I'm looking for a mix of parenting and car buying advice here.
Here's the situation: My son is getting his drivers license in August, and he has a job that requires him to have a car. He is a car enthusiast. He helped me pick out my Continental Supersports and my Viper. I know he is expecting something awesome for his first car, having been around awesome cars his whole life. He is a good kid for the most part; extremely smart (though he is a B student), personable and passionate about baseball and cars. However, despite everything I just said about him being a good kid, he has his share of "bad kid" traits. And while I won't name them all, my primary concern is his irresponsibility (threw a house party while my wife and I were in Europe just one month ago), and him having a lack of respect for money (which is why I made him get a job).

I've been thinking about getting one of the following cars for my son.

2014 MB C350 4Matic
2014 Chrysler 300 SRT8
2014 Audi S4





Any advice is appreciated.

 

Something earned will have much more value to him then something given.

 

If throwing a houseparty in your house while you were away is the worst thing he's done, I'd say he's not too abnormal!

I'd wait until the 2015 c400 or 450 comes out though, and get him that. It'll be substantially more car for your money than the 2014s.

In terms of parenting advice, it sounds like you're financially well-off and making him buy his own car is out of the question - or at least unreasonable for your situation. The only advice I can offer is to make him feel like he 'earns' whatever car he's given. It'll be better than just handing it over to him.

 

Expectations are important for the well being of young men and women. An open checkbook with a bar that is set too low are a bad combination. Poor decision making on his part (throwing a party) shows a lack of respect for you and his environment. Getting B's in school isn't all that bad depending on what they want out of life. Being a car enthusiast doesn't earn you a nice car either, maybe have a achievement based system. Set expectations and goals, when and how many are met determines what type and age of car he gets. Don't set him up on his birthday, make him earn it. He will certainly value it more. If you don't earn it you don't value it. You sound successful, if your success wasn't handed to you, don't hand it to him. Young men need to earn. That's the bottom line.

Hope this helps.

 

Depends on you honestly. I am 22 now and my first car was a c240. I learned to respect and be humble about it . If you think he's gonna be just another kid driving around daddys new car with no respect then do not get it. They are reliable, safe and great to drive. However as you know maintenance is the issue and he needs to be aware of that. And lastly always make him earn it and work for it!

 

I would wait a little bit longer and get the 2015 C-Class. As far as parenting is concerned you can always make him pay for his own maintenances on the car.

I'm also a fan of the BMW 5 series if you're looking for something a bit more sporty.

 

Of the three choices, I'd say the C-class is the best pick. It is less car (in power and size) than a SRT-8 and (IMO) better looking than the Audi.

 

Those three choices are relatively fast cars. As you may know, teenagers are still inexperienced drivers and are not aware of the dangers of having that kind of speed/power.

They simply will want to "show off" their new toy to their friends, and the result can end of being catastrophic, indirectly injuring passengers.

However, if you trust your son not to be a maniac on the road it is your deicision.

Take it from me being 18 years old in college. I have had multiple requests to show to my friends how my car can perform. I knew that I wouldn't do that because the me, the driver, would be responsible for anything that occurs during that time.

I have had many requests to do the following, in which I denied:

Street races
Launching at red lights
Taking turns at 60mph
Flooring the car to the max.


If you trust your son with his driving and he does not have a lead foot, I say choose the one your comfortable with. However, when I began college, this is when I received various requests of what my car can do and how well it performs.

As you can see I have the 2011 C300.

Safe
Reliable
228HP= Enough power for daily driving.
Merging onto highways

The 2014 C350 has 304HP.

 

Give him a 50k budget and tell him to get what he wants. But don't go any further than that. Let him work out the paperwork, insurance, and maintenance. The responsibility will give him a better sense of ownership of the car and he will respect it more as a result.

 

have him work for it!

 

To be honest as one of the youngish guys on here im 26 and just got a c250 not the fastest or craziest I have been there done that. my first car was a 93 integra slow and cheap but i learned from it. I can tell you buying him a super fancy expensive car will only hurt him in life all the kids I knew that's parents bought them nice new fast cars were trouble makers or did something stupid in them.

 

Correlation is not causation. These "buy him a cheap car because" stories are all anecdotal. The C350 IS a cheap car to this family, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

 

We are simply listing facts for the greater cause for his/her son. Sure they maybe well off, but that does not mean to go out and buy a powerful automobile for a first car.

 

I don't think 4matic is available on the C350 in the states.

