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Originally Posted by kaisen
I think there's more to it. I've helped a lot of friends, relatives, and neighbors select cars for their kids. Invariably, safety is a concern. Parents are worried about accidents so airbags, ABS, 4wd/awd, etc are important, and some of the 'older' cars don't have them. But it goes further. Parents are also focused on reliability. It is just too dangerous to be broken down somewhere. Want your 16 year old daughter in a mall parking lot with a car that won't start?
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There are plenty of $2000 cars with all the reliability and safety of the late models on the lots. There is also Cel phones, and AAA today something we did not have as kids.
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Around here, parents start out telling the kids they're getting a cheap beater. But then they start seeing what $2000 buys and quickly change their tune. Of course, it's easier to make $300 payments than shelling out $10K cash, so they usually start justifying a new car for themselves and give their kids their 'old' 2 year old still-reliable (still-making-payments) car.
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My sons $500 E30 has proven more dependable than my 2005 Audi A6.
I feel its a rite to passage for a kid to start off in what he/she can afford and work their way up in life. Starting with a 20K+ car teaches them nothing about working your way up in life.
I have a little brother that got a newer car for a first car, dad bought it for him, the two older brothers had to buy their first cars, not the baby. He is a financial mess today, he wants wants wants and does not want to wait until he can afford. He never had to wait growing up so why now? He is a spoiled brat that is a financial drain on my parents to this day.
I'll be damned if my son thinks everything is owed to him and he should have the best now. If he wants nice things he better be ready to work hard for them, I am not buying it for him.