I walked to school.  I was 20yo and had been in the USMC nearly 3 years before I owned my first car.


Now I see kids getting brand new BMWs and Mercedes when they turn 16.

When I turned 16 my parents made me buy their old ass '85 Ford Escort.  Manual, AM radio.  $900 bucks of hard earned money I made mowing lawns all summer.  I paid for everything myself. Insurance for a 16 year old was rough.  I mowed lawns all year to keep paying for it.  Drove that sucker till it died and then got a used car with my own E-2 money.  
 I don't ever remember getting an allowance.  I do remember my dad saying he would buy me a gallon of gas and rent me the lawn mower so I could have some money.  My parents raised me right and I get sick when I see little spoiled kids crying because their parents bought them LAST years BMW!
 Send them to boot camp.  Then everything will be provided for them!

social class envy is a bitch aint it.

If you are used to living like a average american, what in god's name would make you want to live like a average somalian?

If you are used to living like a rich american, what in God's name would make you want to live like an average american?

The divide between rich and poor grows greater by the day, and on the subject of economics and psychology, it has been proven time and time again, that human beings use reference levels and not absolute levels of utility when it comes to consumption... example being, we may think the 3 series is extravagant when we are poor, but we may think the same car as a POS (pfft, only the four cylinder model!) when we are rich. We also have huge risk aversion, being that we put much more emphasis on avoiding loss than we do on attempt to get gains.

Kids with rich parents have always been spoiled. It's not a new thing. Sure some of your parents had the good sense to not spoil you but they are definiately in the minority when it comes to American parenting styles

I don't even drive a $30,000 car, let alone my kids.  Not that I can't afford it, but I prefer to spend my money a bit more intelligently than that.

These people can't be making that much money.  What are they investing toward their retirement?  How much debt are they carrying?

This kind of shit is a financial crisis just waiting to explode.  

Quoted: half the cars here at Umiami need a bigass sticker on the back that says "THANK YOU DADDY"

Some punk heckled me in traffic years ago, "Did your daddy buy that for you?"

Intead of getting all preachy on him about aiming high and it can be done, I just yelled back that my girlfriend bought it for me! Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha! I wish I had a picture of his face. I know he was just hassling me because he was just trying to score points with his bud while driving a beat-up pickup truck, but it sure was funny! He He He, good times.

Quoted: I don't even drive a $30,000 car, let alone my kids.  Not that I can't afford it, but I prefer to spend my money a bit more intelligently than that. These people can't be making that much money.  What are they investing toward their retirement?  How much debt are they carrying? This kind of shit is a financial crisis just waiting to explode.

I think you would be shocked by how little net-worth a lot of people living in expensive homes, driving expensive car, etc.  really have.  It is all cash flow, not wealth, for them.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Cool stuff like 70's muscle cars Hey now, some of us are worked hard on our cars. myspace-909.vo.llnwd.net/00246/90/96/246676909_l.jpg still saving up for that tranny... 68?  The 67 I think is the most beautiful car ever made. 69, wish it was a fastback, but this is what I could afford.

cool ride, props for working on it yourself, wish I knew how to do all that.

My parents bought my older sister an '87 Dodge Aries K in high school, and she shared it with my dad.  Her first car was a '90 Ford Festiva.

I'm with you.

I went to the "rich kids" high school.  One kid in my high school had a 2002 Pontiac Trans-Am Collector's Edition, and many students had BMW's, VW's, Mustangs, Camaros, nice cars like that. Edited to add-one Arabian kid in my school had an Escalade.  

I don't drive, but I wouldn't ever have my parents buy me a car.  Especially not one like what you describe.

My parents wouldn't buy me a car.  They also wont let me use theirs usually.

I have to drive my Grandmother's car, a 1993 Mercury Sable (that was rarely driven, has <27000 miles) that is this weird cranberry color.  

Looks like I'll be using it until I finish college.

Quoted: Quoted: I don't even drive a $30,000 car, let alone my kids.  Not that I can't afford it, but I prefer to spend my money a bit more intelligently than that. These people can't be making that much money.  What are they investing toward their retirement?  How much debt are they carrying? This kind of shit is a financial crisis just waiting to explode.   I think you would be shocked by how little net-worth a lot of people living in expensive homes, driving expensive car, etc.  really have.  It is all cash flow, not wealth, for them.

