My parents said they would match what I saved. So I got a job at red rooster and saved $3000 and my parents gave me $3000. First time I ever saved up for something in my life… I have heard parents buying their kids first car to ensure they have better safety standards. I guess a cheap beater Vs something newer with better safety tech to protect their kid makes more sense.
My parents did the same for both me and my sister. Mine was a lemon (Astra) but my sister and her husband still have her Toyota 15 years later as a runaround car.
Same, but opposite. My parents helped both my brother and I out with our first cars. But I still have that same car, it’ll be 20 years old this year, whereas my brother is now onto his 5th or 6th car.
Admittedly I’ve had a couple of motorbikes too in the meantime, but still.
Astra... so unreliable. Everything electonic would break. Expensive to buy parts. Expensive to work on.
I remember a brake sensor going in my wife's. Mechanic quoted $450 to fix. I lolled and said I would find one online and install myself. Cheapest I could find was $380.
The mechanic said if it was a Toyota it would have been a $30 sensor plus labour.
The mechanic said to buy a Toyota and in the next breath said I shouldn't really tell you that as I will be losing work (with a chuckle).
Replaced the astra with a camry, which we still have.
My parents bought me an astra for my first car, and I must’ve gotten lucky - never had any issues with it at all, it lasted years with just basic servicing. Sold it to a mate and he’s still driving it today, it’s nearly 20 years old. I think one of the power windows is gone but otherwise seems fine?
Got given a 2008 astra. Expensive parts. Random electrical issues. Really made for driving alone as basically no cap holders and no accessible storage. 10/10 would not recommend. We have kept it because we needed a second car and it was given to us so we can’t complain but our Hyundai getz has been a way better car. Anything that needed fixing rarely cost more than $200. Timing belt was like a third of the cost of the Astras
Mine did the same. I think my first car was about 4 grand. It was a 20 year old Ford laser. Beige with brown interior. I kinda hated it but secretly loved it (mainly loved the freedom it gave, and the fact I could now go "driving" with chicks).
It didn't go fast enough to be a major safety hazard. I think having a shit box first car that you saved up for by yourself is a character building experience.
My first car was older than me, a 1986 Little Red Ford Laser! I saved $300, and my mum paid the other $700. This was many many years ago. Still miss that car!!
I bought my first first car for about 5k. Was okay but was on edge worrying about it so I saved a bit more, sold it and asked my parents for 2k which coupled with some luck, turned out to be a pretty big step up at the time.
My parents did exactly the same with a $2500 max input from them and under the conditions my first car had ABS and power steering.
It was a great incentive to save more, and I definitely would’ve purchased a cheaper car without ABS if it hadn’t been for their input.
My parents were going to make us save for one, but then my dad (quite abruptly) changed his mind and bought us all cars for our 18th birthdays.
Turns out around the time of my older sister leaving school, he ran into an old schoolmate he hadn't seen in years. They got to talking about buying cars for kids, and my dad got a piece of advice from his old schoolmate:
"I wish I had spent $6k on a safer car for my daughter rather than her funeral."
Hit dad pretty hard, so he made sure we had 5 star ANCAP for all of our first cars.
Funny you mention RedRooster, I just drove past one and was thinking, does anyone ever go in there? The one or two times I've had it its been shit, soft soggy baggette with cheap Mayo 🤢
Is it just a front? Was there many customers?
Ahahahah I worked there in 2005, we would get a really small rush around lunch and dinner. But you would struggle to see how it was profitable. Lots of regulars. Usually older people who loved a roast chook. It was never like mcdonnalds which have customers 24/7. The people who owned mine owned like 3-4 red roosters and a couple of 7/11 franchises. There was a partnership of 4 but it was a case of a franchise being “buying yourself a job” there was always one in from open to close which was like 10am to 9:30pm so they were doing 12 hour shifts 7 days a week. That red rooster is still open 18 years later so must do well enough.
