so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

[ezbtr]

The Camry will prob. last another 100K, it's at 146K now, dependable, good mpg, leery of older Chevys I had w/ gas tank behind seat, but cheap to get here, or newer used car w/ more safety features?

 

[dingbat]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

A 25 years old car is either an antique (worth too much) or a disaster waiting to happen. No air bags, side impact protection, etc.

My middle daughter drives a 2003 Camry and I thought that was pushing the envelope from a safety standpoint.

 

[JB]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

A 25 years old car is either an antique (worth too much) or a disaster waiting to happen. No air bags, side impact protection, etc.

Got a bad memory, dingbat? When do you think Toyota started putting side impact protection, airbags, etc. in Camrys? I have a poor memory for that sort of stuff, but I think it was before 1987.

 

[roscoe]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

Give him a 400 cc motorcycle and let him teach

himself how to drive defensively and sensibly. It worked for me.

 

[superbenk]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

Camry. I wrecked two cars as a teenager, a Chevette & a Hyundai. Both were under $2k. Got my third car, an Escort that rotted out & sold for $500 a year later & finally ended up with a Civic hatchback for a couple years. My point is that you shouldn't invest much in teen's cars as they go through them quick . All my accidents came out fine, but they were stupid teenager mistakes.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

Well.......The truck will certainly keep his wallet empty for the cost of fuel and there is less room for a crowd of friends (that's a plus )

The Camry will get better MPG, have room for friends and keep him on the main roads.

It's a toss up but a learning lesson.

Make your son make a list of plus +/- minus for both vehicles and then let him present to you the argument on which one he would like to "purchase" from Dad and why.

A great lesson for a young man to figure out all the long term costs and present it to you...... THEN, you give him the one you want to anyway since Dad's are still in charge

Be sure to include all the terms in a contract to him such as maintenance, no drinking, no texting and proper "parking" procedures (cough cough grandpa cough cough )

 

[superbenk]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

I like the idea of him buying it from you. I had to pay for all my cars & their insurance. Sure I made mistakes, but I had to suffer the consequences (insurance) so I learned from them.

 

[dingbat]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

Got a bad memory, dingbat? When do you think Toyota started putting side impact protection, airbags, etc. in Camrys? I have a poor memory for that sort of stuff, but I think it was before 1987.

No bad memories. I’m just not putting my kids in a car w/o air bags or anti-lock brakes.

Toyota made air bags standard in 1993 or 1994. It wasn’t even an option when I bought my 1991

 

[JoLin]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

My son and daughter are now 27 and and 26, respectively. I and all my friends have gone through the 'first car' adventure.

I vote the old Camry. By 1987 all cars had the most important safety features... 3-point seat belts, front/rear crumple zones, rollover protection and side impact door beams. As someone else mentioned, kids go through cars pretty quickly. Even a pretty responsible kid with decent driving skills is gonna have some fender benders. Goes with the age group.

My .02

 

[BlkY2k]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

I have to agree with Bob on this one. I bought my first car and had to have the insurance, plates and transfer before it hit the road. I babied that car, it was my pride and joy because I paid for it. I gave vehicles to my kids as they got old enuff and they trashed them all, now that they are older and paying for their own they take care of them. Pride in ownership.

 

[drrpm]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

I let my teenage daughters borrow my cars. The 16 year old can use our minivan which has all of the currently available safety features. There is an understanding that in the event of a ticket or accident, driving priviledges will be suspended. My older daughter
(almost 20) generally drives my Honda Civic but can use any of my cars if she asks since she is going on 4 years of good driving history. Cars are expensive and making a kid pay for one means they're going to have to spend a lot of time working. My girls have jobs, but also school and sports. As long as they are careful they can use my vehicles. I would not provide a vehicle and say its theirs. I think a midsized Ford, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai from the mid 2000's would be a good choice. I don't think trucks and teenagers are a good mix as they are easier to spin out or roll over.

 

[dingbat]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

I vote the old Camry. By 1987 all cars had the most important safety features... 3-point seat belts, front/rear crumple zones, rollover protection and side impact door beams.
My .02

Are your sure about that?

TOYOTA Camry 1.8 (1987 - 1991) safety features, interior & exterior extras
Side-impact Door Beams UNAVAILABLE
Child Safety Locks On Rear Doors UNAVAILABLE
Front Head Restraints UNAVAILABLE
Driver And Front Passenger Side Airbags UNAVAILABLE
Driver And Passenger Airbags UNAVAILABLE
Driver Airbag Only UNAVAILABLE

 

[Boomyal]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

I vote to make your son pay for his first car. That way he is way less at risk for needing all those safety features. While he is going to school you can help him pay for the gas and insurance but he will far and away take less chances if he has a vested interest in the car. And just because you make him pay for it does not mean that, you as a parent, cannot be the final arbiter of what he buys.

You also need to make it perfectly clear that if he wrecks the car, he'll be walking. I assume that your state laws control who can ride with him, etc, etc. This has proven to be statistically important.

 

[korygrandy]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

You also need to make it perfectly clear that if he wrecks the car, he'll be walking. I assume that your state laws control who can ride with him, etc, etc. This has proven to be statistically important.

The two wreck's I was in were in teenage years and I had a friend in the car with me. I had to get a job before I was allowed to get my license. Good thing I did, cause it cost me $$ in repairs and insurance...plus my dad cut my license in half in front of a DMV employee.

To my dad's credit, he was willing to buy me the crappy $2000 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity with a 2.8l that I thought was a fully blown V8. He also paid for my insurance UNTIL my first ticket/accident...which I think was a total of one months insurance that he ever paid for me....I was on my own after my first ticket.

I had a friend who bought a pickup in highschool because he was sick of giving his friends rides. I won't forget that old gold truck, there was a huge sofa in the bed with a topper over it...totally unsafe...the brakes went out in that thing and my friend had to use the lawn to stop it after running a couple of red lights. :facepalm:

 

[tswiczko]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

If gas prices keep going up you can trade it to him for his bicycle and save on gas

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

I still opt for a newer car for safety

 

[Outsider]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

Rank the vehicles in order you want them wrecked. Might not get to #3, or even #2, but I wouldn't bet a plug nickel on #1 ...

 

[joewithaboat]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

My vote is newer with air bags...

 

[roscoe]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

Give him a 400 cc motorcycle and let him teach

himself how to drive defensively and sensibly. It worked for me.

I was serious about this.

Got my first street bike a week after I turned 18.
Rush hour traffic in the city.

I "rented" mom's car if I had a date or had to get to work in a heavy rain.

 

[JoLin]

Re: so in 2 yrs, give son 87 Camry, big old truck or newer car w/ airbags etc?

Are your sure about that?

TOYOTA Camry 1.8 (1987 - 1991) safety features, interior & exterior extras
Side-impact Door Beams UNAVAILABLE
Child Safety Locks On Rear Doors UNAVAILABLE
Front Head Restraints UNAVAILABLE
Driver And Front Passenger Side Airbags UNAVAILABLE
Driver And Passenger Airbags UNAVAILABLE
Driver Airbag Only UNAVAILABLE

Okay, the side impact door beam is the only item I mentioned that wasn't there. We know about the airbags, and IMO, mandatory lap/shoulder belts and mandatory use were the things that made the biggest difference in the injury and death rate. I don't get the headrest thing- does it have high-back buckets instead?

Anyway, my opinion is one of many, and worth about as much as the rest...