My wife worked in a furniture store briefly a few years back.  She said the scratch and dent sales were really out of control, because all the yuppies in the upscale suburbs nearby were constantly looking for cheap furniture.  She told me several tales of huge, empty houses that the owners couldn't afford to furnish because they were stretched to the limit.

Quoted: My parents bought my older sister an '87 Dodge Aries K in high school, and she shared it with my dad.  Her first car was a '90 Ford Festiva. I'm with you. I went to the "rich kids" high school.  One kid in my high school had a 2002 Pontiac Trans-Am Collector's Edition, and many students had BMW's, VW's, Mustangs, Camaros, nice cars like that. Edited to add-one Arabian kid in my school had an Escalade.   I don't drive, but I wouldn't ever have my parents buy me a car.  Especially not one like what you describe.

Deej! havent seen ya in awhile, good to have you back.

Quoted: i agree that new drivers shouldn't be getting a brand new BMW.  but, if the parents can afford it, i don't think they should get a $500 junker either.  you want a car that's BASIC and CHEAP, but SAFE.  i know someone that died because of a mechanical failure and poor construction of an automobile.  money spent on a safer car is not money wasted.

My first car in about 1986 was a 1956 Chevy Bel-Air 4 door. It was a beater that my dad drove. Two years earlier he pulled into the driveway and the brake pedal went to the floor. The brakes were the last fully functioning system on the car to fail. Over my 13th and 14th years I rebuilt brakes, changed a transmission, rebuilt a carburetor, adjusted valves, changed front and rear wheel bearings, installed an interior and started driving it at age 15. All work was done with my own money and I paid to have the body work done. I was tuning the other family cars by myself by age 11 anyway but I wouldn't have changed that rebuilding experience for the world.

Quoted: Quoted: My parents bought my older sister an '87 Dodge Aries K in high school, and she shared it with my dad.  Her first car was a '90 Ford Festiva. I'm with you. I went to the "rich kids" high school.  One kid in my high school had a 2002 Pontiac Trans-Am Collector's Edition, and many students had BMW's, VW's, Mustangs, Camaros, nice cars like that. Edited to add-one Arabian kid in my school had an Escalade.   I don't drive, but I wouldn't ever have my parents buy me a car.  Especially not one like what you describe. Deej! havent seen ya in awhile, good to have you back.

Thanks BR, been PCless for awhile.  Back and all is well!

Quoted: I've been toying around with the idea of when my son turns 16 buying him a "average" older car with no engine and buying a crate engine, Chiltons manual and a nice toolbox. I'll buy your car, but you have to put it together.

"Some assembly required". I love it!

In 1988, yes way back in '88, while standing in the parking lot after my graduation a father was giving the keys to a brand new Porsche complete with "bow on top" to a girl in my graduating class.

I was still driving the 1967 VW Bug that I had purchased for $75 of my own money and put about $300 dollars into fixin it up.

I'll always remember standing there with my dad, watching from across the lot, when he turned to me and said "I can't buy you no fucking Porsche and woulnd'nt anyway.  You think you see a difference between you and people like her now, but in 10 years, when your making your way in the real world, you'll KNOW there is a fuckin' difference and you'll be a helluva lot better off for it."

Yeah I hang out on a car forum for Acuras and this one tardass 18 yo kid was talking about how many cars he'd gone through.  Wrecked this one, didn't like this other one, so daddy bought him another.  Then he was soliciting advice on whether he should get a Civic and mod the hell out of it... Everyone's like WTF..

He gets $25-35k cars and now he wants a Civic just so he can put a fart can on it and rice it up.

My first vehicle was a 72 Ford F100, with an inline 6, and 3 on the tree. I got it in 86, and loved it. 16 years and 6 months from now I will decide what to buy my kid. It all depends on how responsible he/she(don't know yet) is. It won't be brand new, but it will be safe and reliable. My plan is, the kid gets the first one with help from us, if they wreck it, or blow the motor due to lack of upkeep, the next one will be up to the kid to buy.  The better the grades, and responsibility level, the better the car. A cell phone is kind of a given these days, just for safety. They make phones that only allow certain numbers to be called ie..home, 911 etc. It all goes back to how responsible they are, as to what they get. IMO

Quoted: Quoted: New cars...Expensive toys...Fuuuuccck That!!!! My little girl comes out of the oven in July... No way I will let her become a spoiled little brat... No cellphones, no TV, no video games, no Ipod... A bed, a desk, and a few shelves....that's the way I was raised... My first car cost ME $900... I bought my first new car at age 26... when I could comfortably afford it... Rethink that one. If she has any kind of a social life, she will need a cell phone. She won't need a cell phone for her social life, she will need a cell phone to keep in touch with you. Not when she is 10 of course, but think around 15-16 when she and her friends start driving. That's what my parents did I got my drivers lisence, and they handed me the old cellphone so they could keep in contact with me.

