introduction Talk me in to OR out of this 2002!

[arminyack]

BTW, there is no way that I would buy a 40 year old car for my 17 year old kid. 

I drove a '63 Triumph TR-4 when I was 16 ( The 80's). It taught me a lot!

[airborne85]

Nice car...If you have the money buy it...

 

As far as a teenager driving a 40 year old car hmmm....Seems to me that a teenager would get into an accident faster in a more modern car with with more capability of speed just for the fact that they are fast and why wouldn't a teenager go fast, take more risk in such a car..

 

Seems to me that a teenager driving a 40 year old vehicle would be less likely to have an accident.

 

Me thinks if a person were to do a Google search of teenagers involved in accidents driving a 40 year old car vs. teenagers that drive more modern cars...I think the number would be higher for the more modern car..........Albeit there are less safety measures (ie: airbag, crumple zones )involved in a 40 year old car but most likely you won't get into an accident..

 

I vote buy the car...Your son's cool points will go up to just about 1 million, be young have fun...

 

or just buy a tank....No modern or classic car on the road can ever crush that.

 

ira

[peterschop]

I drove a '63 Triumph TR-4 when I was 16 ( The 80's). It taught me a lot!

 

I drove a Triumph GT6 and a couple of Fiat 850's back in the 70's but you got to remember, that was the days before cell phones and SUV's. There were a lot less traffic then too.

[M3M3]

About the buying for a kid thing.  We live 1 mile from his school, .5 mile from his job, and he usually drives my 2012 Golf 6 speed with 10 airbags or whatever. We need a third car. My first car was a 77 Volvo back in '88 when I was 16. No, it wasn't 40 years old then, but it's the same car. Nothing wrong with it then or now. It taught me to both love and understand mechanics. New cars are just 'things' to the other kids his age. In fact, to all people I know in my circle of friends, cars are merely things that take you from here to there. My 77 was like a family member, like the way people without kids love their pets. I just wanted to help him learn to respect and appreciate a fine auto with a little class but not without the idiosyncrasies that old cars carry. It's not a 40 year old car to me, it's a nice car which we can work on together. Yes, there are no airbags. That's an issue. But I also believe that if you love your car, you drive it with a little more care, take a little more time to think about that next move, the speeds you can safely reach, the weather in which you drive. I dunno. The idea is to pass on the experience I had - a good one. 

it is not the car that is the problem for a teenager today.  it is that the world changed since we all drove 02's growing up.  lots more cars with idiots driving out there. everyone is in huge suv's with cell phones.  teenagers have no experience, no matter how "mature" they are or how much they care about the car.  driving a 2002 on the roads today is like riding a motorcycle.  tiny, horrible exterior lighting,  no modern safety equipment, no crush zones, everyone is trying to kill you. you are out gunned and under armored.    if you love your kids or want to increase the odds they will live long enough to take care of you in your old age, get them a newer honda accord with all the bells and whistles.  if you don't, get them a motorcycle...or a 2002....to drive to school.

 

just my opinion, ignore at will!  they are your kids not mine.  not pick'in on ya, the topic of giving a 2002 to a teen as first car has been beat to death repeatedly on this forum.

 

(i am a bmwcca teen street survival instructor )

 

ps - per comment above, the ac in a 2002 is a joke.  don't expect it to keep anything cool but your right elbow.  

Edited June 21, 2015 by mlytle

[Michael Keefe]

Thanks guys.. You scared the shit out of me. Not buying the car, or any other old car for him. Best point is: SUV's and cell phones were not around in 1988 when I was 16. The lighting systems suck, the safety features are no match for a 21 year old, driving a suburban while posting to instagram or texting that they 'will be home in a minute'. I guess he'll have to wait for something classic. These cars are great for sunny-day Sunday runs with an experienced driver, but better safe than sorry. In a bit of irony, it was for these very reasons: the shields of comfort, performance and safety that I wanted him to avoid in the first place. The perceived isolation from reality that new cars give. Gobs of available power, a dozen airbags all around, mysterious inner workings. When something goes wrong on a new car, good luck. Even oil changes seem to be made for shop lifts only these days. I wouldn't dream of turning a wrench on my newer vehicles. Maybe it's a dying art, the shadetree mechanic.  I wanted to pass it along, but not while risking his life on the road. Thanks again for talking me out of it. The car was as good as here, but not any longer. Someone else can get it. Besides, the whole deal was predicated on it being a pristine 44k mile survivor. Oh well.

