I find it odd that parents go out and buy cars...

[Serp86]

Originally posted by: Duddy
When I turned 18 I bought my own Mazda3 Hatch for $22,000. My dad was the co-signer because I had no credit and he had awesome credit.

I pay for every $280 a month bill and pay my own insurance.

Just because a kid has a nice car doesn't mean they are spoiled. They might have worked very hard for it like me.

Exactly same situation - except that i got a suzuki reno

 

[Marinski]

doesn't anyone drive american cars anymore?

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: jhayx7
If I had a kid in High School and were loaded, I would probably buy them a newish Volvo. Very safe cars and well built. There was a big stink around here about changing the driving age because some rich parents kid was killed only a couple of month after get his license. They bought him a brand new Camero SS... That much power under the butt of a new driver is scary..

Same thing happened near where I live. Kid's parents buy him some Jaguar sports car...kid wraps it around a telephone pole.

 

[d3n]

I can't pretend to understand the reasoning that some parents have. The may have handed down a nice car they have driven and upgraded from. Some could have gotten a new one. All parents want their kids to be set in life. Nice car, Nice clothes, these often translate to an upstanding social status and further along a good spouse to carry on the family name in some peoples minds, who knows. Some may have just wanted a reliable car to get their kids from A to B.

Personally, I am a strong believer in getting what you pay for, so I am not going to have my kid spend money on a beater and keep bleeding money into it in higher insurance and repair fees later on if I can help it. I?m going to set them up with a good deal on a nice car if means permit and explain to them the value in it. I just think you have to pick and choose how you teach them how to manage money responsibly.

 

[Alex]

Originally posted by: JBT
I think its because rich parents buy their kid a car and normal people have thier kid buy their own car...

 

[Chaotic42]

I didn't get a car until a year after I was out of high school. My dad co-signed a loan for $1900.

It wasn't paying for that car that taught me the value of a dollar though. It was being so broke that I had to sell my possessions for food and had to shave by candle light.

 

[mrzed]

Why do so many think that the choice is: parents buy a car vs. kid takes time away from studies to buy car?

Cripes, it's not like a car is a need or anything. It's a nice thing to have, but it is essentially a big, expensive, heavy and dangerous convenience/toy.

If I had a kid who was disabled, I would buy them a car to help them get around. Normal kid: here's a nice bike, get some exercise.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: mrzed
Why do so many think that the choice is: parents buy a car vs. kid takes time away from studies to buy car?

Cripes, it's not like a car is a need or anything. It's a nice thing to have, but it is essentially a big, expensive, heavy and dangerous convenience/toy.

If I had a kid who was disabled, I would buy them a car to help them get around. Normal kid: here's a nice bike, get some exercise.

wow, send your kids back to your experience in school.

My parents bought me my first car...I also worked, my commute was 30mins each way...on a bike: Pizza Hut would have worked

I worked in a bank in their mortgage division. My first car was a 1966 Mustang GT my dad and I restored together. It was $40k in receipts in 1989 and many months working on it.

 

[fatpat268]

Originally posted by: Amol

Originally posted by: jds2006
My parents bought me a car and never asked me to work because they wanted me to focus on my studies rather than working.

Same here. I don't see anything wrong with their philosophy.

My parents have the same philosophy, but I didn't get a car out of it.

And I still don't have one in my second year of college, and since my parents refuse to pay for any of my college expenses, I have to pay those instead. I'm not complaining, but it is a little frustrating at times.

 

[mrzed]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
wow, send your kids back to your experience in school.

My parents bought me my first car...I also worked, my commute was 30mins each way...on a bike: Pizza Hut would have worked

Cannot parse thoughts. Sorry. Pizza Hut? Send my kids back? Does not compute.

I will have much more money to offer my children than I ever grew up with, and I plan on offering them any advantage I can. I just don't consider a car an advantage. Then again, I live in a city, not suburbs or rural. Then again, that is a choice.

 

[imported_goku]

Originally posted by: mrzed

Originally posted by: alkemyst
wow, send your kids back to your experience in school.

My parents bought me my first car...I also worked, my commute was 30mins each way...on a bike: Pizza Hut would have worked

Cannot parse thoughts. Sorry. Pizza Hut? Send my kids back? Does not compute.

