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

[98Shabah]

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

I'll be letting my daughters borrow whatever big gas guzzling old tow vehicle I have when they start driving (I have 5 years before the oldest is 16).. If it eats gas they won't want to drive as much.

 

[Boomyal]

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

I'll be letting my daughters borrow whatever big gas guzzling old tow vehicle I have when they start driving (I have 5 years before the oldest is 16).. If it eats gas they won't want to drive as much.

Just be sure to give it to them on empty or you will always be fighting them to bring it back with the same amount of gas as they started off with.

Besides that, if things do not change in November, what they will drive in 5 years will be a moot point. They will be walking and still be lucky to have anyplace to go!

 

[98Shabah]

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

Just be sure to give it to them on empty or you will always be fighting them to bring it back with the same amount of gas as they started off with.

Besides that, if things do not change in November, what they will drive in 5 years will be a moot point. They will be walking and still be lucky to have anyplace to go!

Yeah, I should have mentioned, they'll be buying the gas too!

I'm not worried so much about 5 years from now, we'll all still have places to go and vehicles to drive. lol.

 

[ezbtr]

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

yeah the only thing that worries me is it's a small car and just seatbelts and head rests for safety - kinda leaning towards a big, older pre smog truck like I had (64 Chevy truck) , but he is getting pretty good at driving the Camry in big deserted lots!

 

[joewithaboat]

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

Besides that, if things do not change in November, what they will drive in 5 years will be a moot point. They will be walking and still be lucky to have anyplace to go!

AMEN Brother !!!

I'm a Self Employed Small Business Owner, as are most of my Friends and Associates. We can't take four more years of these Knuckleheads.

 

[Bob_VT]

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

If safety is the primary issue ..............Then sell one of them and look for a newer and safer car.

 

[rivermouse]

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

If safety REALLY IS AN ISSUE. because it has been brought up very much so. Do not let him drive if he has a cell phone....Do you want to talk about this part of safe driving? At age 16 its more about the driver than what he is driving if safety is an issue..is it? Another thing to ask is "just why does he have to drive" Does he have no way to school?. Does he work a job away from home? or is it the same old "now that Im 16 I get to drive"....maybe not.

 

[joewithaboat]

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

If safety REALLY IS AN ISSUE.. Do not let him drive if he has a cell phone....Do you want to talk about this part of safe driving? At age 16 its more about the driver than what he is driving if safety is an issue..is it?

I have two Family members in less than 10 years hit at intersections by people who have blown right thru red lights. Both were t-boned at over 45 mph and walked away because of air bags. One was My mother, in a Camry. She was hit in the A-post by a Suburban. They would have been in ICU or worse without them.
My .02

 

[roscoe]

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

So he rides in the Camry now, and it is apparently safe enough for him, and you. If it will be "unsafe" for him in 2 years, isn't it unsafe for him now?

 

[dolluper]

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

With the numbers of bad drivers out there now....the best thing you could do is teach your kids to be heads up defensive drivers......it's almost expected it seems you have to watch out for others as they have no concern nor respect for your safety....plus the volume of vehicles out there.....you need full attention driving now......Teach them well is about all you can do.....with no bad habits eh

 

[Bob_VT]

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

Okay.....so you asked this question 2 years early. At the pace things change who really knows what will happen in 2 days , 2 months and heck in 2 years!!!

It would not be unheard of to see the rules and requirements change in that time. Someone might invent something safer......

Actually being able to make any prediction 2 years away could make us all millionaires!

Here's a suggestion. Sit the young man down (this is what my Dad did for me) and explain he can have ANY car, attend ANY school, have a boat, motorcycle, ATV basically ANYTHING he wants....... all he has to do is set a goal and work to obtain it.

It is a time to be teaching him goal setting and everything else will fall into place.

 

[dingbat]

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

I don't get the headrest thing- does it have high-back buckets instead?

