safe queens or car for my 16 year old?

[Leadeye]

Keep the guns and pass them on at a later date, having a working but average car is better for young kids. I built my first from odd parts of other cars, sort of like "One piece at a time".

 

[Hop]

We had an "extra" car. A pretty nice blood red sports car with a few engine mods. I just couldn't put my 17 yr old kid in a 400+ horse power car with a manual transmission. I sold it. We bought grandma's ten year old green Chevy automatic with only 21,000 miles. She [kid] hates me now. The insurance is about the same but I feel better about her not driving a fast sports car as her 1st car.

I've already bought her a couple guns. Pink ones. She likes those so it all evens out.

One of these days she'll inherite my guns. I hope she doesn't sell them all off. This is when you take your kid to the range. Do some classes together. Build some fond memories out using those guns. You can always work on that crappy 1st car together too.

 

[THE BIG SITT]

My first car was a $1500 Grand Prix that I wrecked no less than 9 times over the two years I owned it.

 

[Hardscrable]

Crappy first car. Look, he's a new driver. Statistically he's going to crash it, at least a little. There's ZERO reason to start a new driver off in an expensive car. Let him cut his teeth on something safe but inexpensive, save on the insurance and the inevitable dents and dings depreciation, and hold on to those guns.

When he's a grown man, this car will be nothing but a hand full of memories and a story or two. Those guns will be something he can pass on to HIS children.

Late to the thread & only read a few responses but this^^^ . Also agree with CM. I have bought all of my own vehicles including the first one. I was oldest child & my 2 much younger brothers did not buy their own. The lesson of personal responsibility for me and lack there of for them set life long patterns in each case.

 

[PGRChaplain]

Rule #1, You Never, Ever sell a family hand me down. Its your Heritage.

 

[Alamo]

Kids don't need nice cars. They neglect them, wreck them, and race them.

They need rusty 4 cylinders with lots of airbags and a tapedeck.

Your age is showing.

 

[1911ly]

I gotta agree with everyone else. Cheap car. Just make sure it has perfect brakes! LOL. My first car as a $35 rusty Dotson 210. Second was a 35 dollar 66 Rambler with a bad clutch. I learn how to change a clutch on that car. I know its not possible to by a $35 dollar car these days but you should be able to get a daily driver for a grand. I think your son will appreciate grandpa's guns more later in life. He will regret not having them later in life!

 

[Alamo]

Like everyone else: KEEP THE GUNS. Pass them onto him later. Like when you're dead. (Your Dad had good taste in guns. Drool).

And like everyone else: cheap crappy car that doesn't cost much to buy or insure. And let him pay for most of it, especially gas and insurance.

Frankly I'm astounded at kids whose parents buy them their own car when they turn 16. I thought I was lucky to be able to borrow Mom's.

When I was coming up on my first driver's license, she had a '69 Chevelle. Since I turned 16 in 1976, the 69 Chevelle wasn't all that old, and it only had about 20,000 miles on it, mom didn't like to drive. No air and an auto tranny, but I was looking forward to it. Just before my birthday, Mom mentioned that Dad was at McDonald's Chevrolet in Nashville trading in the Chevelle for a new car. Gadzooks! Of course I immediately asked what kind.

Mom says, "I don't know, I think he said it was a Corvette, something like that."

My brain immediately froze, of course. GREAT LEAPIN' HORNY TOADS! A CORVETTE!!!

Then reality kicked in. These were MY parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frugal N. Nononsense.

"Mom, did he really say CORvette, or did he say CHEvette?"

Mom: "Chevette, Corvette, what's the difference, they're just cars." Mom did not like to drive, did not like cars, did not appreciate the finer points of Corvette versus Chevette.

And since Mom did not like to drive, and she didn't learn to drive until she was about 45, the CHEVETTE (Arrrrrg!) my Dad chose for her came with an automatic transmission, hooked to the smaller of two engines available for the Chevette -- the 1.4 liter. Between the micro-gerbil engine and the mushy transmission, it had all the acceleration of refrigerated molasses.

