"JohnnyWasASchoolBoy" (JohnnyWasASchoolBoy)
08/15/2013 at 18:21 • Filed to: None
2
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"JohnnyWasASchoolBoy" (JohnnyWasASchoolBoy)
08/15/2013 at 18:21 • Filed to: None | 2
| 12 |
Obviously he knows that we don't have the scratch to invest in a Ferrari. However he seemed bummed that I wouldn't let him have/drive one, even if we could afford it. It's just too much power for a new driver. I should point out that at 12 years old, he's already saving cash and planning for his first car.
My thought is that if he wants a sports car he can find a good, 1st gen Miata. It's not so fast that it'll be tempting him to race it on the street. And, he can only take one friend with him. He can learn to wrench it himself and, if he wants to learn to drive fast, we have an autocross club in town.
What would you be willing to let your new driver own?
Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
> JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
08/15/2013 at 18:24 |
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I'd be willing to let them get a junker, and spend weekends working on it to get it running, and in good condition some time before they are licensed, if they had the interest in it.
I know for a fact I've had some stupid cars at the age of 20...
Supra, RX-7's, Cougar, and he Cobalt Top the list.
Crown Vics were safe...for me....haha
Bandit
> JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
08/15/2013 at 18:28 |
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Well, when I was 15 I bought my trans am (with my own money) and fixed it up (with my own money) into driving shape for my first car. I'm now 17 and am now in the middle of an engine swap and about to get it painted back to factory colors.
PS9
> JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
08/15/2013 at 18:30 |
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Don't kill his enthusiasm, but don't lie to him either. Let him know what the real costs are. Present him with some somewhat realistic paths that might lead to a Ferrari. Here's how I'd handle it:
MiniPS9: Dad I want a Ferrari.
PS9: Well son, that company makes some of the most expensive cars in the world. You're going to need a really well paying career if you want to get one. But don't just pick something because it pays ferrari money; if you don't like to do it, you won't work hard enough and sacrifice enough for it to get you where you need to go. You'll quit. So you need to find something that A) you have a passion for and B) pays really well if you want a career that will get you the money you want to buy a ferrari.
MiniPS9: 'Son'? Dad, I'm a girl!
PS9: Well...this is awkward...umm...Go to your room.
#BestFatherEver
RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire
> JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
08/15/2013 at 18:34 |
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You've done a fine job. Miata++ - cheap parts, RWD.
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JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
> PS9
08/15/2013 at 18:35 |
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Hilarious.
I agree with the honesty. He knows what's what, and that if he wants a flashy car etc... that he'll have to find some way to turn what he loves into $$$.
Given that he wants to be a marine ecologist... that may be tougher than he thinks. But I applaud him and his drive and ambition.
Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast.
> JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
08/15/2013 at 18:35 |
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Show him this .
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JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
> Bandit
08/15/2013 at 18:38 |
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Good on you.
When I was 16 my dad and I co-purchased a 65 Mustang Hi-Pro. I tore the interior out and re-upholstered it, we redid the motor together, and then it was mine to use as I wanted.
That's where I kind of feel like a hypocrite. At 16 I had a rare-ish, powerful, and fast car and I'm telling my kid that he shouldn't have something like that.
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Bandit
> JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
08/15/2013 at 18:52 |
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That's awesome man, any pics?
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JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
> Bandit
08/15/2013 at 19:00 |
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That's a looooong time ago my friend. Maybe in my basement in a box somewhere. I'll see what I can find.
twinturbobmw
> JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
08/15/2013 at 19:38 |
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Well...this could be a possibility.
f86sabre
> JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
08/15/2013 at 19:40 |
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The key, I think is investment. If your kid is willing to pony up the money then more power to them. I bought my first car, a 68 Mustang, on money I made the summer before. I took good care of that car. Still have it 23 years later. I think if a person has invested, fixed and loves a car it makes a huge difference.
davedave1111
> JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
08/15/2013 at 20:27 |
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Marine ecology pays well enough, if you're following the money in the field. Not to buy new Ferraris, but anyone with a reasonable income can get a Ferrari if they really want. Most people have other priorities.
If your kid really wants a car, he could start saving now. Do paper rounds still exist? What do they pay these days? $50 a week would be $2.5k a year, so even spending a bit of it your kid could be saving $2k a year if that's what they really want. Add some summer jobs as s/he gets a bit older, and you're looking at about the kind of money you need to buy a cheap Ferrari by the time the kid's going off to college. And all his or her own work.
Also, don't ignore the other side of things: what you know, who you know, and who owes you a favour. If the summer jobs are with a good mechanic's shop, and your kid spends plenty of time wrenching on other cars, owning the right Ferrari is a much more affordable prospect because the maintenance can be done yourself.