New Car for my kid

[Cav47]

As the Title says, we bought my kid a car. He will be 17 in November, so he has just been driving ours. I have heard others talk about their kids and "moments" they witnessed. These moments seem to whip by so fast. It feels like last week that we brought him home from the hospital and yesterday he was playing ball boy for one of my teams. Now he is driving a car that he really doesn't fit too well into. At 6-2 240 getting into the Civic was a little awkward at first for him.

It just seems to be a right of passage as a parent. Much like your kid applying for college and other stuff.
It is a 1996 Honda DX. No cruise, power windows or locks. Pretty basic, but it does have AC. 111K miles. It is beat up, but for 300 bucks, it is a steal. The tires are worth that much as they are brand new. Bought it about 120 miles away and it ran great on the way home. Liability only on insurance. He is an honor student with no driving issues and is still paying 374 per 6 months.

This is the good side.

They did not even try to clean it up before selling it. Can't take the dents out, but a good cleaning/detail made a huge difference.

The Bad Side.

This process also got me thinking/reminiscing about my first car and all the responsibilities that came with it. I asked some other people I know about how they acquired their first car and the stories were good. I am sure we all have some funny stories and different ways we paid for the car. Some had their parents buy them, while others saved their own money.

I made him pay for the first tank of gas. 18 dollars and it was nearly empty. 11.9 gal capacity but was showing super low on the gauge.

Already fixed some of the dents and other minor cosmetic issues. Working on it with him has been fun.

 

[BkerChuck]

That's a pretty damn good deal. Around my area used Honda's even like that are going for at least $1200 or more.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Good deal!

My first car was $300. My parents, instead of paying me back the loan, bought some car for $300 from a friend and said, here's your $300. Now don't ask us to pay for the bus service back and forth to school. 1967 Ford Custom 500. Drove it till it died five years later.

How are the shocks? No fractures?

Thanks for posting!

 

[deagle]

That is a better deal than the 2015 FJR's that have been being bought discounted around here!!

Didn't know you could buy a running car for $300.

 

[Cav47]

That's a pretty damn good deal. Around my area used Honda's even like that are going for at least $1200 or more.

We thought the same thing. You can scrap a car here for $500. My buddy who found the car for us, thought it might be a misprint and the car was actually 1350 (they asked 350 but since the hood was really hard to open, he offered 300).

 

[Cav47]

Good deal!
My first car was $300. My parents, instead of paying me back the loan, bought some car for $300 from a friend and said, here's your $300. Now don't ask us to pay for the bus service back and forth to school. 1967 Ford Custom 500. Drove it till it died five years later.

How are the shocks? No fractures?

Thanks for posting!

No fractures, but the brakes squeal like a pig. Brakes are for sure going to need worked on. I ran it up to 80 on the interstate on the way home and it was fine. Heck, it has less miles at 111K than my 2006 Ridgeline at 161K.

You did see the sticker on the driver window?? 1996 Motor Trend Car of the Year.

 

[BikerGeek99]

Nice!

This brought back memories of my first car. My hard-earned $350 got me a 1973 Mercury Montego, complete with a white vinyl top (sorta, it wasn't in the best shape), faded-red paint (where it still had paint - the paint had completely worn off in spots, especially the hood), and a power bench seat.

I beat the living snot outta that car. The only thing that really gave out was an alternator.

 

[rushes]

Looks like the perfect first car. Most of my kids tore up their first cars so it's good he learn on something inexpensive.

I rode a motorcycle until my senior year. Saved up my money and my first car was a clean 72 Mustang with only 150,000 miles.

I learned a lot about working on cars.

(I felt I needed a car at that point to date the nice girls...)

 

[majicmaker]

I wanted my first car to be a motorcycle. (In The Bronx!) What could possibly go wrong, right? My parents said, HELL NO!!!! Well... about a year later I was a newly minted FAA certified aircraft mechanic. I started shoveling all my money into an account for the bike. My parents were pooping their pants so just before I was going to get the bike my mom put a set of car keys on the dinner table in front of me.

She said, that's the keys to your new car (a 1967 4 door Ford Falcon) that she bought from a co-worker for $600. She said my girlfriends would like a car more than a motorcycle. I said if my girlfriends like a car better, I'll find another girlfriend. Well... I tried the car for a few weeks and she was right. Even I thought it was a good idea. The traffic and the crazy drivers in NYC were awful. Had if for about a year until I bought my own new car. A 1973 Chevy Vega. What a piece of crap that car was but, that's another story for another thread. Ahhh... the memories!