My kids will not be spending that much time out of touch. If I do my job right they will be busy with harmless stuff provided by me most of their teenage years.

Quoted: Quoted: New cars...Expensive toys...Fuuuuccck That!!!! My little girl comes out of the oven in July... No way I will let her become a spoiled little brat... No cellphones, no TV, no video games, no Ipod... A bed, a desk, and a few shelves....that's the way I was raised... My first car cost ME $900... I bought my first new car at age 26... when I could comfortably afford it... Thank God you're not my Dad.   Once you've lived with the kid a few years, you may come to love it and actually buy it stuff.

The worst thing you can do for a child is give him everything he wants. The whole point is to teach him how to get himself mobile. It is no different than teaching him to walk or run. If you love him I guess you could just keep carrying him everywhere he needs to go.

Quoted: social class envy is a bitch aint it. If you are used to living like a average american, what in god's name would make you want to live like a average somalian? If you are used to living like a rich american, what in God's name would make you want to live like an average american? The divide between rich and poor grows greater by the day, and on the subject of economics and psychology, it has been proven time and time again, that human beings use reference levels and not absolute levels of utility when it comes to consumption... example being, we may think the 3 series is extravagant when we are poor, but we may think the same car as a POS (pfft, only the four cylinder model!) when we are rich. We also have huge risk aversion, being that we put much more emphasis on avoiding loss than we do on attempt to get gains. Kids with rich parents have always been spoiled. It's not a new thing. Sure some of your parents had the good sense to not spoil you but they are definiately in the minority when it comes to American parenting styles

I would disagree that this is a social class thing. It's not that my parent's couldn't have bought me an Acura TSX, it's that they chose not to, nor would I have wanted one. Meanwhile the girl next door (a major hottie by the way han

Quoted: I think you would be shocked by how little net-worth a lot of people living in expensive homes, driving expensive car, etc.  really have.  It is all cash flow, not wealth, for them.

Exactly. People in my old neighborhood where the average household income was probably around the $300,000 mark lived their lives as if they earned $1,000,000 a year. Naturally they were up to their necks in debt. They made enough however to always be able to stay afloat, even if just only. You can guess what the 2000 tech bubble burst did to my neighborhood. Wiped half of it out as if a thermonuclear warhead had hit it. Of course, by 2003, everyone was back to buying BMW X5's for their 17 year olds. They simply don't learn... hinking.gif

Quoted: Quoted: social class envy is a bitch aint it. If you are used to living like a average american, what in god's name would make you want to live like a average somalian? If you are used to living like a rich american, what in God's name would make you want to live like an average american? The divide between rich and poor grows greater by the day, and on the subject of economics and psychology, it has been proven time and time again, that human beings use reference levels and not absolute levels of utility when it comes to consumption... example being, we may think the 3 series is extravagant when we are poor, but we may think the same car as a POS (pfft, only the four cylinder model!) when we are rich. We also have huge risk aversion, being that we put much more emphasis on avoiding loss than we do on attempt to get gains. Kids with rich parents have always been spoiled. It's not a new thing. Sure some of your parents had the good sense to not spoil you but they are definiately in the minority when it comes to American parenting styles I would disagree that this is a social class thing. It's not that my parent's couldn't have bought me an Acura TSX, it's that they chose not to, nor would I have wanted one. Meanwhile the girl next door (a major hottie by the way ) got an Acura TL (more expensive than the TSX by a few bills) when she was a Junior in high school. It's more about the parents and their general "theory" (I hate that word, but my brain cannot come up with anything more suitable) on raising healthy, well-adjusted children. Unfortunately, the world seems to have a lot more worthless, sack of s*** parents in the 21st century than it had in, say, 1950. It really isn't a surprise that kids are such horrible miscreants today when both parents are at work and leave the childrearing to the nanny, buy the kid anything to make up for actually spending time with them, and universities base their acceptances on skin color, gender, sexual preferences, and most importantly perhaps, how "well-rounded" you are, which is itself a misnomer and idiotic theory. In an age when the 1st world believes that every child should go to university, and it is acceptable for the children (even if they are friggin' 18) to not eat dinner with the rest of the family but eat some vile s*** from McDonald's and hang out with their stupid friends until 3AM doing God knows what, what do you expect? That does not produce mature adults who will go on to produce their own healthy, well-adjusted offspring, oh no. I blame society and the "all that matters is having fun" mentality. If I have to see yet another weakling 5 year old who still wears diapers, or another 10 year old who cannot throw a ball, I am buying an island in Canada and living the rest of my life as a recluse. Where have all the healthy,normal, wholesome people gone? Why is everyone such an overmedicated, undereducated f***-up? This is unacceptable. And then the 1st world wonders why the 3rd world is beating the doors down and clamoring for blood...

