My wife thinks I m nuts

[tx1961whaler]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

Not sure why some say kids need to come up hard if they don't have to.

Have you ever been around a lot of spoiled rich kids?

 

[fat fanny]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

Grades are great but thats for his own good and he and you should be proud but! If you intend on buying that Jag and he knows it roll it home along with a lesser valued rig for him to prove himself on with the known intent that the Jag is his when he earns it for proper care and good driving habits. Kids will test anything once or twice until they learn remember yourself @ that age don't give him the tools to fail right out of the gate at least not that exspensive of one. Just my opinion respectfulLy FF

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

Your wifes right!!

 

[eaglejim]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

My first daughter I bought her a 1200.00 "89" Jeep that she drives to this day, 2nd daughter bought a "96" Explorer for 100.00 + a generator and put 300.00 more in it runs great,Can you adopt me? I don't want a Jag

 

[skargo]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

Have you ever been around a lot of spoiled rich kids?

Have you ever been around a bunch of jealous poor kids?

 

[jonesg]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

Perfect car for young new drivers is a Toyota Corolla. Cheap to fix, cheap to insure can't hot rod.

Ditto.

British leyland, Bosch electrcal system, AKA ...the prince of darkness.
English mechanics drink warm beer because they have bosch refrigerators.

I'm from England, I wouldn't TOUCH a jag here, in England yes.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

Ditto.

British leyland, Bosch electrcal system, AKA ...the prince of darkness.
English mechanics drink warm beer because they have bosch refrigerators.

I'm from England, I wouldn't TOUCH a jag here, in England yes.

Except this Jag is basically just a Ford.

And the prince of darkness is Lucas...not Bosch.

 

[roncoop75]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

I looked into buying one of these about two years ago.

All I saw were transmission problems. The tranny's are rated for just about as much power as the engine puts out. Drive like an adult, and it will last. Start gearheading it and it'll die at about 60,000 miles, seemed to be the consensus anyway.

You need to find a jag forum and listen to the people that drive these things every day.

 

[dlindeblad]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

Have to side with the wife. The words spoiled come to mind. I bought my first car and paid my own insurance with money saved up from working for a logging company in the summer and part time washing dishes and flipping burgers in the fall, winter, and spring. I sure appreciated it more and took good care of it because it cost me my own money. Taught me a lot about the value of money. I also was an A/B student and played football and wrestled. I lived 15 miles from school (Upper Michigan) and if the bike did not get me there, and the shoe leather express didn't work, than bumming rides from friends worked.

There is more to it than "having" to buy a car for a child verses wanting to. Some would say if you can afford it go ahead, why not. I have a fairly good income now, but do not buy my children everything they want and desire as that leads to a sense of entitlement and becoming spoiled. Obviously I do not know you that well so I cannot judge, just my 2 cents.

 

[skargo]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

Putting a kid in a good, safe car that is used is hardly spoiling them. People are jealous. Show us pics when you get him the car!

 

[choochooharley]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

My thoughts are if you want to buy the kid a nice car save the money and make it a graduation gift. Make him earn his first car. If he is old enough to drive and have that responsibility he is old enough to get a job and atleast help pay for it in some form help with ins or gas or maintence it teaches them a good lesson. Plus he will appreciate the car at graduation alot more after he has learned what its all about owning and maintaing the first car

 

[scipper77]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

I say go for it. That's a nicer car than what I drive but I'm not the jealous type.

Putting a kid in a good, safe car that is used is hardly spoiling them. People are jealous. Show us pics when you get him the car!

I think skargo is hitting the nail on the head with this one. There are people who would say buying a kid any car is spoiling him. Other kids will no doubt be jealous of that car in HS.

I had to pay the entire cost of my college and it made me a better person but that doesn't mean parents who pay for college are spoiling there kids either.

 

[642mx]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

Have you ever been around a bunch of jealous poor kids?

Yep... it seems like this thread is packed full of them.

 

[skargo]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

I think skargo is hitting the nail on the head with this one. There are people who would say buying a kid any car is spoiling him. Other kids will no doubt be jealous of that car in HS.

I had to pay the entire cost of my college and it made me a better person but that doesn't mean parents who pay for college are spoiling there kids either.

I grew up poor, and had to pay for my first car, and my clothes, and help my mom with my bills. I never understood the people saying kids where spoiled, but I always noticed it was the kids who didn't get a car or whatever, leading me to believe they were jealous.

Like I said,my wife had a vette at 16, and she gave up a lot of her teen years taking care of sick relatives. Yeah, real spoiled.

 

[choochooharley]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

Its got nothing to do with spoiled or not spoiled. Its about teaching the kids responsibility and life lessons......If you do decide to buy it for him cuz lets face it its you decesion ultimatly and it sounds like youve already made up your mind be sure you get full coverage cuz almost every 16 year old i know has put some kind of ding in their car I know I did.

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

So, my soon to be 16 year old will be getting his license and we have to buy him a car as ..........................................

So does anyone hear have one of these? Good, bad experience? Please advise. Or am I just nuts?

That's more debatable than the choice of vehicle....

 

[gonefishie]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

My first daughter I bought her a 1200.00 "89" Jeep that she drives to this day, 2nd daughter bought a "96" Explorer for 100.00 + a generator and put 300.00 more in it runs great,Can you adopt me? I don't want a Jag

I'm up for adoption too.

I bought my first car for $1200, 81 grand prix 2 doors. I'm glad I did because I learned how to be a better driver and how to work on car. I don't know if it even has any airbag but didn't have to find out though.

 

[avenger79]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

I will say this from experience. I would let him have something crappy for a bit. my son, I helped him get the car he wanted. A '74 Torino, it was a great car for him to learn to work on and cool to drive. I let him get what he wanted because it was older and I knew where it would end up eventually and it did. I had to pull it out of the ditch only once. he learned.
they all do it and we all as parents know it. I would let him have that first fender bender in something older, worth less, bigger, crappier whatever. not saying he shouldn't get what he wants but in the case of a Jag I would be hesitant to start him on it. shoot my kid had an almost brand new CBR 600 at 17. before anyone gets too riled about him being spoiled, I helped him get it. he worked at a bike shop to pay for it and he did 3000 miles on a 250 Ninja first from 16 to 17 yr old. yeah he got that bike (the 250)for his 16th birthday. yes he crashed it,

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

I must have misread the OP. I thought he asked for advice on the practicality of the jag, not opinions on his parenting decisions...

Both of my friends who have owned Jags had problems with the low clearance WRT to the amount of snow we get around here. Jags aren't very good in winter.

If you get lots of snow, (and I believe WI does) and if you are rural...(so clearing may not be really swift)...I'd agree with the Subaru suggestion.
The Foresters are pretty good, and have twice the road clearance of a Jag.

 

[scipper77]

Re: My wife thinks I m nuts

I never understood the people saying kids where spoiled, but I always noticed it was the kids who didn't get a car or whatever, leading me to believe they were jealous.

It's not the kids who didn't have a car given to them that are on the spoiling side. It's kids who were forced by there parents to earn it. You and I skargo had to earn it because our parents couldn't give it too us, not because they made us by choice.

I for one think that every kid id sooooo different that there is no way for any of "us" to know what is best for the op