Are you planning to give your children their first car?
By hdjohnson
@hdjohnson (2981)
United States
November 7, 2008 10:11am CST
I grew up without a father figure in the home. My brother who was 11 years older than me was the closest thing to a male figure in my life at a young age. In fact he gave me my first car at the ripe age of 18. I was a 1972 volvo station wagon. It was green had a luggage rack and everything. If you don't know much about cars, it was built with that hard metal (steel) so if it ever got into a accident the passangers had a lot more protection that the aluminum fake metal cars that come of the product line of today.
Anyway, I really enjoyed that car. This car wasn't a hand me down that he drove until he couldn't drive it anymore, he actually purchased it for me, worked on it, and drove it over 300 miles just to give it to me. That is real love. So, are you planning to give your children their first car? Will it be a hand me down, will it be debt free? Will you have strings attached (must have all A's in school, etc...)
What's your take?
4 responses
@PrincessKitten (790)
• United States
7 Nov 08
My daughter is only 2, so I have plenty of time to think about this. Ideally, I will be giving her a car when she's ready to move out and it will be the car I am driving now, with some modifications.
In 1995, I bought my first car. Took my driving test in it and everything and I am still driving it today. In 2025 (when she's 12) it will be an antique and will no longer need yearly registration. The car is long since paid for, insurance is now and will always be dirt cheap on it and by 2018, hopefully will use water for fuel.
She will be getting a debt free, low maintenance, non-gas guzzling sedan, painted in the color of her choice.
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1 person likes this
@DonnaLawson (4032)
• United States
7 Nov 08
We gave our son his first car when he turned 16.. We paid cash for it but it was na older model car, I don't remember the make/model/year, but I do remember it was a convertible, as I said before an older one.. He loved it and so did all of his neighborhood friends, since they got a free lift to school.. I remember him driving all of his friends to school in the middle of winter with the top down, at their request.. We had no strings attached to it as he was doing well in school on his own, so we gave it as a gift for his 16th birthday.. He did have rules for when he could and couldn't drive it and he really didn't get to drive it on his own until he was legal.. He finally used it as a trade in for an newer model car and paid for the newer one on his own.. I enjoyed that time of his life, I believe he did also..
1 person likes this
@sati123 (184)
•
11 Nov 08
you really have a good brother there man, as of me I am not married yet and no plans to have kids yet but when I do, I think I would let them do the hardwork to have one, here in my country it is not common that young have their own cars, usually you work hard for it, or it is given by a company you work for.