Good post.

Quoted: social class envy is a bitch aint it.

Do you go around looking for threads where you can post your special brand of stupid shit?

I swear, if you and premed gunner aren't the same person, you both fell out of the same dumbass tree.

Quoted: Quoted: social class envy is a bitch aint it. Do you go around looking for threads where you can post your special brand of stupid shit? I swear, if you and premed gunner aren't the same person, you both fell out of the same dumbass tree.

No shit, huh?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: social class envy is a bitch aint it. Do you go around looking for threads where you can post your special brand of stupid shit? I swear, if you and premed gunner aren't the same person, you both fell out of the same dumbass tree. No shit, huh?

I'm frightened that premed_gunner will actually become a doctor someday, and some poor soul will be stuck with a doctor who is so chronically fucking stupid that it baffles the mind.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: New cars...Expensive toys...Fuuuuccck That!!!! My little girl comes out of the oven in July... No way I will let her become a spoiled little brat... No cellphones, no TV, no video games, no Ipod... A bed, a desk, and a few shelves....that's the way I was raised... My first car cost ME $900... I bought my first new car at age 26... when I could comfortably afford it... Rethink that one. If she has any kind of a social life, she will need a cell phone. She won't need a cell phone for her social life, she will need a cell phone to keep in touch with you. Not when she is 10 of course, but think around 15-16 when she and her friends start driving. That's what my parents did I got my drivers lisence, and they handed me the old cellphone so they could keep in contact with me. My kids will not be spending that much time out of touch. If I do my job right they will be busy with harmless stuff provided by me most of their teenage years.

Christ man - hanging out with friends isn't harmless stuff?
Let's say they stay late at school to help with layout at the school paper, then they want to run to Mcdonalds to get a burger with their friends.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: New cars...Expensive toys...Fuuuuccck That!!!! My little girl comes out of the oven in July... No way I will let her become a spoiled little brat... No cellphones, no TV, no video games, no Ipod... A bed, a desk, and a few shelves....that's the way I was raised... My first car cost ME $900... I bought my first new car at age 26... when I could comfortably afford it... Rethink that one. If she has any kind of a social life, she will need a cell phone. She won't need a cell phone for her social life, she will need a cell phone to keep in touch with you. Not when she is 10 of course, but think around 15-16 when she and her friends start driving. That's what my parents did I got my drivers lisence, and they handed me the old cellphone so they could keep in contact with me. My kids will not be spending that much time out of touch. If I do my job right they will be busy with harmless stuff provided by me most of their teenage years. Christ man - hanging out with friends isn't harmless stuff? Let's say they stay late at school to help with layout at the school paper, then they want to run to Mcdonalds to get a burger with their friends.

We homeschool. Doing a project with friends would most likely end up being at ours or friend's homes. Besides, McDonalds is crap food and they will most likely be smart enough to save the money and raid my frige anyway. My boy will most likely be working on a car, shooting or working. They can fight and will be taught when to flee. Other than that I couldn't help them from a distance anyway.

I remember my first car.  Mom and dad helped out, and even though I wast telling them Mustang, Mustang, Mustang, I ended up with a 1982 Toyota Celica GT 5 speed.  To tell you the truth I was happy to just have a car.  Now a scant 10 years later ( I got mine when I was 17 because my grades weren't good enough at 16), I do drive a Mustang, that I purchased for myself new.  I don't plan on having kids, and frankly I really don't plan on ever getting married, but if I were to happen to end up married with children, when they come to driving age, I may decide to help them out with their first car, but that all will be on their responsiblity level, and if I do help out, you can bet your ass it will be something practical, it won't be the newest greatest thing out there.

