Ok, we have a good number of parents here. Some new parents, some prospecting parents, and some oldie parents.

Now, I'd have to say somewhere between 70-80% of those in the 3rd gen section KNOW what the FD can do and the skills required to keep the thing planted on the road.

Knowing the capabilities of the FD, and being a car person yourself, WOULD you give your 16 year old an FD?

I've noticed several youngens having the luxury of their parents dropping an FD in their laps. I ask myself "What were these people thinking" and can only conclude that:
1) They have no idea what this 10 year old car can do
2) They were drunk beyond the limits of any breathometer.
3) Have astronomical faith on their kid
4) Are just plain dumb
5) Believe that the sentence 'I can drive safely, pop" means always knowing where your side view mirrors are

and the last one is probably within .00000000001% of the population

6) The parents have attended numerous autocrosses, road races, and any other form of motorsport with their kid not only showing him/her the proper safety precatuions, but also showing them how to learn the limits of your machine.

Why am I asking? Because I'm curious what others think. This is not intended as a flame war against those with newly developed pubic hairs where the sun doesn't shine. I just want to know the reasoning for several parents basically giving their kid the key to the devil's chariot.

Personally, I would NOT give my 16 year old (When the time comes) a car as capable as an FD. He will start his *** in a less powered RWD car, and move his way up.

 

Personally, I don't believe in parents giving their kids a car in the first place. Secondly, allowing your teenager to purchase (or buy it for them) a powerful car of any kind is stupid beyond belief. I think of all the stupid stunts I tried while driving my parent's full-size van or the little Renault Encore beater, and can't even imagine owning a powerful car at that age. Kids need to learn how to drive well period, without having to worry about trying to control a very fast car.

Kids these days are so fricking spoiled, it makes me ill. Especially living out here in LaLa land, the poor parenting is very obvious.

 

You left one option out

7) The parents hate there kids and whant them to die, but do it in a nice way.

Im only 18 turning 19 soon. My first car was a car i bought for my self. 1988 Honda Prelude 2.0S. Thing was pretty quick for a rust bucket. Next was a 1982 BMW 320i. That was my first RWD car. In the first few weeks i learned what NOT to do in a RWD car. I spun it twice in one evening. Thats not fun if your not trying to. Next i was given my dads 1989 Porsche 944 turbo. I thought i knew how to drive after the BMW. I was wrong, with the added power i had to basicly learn how to drive again. And next came the RX7. I bought it with my own money. Well im still paying for it but its my own money. I have done 0 mods to it because im still feeling out the car. And i dont think i will add much to the car other than reliability mods for a year or so.

Poor Parenting??? LOL how about lack of parenting, trying to be the kids friend to much and not more like a parent.


So as for the question of, Would i give my kid an FD for a present?, I would have to say NO. Unless i wanted them dead, but even then i wouldnt give them an FD, maby a Civic but not an FD

 

I guess it all depends on the kid. It's none of our business really, and without practically, oh, raising the kid, who's to say what they can handle.

I got my FD just after i turned 19. I've never been in an accident and even when i was 16, could probably have handled a stock power FD. Mentality is just as important as driving skill, and a hell of alot of "adult" FD owners DO lack both.

I was *given* my FD at 19. You probably wouldn't think there was anything wrong with it if you were handed an FD. I didn't earn it by standard means, but i love it, i'm not the luckiest guy in the world but i know how lucky i am. I don't pay for gas or insurance either. I might not *deserve* it as much as someone who busted their *** for it, but i don't take it for granted either.

I love how condescending the forum can be some times. Crash your car? OMG learn to drive newb! riiight. We are all race car drivers (untill we crash), or we just waste our car away babying it to death. Apperantly working your car a little out in the country is only a ricer kid thing these days. BAH!!

Back on topic, if I was a millionare(sp?) and had a son (girls can't drive, we all know it), he would be racing karts from an early age and when he turned 16 he would have one of the fastest cars at his school. Of course he'd be brought up racing to respect cars. Hell yeah, it'd be great, he wouldn't have much time to be influenced into street racing by peer pressure with all the legit racing i'd have him doing though. And then he'd be a pro driver and support me when i'm old and lazy. Yeah! (just hope he isn't gay... j/k )

 

im loving this option!! DIE STUPID KIDS

save the money on college and buy a nice vacation home in the carribean!!!

 

Dam straight, i bet a few even thought that to.

