Cobra/Ws6 too much for a 16 year old to handle?
08-03-2009, 10:18 PM
#42
Yea well guess what lemons randal laxton and aaron blazer built me a camaro with a 572 in it with a roots blower on it that made 3,000 hp, and it was my DD to and from school when i was 16 you remember right???
08-03-2009, 10:32 PM
#43
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definitely way too much for 98% of teenagers, and this is coming from an 18 year old.
i myself would consider myself to be in the other 2%. i'm fairly responsible, have common sense, and grew up with power wheels, minibikes, a dirtbike, doing go karts and what not.
my first car was a 93 z28 with a few bolt ons. i got hit(sitting still) within a month then got my TA. been driving for 18 months now not one accident, never been pulled over(even with lt's, no cats, and no front license plate).
of course if your parents are planning on buying him a $15k car with decent hp and he doesn't have to pay for insurance or any tickets he gets i think he'll be MUCH more likely to do something stupid. having to pay for your own car and insurance definitely gives you some respect for what you own and do, especially if you have to pay out of your own pocket for your mistakes.
i myself would consider myself to be in the other 2%. i'm fairly responsible, have common sense, and grew up with power wheels, minibikes, a dirtbike, doing go karts and what not.
my first car was a 93 z28 with a few bolt ons. i got hit(sitting still) within a month then got my TA. been driving for 18 months now not one accident, never been pulled over(even with lt's, no cats, and no front license plate).
of course if your parents are planning on buying him a $15k car with decent hp and he doesn't have to pay for insurance or any tickets he gets i think he'll be MUCH more likely to do something stupid. having to pay for your own car and insurance definitely gives you some respect for what you own and do, especially if you have to pay out of your own pocket for your mistakes.
I also agree with him having to pay for it or for half of it. My parents made me buy my first vehicle and it does make you take care of and respect what you have.
08-03-2009, 10:42 PM
#44
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I would say yes it is too much for a 16 year old to have. I would actually tell him to get a beater car for 6 months to a year 2,000 or so. If he doesn't get any speeding tickets and in that time he will learn how to respect a car. After that get the T/A or cobra and keep the beater for him as a DD or winter car depending on where you live. And sometimes it will help keeping the beater around for his insurance.
08-03-2009, 10:47 PM
#46
I wrecked my first Camaro driving like a dumbass at 17, if he's like me it will take him a bad wreck to realize he needs to slow the **** down. Since the wreck I've gone a year with no issues in first a LT1 Formula and for the last 4 months a bolt on LS1 Camaro. So in conclusion if you can figure out a way to make him respect the car that doesn't involve a roll over accident, go for it.
08-03-2009, 10:59 PM
#50
I had plenty of cash at the time, I had like $2000 plus a 94 camaro for trade and was looking for a cool first car. It wasn't much but I found a few 69 Cougars, Trans Am's and Cutlass's in that range. It doesn't seem like it but I have about $7500 between my two cars. It's weird, I would have never thought I would have earned that much cash in a few years >_>.. Should have saved for a down payment on a Goat or WS6.
08-03-2009, 11:47 PM
#51
I'm not sure if this is true for everywhere, but I know just about every teenager around here thinks just because they grow up with dirt bikes and four wheelers they automatically think they can "drive" and handle anything on the road. I personally witnessed one of these so called kids wreck about a week ago because he was showing off (in a stock ls1). He was leaving a parking lot, gave it some gas to fishtail, overcorrected and hit the truck in the other lane. This happened about 30 yards in front of me as I was sitting at a red light.
I also agree with him having to pay for it or for half of it. My parents made me buy my first vehicle and it does make you take care of and respect what you have.
I also agree with him having to pay for it or for half of it. My parents made me buy my first vehicle and it does make you take care of and respect what you have.
good point. a lot of young people overestimate their own driving ability. i took it easy my first few months and did autox and screwed around in some parking lots in the rain, snow, and dry to learn how my car reacts in all circumstances. having experience driving other things probably helped, but it doesn't automatically make you good.
08-04-2009, 01:18 AM
#52
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hell my '71 with a custom 11" stall on the th400 can be beat on and still look like gentleman. but that car loves to stay nice and straight vs. the t/a is very very tail happy.
08-04-2009, 01:33 AM
#54
My first car was a modded 97 cobra..Looking back on it I was really stupid and am lucky i didnt get in a lot more trouble..I honestly think it all depends on the individual. Id say get him the car. My buddy got caught speeding in his cobra (also 97) and his parents put in some black box thing that showed his parents the RPM's and Speed and also pulled out a **** load of timing so it was slow as ***** lol...But anyways 2 years after they took it off and now its fully built with 550rwhp.