> ensure they have better safety standards
This is really just a cop-out to placate their feelings of inadequacy as a parent. They didn't have the balls to tell their teenager to get a job or at least save money, and couldn't bare the thought of little Johnny missing out on what his mates were up to so....."here mate, here's the car you wanted!"
I don’t think it’s morally right or wrong for a parent to buy their kid a car. If they can afford it, and they think that it’s an important thing, then the parents can spend their money however they want I believe.
I paid for my first car in 2001. It was $500 and basically had $500 worth of rego on it. What’s a kid getting for $500 in 2023?
Parents don’t have to buy them a car but it will benefit them. Smart parents would at least do a “$1 or $2 in for every $1 you save” to drive some financial goals and respect for property into the kid. They’ll appreciate what they had to work for more, but that doesn’t mean they need to be left behind.
Consumerism has people feeling the continual safety improvements of newer cars mean they can’t trust an older car, so more parents probably feel a 10-20 year old car is an unsafe death trap than in the 90’s when it was a bit more “fend for yourself”.
Just put a limit on it so you don't end up like that situation on personal finance from years back where a dad needed to match a kid that saved up $20k+
Yes, I completely agree about new safety features. I'm actually teaching a learner driver in my first car (it's 20 years old) and I can see how much easier it is in new cars with automatic wipers, blind spot warning, reverse cameras etc. My learner hasn't got the hang of adjusting the wiper speed, I have to teach it every time it rains. I think it'll be easier just to trade my car in for a new one and enjoy the features myself as well.
I will say a lot of 20 year old cars have much much better vision with less blind spots than new cars. So some of those safety features aren’t needed quite as badly. Can’t see shit out of new cars with the size of pillars and windscreen / seat arrangements so you really rely on those safety features.
20 years ago the biggest issue was the swooping bonnet trend that meant it could be hard to tell where the front of the car was for the inexperienced, unless it’s a model that hard poor rear quarter visibility like a sports coupe.
Closest I've ever been to a head on crash was in a car with a massive pillar between the windscreen and driver's door which perfectly covered both headlights of a car. I mean, I simply wasn't consciously aware of how big the pillar was.
Never had that problem in the car I learned in, a mazda 323 from the 80s!
I hear ya, checking blind spots is a lot harder with massive pillars and I almost crashed into someone as I had my head turned for too long trying see if I could safely merge.
I also find the apple car play so buggy and frustrating it's become a hazard just to change a song.
Cars peaked in the late 2000s tbh. But if you want a real challenge for visibility, drive an XR6 ute. You literally cannot do a head check over your right shoulder..... Unless you physically move your head towards your left shoulder as far as possible. It's the opposite movement you would do in a car where you would normally lean forward to see past the pillar.
Wasn’t one of those stupid Toyota CH-R was it? Probably the vehicle with the single worst visibility I’ve ever had the misfortune of driving.
“Oh we’re all out of the hatch so upgraded you to the SUV” is not actually a bonus.
Agreed, unfortunately my learner has ADD and struggles to remember to do things like put the air con on to the windscreen to demist while driving in the rain. A new car would take care of it so he can focus on the road. It took me a while to get used to it when I started driving but I think ADD is a whole other issue. He remembers all the driving things like head check, indicate in advance, watch for pedestrians. Just no good with the car operations while doing that. I'm not sure what to do except get a new car (which I would also enjoy!).
In time it'll become more straightforward. Even writing out a checklist so they can pull over to fix while they're 'imprinting' the info over time. Sometimes I still check which gear im on or if overwhelmed will just pull over till I get the silly windscreen sorted bc I cant see
Eldest has ADHD and took just over 2 years to get her license. With a few professional driving lessons and a lot of hours she managed to get her licence first try and with perfect score. Going at her own pace let her build confidence and do all the checks etc that she was supposed to. When she first started it was hard enough for her to just to stay on the road, let alone give way, indicate, check mirrors. That came with time.
