I grew up in a very affluent neighborhood (the owner of the Phoenix Suns lived four doors down).  The parking lot at my high school looked like a scene from Beverly Hills 90210. New Cadillacs, Mustangs, fancy trucks, and even a Porsche graced the lot, all gifts to kids from their wealthy families. When I got my first car, my dad paid $700 for it, a 1972 Mazda RX3. (I graduated HS in 1980.) I drove that car for senior year and two years of college before the engine gave out. At the time, I was upset because I knew my parents could well afford better, but now, as a mother of 5, I understand. My kids have never driven anything new, and they have never complained. They're glad to get wheels.  

I grew up in "Old westchester"  locally,down the street from the Hoppers,the Brocks,etc. Most kids back then ,at the dawn of time,got new cars~my sister got a 1966(?) Mustang,which some few years later I inherited. For my older son,no grades = no car and a free bus schedule. I think if I had teenagers today,they would have to show grades,a level of maturity,and be going off to collage before a car, the safest one I could afford, would be in the picture.

See, I agree with that, my first car was a 1995 Ford Contour, and then when the transmission gave out and the transmission shop then killed the car, i gave my parents some money and together we bought a 1995 Chevy beretta. Then.. my senior year in high school... my parents sold my Beretta (which i loved that car, i think because i payed for over half of it) and went to haddad kia and got me a 05 kia rio.... because we had moved to Tehachapi and I was driving to school everyday, and i was 39. gpa honor roll student, i payed the car payment and insurance on that car also. then i joined the navy and no car for me, when i was sent back home, i bought a 91 chevy truck (my parents kept the kia).... When I was 19 i decided i wanted a new car and bought myself a 04 mustang. But that was on my own, i think that kids should just be thankful for a car in general...

Its the 16 year old kids driving mercedes, bmw, lexus, ect ect, i dont get it.. ?!?!

When I was growing up most parents, at least those that we knew, could mot afford to buy their kids even a used car.  I bought my first car, a 1938 Chevy business coupe with money that I had earned. Even now if you can afford it buying a new car is a waste of money.  A one or two year old car with low mileage has already had most of its depreciation and costs far less. Just have it checked out by a trusted mechanic to make sure it has not been wrecked.  Those (of moderate means) who buy new cars  are either profiling or don't care if they waste their money. If I were buying a car for a teenager it would either be a Honda or a Toyota with an automatic transmission.  They last longer, require fewer repairs and get better gas mileage.  American car manufacturers still have not caught up when it come to building a better car.  I am not talking about BIG pickups..  General Motors still builds the best pickup though the new Toyota Tundra is about the same caliber.

My first car in 1991 was a 1972 VW BUG. Lookin back, I loved that car.  I actually had 2 of them during my time.  My daughter whom we just bought her a 2001 Saturn 3 door, was very happy with it. It was a surprise and while I don't keep up with the jones's, she would have been more happier with the cars her friends have. BMW, Mercedes, new SUV's, I told her I have my own car payment, yours is paid for.  Every now and then, I let her borrow my car but overall, she's glad to just get around.

Another thing, kids these days don't understand the value of things.  Hae you seen the way they drive their luxury cars? LOL!!

I think buying cars for kids will start them off  with entitlement issues.  "If you bought me a car,  then you'll give me money anytime I need it."

I didn't get my first "new" car till I was 27.  Before that I drove a '63 bug, a '65 Galaxie 500, '73 Maverick (3 on the tree).  I agree, it's better to ding up an old beater than to pain yourself with making payments when you're young.

im so glad that i am  not the only one that see's it this way!!

and yes michele i have seen it, its scary!! haha

Oh yeah, another thing, it's a heck of a lot cheaper to just have liability insurance on a car that's paid for too.  ESPECIALLY FOR A TEEN.  Screaming high insurance coverage until you're 25.  WOW!

yes i agree, insurance on my truck was 60 (liability) and on my mustang its 130 (full coverage). . and i wont be 25 for 4.5 more years. lol

I had to work at Burger King for my first pick-up. My Grandmother loaned me the cash and I paid her back. I learned the value of working for your things. I know for a fact a 15 or 16 year old kid with a brand new car doesn't know the first thing about car payment, gas, insurance,tags...it costs alot of money to maintain a brand new car, a lot more than a kid can make.

"I think buying cars for kids will start them off  with entitlement issues."

Unfortunately, it seems that many kids these days have that already.  I have a friend who has bought her 13 y.o. both Xbox's, every game he ever asks for, an I-phone, and the biggest Ipod available. She will stand in line at the store for hours just so her kid has it "first". He got a laptop for his birthday; for his Jr. high, grad, she is buying him a Wii. That kid gets everything he demands (he doesn't ask) and has kittens on the rare occasion she says "no". And he is a BRAT! He yells at his mom all the time and she just puts up with it.

I am looking forward to seeing what she gets him when he starts driving. Knowing her, and him, Ferrari comes to mind.

omgosh.. parents like that are what every kid wants, but not what they need, kids need to learn to respect what they have and cherish it... that is another thing i never understood, why some parents spoil their kid rotten? do they realize they are doing this? i know it sounds like a retarded question to ask, but really does the parent realize what they are doing when they spoil their kids rotten?

Heck, I'm 50 years old, and have NEVER had a brand-new car.  The 2000 Toyota Tundra, which I purchased with 30,000 miles on it, is the nicest vehicle I've ever owned.  And I didn't have my first, very-own car, until I was 20.  It was a '69 Chevy Impala.  Today's kids are spoiled rotten.

tiffanilynn I dont think parents know that they are not doing their kids justice, they think they are providing to their kids what they never had...kids have been spoiled rotten for years and all you get is a right wing know it all!

I think if a kid does well in school and stays out of trouble, then maybe they should get a new car or something.  But that is really up to the parents.  My parents never got me a new car despite the fact that I stayed out of trouble and got decent grades (my gpa was around 2.8 I think).  My first car was a 1976 Pontiac Firebird and then I got a 1998 Toyota Tacoma "hand-me-down" from my parents.  But, my parents did make sure my cars kept running, paying thousands of dollars in payments, registration, smog, and repair costs when I'd have a break-down or needed tires or brakes and other necessary stuff to do so and not getting much from me (I know, my bad!).  I did put it to my responsibility to make sure I got the Tacoma serviced every 3,000 miles once I got it.  But now, I don't drive and I don't really complain much about that either.

Not to mention, when I had a break-down or needed a new part, my dad did the work himself after coming home from his work, often times he worked for 12+ hours and then had to come home and fix my car after that.  My thanks go out to him for going through that.  Sometimes I did have to catch the bus to high school (Centennial) when my car was being fixed.  But I didn't mind that.