Quoted: Quoted: New cars...Expensive toys...Fuuuuccck That!!!! My little girl comes out of the oven in July... No way I will let her become a spoiled little brat... No cellphones, no TV, no video games, no Ipod... A bed, a desk, and a few shelves....that's the way I was raised... My first car cost ME $900... I bought my first new car at age 26... when I could comfortably afford it... Thank God you're not my Dad.   Once you've lived with the kid a few years, you may come to love it and actually buy it stuff.

Sheesh..I did not have ANY of this stuff as a kid...I had a BED, a DESK, a few shelves, basic toys, and some books. I was not allowed to have a TV, however, I did have a radio.

By no TV, I mean no TV in her room. I seriously doubt I will let her watch it much though.
Just a few hours a week.  

The computer will be located in the living room for her to use for school.

I see no need for a kid to have a cellphone or a pager though. Maybe MAYBE when she starts driving.

I can't wait for my daughter, I intend to spend as much time as I can doing real activities with her, I will buy her stuff, but I have no intentions of spoiling her rotten...

My wife and I have discussed this to death already- our son is 2 years old, we only let him watch tv so much, and then he watches Sesame Street and Thomas the train engine, educational but fun. My wife is a nature person so she takes him for walks and they bring home pine cones,sticks, whatever he likes that day.


We have too many friends/coworkers that have spoiled children the same age as ours or a little older. I have watched a friends son repeatedly takes parts of his rifles off the table while we were cleaning after shooting and laugh at his father when told "No!" My wife and I are both in EMS and we have both seen the results of spoiled kids with too many toys and not enough parent. I transported 2 of 6 kids one night to the hospital after they lost control of an expensive sports car, went through a field at about 80mph and nosed into a creekbed. The entire vehicle then flipped in midair and came to rest on it's roof. All of them crawled out on their own, scuffs and bruises is all they had. Wanna know where they got the car? One of the 16 year olds dads had a car lot. Seems he throws junior a set of keys to something fast on the weekends so his boy cab have fun. They were all laughing at the hospital, couldn't wait for the next weekend to go out and play.

My wife picked up a 5 year old at a doctors office the other week that was on more behavioral meds than he was old, and the doctor was going to add more. I helped hold down a 9 year old in a hospital exam room while the nurses tied her down after she tried to kill her mother. The mother was in the door crying while her daughter screamed "You f*****g b***h!!! I'm gonna kill you b***h!!"   The girl was wearing designer everything, had big earrings and her nails were done but Mom didn't even know where the stuff came from, she just threw her the money. One day she said no and her daughter attacked her- took 3 cops to pull her off. This is a NINE year old.

We have already agreed our son will learn to say plase and thank you( he's already got please down- that's my boy!) and show respect for his elders. He will NOT have his own TV,VCR,DVD,and computer like other kids I know. He will have good furniture, a small stereo which he will keep at a reasonable volume,and he will have internet access for school only. We're discussing a system where he will be allowed to earn internet time for chores or good behavior or something. The computer will be in the living room and we WILL have a net nanny program and we WILL check what he's looking at.

I'm already preparing myself for the extra hours of work to send him to a country day school up the road, they aren't stuffy or Ivy League but they have small classes and a great rep. They also aren't afraid to pray either.

Maybe I'm paranoid because of what I see everyday, but I get more and more screwed up kids, mentally and physically. Maybe my kid won't think of me as his best friend, but I hope he'll know I love him.

Kid I went to School with got  one of the cheaper Ferrari's brand new as a graduation present, his dad owned an authorized shop and wanted to keep him interested so he'd join the business.

I bought my first car chevy malibu 305 V8. $500.00 paid for gas and insurance and have ever since. Will someone buy me a $30,000 dollar car????? anyone?????

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: New cars...Expensive toys...Fuuuuccck That!!!! My little girl comes out of the oven in July... No way I will let her become a spoiled little brat... No cellphones, no TV, no video games, no Ipod... A bed, a desk, and a few shelves....that's the way I was raised... My first car cost ME $900... I bought my first new car at age 26... when I could comfortably afford it... Thank God you're not my Dad.   Once you've lived with the kid a few years, you may come to love it and actually buy it stuff. Sheesh..I did not have ANY of this stuff as a kid...I had a BED, a DESK, a few shelves, basic toys, and some books. I was not allowed to have a TV, however, I did have a radio. By no TV, I mean no TV in her room. I seriously doubt I will let her watch it much though. Just a few hours a week.   The computer will be located in the living room for her to use for school. I see no need for a kid to have a cellphone or a pager though. Maybe MAYBE when she starts driving. I can't wait for my daughter, I intend to spend as much time as I can doing real activities with her, I will buy her stuff, but I have no intentions of spoiling her rotten...

