Amnbex

I'm 17. My dad and I pretty much split our Z and for good reason, we've only had it a month, but all of TTL, and the first month, and insurance for a year(on his name, duh ) I've paid.

My dad lets me split the car with him because I got a 1580 on my SATs, and have good grades, which, in a year, will save him A LOT of money on college.

The age of the person has nothing to do with how responsible or mature they are and comments that say otherwise just show that the person that is saying them is ignorant.

jovasi

It still amazes me how these parents will drop over 30K on a car for their kid. It's unbelieveable! What kind of message are you sending to your kids by doing this. I'll tell you what message, that they do not have to work for anything. They grow up thinking they are owed these things.

I'll tell you what, I had to work for everything I got as a teenager (car, clothes, shoes, etc.).

Don't get me wrong, I would have loved for my Dad to have bought me an expensive sports car, but come on.

FairladyZ

I agree 100%. My brother is turing 16 in a few months and he is getting the 83 280Z. No point in buying a brand spanking new car just to get it wrecked. The parents are morons if you ask me.

Most adults cant even afford these cars, come on.

350zSpeedRacer

Sorry, but saying that age has nothing to do with maturity is just as dumb as saying it has everything to do with it. I've been driving for over 8 years now, and I'll be the first to admit that I've learned A LOT from that time on the road. And this is coming from someone who's had a racing license since she was 15. Experience has so much to do with what a person can and can't handle driving and without a doubt, part of that can ONLY come from time passing.

I'm very sorry to hear about this guy's wife and I'm glad she's going to be okay. And it saddens me to find out she had to be hit by someone who didn't appreciate or earn what he was driving--all I can hope is that this kid learned from his mistake (if he even makes it, God willing).

Hey Ya

I'll have to agree with SpeedRacer on that...anyone who thinks age has nothing to do with responsibility and maturity has a lot to learn. How can you respect the value of something that was given to you? My folks bought me a new car when I turned 16 and I ragged the hell out of that thing...no it wasn't a $30k sports car, but I had no respect for it. Now that I've been through a Z (no I didn't wreck it, traded it in...) and now a G, I am much more careful with how I drive, but I'll admit that I'm still a bit irresponsible sometimes.

It's funny to me how all the people who aren't paying for their cars have to step up and defend themselves... and yes, we all were 16 at one time, so we do realize that you are perfect and responsible and we are just a bunch of old idiots that forget to turn off our turn signals as we cruise down the highway at just below the speed limit.

And for those of you who are upset that these kids have these cars, just think about it. If they never learn financial responsibility, how long will their parents $$ last? Eh.

,

Hey Ya

Jetpilot718

You make an interesting point. However, if I had the money, I would do the same thing for my kids. If they were responsible enough, and had proven to me that they could handle such a car, I wouldnt think twice about setting them up in a Z. But DEFINATELY NOT as a first car.

My kid(s) will start out just like I did. Buying something cheap, slow, and ugly. In my case, a 94 Civic was my ride when I was 17. Got it for $2500, ended up selling it for $6000 after the work and care that went into it. That impressed my parents, and they helped me buy my next car, an Infiniti I30 (at age 19), with the money made from the civic and a load of money I had saved up from working 6 days a week at my dad's dealership.

A few more years had passed, and I fell in love with the Z. Against my parent's initial concerns, I kept saving and saving until I had the money to pay off about 3/4 of the price of the Z. They looked at this as a pretty admirable move on my part, and instead of costing me more money by making me lease it, they spotted me the extra funds until I can pay them off.

Again, it depends on the kid too. Ive been pretty lucky (and I have done my fair share of stupid ****). But maturity comes with age no question, some just get it earlier than others. Some never get it

afr0puff

iTrader: (1)

Think about it... growing up, how many kids did you know who were reckless, but were angels in the eyes of their parents?

z053ym

YOU ALL are completely wrong. THE 350Z ISNT THAT POWEFUL! Compare it to a VERY popular highschool car being the mustang GT. Kids drive those around all day and they are more dangerous and nearly as powerful. The power isnt the point at all. They cant brake and turn so it makes them worse but you all dont hate on those kids. When it comes to teaching your kids responsibility.. I dont want to get started.. I hate when kids are given things on a silver platter when they dont understand how things really are. The kid diserved what he got. If your going to be immature and drive like a coolguy.. you shouldnt have a car. It all starts at home.. I laugh at loser kids who think its sooo cool to drive fast like they are the only ones that can do it!?! If kids were more individuals and less followers. We wouldnt have these problems.. I guess your not very independant to begin with when your rents are giving you a free sportscar.

