dfdub

My father bought me a Z as well... but as a college graduation gift!

I think those prices are fair and I understand your logic with having a small occupancy car. However... if you desire safety, the top contenders are Volvo and Saab. You could get an 02-04' volvo s40 or s60 turbo for around that price range and mileage and have better peace of mind when he is out and about.

When I was 17 I was a very safe driver, never a ticket, never an accident. When I was 19, I left a friends house and somehow managed to total my honda accord about 15 seconds down the road. To this day I have no idea how or what happened. I woke up 2 weeks later with no memory of the accident. I broke my neck and back and somehow im still walking. I can't even begin to imagine what was going through my parent's heads when they got that phone call from the ER. Although I know that your son and I are not the same person... had I been in a 300hp vehicle, I might not be sitting here writing this post.

If you trust your son now, I understand and I say go for it. However keep in mind that each year is a different crowd, different group of friends, and new interests. Many of us here are young adults (20-30) and are simply speaking from recent experiences.

Remember, he can be the safest driver in the world, but that wont stop the other maniacs on the road. www.crashtest.com

fr0ng

That sucks man...I was also involved in an accident where I broke a lot of bones, including my back (t4/t5 compression fractures) and I had short term memory loss for a week. To this day I don't know why I crashed..it's so nerve wracking.

dfdub

c-5 burst fracture and t-8 frac.

Yes, the worst part of it all is not knowing what happened.

ZSpectrum

iTrader: (4)

What high school did you go to?

michaeljr6

iTrader: (14)

buy him a safe beater. no need to let a child be in a quick 2 door sport car. even though my parents got me a Z when i was 17, there's always time when i get tempted to do something stupid but i didn't because i had to pay for insurance/gas. this taught me the value of $$$ very well ($3000 per year for ins.), if i did anything stupid it all comes out of my pocket. i know where all the pressure is about having friends telling you what to do with the car. but one mistake can change your life, giving him a safe car will lessen the percentage of the risk of injuring himself. i'm 20 now and have a greater knowledge of the road compared when i was 17. it's amazing how much i've learned in the past 3 years of being on the road. but if you end up getting him a z, make sure he works for insurance/gas.

just my .02

jimmyloose

iTrader: (22)

it's better to start with RWD than FWD if he's going to move to that platform sometime in the near future, but less is more in terms of learning how to use that power.

I learned to drive in the 1985 318is BMW I bought with my own money (6 bills yo!), did all the work on myself (new driveshaft, exhaust, suspension.. and that was just the items that wore out!) and eventually had to donate to charity when my best friend let the motor run without oil.. (a piston rod poked out of the lower crankcase to say hello... bad times)

I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. Sometimes having a POS beater is the best learning he'll ever do. Not to mention the fact that learning to take a 110hp car to its limit is much much safer than taking a 287hp car to its limit.

Devil Z

iTrader: (6)

Let's quote that again.

See another.

Stop being a hypocrit. Your parents bought you a Z at 17, and you're telling him to buy his son a beater?

Un-fukcing-believable.

Driven1

iTrader: (2)

The prices you're quoting are very decent prices. I'd Definitely go with the Z over the Boxter. IMO the Z is an overall better car for the money hands down.

The differences between 03 and 04 are minimal. As far as the packages go. It would be a pretty long reply to detail out the package differences and they can be found on other threads, so Ill keep it fairly short given you expalined the purpose of the car possibly going to the track and or being modified (he's a kid, it's what we do especially if our parents love cars ). With that said. I bought my 03 as an enthusiast because I didn't care about the leather and additional electronics (VDC, Bose, TPS, etc) because I knew I was going to modify the car to improve on Nissan's design and performance to meet my needs and often times they are slightly more difficult to deal with for modification purpose. For Example, the TPS system...No point in having a light on in your dash b/c you changed the wheels and no longer need the sensors. But thats just my opinion.

When you buy one apart form the normal used buying practice's, have the local dealer pull the VIN and all the service records in Nissan's database. Look at what comes up and see whats been done. There are a few possible issues that were found in the early Z's that are fixable under Nissan (tire feathering, grease marks, trans, etc) but I would just be sure that nothing major hasn't been done or has had repeated problems. If the tranny's been replaced that's believe it or not a good thing IMO. Other stuff on the cars can be found in the forum. But Im sure you're a savvy buyer so good luck in your search. Just tell your sone to be extra careful in the rain especially if it has the Bridgestones.