Not to mention that confusing love with money and parenting with friendship is what we are talking about here in the first place.

Quoted: My wife and I have discussed this to death already- our son is 2 years old, we only let him watch tv so much, and then he watches Sesame Street and Thomas the train engine, educational but fun. My wife is a nature person so she takes him for walks and they bring home pine cones,sticks, whatever he likes that day. We have too many friends/coworkers that have spoiled children the same age as ours or a little older. I have watched a friends son repeatedly takes parts of his rifles off the table while we were cleaning after shooting and laugh at his father when told "No!" My wife and I are both in EMS and we have both seen the results of spoiled kids with too many toys and not enough parent. I transported 2 of 6 kids one night to the hospital after they lost control of an expensive sports car, went through a field at about 80mph and nosed into a creekbed. The entire vehicle then flipped in midair and came to rest on it's roof. All of them crawled out on their own, scuffs and bruises is all they had. Wanna know where they got the car? One of the 16 year olds dads had a car lot. Seems he throws junior a set of keys to something fast on the weekends so his boy cab have fun. They were all laughing at the hospital, couldn't wait for the next weekend to go out and play. My wife picked up a 5 year old at a doctors office the other week that was on more behavioral meds than he was old, and the doctor was going to add more. I helped hold down a 9 year old in a hospital exam room while the nurses tied her down after she tried to kill her mother. The mother was in the door crying while her daughter screamed "You f*****g b***h!!! I'm gonna kill you b***h!!"   The girl was wearing designer everything, had big earrings and her nails were done but Mom didn't even know where the stuff came from, she just threw her the money. One day she said no and her daughter attacked her- took 3 cops to pull her off. This is a NINE year old. We have already agreed our son will learn to say plase and thank you( he's already got please down- that's my boy!) and show respect for his elders. He will NOT have his own TV,VCR,DVD,and computer like other kids I know. He will have good furniture, a small stereo which he will keep at a reasonable volume,and he will have internet access for school only. We're discussing a system where he will be allowed to earn internet time for chores or good behavior or something. The computer will be in the living room and we WILL have a net nanny program and we WILL check what he's looking at. I'm already preparing myself for the extra hours of work to send him to a country day school up the road, they aren't stuffy or Ivy League but they have small classes and a great rep. They also aren't afraid to pray either. Maybe I'm paranoid because of what I see everyday, but I get more and more screwed up kids, mentally and physically. Maybe my kid won't think of me as his best friend, but I hope he'll know I love him.

Having your wife on the same page is 90% of the battle.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: social class envy is a bitch aint it. Do you go around looking for threads where you can post your special brand of stupid shit? I swear, if you and premed gunner aren't the same person, you both fell out of the same dumbass tree. No shit, huh? I'm frightened that premed_gunner will actually become a doctor someday, and some poor soul will be stuck with a doctor who is so chronically fucking stupid that it baffles the mind.

You're frightened!

The screening process is pretty tough and mostly the whackjobs I knew who got in were women and almost all of them got booted first semester. That at least in working in favor of all humanity.

Fuck that:

I work for my money: I mow the lawn, I do chores.

I ask my dad before he buys me something if he has enough money, just out of courtesy.

I help him save money.

My car will be a pass down from my mom, her Jeep Cherokee.

I know kids who get paid a hundred a week.

I am also thrifty, I wait till something I really like comes along. I hold my money for a gunshow.

Im 17, I have a BMW 530i..had the choice between a 2001 530i(Inline-6 + Auto) and a 1995 530i(V8+5speed manual) I got the '95  
But, Ive worked on a farm since I was 12, getting paid under the table.  Bailing, stacking hay, 500-1000 bails some days, other days 2000.
Working in a gravel pit, shoveling stone, Landscaping, etc.
I have worked harder than any other Teen I know.
I bought the car that I wanted with my Own Money, I buy guns when I see good deals,  I have money put away for college, and Ive been accepted to Castleton College in VT for Criminal Justice
Im working two jobs right now, and when summer comes Ill be working 3 jobs.
Ive also completed my EMT course, and going to the State practicals/tests at the end of this month.

My parents stopped spoiling me when I was around 10 years old, and my son is going to work like I did.

Also, most of these kids who have M3's, Corvettes, Porsches, etc usually crash them within the first year of owning them...the parents are idiots for giving their kids a sports car when they are a new driver at 16.