 

16yrs old + FD = news paper clipping with some mangled car and an inanimate object, or worse, another car...

 

I do not own an FD as of right now but I am 17 (soon to turn 18) years old and hope to own one soon, I have been to racing school like particleeffect described www.bondurant.com I completed the high performance driving course. One of the best learning experiences I ever had not to mention how fun it was, I mean come on, learning from perfesional drivers (my instructor Craig Meintzer he was a formula Ford North American National Champion) how to control a car in all types of situations (skids, drifts, oversteer, understeer, spins, as well as normal car control on and off the track) I hope to go back some day too, I am not saying I am an expert driver or anything but I do believe that I have the resonsibility and knowledge of basic car control to handle the FD.
-Nic

 

*responsibility*

 

Yeah if they want to see their kid six feet under!

 

Daughter is 13 going on 31. Lot of things can happen in the next 3 years but I'll probably buy the car and she'll work for insurance.
Something with no more than 4 cyl (NA) and looks good with old tires hung from the sides. NO FD.

 

99.9999% of the time it would not be a good idea... i see kids with brand new lancers/imprezas all the time and they always have dents in them. people get tboned all the time coming out of my old high school parking lot.

but some kids, although very few, i think are responsible enough... ive looked into this car for years and then finally i bought one that i thought was perfect. i love this car and i would never try anything stupid with it. id save it for the track. im 19, i think i would have been terrified to drive it as a first car. and even if i was responsible enough, it would have been very difficult to drive.

i learned to drive on a corolla and have driven it for years. so i would have been satisfied with a 240, which i wouldve bought one with a blacktop sr20 but it was sold, and i decided to just get the car i really wanted.

when the day comes that i have a 16 year old, i'll give them something like a corolla and then step up to something like a 240. kids get cocky if they start with a nice car.

 

16 year olds have no business owning an FD. They only thing accomplished will be yet another wrecked one.

 

No not at 16, my son purchased his own FD when he was 18. He was driving an 86.5 supra n/a and I let him use that for down payment. I did buy the supra for him. I agree with Rynbegs comments, but its hard for a 16 year old to go to school, play basketball at that level, work, and pay for a car. Even a pos like the supra. Lots of these kids drive beter cars than I do. Change that to most.....my dd is an 96 ford van.

 

im 16, and im planning on getting an FD, what the hell ?

stereotype all you want, but that doesnt define the individual.

 

I think that at the age of 16 a person should be trying to master driving in traffic, bad weather conditions, etc. Which means I wouldn't put them in a car that has a tendancy to hydroplane, has poor rearward visibility(compared to a sedan), breaks traction under heavy accelaration, the list of "weaknesses" goes on.

Anyways the upshot is I have never met a 16 year old boy that has the brains to manage a car like the FD. You are too worried about impressing your friends and girls(at least you think they are impressed). Leading you to do stupid things that would probably get you killed. I probably would have been a statistic in a annual report if not for the grace of God. I can't count the number of close calls I have had since I started driving and I am only 23. I am just now getting to the point where I can just laugh it off when some ricer boy pulls up and wants to race. The only ones that get me now are the guys in the real cars; corvettes, transams, mustangs, 300Z, and the occasional FD. Even those I am starting to learn are not worth it. Who cares if your car is faster or slower when you have a good job, a thick wad of cash, and a fine girl with you a car. Anyways the end of that was off subject.

In answer to the question HELL NO.

 

Give them one? No, they would have to work for it. Given how I used to drive when I was 16? Hell No I would not allow it. I got pulled over several times and got tickets for drag racing and ran from a cop (never got caught) in my '70 Barracuda. I was mature enough to know I could not handle the speed and sold it for a more normal car while in college.

Now if somehow I could not keep them from getting the FD I would send them off to driving school and have lots of good talks. Including the ones where I had a friend who never saw 18 driving his Vette.

 

16 years old + FD = death for the FD.

16 year old children aren't responsible enough to have an FD and don't have the self control to learn and explore the limits carefully.

They will drive it safely for a little bit and then wonder "hmm I bet 150 is really cool!" and SPLAT.

Brian

 

no but it does define the majority and just like every argument/discussion you have to apply it in the broad strokes.

