Or actually, vehicles for twins!

Mine turn 16 next month, and are wearing me and my wife out about "getting" them a car. Daughter has no money, and not that choosy. Son has a little money and more choosy, wants a truck. 6 months ago, this wasn't an issue, they were going to just drive our cars around when we didn't need them. Now....after 90% of their friends parents have outright given them $10K plus vehicles, (over half are driving $20K+ rides, a couple new cars), they pretty much are expecting something when they turn 16 in January. Big source of resentment on both sides right now.

Wife and I were going to just let them work for it over the next year, but what slows things down on that front is my son is a football player, and he messed his ankle up bad to the point he can't work over the holidays, probably into Feb. Daughter is a cheerleader and they keep her busy. Church activity once or twice a week at night. Not much opportunities to work for either. Weekends are really the best option for them. Either way, after school/weekends its' a long climb at minimum wage. But it's going to be happening, soon.

Bottom line is, I don't want to or really have the $$$$ ability to provide two kids at once, 2 vehicles...along with the insurance, save for college (for 2). Don't understand why parents just give kids nice rides, but that's another subject.

I guess I'm just looking for stories from parents that have had to deal with this lately...not "Well, when I was a kid...". I get that angle. And I'm afraid of just getting them each a beater, that always has issues, drips oil in my driveway, etc. Then they'll be hitting me up to get it fixed for them.

Any creative ways around all this?

Good stuff so far.

Since Christmas and their birthday are a few weeks apart, I was thinking about giving them a grand or so each as their total present, to give them a starting point, some "hope". Seems like a lot of cash and it is (probably would spend that much between the 2 events anyway). But you think about it, these parent giving their kids cars are basically giving them $10K, $20K "gifts" for their birthdays. And from there, they can decide to get a cheap ugly car quickly or work for a few months and get something a little better.

Then, maybe do the "matching" dollars idea, I liked that.

5-10 year old Honda Accord/Toyota Camry. Buy something that is in good mechanical condition but needs a little TLC and have them responsible for getting it looking good. Hundreds of Youtube videos on car detailing -- have them watch those, take them to Pep Boys and get some detailing supplies and have them both go at it over a weekend (under your supervision). They can't drive the vehicle until it is spotless, inside and out.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=470805479&zip=77566&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D77566%26startYear%3D1981%26sortBy%3DmileageASC%26maxPrice%3D6000%26vehicleStyleCodes%3DSEDAN%26incremental%3Dall%26engineCodes%3D4CLDR%26firstRecord%3D0%26endYear%3D2018%26makeCodeList%3DHONDA%252CTOYOTA%26searchRadius%3D50&startYear=1981&numRecords=25&maxPrice=6000&vehicleStyleCodes=SEDAN&firstRecord=0&endYear=2018&makeCodeList=HONDA%2CTOYOTA&searchRadius=50&makeCode1=HONDA&modelCode1=CIVIC

I'm mostly driving a $6000 Used commuter car right now. Honda Fit hatchback with 60K miles. Reliable and decently fun to drive, 34mpg. Mine's a manual.

5K will get an older single cab pickup pretty easily, something simple and easy to keep running.

I drove a $3000 1983 S-10 blazer throughmost of high school and all of college. It got the job done. I did most of the repairs and maintenance myself and out of my own spending money too.

My sons grew up in same surroundings, lots of new cars for their friends.

My deal with them was I would match whatever amount they would put of their own money toward a car.

They had to have an vested interest in it.

https://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/auction/view?auc=1983572

YWIA

Crank Ape auctions in Gtown: (usually decent cars and trucks there)

http://www.crankyape.com/default.asp?pg=DisItems&Cat=12&locID=6

Also, my vehicle, which has 220K miles on it, is parked in the street in front of the house, and I could care less about the occasional oil leak. Are they too good to park in the street?

I've got a '93 f150 that I went thru. Runs perfect and is mechanically sound. Paint is a bit faded and has a couple of dings. I dropped $2500 into the mechanicals since I needed something to drive all over the state.

$2800

MouthBQ98 said:

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They were killed because they were terrible inexperienced new drivers with little concept of their own mortality and an inability to appreciate and understand the risks they were taking by not driving to both their own and their vehicles limitations, if you want to get to the truth of it. It's sad but true.

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Unfortunately, two were killed when a drunk driver t-boned them in their early 1980's Honda that had very little in the way of safety equipment.

I guess now that it's almost a couple decades later, this probably isn't as much of an issue as most cars that these kids will be driving will be year 2000+ models.

You definitely don't need to spoil kids, but I would be careful about what I let them drive.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=465297296&zip=78749&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D78749%26startYear%3D1981%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceDESC%26maxPrice%3D10000%26incremental%3Dall%26firstRecord%3D0%26endYear%3D2018%26modelCodeList%3DTACOMA%26makeCodeList%3DTOYOTA%26searchRadius%3D25&startYear=1981&numRecords=25&maxPrice=10000&firstRecord=0&endYear=2018&modelCodeList=TACOMA&makeCodeList=TOYOTA&searchRadius=25&makeCode1=TOYOTA&modelCode1=TACOMA



Round Rock

Taco is a good boy truck, and small enough that the young lady will not mind the drive. Sub $10k and will hold value well.

If we don't have self driving cars in 13 years when my daughter is driving she will be getting a manual 2 seater of some sort.

Rextor, where is the f150? Can you post pics?

My twin brother and I shared a '97 suburban when we turned 16 in 2006. Hated it at the time but learned a lot from it. It was easier since we both played the same sports but your kids will find a way to make one car work. They are entitled to nothing.

Our son's $1500 civic was totaled. Cheaper to buy another than get full coverage.

here is a great example of a good first car for a kid....

1agswitchin4lanes said:

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here is a great example of a good first car for a kid....

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Make sure that any vehicle you buy has side impact airbags. I suspect this 2002 vehicle does not.

dubi said:

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1agswitchin4lanes said:

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here is a great example of a good first car for a kid....

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Make sure that any vehicle you buy has side impact airbags. I suspect this 2002 vehicle does not.

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Then OP is going to have to shell out more money than that.....IIRC your kids beater cars didn't have side impact bags...

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/d/2011-ford-crown-victoria/6400937181.html

I would have rocked this in HS.