Congrats to your kid, Cav. I remember that moment too. I got my son a new Honda Civic. I'll never forget that look on his face. On the first day that he drove it to school he woke up at 4:30am and was in the school parking lot by 5:30am. Not Kidding!!! I pee'd myself laughing.

 

[Panman]

I laugh when you say your son doesn't fit to well and had a hard time getting in at first. That was my boy, first he was driving the old family sedan which didn't fit him to well then the Escort GT I handed down to him.

Jesse is 6' 5" or so & then about 240 or so. He never complained about the GT and after showing him how to downshift and throw it into a corner I got the cool look from him. Like you boy good grades at school and took Cisoc Systems for half the day. And good grades equals privileges.

 

[MCRIDER007]

Congrats.....great first car, how can you go wrong with a reliable economy car for $300?

 

[Burnspot]

Nice! Oh the memories, lol...

My first "car" was a 1970 Chevy Suburban...a real boat, but it was 4x4 and had a ton of room. If I recall, I paid $300-500 for it, and my father and I rebuilt the top end of the V8 4 barrel 350 in the months leading up to my legal driving age. There weren't any freebies in my household, but I worked at the local ski area and had saved up. It turned out to be a pretty decent vehicle, but you could watch the fuel gauge go down while at speed and the bias ply tires were **** in the ice and snow, lol. It once broke one of the U bolts holding the rear axle in place while driving back home after work one night. I hadn't noticed, but the local trooper, who pulled me over did. Apparently, my sub was crabbing pretty badly due to axle sliding back on one side. The trooper let me off and advised caution, but he also warned me to take a shortcut to home since a trooper was sitting at the other end of one of the towns I had to go through to get home and would probably not be as kind, lol. Fixed it with a coat hanger and it stayed that way until I sold it to my dad (I was leaving for the Corps), who cut it up for scrap and dropped the motor it into one of his restoration pickups.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Looks like the perfect first car. Most of my kids tore up their first cars so it's good he learn on something inexpensive.
I rode a motorcycle until my senior year. Saved up my money and my first car was a clean 72 Mustang with only 150,000 miles.

I learned a lot about working on cars.

(I felt I needed a car at that point to date the nice girls...)

Yeah, cuz the others had no problem staddling the bike, right?

I knew a girl in high school who wanted a motorcycle ride home from her work in a medical clinic. She had no straddling that seat with her work dress on. I'm going, okay...

 

[TomInPA]

Good deal Josh. Should serve him well. That damage on the driver's side is caused by collision that pushed the fender to interfere with the driver's door. Someone forced the door and that bent the panel. Cheap and easy fix if anyone ever wants to go to a salvage yard for a new fender. Good father/son project for Spring if it doesn't interfere with SEOR.

 

[wnyfjr]

My first car was my grandfathers old '71 Mercury Comet. It was (or used to be) a sort of green, so my friends called it the Vomit Comet. No heat, but drove it to school all year long (in the Buffalo area!) and it had more rust holes in it than any other car I have owned since. I took my mom grocery shopping in it once and she was afraid to put the bags in the trunk for fear they'd end up on the roadway. I told her to put them on the floor in the back seat, cause the carpeting was in good shape and would hold them (even if the floor underneath was essentially toast!). It was a straight-six, 289 and dead simple to do basic maintenance on. I did oil and plug changes, nothing major, but there was room to work in the engine bay.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Cherish the memories Cav. Nice choice for a first car...you'll sleep a little better at night!

--G

 

[hppants]

What a great feeling as a parent to see the independence in your kids face.

I think you did fantastic. That Honda is indestructible. My son has the same model (2004) - no power windows or locks just like yours. Wonderful car for a kid.

$300.00??? Wow. What a cool deal all around.

 

[Bugnatr]

Good job dad. Does he know how to change a tire yet. Amazing how many kids don't. Good car to learn the basic auto care. $ 2.08 a gallon? I wish........

 

[LittleJon]

My first car was a 1986 Chevy Cavalier. Purchased for $700 at the age of 15 from funds earned working at the farm next door. I drove it around the back yard until I was old enough to put it on the road.

And my car insurance was somewhere in the neighborhood of $240/month. I was no honor student.

Great find on the Civic.