well i dont know how alive this thread still is but after reading through it all i cant help but share my thoughts

i am only 21 at the moment and dont even own a Z but when i do (and yes its a when) i will be working full time after graduating college. When i think back on all of the increidbly stupid stuff i did when i first started driving it makes me sick. I was incredibly lucky to have only been involved in a couple of parking lot accidents. To top it all off i was driving (and still am) a '93 dodge intrepid. Needless to say this car leaves way more to be desired in the performance dept. None the less i was still a maniac and it scares me. It was not until my first accident did i realize how seriously f*cked up things can get so quickly.

As far as the Z goes it makes me nervous how protecitive i will be of that car knowing i will be paying for it all the way. I seriously plan on taking part in as many HPDE's as i possibly can both for the fun but mostly for the piece of mind of knowing that i will have that much more control over the vehicle and know its limits.

I cant even imagine how i would have driven if i had a high performance car at age 16 but i can definitely say that i agree with just about everyhthing said by the older members in that its not the place to start. Especially since just about every driver is gonna have an accident (be it seriuos or just a fender bender in the first 6 mo. to a year they are driving)

not to mention being at college has really shown its wear on my current car. I could not imagine having a new car here... i would have gone postal long ago

 

i have a story to tell. this thread must be fate that it was here because of what happened to me a few days ago.

i was drivingin my lane minding my own business. Next to me is some kid in a Jetta...he HAD to be at least under 17...he looked VERY young. anyway, he was in the lane next to me on the right, and he was directly next to me..parallel basically. Suddenly i see him moving into my lane. For a second, my heart stopped cuz i thought he was going to hit my car..i quickly hit the brakes and honked. He did not swerve back into his lane or anything, but went completely into my lane in front of me. At this point i was sooooo incredibly pissed. then i leaned on the horn for a good minute and at the next stop light i pulled up next to him and vented my anger. i cant remember the last time i cussed like that, and the kid was just starin ahead, not payin attention to me.

This kid got damn near to hitting me and i was so tempted to get out and take his drivers license and rip it up. But anyway, i think it was due to the inexperience of this kid's driving to not notice.......that.......i was directly next to him......

anyway, i think that new drivers should have some experienced driver with them for like a year or two

 

Damn! it took me 20 minutes of reading to get to the last page and drop my humble opinion.

First. I have ZERO problem with your father buying you this car. He is an adult and has decided you are deserving of such a fine vehicle. Anybody who says "you won't appreciat it if it's given to you" or "I worked my @ss off to pay for this car" would be screaming "SHOW ME THE MONEY" if someone offered to pay their loan off. They would not say "No thanks, I like paying $450 a month to my bank and earning it". I for one am freakin jealous. YOU GO GIRLFRIEND.

Second, I don't beleive the car you drive will be much of a factor in whether or not you get into an accident. It will be the fact that your still wet behind the ears. We were all teenagers (me just 5 yrs ago) and growing up is about testing the boundaries of everything. From your parents to your teachers. From your moms grocery getter to your new 350Z. The truth is, being a very inexperienced driver, you WILL at one point or another try to find out what your car can and can't do. When that happens I will be reading the obligatory "Totalled" or "Owned" post about how you put your car into the curb taking a turn to fast or worse how some kid rolled his 350Z and was ejected.

One way or another it will be a learning experience.

 

Get in Buick LeSabre and try to drive fast on a twisted road. You'll get sick in a minute. Car is all shaking, twisting, jumping... It simpli scary... Avis didn't have my GrandAm available so they upgraded me to a "luxury class" once in Montana. After a day I brought them car back, and lackily they had GrandAm ready. GrandAm not Z but handling at least reasonable... Avis guys were so surprised I wanted to "donwgrade" from luxury to middle class...

So the car does make a difference. Z will take you to a 100+ on a rural road with no signs of speed. And when you realize you can't make a turn... it's too late...

 

you get what you want... if you want the z go ahead and get it .. i like how you are reacting to all the older members... its good you respect what you see..your not getting mad and argueing back...im 17 years old and i am a pround owner of a z...my dad wanted me to get a nice good looking car...even though i pay monthly .. he takes car of the insurance and me and him put half and half for the downpayment...you see my father always wanted to get me and my sister (19) each a nice good car...cus wen he was our age he couldnt get things like that and he wants us to enjoy and not want us to go wut he went through..if you get to much of a beater... you wil have more of a chance of getting hurt and sh*t lyk that...just seriously dont do anything stupid try to stay at the speed limit... i had my car for a month already and got stop 2wice for no reason..cops will bust your ***** for seeing a young kid drivin a z...dude its a great car..if you really want it then get it..and to the older drivers that have a problem.. i understand were you coming from..be safe guys

 

I havent read all the posts in this thread because they all ramble and nobody will empathize with anyone else...

Anyone ever heard of survival of the fittest? If a kid hits a telephone pole and dies, sure it sucks and is sad, but better a pole than a van full of kids...

