bahsarie

I see this all the time that parents claim the car is to powerful for their child to drive. I always have wondered about this seeing as i learned how to drive on a 89 rs with a tbi and was my first car, never heard it was to powerful or too much car for me. Nor did i get any tickets or in any accidents. Though the first time most of my friends drove it they squelched the tires on accident but they also had no problem.

Apeiron

Any car is too fast for kids while they're still young and soft-brained.

bahsarie

even a geo metro or ford festiva

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

i know my L98 is way to fast for a first timer... i thought it was pretty insane when i was 18 when i got it, let alone 16. i learned to drive on my 94 4cylinder grand am...and i thought that thing had some top end. LOL boy that thing is a dog!!

when ur young you tend to be more careless and more inquisitive to mess with the car and feel speed/power/etc.. it fun and thrills you. a Fbody with a mild TBI or weaker 305 TPI wouldnt be too much since they are about as fast as some 4 and 6 cylinder cars today that kids drive... but top end 305's adn L98's are too much car

Apeiron

Some people aren't responsible enough to safely operate a pair of running shoes, let alone a motor vehicle.

This is by no means a strictly age-related phenomenon.

bahsarie

I have an l98 now and i know ill raise alot of hoopla but i dont feel so much difference i know the power difference is there but other than that nothing.

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

yep i forgot to mention that but thats why i voted depends on driver.... some ppl just should have powerful cars....same goes with alot of things tho. lol

blackchr

My first car was an 89 Nissan Sentra. It honestly had about a 12 second 0-60, but I still put it in fields, took out mailboxes, and generally scared all passengers and bystanders. I'd definitely have gotten in more trouble with a more powerful car.

Maybe I'm just one of those people who shouldn't be trusted with running shoes though?

jagevileye21

iTrader: (3)

From personal experience, I wouldn't say that the camaro is too much for a first time driver but to handle all that power you have to be responsible and what 16 year old do you know is that responsible.

Jay

5678TA

its not about how fast a car is.. its how the driver uses it.. is he/she careless when driving.. basically what type of driver are they? give a fast car to a laid back kid.. he will handle it just find.. give one to a crazy, punk rocker kid.. he will probably kill himself..

i was first given a honda accord.. BUT, we were building the TA.. couple months of driving the accord, then the TA came out.. i handled it just fine.. *knock on wood*.. i took it to the strip a month later and pulled off a 12.7 @ 107 on slicks.. missed fourth gear in the process.. i pretty much had a capable low 12, high 11 sec car..

if you believe your child is capable of handling it AND you trust him/her to obey the law and not do anything stupid, then give it to them.. while on the other hand, if he is a rebel, always talks back, gets horrible grades, can barely drive a granny mobile, then dont give it to them..

trust your judgement..

bilms01

Cause that's what I told my kids so I could have it for myself.

blackchr

Not to start a flame war, but I'd say this is a bit off base. I know a lot of guys that are good drivers, good kids, don't talk back, aren't rebels, and got great grades, but they pushed the limits of anything they drove. Especially without much experience behind the wheel, that's going to be dangerous.

It's more about the level of risk the kid is normally willing to run, rather than if he's just a general f* up.

xgtharo86x

iTrader: (1)

my dad let me get my T/A at 14 and u cant even get your licence till 18 in ny and i moved to fla im a careful driver i dont want anything 2 happen to my baby but when i got my licence i went out with him and he showed me how 2 burnout and do donuts smoke shows with him in the car ....i guess its cuz hes got a 88 rustang

MrDude_1

because they know the kid cant drive, or is just not responsible enough.

for example... my parents let me buy my first camaro at 15... and i built it into an 11sec car.
they didnt have a problem with this, as i have been driving my gokart for years, ride dirtbikes (both the kart and dirtbike i bought myself) and overall i was a more responsable then average kid.. (note, i never wrecked it, or anything else)

meanwhile my brother cant drive worth a ****... so they didnt even want to let him have anything that LOOKS sporty, nevermind anything actually fast (incidentally, a TBI 3rdgen only LOOKS sporty.. a new 4cyl saturn is faster.)


they let my sister have a camaro as her first car.... because she was also responsible... but they also knew it was a V6, and that the reason she was getting it was that i had already bought it and was selling it to her. (i snagged it for $250... a fuel pump and a fuse later, it ran perfect)


if you are the kid being judged, you're not going to listen to this but..... you are the last person who can judge you on how responsible you actually will be... you'll figure this out when you do it anyway, and get older... then you can bitch at some kid who wont listen to you and do it anyway.

bahsarie

No I am not the kid or a kid I'm 23 i was just wondering, and yes some of you can still consider me kid and for that i can be grateful who wants to be older than they have to be anyways.

xgtharo86x

iTrader: (1)

same with me dad got me a gokart when i was 7(still ride it) they knew that i was responsible they used to let me drive home without my licence if they were drunk from a party or something

MrDude_1

two things in life that are constant..