Driving it probably kept me alive tho, and because it was brand new I was in fear of death if I so much as scratched it. So my teenage driving experience was pretty tame compared to some.

Anyway. The kid should be thankful for cheap, crappy, smallest insurance-premium possible. Tell him if he is not suitably grateful, you're giving all the guns to me.

 

[OakRiver]

As everyone else has said a new car is a money sink, especially for a young driver. Just think how much money is lost when you drive it off the dealer's lot. Add in the cost of insurance, and repair when the car inevitably gets damaged and that is a pretty nice check you're giving someone else.
By contrast an older car will be cheaper to run and repair, cheaper to insure, and your if your son wants a better car he knows that he has to work for it.

 

[JAFO]

No one asked.... but I think I like the boxes and paperwork as much as the guns! You'll never see that again, unfortunately.

 

[ISP 5353]

Keep the guns!

 

[Rocketscientist]

In regards to car ownership, the best gift you can give your child is the experience of saving for, buying, and maintaining his/her own vehicles by themselves. It has been my experience that pride in ownership is maximized when the child's hard earned money is at risk.

That is for darn sure! My parents made me save up for my first car. They helped me out a little financially, but they would have given me zero money if I didn't prove responsible enough to save for it in the first place, and invest some blood, sweat, and tears on top of it. I had no choice but to drive safe, take care of it, and learn how to fix it when it broke. As a result, I learned financial responsibility, self-control, AND how to work on cars. I wouild not be the same man I am today without those lessons.

 

[scoutsniper]

spend 1-2k tops can get alot of nice 4 door gas saver cars. im fond of the 1998-2003 grand prix GT with the 3.8l motor. those things are LONG LASTING motors!

my first car was a 1989 S10 with a 350 V8 swap. bought for 1500$ bones and did my own work on it. but i grew up a gear head and loved my car more then anything in my life (Still do and has pissed the wife off more then once lol). my parents (LOANED) me 500$ that i paid back in 6 months lol. i never got **** for free!

 

[zippy23]

crappy car, i had to buy my first car with lawn mowing money, took me forever to save up enough, my parents wouldnt buy me a car, i've bought all my own cars. Dont give those guns up. keep them. The memories alone are worth more than buy a car for a 16 year that might end up in a junk yard not to long from now.

 

[red_zr24x4]

Crappy first car. Look, he's a new driver. Statistically he's going to crash it, at least a little. There's ZERO reason to start a new driver off in an expensive car. Let him cut his teeth on something safe but inexpensive, save on the insurance and the inevitable dents and dings depreciation, and hold on to those guns.

When he's a grown man, this car will be nothing but a hand full of memories and a story or two. Those guns will be something he can pass on to HIS children.

^This right here^
Couldn't have said it better.

 

[LP1]

This is the opportunity for life lessons on budgeting, responsibility, deferred gratification, and self-reliance, or an unfounded sense of entitlement. Let him save money from his own earnings and then decide what kind of car he wants to buy for himself.

And, those guns will provide a lifetime of memories.

 

[medcoxo]

'Gun forum tells member to sell guns to buy a car' ----- THAT would be front page news if it ever happened. I am with the group, those pieces are beauties, and using them to buy a 16 year old a car? Naw. Maybe for college, wedding, honeymoon, first house would sell some.

 

[chibicascade]

every one else seems to be giving you solid advice.
I would love to see a few of those handguns make it to the classifieds though...

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

This is the truck that I bought for my son when he was 16. Cost me $1100.00. It was a fix-er-upper and we even made a couple of beds out of scrap wood to sleep on in the back for when we went camping during deer season back in the day. Some good memories working on and deer hunting in that old truck. Wish I still had it.

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[dusty88]

I'm on board with keeping the guns.

Besides, the lesson of having difficulty affording a good car is a good life lesson.

It sounds as though you are feeling badly because you haven't saved $$ for a car. I understand that; I like to do things for my kids but saving those guns for him will be great as well.