08-04-2009, 01:48 AM
#55
I started with my first car as a 79 vette and I made looking back some dumb decsions. Passing multiple cars at a time on the two lane highway and speeding frequently. I think power sometimes is to much to handle at that age. I then got a IROC when I was 17 and that was a more suitable ride for me. Then after graduation a year I believe I traded it for a LS1. I think it took some growing up to be ready for a LS1 car. These are fast rides and wrecking seriously just isnt worth the risk! My brother had a LT1 in high school. And this is what a 16 year old did to that at 130mph. 4.0 Student. Good Kid, 3 Sport Varsity Letterman... Just to much car!!!
Before Pic,
After Pic,
Before Pic,
After Pic,
08-04-2009, 02:02 AM
#57
My first car was the T/A in my sig, i was 17. Grandfather left it to me, but before i could get it my father had to think about it really hard. He had the 1964.5 mustang for his first car and he remembers doing stupid things...
Just looking back at some of the stupid **** i did with that car and how i didn't get killed or in too much trouble is a miracle...
I really can not say yes or no for the WS6/Cobra for a first car. If it was my son i would prob say yes (i am 20 now) but i would break its legs if he did some of the **** i did with the car, if i found out.
Make him get a job and pay for the insurance so he can see the responsibility he needs to have a car like these.
Also if you HAVE to put a GPS thing in the car so you can see what hes doing. Hes deff not ready for the car, and your not ready for him to have the car.
Lets know.
Just looking back at some of the stupid **** i did with that car and how i didn't get killed or in too much trouble is a miracle...
I really can not say yes or no for the WS6/Cobra for a first car. If it was my son i would prob say yes (i am 20 now) but i would break its legs if he did some of the **** i did with the car, if i found out.
Make him get a job and pay for the insurance so he can see the responsibility he needs to have a car like these.
Also if you HAVE to put a GPS thing in the car so you can see what hes doing. Hes deff not ready for the car, and your not ready for him to have the car.
Lets know.
08-04-2009, 12:34 PM
#58
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If you (and or your parents) care about him then the only answer is no. Get him a slug car he cannot hurt himself with and when he learns how to drive in a few years let him get a real car.
08-04-2009, 12:45 PM
#59
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Go buy a $500 beater 3rd gen and go out and get in a wreck...like slide it up over something or just generally **** it up so he can see how **** can happen so fast.
I wish that happened to me when I was younger...had to ruin one myself and walk for 9 months to learn that lesson. When it's on your own coin and dad's not buying you a new one....it gets real sobering real fast. I try to beat that into my powersliding little brothers head constantly. It only takes ONE wreck and your cobra/ls1 hopes and dreams are written off.
I know what I did in a automatic 4cyl ford probe....I'd be dead if I got the camaro I wanted. My kid is getting something slow, fwd/awd safe and full of airbags. If he wants it to be stickshift, awesome. **** auto. If my girlfriend can easily drive it; you don't have a very badass car. Kids and people in general need to learn some car control, and you get next to dick with an automatic. I wouldve killed for a stick ANYTHING to the point where I was jealous of a friends sunbird. But I would pay for the first car.
If he wants a fast car, he's going to have to have a clean driving record for a year and buy it with his own money. I was even thinking getting into an old DSM (as they will be super-duper old school by the time I have a kid and he's 16 lol) and slowly turning the boost up etc. I think It'd be a blast.
I wish that happened to me when I was younger...had to ruin one myself and walk for 9 months to learn that lesson. When it's on your own coin and dad's not buying you a new one....it gets real sobering real fast. I try to beat that into my powersliding little brothers head constantly. It only takes ONE wreck and your cobra/ls1 hopes and dreams are written off.
I know what I did in a automatic 4cyl ford probe....I'd be dead if I got the camaro I wanted. My kid is getting something slow, fwd/awd safe and full of airbags. If he wants it to be stickshift, awesome. **** auto. If my girlfriend can easily drive it; you don't have a very badass car. Kids and people in general need to learn some car control, and you get next to dick with an automatic. I wouldve killed for a stick ANYTHING to the point where I was jealous of a friends sunbird. But I would pay for the first car.
If he wants a fast car, he's going to have to have a clean driving record for a year and buy it with his own money. I was even thinking getting into an old DSM (as they will be super-duper old school by the time I have a kid and he's 16 lol) and slowly turning the boost up etc. I think It'd be a blast.