Critter

Zibby, you are either in denial or you have forgotten all the times you should have been caught or just missed getting involved in a collision, or drove home after having a few. You did not learn to handle a high HP (240)FWD by following all the road rules. Also if indeed your statements are fact then you are a saint behind the wheel, now can you say that about your 16-18 year old child if you are blessed with such. IMO. Usually a kid at this age has neither the personality or driving skills to drive a high output car, these skills are not acquired by playing Grand Theft Auto on a TV screen.

vdubpower

Get him a w126 mercs. Safe and beyond classy

zibby43

No. A modified Honda.

I've been racing since I was in elementary school.

No, I'm not in denial. I'm a very safe driver with extensive racing experience across various platforms.

The key word in your post is "usually."

I'm not going to give out parenting advice to a stranger on a car forum.

I was merely stating that the OP knows his son best. Ultimately the choice is up to him.

Have a good day.

shauni

haha, thanks everyone. Don't think anyone should be passing any judgement my way. Not as if i have bought the car yet, i was merely saying what he had asked me for and what in our country the teens seem to be getting.
Interesting what cars in other countries are being bought as a first car!
and thinking will top out at a 125i hatch or GTI. A class has a 12 month waiting list! well done merc, on the sales!
Thanks Zibby, you are right i know him best. He is quite a competent driver and doesn't rush into the speed and everything i have to tell him to floor my car. otherwise he doesn't.
Also managed to get him in the AMG driving academy when i went. So now lewis hamilton, but he's not bad..

yazid

If i may.. My first car was a Mitsubishi Shogun short wheel base and loved everything about it. Even got widebody arches with 10 inch wheels, lowered, bull bars and a custom made exhaust.. Ahh memory lane..

Anyhows, depends what your son likes but a hatchback sounds good.. Just ensure he drives responsibly

UMP

I got my 16 year old son a used 2009 BMW 328ix with run flats.
Very good car, well built, and seems to be mechanically bullet
proof. It will drive in any weather and very hard to get out of shape. Only down side I see is the life of the run flat tires.

mdgrwl

He's honestly probably going to wreck whatever you buy him... so I would honestly start him off with a cheap, cheap car. After a year or so... then get him something nice.

Daveskii

I learned a lot on my first toyota that taught me valuable lessons on what to do and no to do on my merc-so a starter car like a civic would be better. He Is gonna ding the car up and we all know that ain't a cheap fix here.

Guilty

No he's not, what the f are you guys talking about. It doesn't matter what car you have if you're an idiot you'll always be an idiot. I was driving since I was 14 without a license in my country. All kind of cars and never got a single dent or been involved in any sort of crash. Give him a nice car, if he manages to be responsible and keep the car in good condition, upgrade it in 2-3 years. BUT if he messes up, take the car away and buy him the cheapest car you'll find. He will then realize how lucky he was and he'll do everything he can to get his privilege back.

I also wanted to add that I strongly believe that a kid will be a natural very good driver if the dad is a good driver/instructor. When I was young I was always next to my dad everyday when he drives and that taught me many many lessons before I even go behind the steering wheel. If the dad drives like a dumbass, naturally you can't expect much from the kid.

UMP

When I was 13 my dad was driving a modest 1972 350ci 2bbl carb Firebird at night. He asked me to sit up and read the speedo while he gunned it. I'll never forget the look on his face when we hit 120mph. "Hey son, don't tell mom about this"

Guilty

Hahaha awesome, my dad would never speed when I ask him. He just gave me a dirty look lol. But he always guns it himself as soon as he hits the highway.

moosejaw

My first car was one of these


shows my age dang!

mdgrwl

You couldn't be more WRONG. All drivers are NOT created equal... driving comes down to experience. The more years you have under your belt as a driver, the better you are. Not "if daddy taught you well, your great" BS.