 

Thanks again!

 

Michael

[catlin]

hmmm I guess good decision lol. I'm 17 and have my own 02, its a lot of fun. I don't know much about cars and neither does my dad, but we have learned so much through fixing parts on my car. Its a fun experience. I usually drive in the city, sometimes highway, which maybe i shouldnt do anymore hah. Everytime im on this forum though im that much closer to selling the thing cause i dont want to die just yet.

 

[eurotrash]

seat covers are new too.. 

 

what ever he gets, make it a manual trans.. no right hand to text with.

Edited June 21, 2015 by eurotrash

[jrhone]

I say get him a newer Hyundai with a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty.  The reliability is very good and you will get allot of bang for your buck, then also buy a fixer upper 2002 for the both of you to work on.  This will let you guys learn and bond over the mechanics of a classic.  Half the fun of driving these things for me is working on them…why buy one that needs so little to do?

[Simeon]

Well that's sad. Like people say, they are your children and therefore most precious to you. I mourn the idea that my son is not going to get the chance to learn about cars the way I did. Driving old beaters made me a better driver and certainly taught me how to fix them (and when to give up).

[MatthewCervi]

How about an E30 or E36 for your son?  The E36 in particular would be much, much safer than an 02 but still retains some of the old-school visibility and fun and isn't that hard to work on.  I got my now 19 year old son a 318ti (5 speed, of course!) when he got his license and he loves it.  He doesn't even particularly want to drive my 228i because of the way it, like all modern cars, is so closed-in feeling.

 

As others have said, it isn't just your son you have to worry about, it is the other driver in a SUV who t-bones him in an intersection and a 2002 just can't handle that.

[gregpark]

 Sure, old cars are dangerous. Death traps actually, so is a bicycle. So are speedy modern cars that seem to encourage you to drive faster than safe. When my son was in early high school we started a restoration of a '64 El Camino. By his senior year he was driving it to school and it changed his life. All of the sudden he was one of the cool kids. Not only did he learn how to fix and appreciate old stuff but we also had an invaluable bonding experience and he just sort of blossomed when he started driving that cool old car to school. I have no regrets. 

  Life is dangerous in so many ways but you have to take some risks to really live.   

[M3M3]

Don't totally write off an older car. An e36 325 has the safety stuff, is pretty simple to work on, tons of after market support, and is easy to make unique as a father son project.

[tomphot]

When I was growing up, seat belts were an option on a car and babies (and my 5 siblings) sat it mom's arms. We all survivied despite the steel dashboard.

I think that if you teach a kid to drive these days in a vintage car, it means that they NEED to pay attention to the road and everything around them. Put the phone away and not treat a car like a couch in your living room.

Not a bad bad life lesson IMO.

.

[catlin]

Tom I think you and your family just got lucky... You can be going through a green light and be "attentive" some one might race the light and hit you.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[tomphot]

Tom I think you and your family just got lucky... You can be going through a green light and be "attentive" some one might race the light and hit you.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

I don't think it was lucky, there were decades worth of driving before seat belts even became options In the '50s - the vast majority of those drivers survived without incidents. It wasn't until the '90's before Half of those driving used used them.

My point was that you Always need to be super attentive to the the road and everything around it - I always assume that everyone around me assumes that they are are the only ones on the road and that they are texting and eating a meal. In 40+ years of driving, it has served me well.