Tell him the more passengers you add to a vehicle (especially younger LOUDER ones) the more dangerous it is to drive. Therefore, only having 2 seats will be a safety measure.

 

I agree with most of this.. I am not saying that with age come come more exprence and that means a better driver is untrue... I agree with that.... I am jsut saying the car is a small part of the equation and that WE ALL could benifit from better driving skills.... I don't think people should yell criticize somone directly based on their age when They know NOTHING about them.... As a population we are more drangerious BUT You can not use a stat to label a individual... That is what makes me mad... it is not jsut as I hate people that profile others on their exterior (age, sex, race, or anything else that is otwardly apparent) it also is an accidemicly incorrect assumption... Stats offer probilitys that is it People need to learn this... Stats are not fool proof... Stats can be skewed to show anything... Given data I could make teens the safest drivers on the road (sounds crazy but I promise you possible)

Also i did not prove my dad wrong during an autocross... but close it was on the way back from one... long story and situation hard to describe so I am not goin in to detail about it....

 

That is a positive way to look at it

 

thanks alot i dont want to get the g35. 350z is my first choice, this has come out to be a hot topic. i guess keep it going

 

i have a 350z and im only 18. i have to agree with some of the older ppl that some kids should not be driving sports cars, and that it could be dangerous. but, if it was you being the young kid about to get a sports car, im willing to bet you wouldnt turn down that offer!! anyway, it all depends on the driver. it wouldnt matter what make or model that a kid recieves as a car because it all dpeneds on whether or not the driver is responsible about his/her actions. no one can say for sure that 350zlord will cause an accident or if he will be a more responsible driver than some of the older members of this board. obviously no teenage kid wouldnt want a car like this, and maybe the only way to learn is the hard way. hopefully you are mature enough to handle this type of power. i know that i myself may drive fast on the freeways, but i never endanger anyone else's life with my speeding. and i NEVER drive wrecklessly just to impress someone. but seriously, the g35 coupe would be a good choice, i love the way it looks and there are an extra set of seats for the family, if you'll fit! good luck with the z - you really have no argument that it should be your car except to show how much it squashes some of the other cars in its class.

 

It's not the car it's all those horses that are the problem. If your Pop's is worried about you other 3 siblings then he's just trying to save face for buying you a brand new Z. If I were you I would do a half turn and ask for the G35 Coupe....Siblings can still ride if they're not over 5'6. (Back seat kinda tight) Most importantly you won't lose much performance. If you continue to ask for the Z it'll make you look selfish. I'm telling you right now there's not many Pros for getting a teenager a high powered Z, Cobra, vette. Doesn't matter. Teens do stupid things...we all have. Anyway...ask for the coupe.

 

i was offered one by my dad and im not even sure anymore if its safe enough, i think im a pretty good driver, i dont speed excessively, im cautious and conservative, and i dont try to show off, i react fairly quickly to the surroundings, but what about the OTHER drivers on the road you have no control over, even if you were an IMPECABLE teen driver, you get hit someday and its not your fault you just cut your life short, at least these older guys have "lived it up" so to speak and now can get sports cars because they understand the risks associated with one.

 

Parents should wait until their kids are at least 18 years old before considering getting them a high performance car. Sixteen is just too young, you are JUST starting out. In your first two years of driving you'll probably learn more than any other two year period in your life, simply because you are new and there are a lot of things to learn. I wouldn't suggest getting the 350z if you are only 16 and starting to learn to drive. Instead get a cheap older car with your own money, and learn to drive with that. Most likely you'll get into some sort of accident, major or minor, within your first two years of driving. That's not a guarantee, because I didn't get into any accidents, but most of my friends during that time had. Better to dent an old beater than your new 350z. Perhaps you can convince your parents to hold off on the Z until you are 18, or as a high school graduation present, and get yourself an old beater in the meantime.

I originally started at 16 by buying myself a 1986 300zx (non-turbo) for $2800, and when I was 18 my parents bought me a 2001 Firebird with the V6 engine (not V8).

Anyhow that's my advice. I'm assuming your 16 or so since your parents are still concerned about you driving around siblings, meaning you'll probably still be around for a couple more years.

P.S. I don't have a 350z, my dad has one. I just like it a lot... and he lets me drive it every now and then when i'm home from college (i'm almost 20).

 

Another thing to consider before getting a $30k+ car is if you will be able to take good care of it while you are at college. My father has offered to let me borrow his 350z for a semester down in college, but i refused, simply because I don't have access to sheltered parking, and have to park in parking lots every day at my apartment complex and on campus. This increases your chances of getting dings in your car by a huge factor. Sure right now you live at home and can park in your driveway, in your garage, etc. But i'm sure you'll be going to college in a couple years.

Just some things to think about. Cars tend to wear quicker when you are in college. You don't have much time, you go to parties, go on road trips, always carrying passengers, friends spill drinks, and if you are into any kind of outdoor activity or intramural sports, your car will wear that much quicker. You're always going to have to be super **** with passengers, and with your own equipment, etc. All I have is a $19k firebird and it bothers me to have to bring it to college. If I had to do it again, I'd get a truck instead. I do not plan to get an expensive car until I have a house of my own.

 

He just did! He said 16 year olds shouldn't drive expensive sports cars! That solves the problem.


Also zLord, the fact that you can drive faster through twisties than you dad, doesn't mean you are a "better" driver than your dad. At least not in the sense that is germane to this discussion. By better, we mean SAFER and MORE EXPERIENCED here.