I got my Z two days after I turned 18 as a birthday/graduation present. I had a Toyota Highlander bought by my grandparents from age 16-18, and traded it in on the Z when I turned 18. My parents covered the 10k difference, and I threw in 1k just because I wanted to help the little I could... With a permit from 15-16, I learned driving every day by driving a Lincoln Navigator through city traffic... thatll mature you quickly...

Fact is, yes some teenagers are stupid, yes we are inexperienced, yes we as a whole have more wrecks than other people, but you need to remember to not let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch. I have gotten 1 speeding ticket in my prior car (Toyota) and went to driving school and did community service and got it wiped. I guess my learning curve is accelerated, because I am very defensive in traffic- I have gotten out of more wrecks than I can remember that would not have even been my fault...

BTW: 350z was not my first choice. I wanted a SC300 with a 2jz-gte swap, but parents didn't want me getting a used car, so then I went around and looked at s2000, g35c, and Z... I am incredibly appreciative of my Z, wash it twice a week, wax every two weeks, bought a car cover for it and a bra for long trips. I am happy to have a Z, I am responsible enough to maintain its perfect condition, mature enough to not be stupid in it, good enough driver to avoid accidents, and appreciative enough for being so lucky to have such an incredible car at such a young age.

I'm asking the older people of this forum to please not simply say someone young shouldn't have this and that car, because that is not fair. It is a blanket statement, and is invalid in many cases. It is equivalent to saying that the Middle East supports terrorism. It doesn't, certain organizations exist within select countries, no more no less. So please, take each individual as that: an individual, not as part of a age group.

Thank you.
-Wren

 

wow

 

I know this thread is way old .... but, I thought I'd throw in my .02.

Let me say this. The pressure applied on a teen with a Z to race it is great.

The pressure applied on a teen to race PU/SUV is much less.

If you do get is a situation of people wanting to race you on the street and there will be a lot of challenges. I still get them everyday I drive the my Z. Just don't do it. Just laugh it off .... If the person persists and you want to race them.... Take it to your local track. After you break a few parts from racing and getting good at it most people find it rather expensive to continue. However, it better to pay and play on the track than it is to play and go to jail racing on the street and losing your license. Make a fun day of it with people video taping etc.... But, don't get hurt if you lose .... Just have another grudge race .... AT THE TRACK !!!!

Wondering if 350Zlord bought the car and if it's still in perfect condition etc...

 

It actually looks like the OP didn't even buy a Z after all. Just a hack
Hasn't been back since 3-25-03. So, I'll let my statement stand as a hopeful warning and maybe it will help someone.

This is a good thread ... It brings up the gen gap ... but, it may help someone who is young to make sure they think a little more about what they are getting into.

Z cars are forgiving to a certain extent. But, once you cross a certain threshold with the car you better know exactly what your doing or you'll wrap it around a tree killing yourself and maybe others if you not careful.
The Z does deserve respect as do all Z drivers that can handle the car on and off the track.

 

how do you go about finding such old threads?

 

Well it really does depend on the person, Im 20 now never got a speeding ticket! Only ticket I got was for seatbelt and I started driving when I was 16 too. I did f*** around like every teenager does but you have to know your limits and where your doing it, and all you older folks who are talking s*** you know you did the same stuff when you were younger and I agree with you most teens do get into accidents but you cant label every teenager because of what you seen or heard.

 

+1, this thread is ancient, out of boredom?

 

How do these threads always turn into an age debate. The kid is going to get the car no matter how you older guys and girls feel, so why don't you just answer his question and leave it at that. Fact is there are smart teens that can handle a sports car like a Z no problem. They will not risk there car for stupid reasons, and take care of all the maintenance etc. And then there are stupid kids that can't handle the car and are gonna try to be jdm dorifto champions and **** the car up, but do you honostly think the stupid teen is going to come on this site and change his mind just because you told him you don't think a kid his age should have the car? Thats up to their parents, the rest of you are just wasting your time.

-1 for gravedigging

 

Oh.... for a minute there I thought it was DavidV asking if the kid bought the car or not.

Why did you resurrect this thread?

 

Dont listen to any of these old geezers bro. get the Z its fcukin sick. tell your dad you only live once and that its the car that you really want and that if he ever wants to drive it he can. that got me in the Z pretty fast lol

 

1, the OP will never read this because he is banned

2, the thread is over four years old and was resurrected just to raise someone's post count

 

i think he got it

 

.

 

It also depends on the teen. I got my first Z at the age of 19 ( a 91 TT), did not end up wrecked or in pieces either, was making 400whp before I sold it (this wasn't the last Z either, I purchased a NA 92 Z 2+2 afterwards). Fast forward to now (I turn 25 on the 23rd of this month), and I have a new 07. It all depends on the level of maturity and responsibility of the driver. Their are guys out their in their 30's that drive like total dousche` bags.

 

Reason# 597

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont....35228e9d.html

http://www.myspace.com/dammitblnk182

Reason # 598

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/27/Hi...ity_has_.shtml

I drove a hand me down '97 Nissan Altima until I made my own money to buy my own Z. What makes parents think that it's remotely smart to buy a teen a sport cars is beyond me.

Kid, I think you'll be much better off with a Volvo or Taurus until you're twenty something.