I will have much more money to offer my children than I ever grew up with, and I plan on offering them any advantage I can. I just don't consider a car an advantage. Then again, I live in a city, not suburbs or rural. Then again, that is a choice.

What city? If I lived in a city, I don't think I'd want a car either. If you live in a city, you can get around easier with out a car than with a car.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: goku

Originally posted by: mrzed

Originally posted by: alkemyst
wow, send your kids back to your experience in school.

My parents bought me my first car...I also worked, my commute was 30mins each way...on a bike: Pizza Hut would have worked

Cannot parse thoughts. Sorry. Pizza Hut? Send my kids back? Does not compute.

I will have much more money to offer my children than I ever grew up with, and I plan on offering them any advantage I can. I just don't consider a car an advantage. Then again, I live in a city, not suburbs or rural. Then again, that is a choice.

What city? If I lived in a city, I don't think I'd want a car either. If you live in a city, you can get around easier with out a car than with a car.

Well I don't consider Berkeley living in city, but it sucks to drive here. But back at home in Berkeley, driving around is a cinch. Most people live like right near a highway exit, and so getting anywhere is easy with a car in the south bay, considering a lot of local roads there are huge 3-lanes in each way... I dunno. I went to school where our parking lot would always have at least 6 BMWs, a few Mercedes, G35, etc... Then there are tons of Civics, Accords, Camrys and all sorts of Asian cars.. but hey.... when you live in a town where $900,000 gets you a 3 bedroom shack, and the population is 45% Asian, you're bound to expect tons of nice cars..

 

[rockyct]

My parents bought a three year old Volvo when I learned how to drive in HS. They didn't "give" it to me until my second year of college because they wanted me not to have a car my first year in college. I think it was an overall good compromise between fancy car and no car. It wasn't a cheap car (16,000), but by no means was it a "cool" car. I'm still in college, and I'm still driving it. I'll probably do the same thing when I have kids. I don't see any point forcing them to work over focusing on school. I'm all for cutting the cord after college, but before that, the priority is school. Making your kid work in HS just so they can get a beater car, while you can afford buying an adequate car for them, is just petty.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: fatpat268

Originally posted by: Amol

Originally posted by: jds2006
My parents bought me a car and never asked me to work because they wanted me to focus on my studies rather than working.

Same here. I don't see anything wrong with their philosophy.

My parents have the same philosophy, but I didn't get a car out of it.

And I still don't have one in my second year of college, since my parents refuse to pay for any of my college expenses. I'm not complaining, but it is a little frustrating at times.

If they are not contributing anything make sure they no longer claim you on income tax.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: mrzed

Originally posted by: alkemyst
wow, send your kids back to your experience in school.

My parents bought me my first car...I also worked, my commute was 30mins each way...on a bike: Pizza Hut would have worked

Cannot parse thoughts. Sorry. Pizza Hut? Send my kids back? Does not compute.

I will have much more money to offer my children than I ever grew up with, and I plan on offering them any advantage I can. I just don't consider a car an advantage. Then again, I live in a city, not suburbs or rural. Then again, that is a choice.

Pizza Hut and the like would be the type of places close enough to ride a bike too. When I was going to school I worked in a bank.

Most people think they will have way more than growing up when they come out of school...more often than not it doesn't work out that way in the beginning. Unless you came from a poor family.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
...and the population is 45% Asian, you're bound to expect tons of nice cars..

So being asian means you have a nice car?

 

[PAB]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: DLeRium
...and the population is 45% Asian, you're bound to expect tons of nice cars..

So being asian means you have a nice car?

What he's saying is that asians are traditionally more.....image oriented. They have to have a nice car to "fit in"

See: Cupertino,CA.

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Survival of the fittest. What happens when the rich kid and his $50,000 Hummer and the poor kid and his $3000 Geo Metro go head-to-head...literally?

:roll:
What happens when the rich kid in his dodge viper crashes into a tree from driving 130mph and spins out of control, while the poor kid driving the geo metro can't push past 70mph?
If anything, rich kids die more often driving their performance cars.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: PAB

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: DLeRium
...and the population is 45% Asian, you're bound to expect tons of nice cars..

So being asian means you have a nice car?

