OK, for the hardcore here, I'm sure that the correct answer is no, since I do not have the money. Case closed!
So if we go with that, do we be really mean and make a senior ride the bus to school, or more realistically, have her mom take her as in the last two years since the bus leaves WAY earlier.
One big problem is that the darn high school parking lot is like a demolition derby for not just door dings, but MAJOR door dents! They just about ruined the beautiful 2002 Accord my older daughter took there her senior year.
The killer for me is I am a cheap car guy (yes, I know, definitely an oxymoron, especially with insurance and repairs). So one of my favorite things in the world is to get a nice old fully depreciated Honda for her to drive. The killer is the insurance. Ouch! But I'm still thinking of a REALLY cheap car with only liability. Help me decide!
Help me decide whether I should get my daughter a car!
May 3rd, 2009 at 06:08 pm
May 3rd, 2009 at 06:20 pm 1241371204
My DD is almost 17 and has had a PT job for 1 1/2 yr. She will be responsible for the majority of the purchase of her vehicle, including insurance & maintenance. Until she has enough to purchase a vehicle (with a bit of help from me), I am allowing her to drive my older car. She still will be responsible for her portion of the insurance though.
Just my 2 cents!
May 3rd, 2009 at 06:58 pm 1241373492
May 3rd, 2009 at 07:02 pm 1241373775
I don't think there's anything "mean" about your daughter riding a bus to school if she has to. I think the reality of your financial limitations is more important. Don't pass up this important teaching opportunity for your daughter. The lesson being that you need to save for what you want and not feel entitled to things. She'll be a better person becus of it.
May 3rd, 2009 at 07:07 pm 1241374050
Assuming you were to get her a car, is the school parking lot her only option? At my high school, we could park on the streets anywhere near the school. Some days, that was right across the street. Other days, it might have been a block or so away depending on availability of parking spaces.
Personally, the car I drove in high school was the spare family car, a 73 Chevy (I got my license in 1980). We had 4 drivers and 5 cars in the household. So nobody actually bought me a car.
May 3rd, 2009 at 07:38 pm 1241375913
You can't afford it. If it's important to her she can work to pay for it.
My dh and I both got cars at 16. We had a little help from parents in the beginning. He didn't buy his but he was responsible for all costs, from day 1. I bought mine and my parents helped with insurance for first year (until I paid off $1500 purchase). Needless to say, if our parents couldn't have helped at all we would have been expected to go it alone or forego the car. Both are reasonable options in my opinion.
There really seems to be little need for a car, in your post, but to not "be embarassed" or "have to ride the bus." Little reason, in my opinion, to buy something you can't afford.
The main reason we both ended up with cars right at 16 was because we both worked and I know our parents were tired of driving us around. If your daughter has a job at least there's some room for negotiation. Otherwise I have no idea why a teen would need a car.
May 3rd, 2009 at 09:50 pm 1241383828
May 3rd, 2009 at 10:04 pm 1241384679
I do not believe parents should just "give" kids cars... my twin daughters shared a car when they were in high school (age 16). There was no public transportation where we lived and it was hard for me to drive them to track practice, work, etc. Their car was a used but reliable Honda they bought with money they had saved from their 4H projects. They also had jobs so they could pay for gas, maintenance, and insurance, so it did not cost me a dime. The car lasted for years... and when they went off to college, one DD bought the other one out because they moved to different cities.
May 3rd, 2009 at 10:31 pm 1241386312
I really don't get the idea now that riding a school bus is uncool. It was just the way you got to school, period. Sure some kids drove and I'm sure some had their parents drive them, but I just don't remember it having the bad connotations that it has these days. And I'm not THAT old!
May 3rd, 2009 at 10:45 pm 1241387123
So if you don't have the money, you really shouldn't be buying her a car. It's not a guarantee, an entitlement, and you are NOT being mean. She can work to earn some money and you can help her pick out a reliable car.
May 4th, 2009 at 01:04 am 1241395457
May 4th, 2009 at 02:15 am 1241399724
I remember it wasn't cool, but it was necessary and it wasn't a mortal wound. To a teenager, it only seems that way.
May 4th, 2009 at 05:54 am 1241412845
May 4th, 2009 at 05:25 pm 1241454308
May 4th, 2009 at 06:12 pm 1241457179
He has to wait behind folk turning in to get in the 'carpool line' (why do they call it that when NO ONE baring twins drops off more than one kid?)
Besides public school attenders are all about socialization, that bus ride is the perfect time for it.
May 5th, 2009 at 12:17 am 1241479046
May 5th, 2009 at 04:40 am 1241494805
If you can't afford it don't do it. Not having a car might give her incentive to work and buy a car on her own.
May 6th, 2009 at 08:35 am 1241595340
As far as the car thing... I rode the bus my senior year and turned out just fine.
May 6th, 2009 at 11:58 pm 1241650723
Yes, I've been telling her we/she can't afford it. She should understand, since she is using her savings for a trip abroad. I've mentioned that she could easily buy a car instead, but that's what she wants. I know, I know, a trip to Europe is incredibly extravagant for a family in our situation. Oh well - it's one of the things we disagree on, but at least it is a very memorable event for her. And there is something about having four cars that just doesn't seem right.
May 7th, 2009 at 04:41 am 1241667706
May 7th, 2009 at 05:54 pm 1241715271
May 8th, 2009 at 12:17 am 1241738237
May 9th, 2009 at 05:26 am 1241843186
May 12th, 2009 at 05:34 pm 1242146057
Putting a teenager behind the wheel is a risk - they have to be mature enough to understand the gravity and consequences of a mistake that could take their or someone elses life. I would let her drive a lot while you are in the car and observe and correct her when needed.
I know somebody who has a teenage sun who drove drunk, got a bunch of speeding tickets and moving violations tickets, yet mom goes to court, hires a lawer, and keeps paying for the car, insurance and gas because she "does not have time to drive him around" "so what can you do - he has to get around somehow". That infuriates me. If he kills himself that's one thing, but what if he kills someone else, someone who was responsible and was just going about their life?
May 17th, 2009 at 10:37 pm 1242596275
May 25th, 2009 at 03:01 am 1243216882
May 29th, 2009 at 04:04 pm 1243609462
May 31st, 2009 at 07:15 am 1243750558
June 9th, 2009 at 12:57 am 1244505478
And crazyliblady, that hits a lot of what I am fretting about. We did get my oldest a car, so of course now in fairness we should also for the youngest, right?