1. you always think you're not a kid.

2. you're always a kid to someone else....




when you're 12, you think you're grown, until you're 15 looking back.. at 15 you think you're grown, until you're 18 looking back.. when you're 18, you think you're grown... until you're looking back... ect...

needaniroc

A newer driver having any sort of fast car has to be judged on an individual basis. My first car was a Pontiac GTP and everyone thought that I wouldn't be able to handle the "power" of that car but I was a responsible driver and never got into any trouble. Just because you have some power doesn't mean you have to use it at every stoplight.

bahsarie

I agree but i also think it might have something to do with the weather in the midwest mostly the snowstorms. but i think a good answer to that is good tires, all weather tires they go along way.

91CamaroRS305

iTrader: (2)

If i ever have kids they sure won't be driving anything remotely powerful, not because I wont trust them, but because I learned on a pig of a car, still got tickets tho, but I would rather have my kid learn the correct way of driving, and realize it is a privelage not a right and THEN learn all the fun stuff like burn outs, racing and wheelies.

niceroc

iTrader: (2)

yea, some input from an 18 y/o now, i got my car when i was 15, i paid 500 bukcs for it and out some time and money to get ti running, it was an 87 iroc with a 5 speed, when i first got it i tought it was a decently fast car, after driving it for alomost 2 years i was gettign bored of it, now im building a new motor and it should be an 11 sec car when im done before i graduate. i know now what a fast car is, i have had a number of friends that have dumped thousands of dollars in to their cars and ruining them or crashing them. a thirdgen is not a really fast car stock, my friend got a 93 z28 6 speed, that car was a really fast car for a new dirver, he tried to be responsible, hew got his license on tuesday and friday we drove an hour to go race at the track, he ran a 14.1 at 99 mph, about 4 months later he ran it off the road and totalled it, now he has a 97 transam and is alot more responsible because he paid for both cars anf lost all the money he had in the first car. i have learned from alot of my fiends and i have yet to be pulled over or crash any car yet,

bahsarie

A stock l98 doesnt run that much slower than 14.1 at least not mine.

5678TA

actually thats very true too.. but most kids i grew up with and hear about that push the limits are rebels and basically not very great kids.. thats why i said what i said.. most, if not all, the good kids are good drivers.. just my experience.. strange but true..

niceroc

iTrader: (2)

add in a 6 speed and a 99 mph trap, that as with liek a 2.4 60 ft, it was closer to a 13.5 if he could hook up

david068513

iTrader: (2)

im 15 and i have a 92 L98 vortec with TPI 700r4 car as my first car. i am one of those punk rockers and a rebel and get straight c's BUT i drove slower then my grandmother or should i say mother because my grandmother and grandfather are speed demons lol in there 4 cyl cars i drive slow and am very careful but i have always been when coming to anything like this. dirtbikes , 4 wheelers etc. i have always respected the power of the vehicles and now how far i could push it.

bahsarie

im assuming that it is not stock, for if it is thats a mighty strong stock, and a big difference in time.

niceroc

iTrader: (2)

thats normal for a bolt on lt1

bahsarie

what was bolt on? were there mods?

dimaondave88

Any car is too fast as most of you have pointed out, so I Dont agree a F-body is a bad first car... it should be the only car! Cause noone wants to drive a stang...