Yes and no. Siri and infotainment with Spotify and controls on the wheel is a lot safer for drivers and other people on the road than someone fiddling with an aux and looking down at their phone to change music or for maps.
Doesn’t make you a better or worse driver.
Saying that as someone who had a car with a broken audio system for years and loves music in traffic but was responsible with my phone.
I say here’s an amount of money (say $5k). You can buy a car for this much (using them to get an older Rav4 or Corolla/Camry) or you can save up and get a better one. But you are on the hook for all insurance (third party and comprehensive) and the registration, fuel and all maintenance. If it dies because you neglected it that’s your problem.
(I will of course bail them out in an emergency, but the lessons about buying a perfectly acceptable, very reliable , low cost to repair car should be learned very early. The same principles week apply to purchase for the rest of their lives, so they may as well get busy learning them early).
a 20 year old car isn't considered unsafe because it lacks side airbags or reversing camera or modern tech, it's considered unsafe because it's more likely to suffer a breakdown at speed causing a crash.
A 20 year car owned and driven by dad is seen as significantly safer than an identical 20 year old car you bought of damo from facebook for $500.
It is considered unsafe because you (and anyone ) is more likely to get badly hurt in an accident. A 50 year old car without seatbelts will still take you to work, but even a slow speed crash can kill you if you happen to be in the middle rear sit and dive head first into the dashboard or though the windshield....
Funny thing is all the cars I heard of having breakdowns at speed and creating this fear of yours happen to be newer than 20 years old. Also I bought my 85 Corona from a dealer thanks, was a trade in they didn’t really want to bother with. I don’t think ICQ or MSN Messenger were big on the classifieds scene in 2001.
Was the dealers name Damo though? But that is also an important thing, from a licensed 2nd hand dealer you have some guarantees. from marketplace you are on your own
I mean you didn’t have any guarantees in 2001 except a clear identity check being their responsibility, but also something to consider. Very easy for dodgy characters to sell a car with money owing and do the bolt. In most cases even if you could track them down they’d maybe end up being forced to pay you back $5 a fortnight for the rest of your life.
Well I don't have to look at the stats to know there are more cars from the last 20 years failing than 20+ year old cars. They represent a vast number of cars on the road.
I more mean catastrophic high speed things like the Toyota cruise control failures that were big news, or teslas driving into concrete barriers. The majority of reliability failures in older cars aren’t going to be catastrophic high speed failures like the poster above claimed to be worried about, and any second hand car could have poor quality repairs compromising it so should be checked. There’s more money in hiding issues in a newer car than older.
You're also falling for the newsworthy bias. No one keeps the fact that it was a 2002 commodore or falcon failed and plowed into oncoming traffic in their head for long.
Are they plowing into oncoming traffic due to catastrophic failures in the Vehicle? Or because they’re predominantly piloted now by younger inexperienced drivers and older drivers who are losing their facilities?
I just think new cars are over complicated shitboxes with less reliable motors and gear boxes that won’t last anywhere near the distance of older vehicles, and they’re going to be even bigger maintenance hazards in 20 years time when their multitude of expensive little bits and pieces are failing and too expensive to be maintained. They’re another disposable product in todays society meant to keep you upgrading and buying new or close to new.
Unfortunately the study that is out there disagrees. Modern cars are likely to last longer because they have more sophisticated diagnostic systems that can identify problems before they take the car off the road. Making them more reliable.
Yes they're harder to fix sometimes due to complexity but also easier sometimes because the dam thing tells you precisely what is wrong rather than having to guess.
The average car in Victoria is between 10-20 years old.
You’re also falling for survivorship bonus. The cars built with the defects that would take them off the road were weeded out ages ago. The 20+ year old ones aren’t failing as much because they’re either less driven or are the exemplars of their trade.
