Opinions on a 1970 Mustange for 16 Y.O. Boy?

[daepp]

Fastback, 302 2V, not that fast, 3 point belts, high back seats, disk brakes, good rubber. A heavy car with lots of sheet metal. All electrical works.

My son is 15 and I'd like to pick something up for a light/partial restoration for the both of us to do together. I found the one described above for $13.5 - I would probably offer $10k. It runs and drives well, So Cal Car, checked for rust as best as I could. Will probably pay a local I know who does restorations to give it a once over.

But would you let your son drive it? I've been down this road before with a daughter that wanted an old bug and we eventually got her something safer.

Any opinions on safety or value would be appreciated.

Pics to follow.

[RANDY P]

Not in modern CA traffic, not until he has some experience driving. All cars from that era handle and have mannerisms of pigs.

You need a car with EFI and ABS and one that can actually turn a corner if needed.

rjp

[ZOO]

I love the idea of a father/son light restoration project. I am currently looking for a Miata or an E36 (4-cylinder) BMW for my son -- both will make competent road cars, autox cars, and track cars. But my options are much more limited than yours -- old iron is all gone in the North.

Pros -- lots of parts and potential. Cons -- not great on gas, not great handlers without serious work.

Regardless of what you do the memories and bonding will be the most valuable part of the project.

[LWJ]

Poor choice. I agree with Randy P as well. New drivers do not have the conditioned reflexes or judgement that we have. Even if your son is rock solid, he simply is not completely developed yet and can't make the risk averse decisions adults make. This is documented.

First car should be safe and handle well. I think ABS and airbags are a must. I also think poor acceleration isn't a bad thing in a new drivers car. A 302 has too much power. I drove my fathers 65 mustang with a 289 as a new driver. Not a good thing.

Good luck. This is a hard decision. If you have to go with a classic, I recommend a 6 cylinder.

Larry

[vash]

do it!!!

my first car was my dad's hand me down 1971 camaro. i developed my love of cars with that thing. my neighbor got a 69 fastback.

[stomachmonkey]

Funny, that's my 1st car. Got it when I was 15, paid for it myself. Turned out to need too much work, $$$$, so dumped it for a slight profit and picked up a Fiat 124 instead.

Tough one. Big heavy car does not mean all that much in terms of safety. Everyone likes to comment on how older cars were tanks and you could drive them into a wall at 100 mph and not get a dent. Good for the car, very bad for the passengers. There is a reason todays cars have crumple zones. Yeah the car is toasted but the passengers have a better shot at living.

They are not the best handling vehicles around and do require more skill to control when things get hairy. No airbags, no shoulder belt. 302 is plenty of power for a new driver.

All depends on the kid really. I know kids that I'd say no problem and I know adults that I don't think I'd give a Big Wheel. Do you trust him to be responsible 100% of the time? Only you can make that determination.

My daughter is 10, my son 7. I've got 5+ years to worry about it. But one thing for sure they will both be attending a performance driving school before they are allowed to get their learners permit.

[jyl]

Ha ha. About 15 years ago, I sold my '65 Mustang to a colleague at work, for he and his teen-aged son to restore together. Probably same idea as you have - the boy would learn respect for the car, blah blah. They did the work, and in the following couple years the kid blew up the motor. Twice. I don't think he crashed the car, but not for lack of trying.

This is a bad idea for several reasons. First, the car handles and stops like a pig. Second, it is too fun to stromp the gas and peel out. Third, he's going to be challenged to races. Fourth, the car is actually worth something, and considering the accident rate of 16 y/o boys, there's a pretty good chance it won't be worth anything when he's done with it. Fifth, who's paying for the $3/gal gas to feed the thing? $4/gal?

[porsche4life]

Look at a 944, and I'm not joking....


I seem to recall your kid is in scouts, right? I'd bet he can respect the car just fine.

[Chocaholic]

Just bought my 16 y.o. son a 1999 Jeep Cherokee 2wd for $3k. Has airbags, seatbelts and gets about 20mpg.....slow as molasses. Runs well, is kind of cool, and heck...I've been using it more than him lately.

A 70's Mustang for a new driver just seems wrong. Those who did the same 30 years ago, didn't do it in modern LA-like traffic.

[rcooled]

My in-laws did the very same thing for their daughter. They bought a '68 Mustang V-8, restored it and presented it to her on her 16th birthday. She totaled it a few months later and had to be helicoptered to a trauma center. She was lucky to survive as was the other driver she hit.
Modest power, ABS, air bags and shoulder belts are good things for a young driver to have in a first car.

[scottmandue]

I was mulling this and then saw... $13K offer $10...

For 70 Mustang? Dude!

I know where you can get a 944 project car for cheap

[audiman08]

I would echo some of the comments on safety, older cars weren't as well engineered in that respect...it would still be fun though, just not very safe for a first car

[KaptKaos]

Depends on the kid.

My father had the wisdom to not allow me to have a car with too much room in it. A 2+2 Datsun 200SX fit that bill. He reasoned, quite rightly, that with less room, I wouldn't be hauling around all of my friends.

[Tim Hancock]

I had a '72 Mustang w/ 302 when I was about 17. I don't remember it as being high performance at all.... especially compared to modern cars. Mine was a rotted out POS. I ended up removing the rear seat and welding in channel iron to brace up the rotted trunk/leaf spring mounts. God what a POS my mustang was!!! Because of that car, I ended up avoiding all American/UAW made cars from then on.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Look at a 944, and I'm not joking....


I seem to recall your kid is in scouts, right? I'd bet he can respect the car just fine.

a) Retort from a well known Mustang proponent delayed due to holidays. Check back soon.

b) Is the Mustang green?

[jyl]

How about this. You get the Mustang plus the most uncool beige Volvo you can find. Deal is, zero tickets zero accidents zero unsafe incidents for X period (1 year? 2 years?) and he gets to drive the Mustang on public streets. Until then, he and you take it to local A/X on weekends. So he gets some experience in squirrely driving - but not on the street.

[crustychief]

I don't think it would have been a good idea 30 years ago. Maybe a Vega or a Pinto.
I had a 70 sportback, it handled like a Labrador on linoleum.

[David]

No. No crumple zones and no airbags. Just not worth the risk these days.

[MysticLlama]

Eh, I started out with a 1980 TBird with a 302 and I survived.

Was fast enough to feel cool and beat other kids beater Camrys off the line... right on the way to possibly catching up with the numerous minivans/etc. that stomped us both.

Bright red with a white vinyl top pretty much guaranteed being watched by cops.

I think part of the key was that I had pretty narrow and not so great tires on it, by the time you got into trouble or started slidign, you still weren't going all that fast.

The Mustang is probably a little bit lighter, but it's the same general idea.

Also, the only repair I ever had to do to it was a $6 oil sending unit that cracked and let a bunch of oil leak out.

[Gogar]

IMO,

Get him a used Civic or Hyundai,

And in a year or so see how he's doing with the driving if things are cool, buy that father/son dream resto car, and you guys can work on it together and finish it when he's about 18.


If you give him a cool, old, noisy car at 16, he's WITHOUT FAIL going to ball it up, even if he's a great kid.