Quoted: Christ man - hanging out with friends isn't harmless stuff? Let's say they stay late at school to help with layout at the school paper, then they want to run to Mcdonalds to get a burger with their friends.

Alarm bells should be ringing by now. If any parent would advocate McDonald's as a source of food, then there is something wrong with that parent. No one should eat at McDonald's. Ever.

i'm surprised at the number of parents who are anti-cellphone.  when i first started driving, I HAD to have my cellphone with me whenever i left the house, or i would get yelled at.  my parents didn't want me to be stranded if my car broke down in the middle of nowhere.

Way back when I finally scraped around $250 for a car
It was a Plymouth Sport Fury ( maybe a '71 )
I didn't have enough for insurance and asked Dad, here's how it went

 Me:"Hey Dad ya think you can help me out with insurance so I can get this car on the road"
Dad: " Who's gonna be driving this car ? "
 Me:   Silence
Dad: "I'm not gonna be driving it so why should I pay to insure it ? "
 Me:  More Silence
Dad: " It's your car you're gonna be driving it you pay to insure it "


The poor car sat for awhile not having enough to insure it
Dad got tired of it sitting there and demanded I get rid of it
My brother's friend gave me $50 for it and towed it off the property ( all he wnted was the 383 magnum that was under the hood )

I learned a lesson though and Dad never gave me nothing
If there was something I wanted I had to earn it
Been working since I was 12 or so and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way

I see High School Punks from time to time driving nicer cars than either me or the wife

In the end these "Parents" aren't doing these kids any favors  
In some instances there probably just setting them up for failure

Quoted: Im 17, I have a BMW 530i..had the choice between a 2001 530i(Inline-6 + Auto) and a 1995 530i(V8+5speed manual) I got the '95   But, Ive worked on a farm since I was 12, getting paid under the table.  Bailing, stacking hay, 500-1000 bails some days, other days 2000. Working in a gravel pit, shoveling stone, Landscaping, etc. I have worked harder than any other Teen I know. I bought the car that I wanted with my Own Money, I buy guns when I see good deals,  I have money put away for college, and Ive been accepted to Castleton College in VT for Criminal Justice Im working two jobs right now, and when summer comes Ill be working 3 jobs. Ive also completed my EMT course, and going to the State practicals/tests at the end of this month. My parents stopped spoiling me when I was around 10 years old, and my son is going to work like I did. Also, most of these kids who have M3's, Corvettes, Porsches, etc usually crash them within the first year of owning them...the parents are idiots for giving their kids a sports car when they are a new driver at 16.

Sweet ride! When I was 18, my dream was to own an old-school 7 series (not the current one, the one before that) with a manny tranny. Hey, it's good to have dreams, it motivates people.

Just remembered an old question of mine. When I was living in the US, I would see obviously not exactly well-to-do folks in the bad parts of NYC (Yep, I was a commuter) driving ridiculously expensive SUV's. Are there that many well-off drug dealers in the US? Or do some of these ghetto people just somehow make the down payment and promise to pay for the rest of the car via a financing plan that they have no way of keeping? Very confusing...

I had to buy my own cars always. My fist truck was a  1995 1/2 dodge with 212,000 mile on it.. I got if for 300 dollars because it had an issue of the ening shuting off and not being able to be restarted untill it cooled off... It turned out to be the cranksharft posation sensor.. The tranny went at 242,000 and i got 800 for it. I loved that truck......

Quoted: Just remembered an old question of mine. When I was living in the US, I would see obviously not exactly well-to-do folks in the bad parts of NYC (Yep, I was a commuter) driving ridiculously expensive SUV's. Are there that many well-off drug dealers in the US? Or do some of these ghetto people just somehow make the down payment and promise to pay for the rest of the car via a financing plan that they have no way of keeping? Very confusing...

both.

Quoted: I helped hold down a 9 year old in a hospital exam room while the nurses tied her down after she tried to kill her mother. The mother was in the door crying while her daughter screamed "You f*****g b***h!!! I'm gonna kill you b***h!!"   The girl was wearing designer everything, had big earrings and her nails were done but Mom didn't even know where the stuff came from, she just threw her the money. One day she said no and her daughter attacked her- took 3 cops to pull her off. This is a NINE year old.

Sometimes the most important word you can teach your child is "NO."

I have seen lots of kids driving "New" cars down here too. My first car was a truck and it was a '79 Ford F100 I bought myself. No new parent bought vehicle for me.