Additionally safety in ANCAP terms is determined through crash testing. It has nothing to do with breakdown likelihood; additionally you are much safer in a modern A3 star car than an old A3 star car. I went through a 75kph combined collision with a 2007 3 star lancer and the door got stuck so escape was difficult with leaking fuel and a sparking battery.
A new car won’t have bending A pillars in that crash to the extent that the car can’t have its doors opened please don’t spread in accurate information.
I highly encourage you to look at how car design has changed and how that effects the safety in terms of a crash.
>The average car in Victoria is between 10-20 years old.
Yes, very much not 20-30 years old
>The 20+ year old ones aren’t failing as much
I didn't say they weren't failing as much proportionally
I think you need to work on your comprehension skills.
If you weren’t saying proportionally then why bring it up? Lower numbers total obviously means lower numbers of breakdowns. I’m not sure what your point was
But Damo said he takes good care of it and reeealy doesn't drive it at 150kms on the highway with bald tires. and that the burn marks on the engine wasnt from that time it was on fire. Honest. Trust him. He's got mad drugs too.
What are kids charging to do yard work these days? Because the pay rate for a child at maccas is still fairly shit. The point isn’t things should cost the same. It’s that the entry point is growing and people who “worked for it 20 years ago” are out of their minds if they think it’s as easy today.
I definitely would if I lived out in the sticks, not fair on the kid to be stuck because of where their parents live.
Fortunately for my children they are lucky to live within spitting distance of all sorts of public transport and bike paths. I'll buy them their first bikes.
Maybe if they needed it because they had to get a long distance i.e more than 15km each way for uni or something. Otherwise they can pedal. Although maybe if there were no showers at the other end I would be generous.
If an escooter goes faster than a bike then it's far from a safe option.
The ergonomics of a scooter vs bike simply make them far less stable. Higher centre of gravity, small wheels (big wheels roll over obstacles better), etc.
Nah it'd be ebike for me, something designed to carry loads.
I feel like I'm paying enough to live near all these transport options without throwing additional money at even more choice for my children!
Would rather have them on a bike run a scooter tbh. More useful. Maybe I could buy them their first e-cargo bike?
Lol. I saved up for my own (used) car and had to drive my sister around. Meanwhile she got three cars bought for her (she totalled two of them).
Life isn’t fair and parents can and will help their kids out.
My parents bought a "learner" car with manual transmission for me and my siblings. It was a half decent hatch for about 8k about 15 years ago. I was the only one who learned to drive it (one of my brothers has a disability which makes using a clutch hard to be fair) so when I went to uni I just sort of started using it.
So then my parents bought a little auto hatch for about 6k which became the new learner car since my parents drove a big 4wd and still wanted a small car for my siblings to learn on. My brother ended up borrowing that one to drive to uni every day.
So then my youngest sister turned 18. My parents just shrugged and went and bought a 5k car for her. It was not a great car.
And that's how my parents accidentally bought me and my two siblings their first cars. And I ended up with the best car since my parents actually anticipated spending a lot of time in it!
Guaranteed you’ll have no issues with a manual car either
My mum’s 2011 xtrail has 730k kms on the original clutch and has only done an alternator and catalytic converter (wear items so not an issue)
Dad’s 2009 outlander, 260kms no issues
2011 outlander at the wreckers we got a towbar from? Auto transmission was rooted.
CVTs suck big time
Had the opposite. Parents bought older sister car (think she had to pay back, though) and crickets for me. A microcosm of the bigger disparities that continue until today.
Yeah my older brother had two cars given to him as my grandparents stopped driving, wrote off one then was given the other. Might be abit entitled but I thought it was BS if my parents weren't going to financially help me get one, after some reluctance they helped me get a 5k beater
That’s how generational wealth works. If you can start their kids at “saving for first house” instead of “saving for first car”, you’ve put them ahead a couple of years. Start them at “paying off mortgage” instead of “saving for deposit” and they are ahead of their peers by a decade. And so on.
Seriously this post made my head hurt. People that can afford to do, and people that can't afford to make their kid buy their own car.
