cylinder engines? We are inexperienced drivers and now a days, the tests for drivers license are beyond too simple. You don't need to parallel park and you don't even leave the parking lot!

They literally give you your license just to make a turn and park a car forward inside a big parking space. How can we trust these 16 years olds that receive a sports car, that have driven less than a year that received their licensing with just parking forward.