Daughter needs a car

[FJRay]

If you want a real tank, I'm thinking I need to sell my 48 Ford coupe. Stick shift, weak brakes, loose steering, no stereo, no blue tooth and isn't happy above 55 mph. Great to keep the driver alert.

Back Seat size?

As you well know John. Any port in a storm will do when needed.

 

[JamesW]

My opinion jeeps are squirrelly and roll easy. Whatever you decide let us know.

 

[Mr Bill]

Daughter number 1 of mine got a Chevy Cobalt. Year old car from an little old lady. Roll up windows even! She went to umass and learned to drive bus for work in college. I'd never give the kids a truck. Too many rollovers.

Daughter two a Ford Fiesta from Mexico. That thing would stop on a dime.

God bless you Hot Rod. I did my time!

Oh and the CDL driver kid found my soft side and I said here is $20 for gas.

She said NO

whiskey money!

How did I survive?

 

[hppants]

Another thing I contemplated when my kids started driving was liability insurance coverage. By then, I was long enough into my career that I'd seen some stupid **** of my own. People collecting settlements for stupid **** - and a lot of it stupid kid ****, and more specifically, stupid kid car ****. I took a look at my 100/300/50 coverage at the time and thought - "If my kid does stupid car ****, is this gonna keep me out of bankruptcy? Is this going to protect what her mother and I have worked our whole lives for?"

I priced higher coverage, and also priced umbrella liability policies. With two kids in high school, and now one driving, that is going to stretch the budget significantly. Back then, we made a lot less than we do now.

So one afternoon, I grabbed a couple of beers and walked next door to visit my neighbor, the 60-ish year old defense lawyer. He knows what I do for a living. I presented the dilemma, and asked for advice. His reply was truly enlightening:

(paraphrasing, of course)

"I can only answer your question this way. In all of my years of practicing civil litigation, I have never seen nor heard of any case in which the settlement or the judgment exceeded the responsible party's limits of insurance, regardless of the circumstances of the case or the actual limits that applied. I've seen people deserve a million and get $10,000. And I've seen plenty of the opposite. The bottom line is that the insurance company is obligated to indemnify you. They are not only (usually) the deepest pocket, but they are by far the easiest one to tap. Don't get stupid one way of the other. Get as much coverage as you can afford, and tell the kid to be careful."

So I stuck with the 100/300 and hoped for the best, and it worked out. I will never forget that advice. Over the past 12 years, I've tested it. I've asked a couple dozen lawyers over the years if their experience was any different. Had they ever been part of a lynching of parents assets, a garnishment of their wages, or anything of the sort? Guess what? Not one could share even one experience. Not one. Collectively - maybe 200 years of litigation.

Next up in this series of sharing.... how to use the car to teach your kids some real world lessons using rules 1 - 4, and develop bonding opportunities with them you previously never had....

 

[SwollenRaccoon]

Buy her a brand-new Dodge Challenger Hellcat or Demon. Then, you get to borrow it from time to time, and as a bonus, she can learn vehicle dynamics on an accelerated (pun intended) schedule. Even better if she can find ice or hard-packed snow. And, great advice on the manual transmission, too.

In reality, you've been given a lot of great advice, and we all have our own opinions. Jeeps are tanks, but they roll pretty easily (I've seen some frightening maneuvers), and the temptation to "see what this thing can do" in poor conditions or off-road may be pretty large for a teenager. The large, old car plan has some good merits, but the small, nimble car thought line has its own advantages. Handling, braking, avoidance advantages, things like that. For me, it would be a Civic or Accord, then maybe a Corolla or Camry. Bulletproof, easy to maintain, and they hold their value, too. Good luck!

(On a side note; Back when I was about 20 years old, I was at a family reunion, and about 15 or 20 of my cousins were there. I had to leave early, to go to a wedding, then the wedding dance. My dad calls me over, and starts talking loud enough for everyone to hear. "Is there going to be drinking at the wedding party?" "Umm, yeah, I guess so", says I, bristling at the thought of being lectured in front of my cousins. My dad says, "If you're going to drink and drive, make sure you have a car.")

(No, he didn't condone drinking and driving, but it was pretty damned funny.)

 

[chrisz]

Something to add which I haven't seen mentioned, performance driver training. Typically a one day training course (in-class and on a closed road course). I've signed up both of my kids including me and my wife, this was money well spent.

 

[Tyler]

I gave my daughter our 2003 Toyota Camry. It went 200K miles and, if properly maintained, would go another 200K. We sold it when she was old enough to get her own car (and insurance). Bet you could find one at a pretty reasonable price.

 

[Fred W]

Reading all of this stuff, Im sure glad that my youngest is 31 and I dont have to worry about this kind of **** anymore. Now I have other kinds of **** to worry about though. Like whether I will **** at all today... or even this week?

Sorry, didnt mean to **** on this thread.

 

[08FJR4ME]

I hitch hiked into the city to buy my first car. Gave the guy $250.00 and drove it home 12 miles with no plates. Oh and by the way I paid for it myself. One thing my dad taught me was that if you want something go to work and pay for it. There were no freebies in our household growing up. Not to mention there were 8 children in our family.

