Your opinion on parents who buy their kids cars

My boyfriend and I recently befriended a woman who attends a book club that he is apart of. We recently go into a discussion over first cars. My parents bought me a car prior to my senior year of high school. I helped pay for gas, maintenance, and a couple of years later I gave my parents $1,000 worth of car payments to help pay it off. My boyfriend received a car as a present on his 18th birthday. This woman grew up in a family of seven kids and only her dad worked. She said that she had to work to buy a used car and that she feels she appreciated it more than her high school friends who were given cars to from their parents. She also said that she thinks a lot of teens and 20 somethings are entitled and don't work hard enough to get certain things.

I do agree with her that some teens are a bit spoiled but not every teen who gets a car is entitled or spoiled. In my situation, my parents had purchased cars for my older siblings either before or during our senior years of high school. We did well in school, had part time jobs and were rarely in trouble. My boyfriend's situation was similar. I don't think buying a teenager a car is bad thing all the time. What are your views?

Well, I'm one of those parents. I recently bought my 16 year old daughter a brand new Mazda-2. She can occasionally act spoiled but deep down I know she appreciates her life, based on her observations of those less fortunate, which aren't at all snobbish in nature. I want her to have a better start at life than I did and not sacrifice her dreams and goals in the name of not being saddled with debt, like I was/did. My parents threw me to the wolves as far as things like making me pay for my own car, college and wedding while charging me rent to live at home during that time.

While I learned a lot about self sufficiency the hard way, I also learned to resent my parents for the rent part where I was already struggling to pay for everything--- salt on the wound. I am hoping I've done a good job at raising my daughter to be a responsible adult and so far, so good. If I can give her the start I never had then good for me, I say.

I think it is an ok thing to do. I'm not sure most kids should have a brand new car but if parents can easily afford it, it is a good thing to know the kid will be safer on the road than with an older vehicle.

Personally, for my son to get a car, he will have to be a hard worker and help pay insurance and all of the gas.

[quote="Hyacinth Girl"]Well, I'm one of those parents. I recently bought my 16 year old daughter a brand new Mazda-2. She can occasionally act spoiled but deep down I know she appreciates her life, based on her observations of those less fortunate, which aren't at all snobbish in nature. [b]I want her to have a better start at life than I did and not sacrifice her dreams and goals in the name of not being saddled with debt, like I was/did.[/b] My parents threw me to the wolves as far as things like making me pay for my own car, college and wedding while charging me rent to live at home during that time.

While I learned a lot about self sufficiency the hard way, I also learned to resent my parents for the rent part where I was already struggling to pay for everything--- salt on the wound. I am hoping I've done a good job at raising my daughter to be a responsible adult and so far, so good. If I can give her the start I never had then good for me, I say.[/quote]

My parents had a similar view. They wanted me to have a better start at life. Buying me a car allowed me to focus a bit more on paying for college textbooks, rent, and other expenses associated with college.

RedBedroom wrote:I think it is an ok thing to do. I'm not sure most kids should have a brand new car but if parents can easily afford it, it is a good thing to know the kid will be safer on the road than with an older vehicle.

Personally, for my son to get a car, he will have to be a hard worker and help pay insurance and all of the gas.

I agree it is safer a kid to be in a new car rather than an older vehicle.

I bought my son a car when he turned 18. I think he appreciated it.

Honestly, I don't have any problems with what parents buy their children. Their money, their children.

I have no problem with it. I would hesitate to buy my daughter a brand new car, but if she held down a stable part-time job (because upkeep and car payments would be her responsibility) and kept a decent GPA, I would go ahead and do it if the timing was convenient. She would simply need to prove that she's reliable and mature enough to handle a car. If she can, I'll go ahead and get her one.

We bought our daughter her first car when she was in H.S. It was used and nothing special. She bought her second car new.

I'll buy my kid a car if he/she deserved it and was responsible enough. A brand new car would prob. be out though. Then again, I wouldn't let my kid get a license until 18. 17 if he/she was an exceptional kid.

When I was in hi school I walked, rode my bike or took the school bus. My dad taught me how to drive after checking with his insurance that I was covered with a permit in the family car. I drove to get my license and my dad drove back home. I never drove a car again until my last year in the service when I bought my own used 57 Chevy. The insurance cost nearly as much as the car. I have bought my own vehicles all my life.

As for teens driving - I wouldn't feel obligated to get them a vehicle.

My ma helped me get my first car...nothing wrong with it, I paid car payments, insurance, gas and maintenance.

We only bought new for a few reasons:

1. They gave us the wrong price, much in our favor, and put it in writing, so they couldn't back out, thus we only paid $14,000 for the Mazda, which is a pretty comparable price to some of the decent used ones out there.

2. The Mazda has excellent visibility/few blind spots, and we needed that first and foremost since my daughter is blind in her left eye.

3. We sold my mother in law's Buick, two years ago, that we inherited when she died in 2007---figured by the time my daughter was driving, the car would be 10 years old, and it was already starting to make a ticking noise in the engine, so it wouldn't be worth it if it needed repairs.

4. When college rolls around in 2 years for my daughter, and depending on how we have to pay for that, if we need fast cash, we can sell one of the two Toyota Rav-4's we outright own, and probably get a year's tuition off that, and then we still have the Mazda that we can drive in place of that, if my daughter can't take the car with her to college.

So basically, "new" worked out better than "used" in our situation, but we would've considered a used vehicle, too, if this one didn't work out, but we figured for the same price, why not get the new?

Shale wrote:When I was in hi school I walked, rode my bike or took the school bus.

So...you've regressed?

If they can afford it, I don't see it as being a problem. I have twins, so that presents an issue. The way I'd probably handle it is that I'd be willing to do something like half. They work for half the price of a car they wanna buy and I'd match it.

Let them work for it like I did.