My 18 year old drives a brand new Prius. How wrong is that?

The issue is not specifically RWD...but the combibnation of a high torque powertrain with a RWD setup. In general I feel that a FWD car is more neutral and predictable for a new driver, but if its going to be RWD...it need not be a 5 liter V8.

 

Now I think that would be a great idea...

 

Don't discount the concept of risk homeostasis (which explains why emergency room visits due to motorcycle accidents actually increased after the helmet law was passed). I rarely pushed the Mustang and certainly not on a regular basis, and was more careful in slippery conditions than I would have otherwise been (had I gotten an under 100 hp RWD instead).

 

Most teenagers wouldn't be that way though...

 

All of you aren't the parents.

Do your own job with your own kids.

If you feel you want your kid to drive a 5-10 year old beater (albeit a safe beater), then fine.

Others, myself included, had no remorse whatsoever purchasing a new vehicle for our daughter.

However, let it be noted that my daughter got a brand new 2005 VW New Beetle (hardly a speed demon with many safety features and a highly rated crash test rating).

And that will be the ONLY car I purchase for her. She's already making overtures about how nice the Honda Civic coupe is...which I reply with "you can buy any car you want in the future...after all YOU will be paying for it". Two - three months after graduation from college in June 2010, the gravy train is over. Good luck with that!

 

To be sure, a Prius is not necessarily a 'high-end' car for an 18 yr. old. It really depends on their maturity level and so many other factors.

 

I say no big deal if he isn't a spoiled brat. My parents bought me a new car for college so I would have something reliable and also because I gave them 18 relatively hell-free years at home.

 

The OP posted the question. If he weren't interested in our opinions...he wouldn't have posted the question.

We'll see how ready your daughter is to stand on her own two feet when the "gravy train" ends in September of 2010. My issue with "spoiling" kids (and I am not saying that you have spoiled your daughter or that even buying a teenager a new car when they get their license necessarily spoils them) is that when they become a certain age and its time for them to stand on their own two feet...they don't know how...and they are automatically accustomed to a lifestyle that they cannot support on their own...making that transition much more painful than it otherwise would be had they been working and supporting themselves in some ways in the meantime. I personally believe this is a major reason why young adults have such a huge problem with credit card debt when they leave college, they are accustomed to things at home that they cannot afford to provide to themselves when they are "on their own"...so they go into debt to do it.

A luxury once experienced becomes a necessity. Thats very true.

Lets look at your situation with your daughter. She has a vehicle that will be 5 years old when she graduates college and the "gravy train ends". My mother had a VW New Beetle as did my cousin...that is getting to the point where she very well may need to replace it with something more reliable, that car is VERY expensive to keep in good running order after about 40-50k miles. Now she's graduated...on her own...has her first job...may need to take on a car payment, or definately will be dealing with costly repair bills while she is getting used to paying rent...buying groceries...etc. Do you think she might have been better off had you waited to buy her a new car as a college student or as a graduation present? Had you bought her the same car now she would be good until 2015 or later...when she will be more settled and more ready to take on the cost of purchasing a new car for herself.

Now before you get defensive you're the one who offered the information that has now become a part of our discussion...

 

Nothing wrong with that because it is not my money...

 

The problem with these young adults is they don't have goals for what to do after college. In theory, getting a college education should allow you to land a good-paying job (or move on to higher degree), which in turn should enable you to provide for yourself. Instead, they revert to doing little or nothing after college to take advantage of their college education. Also, studies have shown how young adults handle money largely mirrors their parents' spending/saving habits so proper guidance from parents has a lot to do with this.

 

This is true, however the job market is not easy, and you have to be realistic about what a "good paying job" is right after graduation. In many cases we're talking in the $30k range...after taxes you're bringing in $1900 or so per month. Lets say you can rent a place with a roomate for $700/mo...plus $100 in utilities...plus a cell phone, $80/mo...car insurance...$150/mo...groceries? $300/mo. Add it up...you've got like $500 left over for...life...activites...a social life. You can see how someone who had been living on a stipend from their parents of more than thatand not having to pay for the neccessities would have to make major adjustments in their lifestyle.

 

i don't care how responsible the kid is, their white brain matter simply hasn't developed enough for their judgment and perception to equal that of an adult. it's not personal, it's not judging people, it's a simple fact that teenage brains are NOT the same as adult brains yet. (any adult who does not know this has never encountered a teenager.)

parents rightly should drive nicer cars than their kids. why should there be complaints about a parent going out and buying a new $30k car (which is quite a luxury) with money they earned- while handing their kids a cheap, safe learner car, because they will have their time to earn their own luxuries? imo the basics suffice, so they have something to aspire to.

having a new car handed to you immediately takes away the concept that the luxury of a new car is something you earn. luxury becomes something you just deserve. and that contributes to the entitlement seen in these younger generations...

imo it also contributes to the twentysomethings who drowned in debt with new homes and furnishing their homes with things their parents had- while failing to realize that their parents have maybe 40 years more earning history, and that much more time to accumulate "stuff"

but that's just my rantings.

 

Well put...

 

Not that it is indicative of anything in general, but I was married when I was 18, and not because I had to get married. Thirty-four years later I am still married to the same woman. We both graduated from college, went on to professional carriers, and had a family. Not everyone is completely irresponsible at 18, although some are hopeless at any age.

Tom

 

+ 10^6 :madgrin:

 

The 5 1/2 year old New Beetle has 15,000 miles. Plenty of time to worry about the 40-50K range.

And yes, she will need to pay rent, groceries, utilities and insurance.

And yes, she is very aware of that fact.

 

HMSE - I saw a couple of the threads and I was a little shocked at the responses you received.

Some people really need to lighten up! People who complain like that are trying to exercise some sort of control somewhere to make up for something in their own that’s out of control. Ignore them! Hopefully you saw Octavia’s response to the parking brake thread, it was priceless.

Congratulations on the new car! Buying one these days in this economy is an achievement. Be proud of what you were able to achieve and what you’re doing for the environment!

 

thats a commercial for a pizza company