What he's saying is that asians are traditionally more.....image oriented. They have to have a nice car to "fit in"

See: Cupertino,CA.

Ahh I get it now, like all latinos have to have lowriders, whites have to have SUV's and black need dubs. still.

Perhaps it has more to do living in a predominately affluent area with a high asian population...I am sure if the residents there were other races/nationalities they'd have nice cars too.

 

[fatpat268]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: fatpat268

Originally posted by: Amol

Originally posted by: jds2006
My parents bought me a car and never asked me to work because they wanted me to focus on my studies rather than working.

Same here. I don't see anything wrong with their philosophy.

My parents have the same philosophy, but I didn't get a car out of it.

And I still don't have one in my second year of college, since my parents refuse to pay for any of my college expenses. I'm not complaining, but it is a little frustrating at times.

If they are not contributing anything make sure they no longer claim you on income tax.

actually, i didn't even think of that. good thinking.

 

[CVSiN]

I grew up in 2 places...
Houston Texas and Palo Alto (Woodside) California
both places were notorious in the 80s for having very wealthy people...

the kids at both the highschools I attended were very well taken care of and seeing high end BMWs and Mercedes as well as mint condition old muscle cars (classic vettes and stangs and camaros) were very common..

When my brother attended a private school there as well just a few years ago there were kids driving 200k cars....

 

[DaiShan]

Originally posted by: Philippine Mango
for their kids... It's weird, I usually either see this poor kid driving a beatup '89 taurus or '93 windstar minivan that is probably going to puke and choke on it's own vomit at the worst time and then I see these kids driving H2s, Mercedes SUVs, and other high end vehicles, while the middle car seems to be a lot less common. Am I the only one to find this odd? Remember I've seen beatup cars exit hs parking lots right after a row of fancy cars that are clearly driven by kids..

Another thing, what makes a parent believe that their child should be driving a brand new vehicle that costs more than some people's houses? $50K vehicle for a kid in HS is absurd, anyone agree? Sure you can say 'it's not my money' but I think it's a bit ridiculous considering that starting your kid off with expensive things will only set them up for failure..

How so?

 

[zanejohnson]

there were plenty of nice cars driven by kids with mommy and daddys money at my school...

so i got back, i went out and got a job, and saved my pennies..actually i saved 800 bucks and picked up and old Plymouth Reliant station wagon..it was old, and ******, but it was my own

i used that car to get me back and forth from work (mcdonalds, and then sonic) and saved my money for a year...and spent it all on a 1990 Eagle Talon TSi AWD, coolest car i ever owned... i put a 3" exhaust on it, upgraded the turbocharger, and got a manual boost controller, there wasn't a car in the school that was faster or sounded meaner than that car...it broke alot though

 

[Midlander]

Originally posted by: erub
my favorite on this board are the people who absolutely refuse to buy their kids anything, even if they themselves have been successful - "I had to work for ___ (college, car, gas, insurance, food?) myself damnit" -- or even better are the people who would charge their own kid rent after they graduated from college and are now working a job trying to save money to get out on their own (isn't this kinda detracting from the point?)

also, what type of message does it send to your kid if you are driving around in a 40K car and you make him/her get a job that pays $7/hr, and tells them to spend that money on gas, car, insurance -- oh and btw save for college on themselves? high school and college are for studying, not for working..granted i did work some in HS during the seasons when I wasn't playing sports (HS really isnt that hard to prevent a part time job) but still, that $100/week post tax isnt going to go real far

So you believe that a person who has graduated from college and has a job should still live at home and pay nothing? What a sweet life. No bills and plenty of money to play with. Why would they ever leave home?

Nope--if you're out of school, you're on your own. If you live at home, you pay rent.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Midlander

So you believe that a person who has graduated from college and has a job should still live at home and pay nothing? What a sweet life. No bills and plenty of money to play with. Why would they ever leave home?

Nope--if you're out of school, you're on your own. If you live at home, you pay rent.

They would leave home to get their own place...coming back home right after college is a smart choice for many, it gives you a lot more potential in waiting for the right job too.

I moved back home twice, each time was for a short period of under a year. I moved out of my home when I first left for college at about 20.

Having affluent parents doesn't harm their kids. The only time it would is if the kids destined themselves for failure.

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