It's a FACT that Teenage drives are a higher risk to themselves and other drivers. Its well known, proven, and factual. Why do you think insurance rates suck for teens? I'll do you one better - read these researched and published facts.

http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafet...factsheet.html


"Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens.1 In 2010, seven teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries. Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are three times more likely than drivers aged 20 and older to be in a fatal crash. Fortunately, teen motor vehicle crashes are preventable, and proven strategies can improve the safety of young drivers on the road

How big is the problem?

In 2010, about 2,700 teens in the United States aged 16–19 were killed and almost 282,000 were treated and released from emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor-vehicle crashes.1
Young people ages 15-24 represent only 14% of the U.S. population. However, they account for 30% ($19 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among males and 28% ($7 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among females.

Who is most at risk?

The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group. In fact, per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are three times more likely than drivers aged 20 and older to be in a fatal crash.2


Among teen drivers, those at especially high risk for motor vehicle crashes are:

• Males: In 2010, the motor vehicle death rate for male drivers and passengers ages 16 to 19 was almost two times that of their female counterparts.1
• Teens driving with teen passengers: The presence of teen passengers increases the crash risk of unsupervised teen drivers. This risk increases with the number of teen passengers.4
• Newly licensed teens: Crash risk is particularly high during the first months of licensure.5,6

What factors put teen drivers at risk?

• Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or not be able to recognize hazardous situations.7
• Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next). The presence of male teenage passengers increases the likelihood of this risky driving behavior.8
• Among male drivers between 15 and 20 years of age who were involved in fatal crashes in 2010, 39% were speeding at the time of the crash9 and 25% had been drinking.10
• Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use. In 2011, only 54% of high school students reported they always wear seat belts when riding with someone else.11

At all levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), the risk of involvement in a motor vehicle crash is greater for teens than for older drivers.12


In 2010, 22% of drivers aged 15 to 20 involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes were drinking.10

• In a national survey conducted in 2011, 24% of teens reported that, within the previous month, they had ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol and 8% reported having driven after drinking alcohol within the same one-month period.13
• In 2010, 56% of drivers aged 15 to 20 were killed in motor vehicle crashes after drinking and driving were not wearing a seat belt.10
• In 2010, half of teen deaths from motor vehicle crashes occurred between 3 p.m. and midnight and 55% occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.2

How can deaths and injuries resulting from crashes involving teen drivers be prevented?

There are proven methods to helping teens become safer drivers. Research suggests that the most comprehensive graduated drivers licensing (GDL) programs are associated with reductions of 38% and 40% in fatal and injury crashes, respectively, among 16-year-old drivers.14
Graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems are designed to delay full licensure while allowing teens to get their initial driving experience under low-risk conditions.
When parents know their state’s GDL laws, they can help enforce the laws and, in effect, help keep their teen drivers safe."





.... no go ahead and argue with the above facts.

mdgrwl

Now go ahead and argue with the above facts that are researched.

Guilty

That applies mostly to the US where people don't know how to drive. Americans teens just think they need to put the car in D and that's it.

Where I come from we learn how to drive stick shift first, how to be responsible etc. As I said, it doesn't matter what car you're in. If you're an idiot you gonna find a way to crash anyways. If your dad is a bad driver and you were riding with him too much, you gonna inherit all his bad habits. It's just common sense. I believe that most of the people in America don't even go to driving school. And they get their license at 16 not 18.

I'm not here to argue with anyone, I respect your point of view and I'd like you to respect mine as well. You can raise your kids the way you want, and I'll do the same when it's time.

tfthach13

As someone from the states, I would have to agree. The standards here for obtaining a driver's license is pretty subpar. We can definitely use a driving school requirement here; I know I would have wanted to.

I mean, when I got my driver's license at 18, all I did was get the booklet from the DMV, studied for a few hours, took the permit test, passed and waited to schedule my driver's test a month later. In that time I practiced with my dad for about 10 hours total. A lot of the advanced driving techniques I had to learn by trial and error. Thankfully no accidents occurred during that time, but it definitely would've been helpful if I went to a driving school before I was let loose on the road. Luckily, I'm more of a conservative driver otherwise who knows what would've happened.