I would actually suggest a 335i/435i. Much larger aftermarket if your son is into that stuff. If not, an S4 would be sweet.

 

I'd buy a 328/335 BMW in M-sport. Or a 4-series for a coupe. If he is a car enthusiast I think he will appreciate the BM. Unless he wants luxury. Then go with the W205. If he wants sporty, go with BMW.

 

why does it have to be new?

An older c350 offers 95% of the car for about 50% of the price...just in case he bangs it up.

 

Pre-owned with warranty would be excellent choice

 

An S4 or an SRT for an 18 year old? Way too much power. Wait for the W205 C or get him an A3.

 

C300 4 matic 248hp enough hp
or
bmw 4 series coupe more popular around his age

 

I don't think money is a concern here, so I don't know why everyone is spouting "pre-owned" on an entry level benz. The SRT has too much power in my opinion (470hp), the 304/330hp from a C350/S4 is more reasonable. AWD will restrict him from sliding around corners and burnouts too.

 

money is not an issue for this person but if his kid doesn't wanna be made fun of because mom and dad love him and spent a bunch of money on a fancy car. This is the sad truth of the world we live in just trying to help for owners son sake why not look into other options but if he is serious about it I can tell him a young kid will appreciate the BMW more than a Mercedes thats for sure. This is an old man car unless you get a c63 When comapred to the BMW and audi.

 

Go for it. I bought my son a New BMW when he turned 16. 3 months latter he rolled it on black ice. 22 years later and 4 other cars and he is still spoiled and living at home. Can't get any worse than the way I spoiled him. Indulge yourself. what do you have to loose? You cannot take the money with you. At least with the MB you know he will be safe if something happens.

 

You can't be serious.

 

That is the truth. I will not even get into the 2nd son I have that also still lives at home. Both have College degrees and still want to live at home. Offered to buy them each a house so they can move out. The response is why? mom does everything for us. we do not need a house. Offered new cars to move out and they say there is nothing wrong with the cars they have. Loosing battle. Spoiled rotten. But at least I know they are safe.

 

I don't mean to offend you in the following post, but I will be blunt on the chance that it will be more helpful. This is a grandparent-to-parent generation chat.

That you are asking openly for advice, including parental, may be your greatest insight on this issue. I applaud that you recognize it and want some assistance. We are all works-in-progress in different areas. The short answer to the car question is "None of the above".

Your son needs a father, not a friend. This is not about making him happy now. Your job is to prepare him for the next 70 years. Your own writing starts to reveal the problem when you suggest he has an "expectation". At 16, he has no right to an expectation. He should be appreciating whatever you are willing to do for him. You are rich; he is not and is the recipient of whatever graciousness you bestow upon him, and it sounds as if you've already gone overboard based on his lack of respect for your home and money, per your comments. What do you feel you affirmatively did to teach him respect, and why do you think it allowed the incidences you reference to occur? I suggest you do some reading about "parental enablement" in regard to self-entitled/spoiled kids before you send him further down a path which won't serve him well.

If he needs a car for his job, can he afford to contribute to its purchase from what he earns? Have him research what is reliable and safe from basic brands and possibly offer a joint venture with him, with him having responsibility for some of the cost. If he is less than thrilled, you already have a larger problem developing, as that is a key indicator of an overinflated sense of self, entitled, spoiled, arrogant. A spoiled child deals poorly with disappointment. A child who takes disappointment or a "no" graciously and moves on is well set on the road to maturity. This is a great opportunity for a "check-point" for your son's development. He has decades to earn his own luxury, which he will then first deserve.

Another reason he needs to have something un-special is to halt any sense he may be developing that a person's worth, self-esteem, or inherent value is measured by his material possessions. This one will be tough for you for no other reason than your cars and location suggests you are quite wealthy. Good for you, but a frequent problem for the young generation which grows up in those surroundings.

Your son needs his expectations deflated, and quickly. Don't feed them with the kind of luxury car most of the world will never experience and others will work quite hard for. You will deprive him of the future sense of accomplishment of earning something which you likely enjoyed on your way up the ladder. Don't do that to win a popularity contest with him now. If you can set him back on the right path, he will thank you for it in decades to come. If you can't, he may never develop enough insight of his own to realize where he went astray.

Best wishes and be proud of yourself for asking....feel free to PM if you wish to continue. Again, none of this was meant to be offensive or insulting. You are at a fork in the road with your son and his future is too valuable for political correctness to cloud the issue.