Those days are gone now,

Dave

 

[hppants]

It's funny how this thread has re-surfaced some previously suppressed memories. I can laugh at it now....

Phone rings - it's daughter.

(Daughter) "Dad, I hit something with the car."

(Pants) "What?"

(Daughter) "I hit the parking thingie in the Academy Sporting Goods store parking lot on the right side of the car. I got two flat tires. Tory (boyfriend at the time) can change one tire with the spare, but he doesn't know what to do with the other."

I called a neighbor that had the same car and borrow her spare. When we got home, I invoked Rule #2 - you broke it, no insurance, you pay to fix it. Took her a few weeks to save the money but together, we learned about the used rim and tire market at the junkyard. And we learned how to safely change a tire.

Another one. I'm sitting on the couch watching a ball game and I hear this screeching sound from the front of the house. I get up and open the front door. All I see is my daughter standing next to the car with the mirror dangling and the house mailbox has been reduced to a lowly pile of bricks.

(Pants) "Taylor, what they hell happened?"

(Daughter) "Dad, Oh my God!!! I was coming home and I hit the mailbox with the car!!"

(Pants) "Well, I've managed to figure that out when I opened the door. What I can't figure out is the circumstances that led up to that particular action."

(Daughter) "...... (bla bla bla bla) <<< stupid excuses that don't make an ounce of sense.....

(Pants) "Well, get your checkbook ready. I'll call the handy man tomorrow."

 

[Bugnatr]

I've learned sometimes it's really better to keep your eyes closed when walking around your kids car.

 

[HotRodZilla]

It's coming to light that what I think is cool and what is practical are two totally very different things. Haha...

 

[K_Flyer]

I've learned sometimes it's really better to keep your eyes closed when walking around your kids car.

Ditto for walking around your 92-year-old mother-in-law's car.

 

[escapefjrtist]

I've learned sometimes it's really better to keep your eyes closed when walking around your kids car.

...and looking inside too, ugh!
~G

 

[Auburn]

I've learned sometimes it's really better to keep your eyes closed when walking around your kids car.

...and looking inside too, ugh!
~G

My youngest got to learn how expensive those key fobs can be when you lose them. She had to go through the PIA of proving to the dealer that she was the owner, and authorized to get a new fob. Then got an eyeopener on the cost, which she had to pay.. Doubt she will lose another.

 

[Warpdrv]

Don't buy anything with a Turbo in it....

Getting a car second hand and not knowing how the previous owners treated that vehicles oil change regiment is not good.

We see lots of cars, including subarus that have turbos and went by the Manufacturers oil change regiment, and it turned out poorly for them.

Vehicles with Turbos need oil changes very often, as the oil used by the engine, also gets used by the turbo and with the high rpms of the turbo, gets burned up much faster, higher mileage between oil changes have far more carbon that oil filters cannot remove. 3000 to 5000 miles is very important. Not 10,000 like most manufacturers recommend.

Turbo replacement can run in the thousands...
I'll never buy a vehicle with a smaller motor and a turbo to make up for the lack of power....


FWIW

 

[HotRodZilla]

Speaking of vehicles with turbos: I have a vehicle with two large dual turbos getting ready to come through Customs in Juarez. It will be at the train yard in Albuquerque on January 8th and at the dealership around the 12th to 15th. I'll post a picture when it's mine...

Still working on daughter's car, but we're moving slow. Partially due to the above referenced vehicle.

 

[Geezer]

Speaking of vehicles with turbos: I have a vehicle with two large dual turbos getting ready to come through Customs in Juarez. It will be at the train yard in Albuquerque on January 8th and at the dealership around the 12th to 15th. I'll post a picture when it's mine...
Still working on daughter's car, but we're moving slow. Partially due to the above referenced vehicle.

Ford Explorer?

 

[HotRodZilla]

Speaking of vehicles with turbos: I have a vehicle with two large dual turbos getting ready to come through Customs in Juarez. It will be at the train yard in Albuquerque on January 8th and at the dealership around the 12th to 15th. I'll post a picture when it's mine...Still working on daughter's car, but we're moving slow. Partially due to the above referenced vehicle.

Ford Explorer?

No. We have a new Durango that we bought in June. In a couple weeks, we will have officially moved on from Ford. They have priced themselves out of the market for what I need.

On that note, anyone want to buy a very nice 2016 F250 XLT Crew Cab 4x4 Off-Road package? It has the 6.2L gas and is set up to tow with air bags and 5th Wheel hitch.

 

[K_Flyer]

Had a 2005 Volvo XC70 with a turbo. Followed manufacturer's service schedule (oil & filter every 7,500 miles or so). Drove it hard for over 137,000 miles and it was going as strong as ever. Bought a used (50k miles) 2015 XC70 a year ago and now wish I'k kept the old one. Old one had better handling and better mileage around town. New one has better mpg on long trips (but use the motorcycle for most of those).