 

particleeffect and cloud9, you both are exceptions to the rule.
The vast majority of the 16yo driving population don't know how to drive because of expirience comes with practice and at that age you have none.
The level of maturity, the sense of responsability and the knowledge for the consequences of their actions is not there.
Reasons why the insurance companies charge an arm & a leg for insurance for driving teenagers.
Statistics for this industry don't lie.
Most kids see "Fast & the Furious" and "Gone in 60 seconds" and are influenced by these movies. Just watch the parking lot after the movie is over and you will see all the Mario Andrettis driving out.
I have been dealing with teenagers a great part of my life. Only met one kid that races as a hobby and would not mind at all giving him my car to drive.
I can't give you stats but here in Plano, Texas, one of the highest average income per capita in the USA, every other kid has had a wreck or gets killed in a car accident. It's in the papers every other weekend.
Reasons, loss of control at high speed and alcohol/drugs.
cpa7man can back this up.

I've taken the safety driving course for insurance and the vast majority on that day, were in their teens.
Reasons for being there, speeding and runing red lights.
Why do schools now a days have Driving Education????
I did'nt have that growing up, I'm no spring chicken, try 43 1/2 springs.

89turbo944, could not agree with you more.
Parents want to retire young, with $$$ and have a death wish for their offsprings.

My kid will drive at 16, on a rolled caged Ford Excursion with a programable computer (for speed) electric engine.

s-thetikz, you are missing the point, therefore validating our topic and acting/showing your age.

JMunilla94RX7, well said.

Sorry for the long post.

 

FIRST OFF, i know everyones situation is different, but High School kids DON'T NEED TO BE WORKING (which means NOT LETTING THEM BUY A HIGH POWERED, UNAFFORDABLE CAR). they have the rest of their LIFE to work! LET THEM BE KIDS.

Second, if parents are making payments on their childrens NEW CARS... YOU ARE NUTS!!! they're gonna get in an accident! even if it is only a MAILBOX or a FENCE ROW, it's still an accident. The car is gonna get screwed up.

FINALLY, make your kid appreciate WHAT THEY HAVE! Don't spoil them with a new BMW or an FD for Christ's sake!! Teach them to save their $$ and pay CASH for the car they want. They will appreciate and take care of it, AND they won't be in debt on a CAR like the majority of US!

yeah, i know... opinions are like a$$holes, but why be in debt when you can wait a while, save, and PAY CASH for your dream car!!

 

Definitely not,

really annoys me (and upsets in a way) to think that some spoilt 16 yr old will be driving an FD because his mommy and daddy gave them the keys, when most ppl on here work there asses off for there cars. (ok some 16 yr olds work but they will never earn enough to maintain it properly and give it the love it needs, and if they have an accident i doubt they'll be able to afford to repair it? MOMMY DADDY, CAN I HAVE A NEW CAR NOW?

And more than likely at that age, they'll show off to their mates, be very inexperienced, and be incapable of driving it safely and crash it. And with the forever dwindling number of FD's i wouldnt even consider giving them the keys, may as well just drive it to the junkyard myself. Plenty of rwd powerful cars out there to let them drive that there are plenty of, just FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, not the FD!!!

 

I Agree, never should a 16 year old be driving an FD for their personal car. If I had a 16 year old I might let the kid drive it on occasion WITH ME IN THE CAR. I think it has been explained well enough why that is the case.



It isnt just a stereotype, it is a fact and the way it is. Every single one of us that thinks a 16 year old should not drive an FD was 16 at one point. We know exactly what it was like being 16 and the peer pressures that are put on you. We all remember being 16 and how at that time we knew better than our parents what was best for us. We KNOW these things, not just stereotype.

 

Speaking from personal experience, not all 16 year olds will wreck and ruin an FD. I believe that there is a low percentage of 16 and 17 year olds that are able to keep their FD running happy. If I ever have a kid and he can prove to be in this percentage, then I will let him drive one. Someone said it right, experience is important, but responsibility and maturity are right up there.


Chris

 

It really depends on the individual, were all different. Since 16 I've driven a civic, mr2, ae86, then the fd. Never an accident because I dont drive like a maniac. Granted most kids were tryin to go as fast as possible when they first start driving..... but I really do believe there are ppl that can drive like a normal adult at the age of 16.
Like many of you said there are outside influences such as peer pressure.... but thats why it'll matter only if your kid is the type to let it get to them.
Saying all this, I agree for the most part with the previous posts.... Dont get an FD for a 16 yr old, DO NOT get them a brand new car. Get them a civic, or worse... teach them driving is a privilege. Hell... make them buy their own car, teach them a few other lessons as well.