My first was a 69 Z28... bought it when I was 14... went into my name when I turned 16... state law.... drove a 70 Impala 4 door that my mom got for me to practice with but it didnt survive... it was in bad shape.

wrapper8758

iTrader: (3)

I went through more cars than i can count on both hands as a teenager.
I totalled most of them,or destroyed them. I WAS one of those idiots who is lucky to be alive today.I baught a brand new 87 TA ,305 TPI 5 speed...
My DREAM was to own a Trans Am after watching Smoky & the Bandit.I had a GOOD job at 21 yrs old,financed it myself,LOVED that car, but was such a F**K up that I totalled it after 3 months of beating the hell out of it. It haunted me for 19 years!!!!!!! and I went out and hit a cop head on 6 months later drunk AGAIN....DWI....BLAH BLAH.... (DIDNT LEARN MY LESSON)
I was too out of controll as a teen through my mid 20s.I must of had 9 lives.
Now at 40,wife and kids,and a reformed Savage, I have to relive my youth again... a 1985 TA TPI Auto (only matured ,and ALOT wiser). MY 11 year old son LOVES my car,and i always tell him if I croak....Im leaving it to him.Its by no means perfect (YET)but I respect that car like Its worth a million bucks,and appreciate that I have it.
The only problem is I still have to worry about my kids getting behind the wheel with theyre little buddys one day ........Thats scary, but I would think that my kids are ALOT smarter than I was.
ANY CAR CAN BE DANGEROUS IF YOURE WRECKLESS AND IMMATURE.
If a 16 + year old kid is responsible......by all means....get them a 3rd Gen ,just make sure they realize its a dangerous weapon if used improperly.
then again so is a TRI-CYCLE . For all you young dudes out there ....who are getting into the car scene,be careful,no matter what ya drive.You dont want to have to tell my story one day.

nikos89

When I turned 14 I told my dad I was going to save my money and buy a third gen camaro with a 5spd and t-tops... He told me that no way in hell would he let me drive a car like that at a young age. He brought me to a few salvage yards to look at ones that had been crashed pretty bad in hopes that it would scare me out of wanting one...

Needless to say it didn't..

Even after owning multiple fbodies and still young I am 23.. I do still say they are dangerous cars and need to be respected. With the correct driver and the correct ability they are okay and fun. My father after I turned 16 basically said it was fine for me, but still convinces my 20year old little brother from having one, not because of lack of ability but he is a little too cocky about it and has a "TOO" wild side and can't seem to calm himself down ever.. So in his case it would be a death wish.

Most kids can't drive very well and a fbody even in a v6 wouldn't be a good choice. If they can drive, have good reflexes and are calm when things go wrong, then I don't personally see a problem, but play it safe and don't be a jack a**..

Thats my personal opinion on the matter, most cars "CAN" be too fast, but not as dangerous. RWD sports cars are all around not a good option for 95%+ of kids. Some people can, some can't its just the way it goes.

Hammertime540

I started driving with my dads 2001 silverado 2500hd with the 8.1L. That thing runs good, it was faster than my 91 camaro with 305 when I got it. But now its got another 305, carb, and 3.42 gears. I could probually take it now.

Zepher

iTrader: (1)

when I got my license in Iceland, I was driving my moms Daihatsu Charade, little 3cyl car I think. when we moved back to the USA, I started to drive my dads 88 Dodge Caravan 4cyl 5 Speed when he wasn't using it, and since we both worked at the same place, I would ride with him to work.
then I got a different job and needed my own car, so we went car shopping.
Ended up with a brand new 94 Pontiac Sunbird LE Coupe.
Drove the **** out of that car for 2 years putting almost 50K miles on it, then the belt tensioner broke.
Took it to the dealer to get it fixed, went back to pick it up the next day and it wasn't done yet, so I ended up trading it in for a different 94 Sunbird LE Coupe, this one had with the 3.1l V6. this was much faster than the 4cyl I had. It also had 26K miles on it, 15" alloy wheels and a mint interior.

I drove the **** out of this one too, racking up 120K miles in 3.5 years (146K when I sold it).
I bought an 86 Trans Am V8 5 speed and fixed it up with the money I got from selling my Sunbird.
Now, I had been driving for 12 years so far, but this was the first RWD car I had driven in the rain.
My girl and I are on our way to the movies, and we are almost there, just one more corner. I stop, then start to take the turn and gave it a little too much gas and end up doing a 180 and stalling the car.
Now, this car only had 160hp, but since I was so used to FWD (where the car will understeer like crazy) I wasn't expecting the car to just spin so fast and easy.
After that experience, I started to practice controlling the car when it would slide.

88trans_am_gta

ive had my license for about three years now. learned how to drive with my '94 century. fun car, and easy to control, but nowhere near the power of my gta. took it out for the first time today and i couldnt stop shaking when i got home, lol. still though, being twenty, ive learned to respect busses, motorcycles and semi-trucks. thats the problem with MOST teenage drivers, is they get behind the wheel and think their speed racer. heck, most of the accidents over by me is from kids leaving high school in their cars.

