Dr_jitsu

So why do you want to go for #5???

Get him a 4 cylinder fwd Camry, when he establishes his career and matures then he can get a BMW.

sjhugh

I’ll be honest and admit I was young and stupid once (maybe I still am - stupid not young) and had my first V8 at 17 and got it wrong a couple of times and f@cked up a couple of quick cars before 19. I consider myself lucky but I also know you can end up just as dead in 4 cylinder Camry. At lease the 135i will have some good safety features. The only thing I’d do is make him work for the car, that way he may not treat it so cheaply.

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dmyrick

First; only one of his wrecks was his fault, second his is buying the car with his own money. I just pointed him toward the 135. because i didn't want him to get a camaro or corvette. I would have suggested a C300 but he would disappointed when he compared it to my car.

ytryc32amg

Dude I know what you mean, some of us probabily do need some sense beat into us. At least you have a c63 just dont get pedal happy with it on the holidays .

ytryc32amg

I know everyone here is entitled to their own opinion on this forum. But I hope for god sakes that if your son does consider getting the 135i. That he will take full responsibility for his actions when he drives. I hope though for you as a dad that you make the right decisions for your son. I wish you the best for the holidays take care.

Minuteman

Since when should the son's car be comparable to the father's car?
You should honestly just buy him a C350, fast/agile enough where he can have fun with it but slow enough where he wouldn't be tempted to push it too much.

Brian GT PRO

it is a good car for sure, the only thing is the narrow front end makes it a bit more "understeer happy", not my style, but might be ok for your kid. The N54 motor is a great motor, smooth power delivery and reliable, and the car is def. cool.

Dr_jitsu

Well in that case he deserves a Black Series

C63 DTM AMG

well i can say that those years of getting the belt have payed off! ahaha
and i actually have 3 other projects going on now to get some more sense!
and yea its still icy and snowy here so the c63 wont be seeing much street time (plus it needs new rear tires....)

rantarC63

The fact that four cars have been totaled while in the possession of your son raises two possibilities. Either he is not a good or sufficiently experienced driver, or the drivers in your area are a menace. Cars in your household are being totaled at the rate of nearly one a year! My advice, which you can obviously disregard if you want, would be to pay for driving courses (including advanced courses) for your son (something from which he will benefit for the rest of his life) and to buy him a car with safety (and not speed) being the top priority. You could even get him a fast car for track use only.

Dr_jitsu

I want to get my son into Karting and teach him that racing is only for the track.

Of course that will require a 180 degree change in my behavior: S63 vs SC M3

Minuteman

Even though 3 of the 4 totals may not have been his fault, some of those totals could probably of been avoided with a less aggressive style of driving. ex) not gunning it into intersections/not driving in ppl's blind spots

It is your money, do what you want but I suggest you get him some driving lessons that will effectively change his driving habits.

Indoor electric carting = so much fun.

crazjayz

I don't quote you Minuteman as to call you out, just to use your post as an example. As others have said, sure it wasn't his fault, but it's his driving style. But as a person who just got into an accident that totaled my car, I can say that there was no way of preventing it. My accident was in a 4-way stop intersection and I got T-boned towards the rear of my car. I didn't even see the headlights of the car that hit me. Sure, 4 is a lot, but maybe the kid is driving frequently, or he drives in areas where many people are aggressive drivers/don't care.

I'll definitely agree with Minuteman on saying that driving school is the best "mod" you can buy. Mod the driver before the car.

I guess I'm just the type of person who give the benefit of the doubt. Nice choice dad on the 135. If he's not grateful, the hot damn meet the backhand.

W204 C63

the op clearly says that his son is buying it with his own money. he convinced his son to get this car, its not his choice though, after all. He's pointing out that the 135 is what he wanted for his son. would you want a reliable german car that is proven to be safe or a camaro or vette thats built with lesser quality and are tourque monsters?

dmyrick

my sons choice of a car is one he made for himself. I just steered him toward a car that is both quick and has good safety features. I'm not paying for it, he is. In the last few months I've been teaching him how to handle a powerful car We went over wet roads to show him how easy it is to hydroplane and how to recover. shown him how to keep eyes on other traffic an anticipate their moves, and how much speed under traffic condition. by the time he gets the 135 he will have several hours in my C63, with me riding shotgun of course. so he should be a much improved driver. P.S. when i was 19 i totaled two cars and haven't had an accident since , and I'm 47.

wankeldude

sorry, none of this makes any sense to me

Dr_jitsu

When my son hits 20 he will be depleting his college 529 and any money he makes will go towards his education. If and when he finished Med school or an MBA at the minimum then we can begin to discuss a German car.

