parenting advice

I was and still am a barely capable driver. In my defense one of those accidents wasn't my fault but had I been more experienced it wouldn't have happened. How many years have you been driving Missy May?

Well, I think boys are just worse drivers, so its inherent. I was promised a new car if I got my license...It didn't change the fact I didn't want to drive. I had a horse, who needs a car!!! I was basically forced to get it at 17.5 yrs - and given a new red mustang. No accidents, all that "horsepower" was lost on me. I still do not enjoy driving - but my daughter does, and she often points out that my 1st car was a sporty car (i.e., hers should be, too).....but I would never hand a kid a sports car!!!! I think the OP is being responsible with the "safe and dependable" angle.

I've only read the first few posts, so bear with me if I repeat anything.

I would have her put 1k or so towards the car. I would also look into Toyota; their cars hold up very well and maintain their value.

Good Grief Kevin! Two before 18! I'm over (well over) 50 and still haven't been in an accident.

My son however, wrecked the car we bought him two weeks after receiving it. He spent the money he earned that summer repairing it.

My daughter has never had an accident, and we never bought her a vehicle. She had one available for her use, but it was not HERS.

OP, your sister sounds very responsible. If you can afford to buy a good used car for her and you want to, by all means do so. Sounds like you've already discussed the rules and expectations with her. It's very important to be clear about everything prior to anything happening. Saves a lot of possible misunderstandings in the future.

I want to stick with an american made car because I can work on those a lot better. The cts is big and has a lot of room under the hood with the v6, since they make the same car with a v8. The little foreign cars are such a pain to work on. Plus the parts for the v6 cts will be fairly cheap.

I'll have full coverage insurance so if she wrecks it, then her next car will be limited to what insurance gives her for the car. This is what she learned to drive. She's been driving it for a year now and she has no problem handling it. Not saying she still wont have a higher chance of getting in an accident. I know things are different when theres distractions of friends in the car and things like that. Im glad to get some advice against it too, lots of really good points here. I can't tell you all how much I appreciate it

Love your truck!

You are doing the right thing, sounds like she's been given all the info and will be able to handle car ownership.

A few tips... No friends in the car. #1 cause of accidents. No cell phone use in the car PERIOD. Have her turn the ringer off and stick it in her purse. #2 cause of accidents. No driving while tired. That's worse than driving intoxicated. I'd also check the gov and set it at 65. No reason to go faster at that age. Also keep a close eye on the tires, which I'm sure you will. I'd also spring for some good all weather ones that are known for doing well in rain, make sure she has some experience with hydroplaning.

My parents bought me an old VW cabriolet when I was 15, taught me to drive it for a year and I did fine. I had to pay for insurance and get excellent grades because that lowered the cost. To this day I have never caused an accident, knock on wood! I'm sure she'll do fine, way to go big bro!!

Buy her a truck. My first vehicle was a full sized GMC Sierra. My dad customized it for it. Everyone at my school my jealous, included the guys. Here I was, 5'2" and 105 pounds in a pick-up. I got out of class once and there was a stack of phonebooks on my seat because people picked on me cause I "couldn't see over the steering wheel" LoL. Funny...

In all seriousness though. What an amazing brother you are! To shoulder that type of responsibility at such a young age is very difficult for anyone to do.

It sounds like you know a lot about cars/trucks, so go with what your gut is telling you. It's better to have piece of mind, rather then a cheap car.

And no, you aren't crazy for wanting her to have a reliable vehicle.

I agree w Flygap....except - set the gov? I didn't know you could do this, but I wouldn't. Ahhhh! Some times you need that extra speed to be safe. That's what I always tell the officer, anyway. :)

great advise! Thank you. Im also not going to let her drive at night for a while. I have no problem taking her and picking her up. I never thought about the govenor, that's a good idea. I have tuning software on my computer from tuning my firebird, so I can do that no problem. Thanks!


haha yea I would have liked for her to have a truck too! The car will be nice tho and she can always drive my truck if she wants. Thank you

yea you can set it to where it wont go over a certain speed. The car will still have all the power it did before, just wont go over whatever speed you set. She wont need to go over 65-70. At that speed, accelerating to avoid somethin wont really be an option with a car like these. A v6 in a heavy car will not gain any speed over 65 fast enough to avoid anything anyway.

Its amazing what you can do with tuning a car. I got a tuning software program for my computer, so I can plug my laptop into the port below the dash on the driver side. I got it to tune my firebird, and ended up tuning several hot rods around here