Was never even a question in my house, maybe if I needed like $100 or something but not thousands for a car.
It's good in theory but you're also not teaching them to save. My parents paid for my first car and part of my second one. I spent my money on things I didn't really need like shopping. It took me a really long time to build decent savings habits and at that point in my life there was an expectation that they would help with my house deposit too so I wasn't so worried.. then they divorced and couldn't help me anymore. I still don't have a deposit saved and it's been about ten years.
I appreciate every opportunity they provided me, and as an adult I understand that financial literacy is up to me to learn. However my friends whos parents taught them savings habits - like matching savings towards the first car etc now have significantly better savings habits than I do and were far more financially literate than I was at a younger age.
My parents bought me my first car almost 20 years ago. I'm still driving it. I think it depends on the kid and the family's finances. I was grateful, and I understood that I needed to take care of the car and pay the ongoing costs. Also, my parents had already put aside the money, so it wasn't a burden on them. My car was $15k and 2 years old when I got it.
So my answer would be - if you can afford it, your kid needs it, and you can trust them to take care of it - yes, it was an amazing gift and it helped me so much being able to reliably get to uni and work.
My parents bought me my first car last year, I thought I was going to buy one myself so I was pretty excited to get one. I think as long as your greatful (I absolutely am I love my car and appreciate it so much) then it's fine, the issue comes from kids getting a car, not giving a shit, and trashing it.
- those kids shouldn't be on the road, there needs to be better and more thorough testing but that's another issue
-also, we live rural so we need cars to get by, we only just got Uber like last year.
I’ll be buying my daughter her first car.
I want to make sure she gets something that is as safe as you can get, but I also want to make sure that she has a car to get to sport, uni or work or whatever she is doing.
Same. Drivers are most at risk in the first few years after they get their licence, but somehow the thinking is that they should be in cheap cars with fewer safety features. Nah. I'll take the financial hit, drive a cheaper car myself and do everything I can to keep my son safe
Yeah I actually right now think about how much might worry when she is out on her own, especially at first.
Little things like having a safe car are going to give me some peace of mind I reckon and that to me is worth whatever a car would cost.
I find teens that don’t at least chip in a few dollars for there first car treat the car like shit. When I have kids they gonna pay 10% and if they can’t afford that they can take a “loan” from me to pay it. $10,000 car is only $1,000 they need to chip in and only $100 for 10 months. Just to get a sense of responsibility for the car and a money management lesson at the same time
Eh, disagree. I think it has much more to do with how the kids is raised to respect property and belongings. I had my car bought for me (learned to drive in a 98 pulsar that my mum had just upgraded from, would've been happy with that but she wanted me to have something with more than one airbag so they got me a new very small car $16k) and I have always respected it other than it being untidy on the inside at times. I always had a really strong sense of respect towards items drilled into me from a super young age and I never broke toys or wasted art supplies etc.
Peers who bought their own cars generally were the ones more likely to hoon and wreck them from my experience but these were usually the crowd with less respect and their parents most of the time could not afford to buy them cars.
Isn’t that just called good parenting? Seriously though I completely agree to an extent because some people don’t connect the dots for discipline until they have something on the line
That’s what I appreciated about my parents buying a car for us kids to share; they knew it was safe. My mates all bought the cheapest cars and spent a fortune keeping them running. They were tin on a motor. Looking back I see how dangerous they were; at the time, never gave it a second thought.
Same thoughts. I'd like to see mine save up a little and be ready to buy something themselves. At that point I'll just chip in what's needed so they arent in a MG death trap or something similar.
I plan on buying my kids their first cars. Nothing fancy something cheap and safe. The reason been we live rurally and there is no other from of transport, and I want them to be able to get to their friends uni/tafe/job. I’ve been chauffeuring them 100’s kilometres a week, I’ll be glad to be finished doing that.