EDIT: I personally think a lot of the drivers here in the states lack respect on the road.

ghiaguy

I like what I'm seeing in most of the above posts. There is something special about working your way up the performance car ladder. If I didn't have my years of turbo DSMs and Miata ownership I would have missed out on a lot of good times and lessons learned. It also makes stepping up to something like an AMG, M, or RS that much more rewarding. I've found a good foundation on the basics of car control is best learned in a forgiving, but engaging car. The GTI is a great choice and I would avoid something with over 300 horses..

avery.whss

I'd never ever buy my child a newer car...Why? Because thats the problem in today's world...parents are helping their kids too much...yes it's nice and feels good...but why do you think everyone under 30 is so lazy and un-motivated these days? I know people who are approaching 30 and don't even have jobs or anything because mom and dad still breast feed them...everyone thinks throwing money at a problem will fix it..if you do buy your kid a car don't buy them anything worth more then $5k...that's just me..I've been having to hold my own since I was 16 and actually take care my parents (they work etc)...so in my eyes when I see parents just handing kids things I think it's wrong and a bad idea because everyone I know who's just been handed nice things doesn't want to do jack all with their life because mommy and daddy will always buy them nice new things

Anyways that's just my 2cents...I don't even have kids..I'd buy them investments or something over material items that they will wreck (it's a proven stat that 99% of kids ruin their first car...EVERYONE i know did..including me)

Guilty

You must be living in a different planet because from all the people I know, and I know a lot of people, only 2 or 3 wrecked their first cars and they were idiots driving drunk. Basically people I shouldn't be hanging out with.

Oh yes, and the cars they wrecked were trash. Renault Clio and VW Polo... 10k cars.

CoolBDPhenom03

I got my restricted license at 15. I'm glad my parents stuck me in a hand-me-down Civic. It was reliable, cheap to run, and cheap to fix. I only received 1 speeding ticket and was in 0 accidents in the 7 years I had the car.

The next step was a hand-me-down Acura. It was a great next step for all of the same reasons, but larger and more luxurious. Aside from someone rear ending me, that car was also incident-free until I gave it to my uncle for one of his daughters with 206k miles on the odo after 7 years.

If I had started with a performance car, or even simply a bigger car, I don't think if be as good of a driver or as responsible of one. Teenagers only really need a safe, reliable point A to B vehicle. Anything else is excess, IMO.

Guilty

Teenagers in America only really need a safe, reliable point A to B vehicle. Anything else is excess, IMO.

avery.whss

no well...i do live on kind of a ****ty hick island off the coast of vancouver lol so it's probably just my city...one year there was probably like 20+ DD acidents..it was pretty mental ...infact people are so bad on the road here that 4-5 flag people have been ran over or died in the last 30 days..i doubt that happens a lot elsewhere? ive honestly never heard of it happening anywhere else until it started happening here

mdgrwl

Your funny dude... so young drives World Wide are all great drives, except the USA?

What country are you from ?? - so I can dig up stats on young drives their too and shut you up. Or give me any country and I'll show you stats on how teenage drivers are a higher risk.

Guilty

No it's worst here in the US period. Stop being so patriotic, I couldn't care less about your stats. Thank you.

mdgrwl

Bold statement, you must have proof - show us your researched/stats.

I'm the least patriotic person you will meet. Pollitically, I'm completely neutral. I'm just trying to point out the FACT that young drivers EVERYWHERE are high risk. YOUR the cat that started up with selecting countries. My guess is becuase the specific stats I pulled up were of the US, so your defense is "well thats just the US" showing how small minded you are.

Why, becuase they will prove your a jack a$$ who talks out his a$$, but when confrunted with real hard information you crawl back into your troll hole?