Finally, no one has mentioned the PSYCHOLOGICAL reason to not get this car. I am amazed at how many 16 yo posters on this board have said "Daddy and Mommy are going to buy me a Z" Typical of today's spoiled kid society. Yeah, I know I sound like a damn old geezer here, but doesn't ANYONE see the MENTAL harm of buying your kids anything they want?

Doesn't anyone see how bad that sounds? Hell, when I was 16 my "first choice" would have been a Ferarri! My dad would have said, great now all you need is 150K and you can go get one. I would have had to stock a hell of a lot of shelves at the grocery store to EARN it. What I'm saying is I wouldn't care WHAT your first choice was. If you were my son, you'd be allowed to get whatever car YOU could afford PLUS the insurance and gas and maintenance to keep in on the road. If not, it's PREOWNED beater or the family truckster until you could earn otherwise.

The fact that kids are cottled and given whatever they want anymore has caused them (and the world) more problems than they can imagine.

 

No, all the statistical data said was giving reasons why teens are unsafe drivers. I think we all know that many teens are. However, little has been said about teens driving sports cars. Now i will agree with you that many teens with sports cars will do stupid ****. However, i do firmly believe that those kids (not all kids) that would do stupid stuff w/ sports cars would be just as wreckless in driving your typical everyday car (accord, civic, whatever). I think it has much more to do with the driver than the car. I have first hand experience with this. I know all these wreckless drivers. They are my friends. I have many friends with sports cars and many friends with regular beater/family cars. Guess what? From my observations, percentage-wise out of all the "bad drivers" in general, there is no direct connection between sports cars and being an idiot. People are idiots (most). I propose that they'll be idiots regardless of what car they're in.

I'm interested in what people have to say about this. I hear all this talk about being "spoiled" to these kids and then people talking about "sports cars". What if a kid is bought a volvo s60 w/ all the options? Anyway, im not interested in the spoiled arguement b/c i already know what everyone will say. But i'd like to know what you all have to say about my above statement.

P.S. I think it's funny that whenever a kid mentions that he's getting a new car in his post, that people promptly tell him/her about if they think they should recieve it or not when it has absolutely nothing to do with their post. A little off topic? I think so. However, the thread was already off topic before i wrote this so i dont feel bad. My first post was right on topic .

 

ummm... i dont want to sound rude or anything, but all i want to say is that once my dad pays downpayment and a couple of monthly payments i will try and pay for it by getting a job. so you could say i am sort of working for it.

 

You have to admit, it is a hell of a lot more tempting to run against someone and drive aggressively (or stupidly) when you are behind the wheel of a sports car, than if you were driving say a Ford Taurus!

 

True, but a counter-arguement can be made. You have to admit. If you had a nice sports car then you'd be more concerened with protecting it (not racing or doing anything that could cause harm to your car or driving record), than say if you had a beater that you didnt care about abusing.

Just food for thought

 

I'm gonna rant and rave here a little bit and it may not be like, but you can bash me all you like.

Spoiled you say? Too young, he's an idiot, immature, whatever, etc.? How can you say things like this when you don't even know exactly what the person is going through? You do not have all the details and have no right to call him spoiled or anything. I myself am 17, 18 in a few months and I just got a Z that my dad paid for, which I still let him and my mom drive around when I'm not using it because it's just as much there as it is my.

You call me spoiled? Whatever, I'll tell you one thing, these here teens on this board could not work their asses of so much to get enough dough to go to a good college university. Way to expensive, they get some help from there parents or go to some crappy community college where there's a big chance they will make nothing big of their life. Yes my dad paid for my Z. Did I offer to work once I was old enough? Yes, I did...but my parents did let me work. They were more concerned about my schooling and sports. With grades and sports I myself and my parents won't have to pay a thing for me to go to college. I have a full ride to the University of Florida for free, from what I earned myself. Since my dad doesn't have to pay anything to help me get into college he bought me a $30K sports car, which is no where near what you'd have to pay to attend a good university full time for 4 years. He bought this for me as my graduation present, a very early one. I never even asked for one, he just brought it up one day and I thought he was kidding.



So what I'm trying to say is don't assume something when you don't know all the facts and details of that person and what he's been through.

Sorry I just had to let that out of my system. I have no hard feelings against anyone here.

 

check your pm

 

So what you're saying is that if your parents can't afford to pay your way through 4 years of college, then they should buy you a $30k car?? Maybe the parents should sit back and take a look at their priorities!!!!!!!! Your column was trying to justify your parents buying a $30k car for you - it didn't justify anything..

 

DaveL wrote what i believe you are responding to.

However, i do believe you are doing a fantastic job of misinterpreting what DaveL was attempting to say. He never said his dad *should* buy him a car. He said his dad just did for an early graduation present. Here's a quote for you:

"He bought this for me as my graduation present, a very early one. I never even asked for one, he just brought it up one day and I thought he was kidding."

Wow, you made 2 slips in one post. Good job.

 

Just to set the record straight, this person paid for the car himself, up front, with very hard earned savings, and if you knew him, you would know he is anything but immature.

 

He said that his dad is putting the money down and paying the first few payments and then IF he can earn enough, he'd pick up the monthly payments. Of course that doesn't take into account the insurance payments which for a 16 yo in a sports car, should be quite interesting.



But kids don't think that way. 16 year olds don't sit there and weigh the consequences of driving aggressively. Mainly because they lack experience.