Kandied91z

iTrader: (7)

5

lol.. a car that can barely get out of it's own way. my same year ford thunderbird 4 cylinder turbo was a faster car...

they say v8's in general because it gives kids an inmaginable idea of speed but i definately agree with todays cars that are 300+ horsepower. adults can barely drive some of these cars let alone a 16 year old kid.

but a 305 tbi... no worries.

Hunter330123

i am 15 and just got my permit about 3 weeks ago, i am lookin for a 3rd gen for my first car, my dad is fine with it, he's just glad i dont want a tuner, as of now when i drive i drive his 79 pickup with a 400 motor in it, talk about power, and i can handle it fine but i agree with most people on here, a friend of mine got a brand new cavalair on there 16th birthday and totaled it 2 days latter, it depends on the driver

bilms01

I think that if someone is just learning how to drive, there is nothing wrong with a third gen as long as they are given the right info and understand what it can do and more importantly cannot do. When my kids started to drive they at least payed for half of the car, maintenance and all the insurance, It appeared to me that because of the financial responsibility they were a lot better behind the wheel than someone who was given a car and didn't have to pay for anything.

If a "kid" understands the value and capabilities of any vehicle they will be more responsible as a driver. Hunter said it all if his friend had not been GIVEN a new car maybe it wouldn't have been wrecked.

bahsarie

i knew if i got a ticket my dad would take away my license and my car and i loved driving to much.

KagA152

iTrader: (5)

i got my car a month after i turned 16. was the first car that was a stick i ever drove. my parents agreed to a loan for $3500, i had the other $700, they even charged me 8% interest (sucks when your mom is an accountant). so i think it has to do with kids getting cars given to them, that beat the **** out of them and drive bad.

85irocz355tpi

Well I bought an 89 rs when I was 15. I beat the **** out of that car. come to think of it i think almost every one i know has beat the **** out of that car. I put it in a ditch once and got into a few scary places with it but it gave me some vary valuable lessons. Most people learn how to drive when there young. I thought that car was fast too. then I bought my iroc and after i put the 355 in it i realized what fast was. My winter car is a 95 olds cutlass supreme with a 3.1 in it and I have a friend with a rs with the same 305 as mine and my cutlass beats it. I did stupid things with my rs but it prepared me for my iroc. everyone at some point is going to test the limits, sometimes you get burned thats the way of life. You could give your kid the slowest car in the world and they can still go out and kill themselves. The best way i found in teaching children value is take them to buy a car they want a few years before they get their license and let them spend their own time and money on it until they get their license. If they have something invested in it their more likely to take care of it and themselves.

shiesty_mcshyst

I think it all depends on the car. You have kids that could kill themselves in a Yugo.

Drac0nic

I think it's part maturity part experience. Personally, I had a hard time learning how to drive on both fronts, I would say experience got the worse of me however. I definitely found out what a blind spot was the hard way. More body work to fix later I guess. And no I doubt I'd be too concerned about a stock car being too powerful with exception to maybe the 350 TPI cars and the Turbo T/A, but it's not like you'd give your kid a Turbo T/A when they're 16. I got into my fair share of trouble in a vehicle that'd run bottom 17s into 16s on a good day. I still drive hard, I pick and choose where I do it a lot more then I used to; if gas was still $1.25 a gallon I'd be a good bit heavier footed too.

Mudweiser_Matt

I got a 86 z28 as my second car, when I was a Junior in H.S.. I think that it would be a shame to let it get beat-up by a first time driver. Not to mention you having to pay for your kid's tires every month or so.

IrockanIroc

hell im a good driver (according to me but i know the first time i got my iroc z on the highway it scared the **** outta me and i had been drivin for a year... so i as a 17 year old will say i dont think a camaro is a good first car but second.. it kicks ***

bigjay89gta

iTrader: (5)

I learned to drive when I was 15 in a lifted Dodge truck drove it until. I was 17 and then brought my 1989 GTA L98 didnt get a ticket in it until I was 20 which was last year but I have had it airborn at 135 and I have been clocked at 142. Both of these happen at 3 in the morning on a four lane highway me and a cop where the only ones on the road. He pulled be over yelled at be for an hour (it was 20 degrees outside) then let me go.

I know some people who would have killed them selves in this car. I mean my friend topped out his geo metro in the middle of town during rush hour good thing it would only go 80. LMAO!!! Had it been a fast car he would have hurt himself or worse someone else.