[Chris65LeMans]

When my kids get to driving age, and if they’re lucky enough for me to buy them cars, it’ll be something with 4 cylinders and probably Japanese. Not enough power to get them in too much trouble, and stuff built in the last 10 years will have stability and traction control, abs, side airbags, etc.

I don’t really buy the “first car is important to get them into cars” theory. My dad wasn’t a car guy - so it wasn’t “passed on” to me. Speaking of the old man, he would be laughing his ass off if he read this thread talking about “finding a car you kid will like.”

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by Chris65LeMans

When my kids get to driving age, and if they’re lucky enough for me to buy them cars, it’ll be something with 4 cylinders and probably Japanese. Not enough power to get them in too much trouble, and stuff built in the last 10 years will have stability and traction control, abs, side airbags, etc.

I don’t really buy the “first car is important to get them into cars” theory. My dad wasn’t a car guy - so it wasn’t “passed on” to me. Speaking of the old man, he would be laughing his ass off if he read this thread talking about “finding a car you kid will like.”

LOL! Same here.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by Chris65LeMans

When my kids get to driving age, and if they’re lucky enough for me to buy them cars, it’ll be something with 4 cylinders and probably Japanese. Not enough power to get them in too much trouble, and stuff built in the last 10 years will have stability and traction control, abs, side airbags, etc.

”

LOL,, I think as parents we all tend to think that way but in all honesty if the kids are brought up right and have a head on their shoulders there really isn't too much concern. I'm more worried about the other drivers on the road, not my son and his driving. We really don't care for all the driving aids either, or air bags for that matter.

When I look back, I was 16 and started my daily driving in a 56 Nomad with manual steering, manual drum brakes, no seat belts, a fairly potent high strung 327 that would run with anything on the street at that time. I'm still here. I may have been 16 but I was sensible. I knew my limitations, and more importantly, the cars limitations. Drove that thing for years, then bought a couple of novas to daily drive, and the whole time I also had a SS 454 chevelle in the garage I would enjoy on the weekends.
By most peoples accounts, the way they worry today, I should have been dead a long time ago

[Firedup6975]

I would never let any new driver get into a big HP car as a first car teen or adult. They just don’t have the reaction time as an experienced driver does. Plus if they get a cool looking car out of the gait they tend to get careless showing it off. Just my opinion. My Daughter didn’t get to drive my Challenger until she was well into her late twenties. She drove my 75 TA, but never my 69.

[dstryr]

Originally Posted by Firedup6975

I would never let any new driver get into a big HP car as a first car teen or adult. They just don’t have the reaction time as an experienced driver does. Plus if they get a cool looking car out of the gait they tend to get careless showing it off. Just my opinion. My Daughter didn’t get to drive my Challenger until she was well into her late twenties. She drove my 75 TA, but never my 69.

Not her first car but I had my kid in my 69 6bbl Road Runner when she was 16... 505" motor and a McLeod clutch that a gorilla would grunt on.. lol She only drove it once, the first time on a 4-speed wasn't all that exciting to her. I think the anxiety of learning the 4 speed and the heavy clutch pretty much made her mind up that she didn't want anything to do with it. I sold that car in '16 and she's been riding my butt about it. She thought it was more bada$$ than the GTO.

I got my 69 Judge out this past spring -which she did put a few miles on spring of '17- and brought it down to where we live. It had pretty much been stored since '06. She had a blast driving it and its probably not much faster than her 07 Mazda 6 with a v6. She barrel races horses and is in college so I don't think she'll be asking for the keys anytime soon with all that is on her plate. Its fun to get the young ones interested at least.

[jerry455]

The Fiero was not what the kid would like, we got it for free. I had to put a motor in it. What better way to teach your kids the value of a dollar and take care of what they helped build. I also enjoyed spending many hours working together with them. My son would not have wanted anything Japanese or German. We live in metro Detroit and those are not what we drive .

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by jerry455

The Fiero was not what the kid would like, we got it for free. I had to put a motor in it. What better way to teach your kids the value of a dollar and take care of what they helped build. I also enjoyed spending many hours working together with them. My son would not have wanted anything Japanese or German. We live in metro Detroit and those are not what we drive .

That is a really big part of it right there. I bought that 89 5.0 for $500 as a running driving car but it was a mess. My son and I both restored it, painted it, fixed all the mechanicals on it. He learned to respect the car, learned what things cost and the work involved to make it what it is, and as a result I have no worries of him going out and doing stupid things in it. He worries where he parks it, doesn't like to drive it when the weather is bad, etc.. and this type of mentality has carried over to how he treats his other car as well. I've taken him to the drag strip where he's raced his mustang on a few occasions so he knows how to handle a car, what to do and what not to do. I've let him drive our 70 RA Formula, the 69 Z/28 and other cars here as well. He's going to be the caretaker for this stuff when I'm gone so they have to learn sometime.

It's all about how the kids are brought up and how you approach the car hobby with them. I didn't have to push him into it. He grew up around it and loves this stuff.

[jerry455]

My neighbor is a new car sales manager at at large Chevrolet dealer and he was amazed how my son always waxed his Fiero. The paint was not even a good 10 footer but it was his and he was proud of it. My neighbor wished his daughters would take care of their new cars as well as my son took care of his old one.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by jerry455

My neighbor is a new car sales manager at at large Chevrolet dealer and he was amazed how my son always waxed his Fiero. The paint was not even a good 10 footer but it was his and he was proud of it. My neighbor wished his daughters would take care of their new cars as well as my son took care of his old one.

I see that with other kids as well. Where my son goes to college there are quite a few that are into cars. It's interesting to watch them park in the far out corners of the lots, back them in, (they park out where my son parks) the cars are always clean, you can tell they are proud of what they have and are taking care of it. One even drives a very nice 68 Super Bee every day. One drives a new mustang and another drives a new Porche and they like to park near my sons mustang. Funny how nice cars attract other nice cars as if I think they feel their cars are safer when next to others that care. It's almost like a groupy thing going on at the back of the lot. funny.

[U47]

Originally Posted by Chris65LeMans

When my kids get to driving age, and if they’re lucky enough for me to buy them cars, it’ll be something with 4 cylinders and probably Japanese. Not enough power to get them in too much trouble, and stuff built in the last 10 years will have stability and traction control, abs, side airbags, etc.

I don’t really buy the “first car is important to get them into cars” theory. My dad wasn’t a car guy - so it wasn’t “passed on” to me. Speaking of the old man, he would be laughing his ass off if he read this thread talking about “finding a car you kid will like.”

My wife has a 2012 Sentra SL 4 cylinder CVT. It's already been over 130 MPH. BTW, traveling the desert floor at 100MPH it gets 35mpg.