First car (Read 568 times)

You know what they say about great minds!

Mine is just a little s-l-o-w-e-r.

My first car was a 1987 Chevy Celebrity. Bad paint, Bad wheels, worse ride...awful, but I loved it! I was 16 and my Grandfather sold it to me for $1. It had about 90,000 miles on it, but I didn't have to ride the cheese wagon! I worked all summer long to pay for the car insurance. My mom would take my paychecks and deposit them into a savings account. It was worth every hour bagging groceries at the local giant. If your son is willing to handle some responsability, a car can be a great teaching tool. Just as long as he keeps up his end of the bargain, I don't see a problem. Many kids are not good drivers at 16 years old. Most of the reportable crash reports I write at work are from inexperienced drivers. Most traffic tickets I issue are to young drivers. The majority of PA license holders who loose their licenses, are young, inexperienced drivers. So, If you do buy him a car, remember this: 1) When he screws up: Take the keys away 2) When he can't pay for gas/insurance: Take the keys away 3) When he gets his first traffic ticket: Take the keys away If you follow these simple rules, He will become a curteous, respectful, law obedient driver.

My first car was a 1986 Jeep CJ7. The last yr they made the CJ7 model, decided it was too high & narrow of a wheel base some safety commission said. It rocked! It was the last yr Jeeps were made for off-road instead of city streets IMO. My friends & I would take the top & doors off, grab a case of beer & head for the back roads & wooded trails! We'd run it where ever we could go until the engine was so wet it wouldn't run anymore. Then we'd drink the case, laugh until we were sober & the Jeep was dry, then finish our run. Follow all of this by a trip to the car wash & a power wash of the inside & undercarriage to get the mud out & you had one fantastic, farm kid Friday night!! Oh, the memories! It was a burnt orange/rust color with brick red interior & a huge eagle on the hood! The windshield leaked & I had to pull the floor plug out to keep my feet dry! I loved that Jeep & still curse my mother for making me sell it when I moved to the "big city" for college. She didn't think it was safe to drive around the city. Seriously...there were no mud holes, two track hills & trees in the city, she'd have been better off to hide it until I went to college!! I had to pay for the vehicle (actually, they bought it, I pd them), gas & maintenance (though some maintenance they helped out on). My parents paid for my insurance in high school & college, so long as 1. I kept my grades up to my normal standard's (A's & high B's) and 2. I didn't receive any tickets. And my mom is an insurance agent, so she ran MVR's on us every couple months just to make sure we weren't trying to hide tickets. I don't think getting your kid a car is a bad thing, but lay down some very clear rules & follow through with them. And I like the extra family car idea...I might have to use that in 7yrs. As I side note, I was always a no drinking & driving fanatic, still am. When we stalled out in the woods, one person always had to stay sober, not sober up!!