My kids wont be getting a new one either

I was about to start a post like this myself.

It's true. Kids are driving rediculously expensive cars these days. And it's not just the rich. I see lower middle class kids, maybe 20-22 years old, driving brand new jacked up quad cab pickup trucks and I know these kids are making well under 50k/yr. because jobs don't pay that much where I live. I cannot imagine how they are paying for a $40k vehicle on 25-30k a year. It just blows me away.  

They can't just buy a $30,000 vehicle. That would be too easy. It has to come with 5k in accessories right off the lot or they won't drive it.

Filthy Rich is the latest trend.

I think it stems from all these disgusting TV programs about "ooooooohhhhhh, look how this filthy rich rockstar/rapper/hollywood star lives..........ohhhhhhhhhhhh look at the 5 bedroom house for the 20 year old............ohhhhhhhhh look at this brand new Escalade for this 23 year old punk brat, ooooooohhhhhhhh."  

I hate that crap.

 

Quoted: I was about to start a post like this myself. It's true. Kids are driving rediculously expensive cars these days. And it's not just the rich. I see lower middle class kids, maybe 20-22 years old, driving brand new jacked up quad cab pickup trucks and I know these kids are making well under 50k/yr. because jobs don't pay that much where I live. I cannot imagine how they are paying for a $40k vehicle on 25-30k a year. It just blows me away.   They can't just buy a $30,000 vehicle. That would be too easy. It has to come with 5k in accessories right off the lot or they won't drive it. Filthy Rich is the latest trend. I think it stems from all these disgusting TV programs about "ooooooohhhhhh, look how this filthy rich rockstar/rapper/hollywood star lives..........ohhhhhhhhhhhh look at the 5 bedroom house for the 20 year old............ohhhhhhhhh look at this brand new Escalade for this 23 year old punk brat, ooooooohhhhhhhh."   I hate that crap.

I have an 'assistant-manager' at a chain shoe-store living across the street from me driving a Hummer H2  He is not making jack-s%^t...

Repeat after me, 'I don't need to be like my clueless a$$clown friends' 20 times...

My first car was a 87 Hond aCRX that was my sisters before me. My parents bought it for her when it was used. She went away to college and had to leave it at home which is abotu when i got to start driving it. My second car was a 88 Ford Escort that was given to me by my grandfather. He was no longer able to drive because of his vision so he let me have it. It over heated, the guages would sometimes go funky and I would have to hit the dash to make them work again. I drove it until it died then my parents helped me buy a 98 Dodge Dakota. They put the down payment down and I made the payments. I also paid for the insruance and gas for all of these cars. I paid off the Dakota and kept it for several years until it died. Hey it was a Dodge. Now I drive a Magnum RT that I paid cash for and I love it. I dont consider myself spoiled.

When I was sixteen, I was all in line to get the ol' station wagon:  1975 AMC Hornet... orange in color... it worked, and I would have been happy with it.   But dad broke the driveshaft, and ended up selling it to a wrench for $50.  

Then mom got a new car, and dad and I found a nice 7 year old Acura Integra that had low miles and was in good shape for $4500.  Was my ride for about a year, until a 16 year old 'tard from my school wrecked it.  16, and it was his SECOND wreck.   Ended up getting an 84 Saab 900 Turbo that I had for a few years after that.  When the Saab acted up, I was in school and managed to get dad to buy an 88 LeBaron for me.  MISTAKE.  It ran OK, but then had problems... the alternator went out... Pep Boys misdiagnosed it as a bad battery, so I drop coin for a battery... and oh, by the way, the timing belt is going.  So I drop coin on that, then pick up the car, and it dies again.  Battery dead.  THEN the diagnose it correctly.  I was out MORE coin to get it running.  Fucking Pep Boys.  I won't let them touch another vehicle I own EVAR.  I'll buy parts and shit from 'em but nothing more.  

Traded the LeBaron in on a 93 Geo Storm (my mini-camaro), then traded that on a 95 Toyota Taco...


After the LeBaron, every car I own has been 100% mine.  I might be able to afford a nice 2 or 3 year old high end brand name car, but I bought a Hyundai, and I do not regret it.

I was also able to purchase a car that I've always wanted... a Porsche 911.  It's a fixer-upper, but MAN, do I get satisfaction out of fixing something on her!  

I plan on NOT spoiling my children... I want to teach them that nothing in life is free, and that it is satisfying to EARN what you get.