I drove American and Japanese until I was 3 years post PhD (and 100% debt free) but that is just me.

ATL_MB

I hope this was a glib, throw-away line.

You are his father - it is your job to disappoint him. I don't want my daughter thinking I am her buddy or her friend. I have never made a decision in order to please her. I am her father - first, last and always. Seems like everyone that had the cool parents when I was a kid can't keep a job and can't stand their parents now. I certainly did not have the cool parents then, but I do now. And my job is not half bad either. Funny how that works.

Sorry for the vent, but it really bugs me to no f****g end when parents try to please their kids. They're f****g kids! They don't get to make the rules. Who gives a crap if they are happy with your decision now? Hopefully they will be happy with it in 20 years.

And I don't give a crap if it is his money - I would never let him buy a 135 with that many wrecks, whether they were technically his fault or not. Once is bad luck, twice is a coincidence, three times is a plot. I don't know what four times is.

End rant.

-michael-

If it is his money...
And he needs a new car...
Why do you "talk" him into a 135i?
Maybe he wants to buy an SUV and cruise around with his school (or college) friends?

sjhugh

Wow that’s a bit heavy, attacking his commitment as a parent and the stupid insight into why children like or dislike them. I’m pleased you weren’t my father. He never brought me a car, he often gave me advice but never stopped me from buying what I wanted with my own money. The quality of German cars today from a safety aspect at least give some peace of mind. A 135i is not that powerful, it’s also quite docile with the ESP on and has very good handling qualities compared to most cars on the market. I’d be more than happy for my son to drive one. I know now to never mention on this forum what I’ve given my boys to own and drive over the years. In Australia there are some very draconian and enforced restrictions these days on what you can drive for the first few years of a new licence, no V8’s, no turbos and so on and it hasn’t done a thing to curb the road toll for young drivers. As I pointed out earlier in the thread, slow cars kill just as effectively as fast ones. I’d rather have the dynamics of a new BMW compared to a Toyota Corolla, a ten year old heap of junk or the roll over effect of an SUV.

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Dr_jitsu

I have to agree w/ ATL_MB....I teach 20 year olds for a living and every time I see a kid w/ an Audi or BMW they invariably are a C student. My theory is that since they are already getting the good things in life they have little motivation to do A level work.

The kids w/ the fire in their belly to achieve are motivated by the hope that someday, if they work very hard they will no longer have to drive a beater.

After paying rent, living expenses, tuition, etc, where does a 20 year old get the money for a high end car? That is a rhetorical question since I know that the 20 year old, unless he is Bill gates doesn't pay the above and that his parents co-signed for the loan he pays w/ his "own money."

One of my friends....a famous financial adviser bought his son a Lexus when he turned 16. 14 years later, he bought his son another Lexus when he got one year of recovery from a serious drug habit. The son turned the car into a crack rental and has spent the last 6 months in a 10K a month rehab.

wankeldude

sorry, i totally disagree. I got a rabbit diesel when I started off and believe me it's nearly impossible to do anything stupid in that thing.
A slow car can kill as effectively as a fast one? absurd.
the 135i is not a powerful car? absurd.

sjhugh

With that theory in mind, most underprivileged children will be the next privileged and vice versa. Apart from exceptions to the rule, motivation is environmental, i.e. encouragement and support from their parents, teachers and pier groups. As is also the case for those that take a lesser approach in life.

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sjhugh

I won’t get into a big argument with you as it’s not my decision on what he should or shouldn’t drive. Here in Australia he would be automatically banned by law from driving a 135i.

I will say before I go, all cars have the ability to travel at speeds capable of killing. Road statistics for young drivers restricted to low powered cars here have not fallen. Driver education and awareness is the key. I worked for many years as a Traffic Engineer and I can tell you the excuses used in courts by drivers that had killed passengers and other innocent road users would astound and infuriate you. None were killed by powerful cars, they were killed by drivers who drove beyond their limits or the road conditions.

In the scheme of things a stock135i is nothing special. Lesser vehicles with some mods can easily out power them and not be anywhere near as safe.

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SebringSilver

I wonder how many of you guys here are actually parents.