SirSpeedyZ

iTrader: (10)

if your son is responsible go for it, i'm 19 and my parents trust my with their cars, i would get him a touring or track so that it has VDC, its a good nanny especially when first driving it

PS, i know i did stupid stuff in my car when i has 17, but i had a civic, so it wasn't really fast enough to hurt anyone, but really if you think your son is responsible enough then do pay attention to the nay sayers on here

Z33_kid

iTrader: (1)

wow hes lucky

asugradinwa

iTrader: (2)

If the guy wants to buy his kid a Z then he can. I'll say this though, having known some friends who live in Colorado I don't think the Z is the best car for someone young. The one thing I've discovered about the Z is that it CAN NOT DRIVE in the snow very well. Driving the Z in the snow is the scarriest driving experiance I've ever had. Anytime snow hits the ground the Z goes into the garage and doesn't come out until the ice is gone.

While I won't go down the path of getting the kid a beater I would recommend getting him something that is a bit more practicial. I'm guessing he will be attending college after high school? It might be a good idea to get him something with a back seat or large trunk so he can haul stuff around when the need arises (and trust me it does!)

Personally I'd recommend a wrx, scion TC, or a 2003 Acura CL type S or TL.

Theatrix

iTrader: (8)

I have to jump in here and address comments by idots who don't know you or your son. I will make one assumption and that is that your son has his head screwed on straight, otherwise you wouldn't be here asking, right?

I bought both my sons new G's and Z's. My 18 y/o son has been driving for two years now with 0 tickets or accidents. My 16 y/o will get his Z in Nov. By the time I was 18, I probably had 2-3 tickets in a beater.

Point being, do what you feel is appropriate and just have on going conversations with your son (I'm sure thats already happening).

The prices you quote seem to be exceptional prices compared to the NorthEast!

Just as an aside, when I bought my sons their cars, we created a club and now have meets where we all hang out together. What more could you ask for than to be involved with your son with something you both are into. When I was 17-18, the last thing I wanted to do was hang out with my Dad!

acelesson

iTrader: (2)

Ken, you only have 2 posts I see...post around here enough and you will start to believe how out of control and classless some of the Z drivers really are. There is AT LEAST one a week starting a thread illustrating about how he totaled his Z.

Edit: Buy him the Porsche and a 40 pack of rubbers. That would be the best gift a father could give his son.

SuperBlack350z

iTrader: (59)

Good post. Lets be honest here guys. I think most of us say that they are too young is because partly, we are jealous and didn't have it as easy. Most of you guys worked hard to get your z's, then here, his parents buys it for him like it's nothing.

One time, this other z owner asked if my parent bought me my car and i said no. He said "not trying to be rude but i hate when i see young people driving the z because it makes this car feel cheaper and not as hard to get."

I understand both sides but at the end, its his choice.

2TH PWR

iTrader: (21)

There are differing opinions on this subject.
My grandparents made a lot of money, and never gave my parents a dime.
This taught my parents a lot about work, and responsibility and hence they made a lot of money and never gave me a dime.
Now I am doing well for myself as well and will never ever hand anything out to my kids. They won't get a car, they won't even get tuition, they can get a loan like everyone else.
17 year old boys are 17 year old boys. IMHO they should be taking the bus or borrowing a beater ford taurus they fill with gas.

SirSpeedyZ

iTrader: (10)

I don't really care whose buying it, its really up to the parent, if you really want him to be safe and also still buy the car, send him to some sort of driving school.

fr0ng

On a side note, my friends dad bought my friends little brother a brand new BMW M6 convertible...he's only 18 years old and he is driving a $100,000+ car with 500+ horsepower.

Sheesh.

Ken7258

Again, thanks for all the replies. 95% are relevant and well thought out. My son and I are going to Pueblo for a track weekend with the Porsche Club. I'm going to print this thread and talk about it on the way down and over the weekend.

On the way down we're going to drive another Z, WRX, Acura CL and BMW 328 CI. Luckily a couple of the cars are in Pueblo and we can drive them when were not driving or having to work a corner. I'll have to see if we can find a Scion down there.

Giving a kid a car, spending to much for it or not having to work for it don't concern me. Only you or I know your child. Thanks for the replies.

Ken

kyoeyes

iTrader: (1)

honestly anyone who says "dont give this or that" to his child shouldn' even post, I know I would get pissed as hell if someone told me what to do for my kid

Kid is responsible/has had driving experience, dad wants to buy him a nice car end of story

Its not buying the car like its NOTHING, someone is spending the money so it IS something and I'm sure the kid will appreciate it or lose it simple as that

My recommendations are to check any Z for oil consumption/tire feathering problems as you will want to avoid those, other than that shop around for what you BOTH want and do kbb comparisons of private/trade in to neg.