SilverstoneZ

I saw a 16-18 yr old with an 04 Cobra w/ no plates on it turn a corner gun it and light up the rear tires and start to spin. He over corrected and slammed into a light pole. Screwed the car up big time.

marhot

I hope you didn't laugh!

Zedekiah

Yeah...completely agree with that.

SilverstoneZ

No I was about 2 cars behind them and turning and saw the whole thing. I stopped to check if he was ok.


I did giggle when I saw a road rage related accident.

Hey Ya

You noted, "It all starts at home." I agree. I am just curious if that includes how to properly write, type, or speak the English language?

Or perhaps you are one of those individuals who feel the need to type in your own cryptic Internet language.

Am I being harsh? No, saying someone "diserved" to be in critical condition is harsh.

fblue

Wow! 1580 on your SATs. Kudos. You must be very bright. While you are very intelligent, you lack the experience and common sense that you can only aquire with experience. This experience takes years to develop. To say that age has nothing to do with how people drive just illustrates that fact. I probably felt the same way when I was your age though.

While not every teenager is going to drive like a lunatic, most teenagers that want a 350 Z or a comparable sports car are going to drive the car irresponsibly. Why do you think Insurance agencies charge teenagers so much, even if they are driving a Hyundai? Because their actuaries have calculated that there is a definite postive correlation between age and the amount of accidents a driver will get into. The empirical evidence is overwhelming.

Hey, I got a 1310 on my SATs, which was good back in 88 (before they made the test easier), but I still did things back then that I wouldn't do now. I was a very responsible kid, but you still take chances because you don't fully understand what can happen. Experience teaches you the outcomes. Hopefully, and I was lucky on this, you learn these lessons from other people's mistakes.

Zcool

This "kid" who crashed his new 350Z was 17 y.o. right? Here in CA that means he is legally a juvenile and still subject to the care and custody of his parents unless he has been declared an "emancipated minor" which in I'm sure doesn't apply in this case. What I am getting at is that the car certainly can't be blamed for the accident and I argue neither the driver because he is still a child. I believe the parent should be held responsible and I'm sure that will be the case in a civil suit. Also, I think a strong argument could be made that the parents could be charged with criminal "child endangerment" by giving their 17 year old an inherently dangerous instrument (a car, any car) and letting him drive it on the pulic streets without the necessary skills or experience thereby putting himself and others in jeopardy.

tclchicago1

wow, im sorry to hear all that...

theSmoothDome

Yes, the parents are the ones who would be targeted in a civil suit. I mean, what kind of assets does the kid have? As for child endangerment, come on! The state that issues the license is the one to determine what vehicles are legal with what license. In CA, you need a class B to drive a 15 person passenger van, but you can drive the same size van with a class C if it's a cargo van. You can't hold the parents on "child endagerment" when state law doesn't differentiate between passenger vehicles.

Montez

I agree with you here and I dont know why so many people are talking about power etc., running a stop sign has nothing to do with that. The kid wasnt paying attention, which alot of younger drivers do no matter what they are in. I'm glad the original posters friend is ok.

ZRated03

LoL, What kind of parents buy their kid a brand new car as his/her first car? Parents who love their kid, want to give them a pretty special gift, and can afford to. Don't get me wrong, my first car was an 88' Camaro, but I would have loved to have a brand new Camaro @ that time instead. To blame the parents for giving their kid a gift is just assinine. Everytime a thread pops up on a young kid crashing a Z everyone torchs the kid and his parents. Accidents happen, lol be serious. Also, to say the Z is a 'High Powered' sports car is a lie. Its quick, but 14.1 in the 1/4 and 5.7 to 60 is pretty tame as far as sports cars go. The beauty of this car is in its handling.. by no means is it hard to drive. Its really almost idiot proof... almost. LoL

With that said.. hopefully this kid will learn that red means stop. Who runs stop signs anyway? lol Idiots.

B-Unit

iTrader: (21)

Whenever you "test the limits of your car" your not being safe, thats the point, its never controlled and safe, i dont care who the hell you are or what age! Some of the people on these boards are like, hey he shouldnt be driving his car fast becuase hes 18 but its ok for me and other people to do it as long as were over 23 or whatever age they think is appropriate. Thats all a bunch of bs, your an idiot no matter what age you drive like an idiot.