Like I said, I have a 1991. The automatic seat belts are the worst invention ever. I can't count the number of times I?ve pulled up to the mailbox, cracked the door to reach in, only to have the seat belt try to decapitate me.

Back to head rests. They are "bucket seats" for someone ~ 5'-8", but they only come to the top of my shoulders. The car is certainly a death trap by today?s standards. Its only use today is to drive to and from the airport and down to the beer store every once and a while.

 

[joewithaboat]

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

Like I said, I have a 1991. The automatic seat belts are the worst invention ever. I can't count the number of times I’ve pulled up to the mailbox, cracked the door to reach in, only to have the seat belt try to decapitate me.

That's the sort of thing i would only do one time, LOL

 

[dingbat]

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

That's the sort of thing i would only do one time, LOL

You would think, but it's probalby happened a handful of times in the past 10 years. I?m so used to driving up and getting the mail in the other cars that I don?t even think about until.....

 

[jkust]

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

I dread the day when we have to go through that with our young kids. My folks taught us responsibility early. You can't get your permitt when your 15 unless you already have your own car so we bought our own cars at 14 to practice on for the permitt at 15, then at 16 we had to have our own insurance policy, not simply add on to our parents as another driver in the house. It was handy to have your own car for a place to live when we were Unceremoniously told to leave the house on our 18th birthdays when their legal responsibility ended. Never once drove one of my parents cars ever nor was there any sort of discussion of even the most basic item coming from them much less a car or gas or even a dime. You can bet I took care of the cars I bought on my own dime. In any case, my vote is for the newest, safest car possible. I'd want side curtain airbags and stability control (of course everything else would be included in a mid 2000's car). Yes I drove crappy rear wheel drive cars with only seatbelts as the sole safety equipment but we also used to cross country on horses and get to England on a steam ship. I can recall a few kids from highschool that died in their cars similar to mine in various accidents. Adding texting and cell phones to the mix and I just don't look forward to this situation.

 

[dingbat]

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

My folks taught us responsibility early.

And that is the key. Respect and responsibly begins the day they are born. If you have to make them buy their own car and pay their own insurance to teach them respect at age 16, you’ve probably already lost the battle.

I bought both the girls late model cars when they got their licenses. As long as they are full time students and getting good grades I’ll cover the insurance, maintenance, etc. They cover their own fuel.
The way I look at it, car expenses are a heck of a lot less than their tuitions. If it saves me a semester or two in the long run I’ll come out way ahead of the game.

 

[ezbtr]

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

Most definitely defensive driving! I always comment to him what to watch for, when I'm driving. He's real responsible, and I'm just trying to get a plan together for now.

 

[roscoe]

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

I still remember the day when a girlfriend asked me why I was looking in the mirrors after I made a turn.

When I told her it was to triple or quadruple check that I hadn't pulled out in front of someone going much faster than us, her response was "its too late now".

I tried explaining to her that I could still hit the shoulder to get out of the way, she said "they have brakes".

2 years later, she pulled out in front of someone and got her car shortened.

Defensive driving, always leaving yourself "an out", anticipating what other vehicles and drivers may do, is an art that need to be developed.

See if you can find a defensive driving course or book for him when the time comes.

Since you are starting this all, well in advance, you might want to start stockpiling the Rogaine too.

 

[Pony]

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

My parents made me pay 1/2 of the price of the first car I bought. After that I had to pay for any repairs/gas/insurance. I had a lot of friends who were pretty well off money wise, and they got brand new cars. I always felt a sense of pride knowing I earned mine.

 

[ezbtr]

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

My parents made me pay 1/2 of the price of the first car I bought. After that I had to pay for any repairs/gas/insurance. I had a lot of friends who were pretty well off money wise, and they got brand new cars. I always felt a sense of pride knowing I earned mine.

I bought my first 64 Chevy pickup for $585 and had to put a new tranny in it, and did it behind my moms back when 16 or 17? And always paid my own insurance, my son is planning on getting a P/T job at mall across street from his moms in 1.5 yrs, so we'll see