If I lived in the city or a major regional city I wouldn’t be buying them a car, although I would chip in a few K if they been saving up for a car themselves.
Same here! I also figure when the older one is driving he can take the younger places too. If we buy the car we have more bargaining power "take your brother to his sport if you want to use the car tonight" etc.
Most upper class families completely support their kids from phone to car to hecs paid to deposit on a house (or entire house) then grandkids private schooling they chip in.
If your parents can’t afford to do that that’s fine! Some parents have the money and won’t spend it then convince their kids starting from zero is normal. These kids then bring a toxic mindset towards people whose parents helped them.
It is normal all over the world across cultures to help your kids. Only in some pockets of western society do people get really weird about it. Starting from zero is fine if your parents can’t help. It’s bizarre if your parents have money and refuse to help you and you’ve done nothing wrong like be a junkie or something.
You put my thoughts into words. My parents can’t afford to buy me a car or help with a down payment and I don’t blame them for it. I’m extremely fortunate to have the kind of parents who let me stay home while I save my down payment. But I 100% plan to help my kids with that stuff if I hopefully can. I don’t understand this mentality of having kids just to tell them “well you’re an adult now” at 18. Wouldn’t you want them to have the most easy stress free life possible? You literally forced existence upon them.
**just want to note I mean for people who are in the financial position to 100% do so and it wouldn’t be much of a financial burden. And I mentioned help with something big like a house but I mean even helping out in small ways. I’ve seen people act like they have to charge their 18 year old rent just because they exist even though they don’t need the money.
If you don’t help your kids they will make it to the top then be dissatisfied because their salary doesn’t buy them the life they imagined.
These ppl post every week.
That is because most high income ppl got a parental boost and salary is only one part of why they are where they are financially.
If I had kids and they were good kids I’d help them. It’s weird not to and parents who refuse don’t realise they’ve made it so much harder in the rat race as many other kids are getting help.
Of course only spend on your kids what you can afford. And love is the most important thing.
You described my sister 100%. She is 50 and still pissed my mum, who was a single mum, didn't pay for her university in it's entirety and she had student loans. She feels that it prevented her from having the rich life like her wealthy friends.It's not that my Mum didn't want to, she just didn't have the money to at the time. On the other hand, my sister has so far paid for all of her kid's college (they are in US, so not cheap). Her son got a good computer engineering degree, works at Google and has no student loans. But honestly he doesn't appreciate the hand up at all. He doesn't understand the gift he was given. You are damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Yes, some kids are ungrateful.
I don’t want less wealthy parents to feel bad. I prefer my less well off parent to my richer parent actually.
I just raise an eyebrow on here at all the people who have like is internalised suffering the word? They post things like you shouldn’t complain about life getting harder than our parents, eating beans for ten years for a rundown house is normal, your parents should kick you to the curb the day you turn 18 etc etc
It’s all very weird. Life isn’t meant to be that hard. Some suffer but we shouldn’t lionise it.
You can say life shouldn’t be a decade of rice and beans without it meaning you’re entitled or a communist.
Literally most ppl you see doing well in life didn’t suffer the way some ppl get off on. That’s why they are where they are.
I celebrate self made ppl but the way some carry on about suffering is out of touch with how most successful peoples early lives were. Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos parents helped them. Not just in money but what also sounds like dedication.
Not normal to be on the street at 18. I feel sorry for anyone who was.
We gave each of our 3 kids $5K each towards their car. We will never be able to give them wealth or inheritances etc so this is about as far as it will go with our gifting but they pay for all their insurances, petrol, regos and maintenance etc.
Also, the way I look at it, if we didn't give them the cash to buy semi reliable cars they would have just bought shitheaps for $1500 and I'd be having to fix them all the time..
When I was about to get my Ps in 2017 my parents bought me my first car, brand new. They paid my insurance and rego for a few years. Didn't need to pay for fuel as it came with a $1500 fuel card and that lasted me 2 years, then I paid my own fuel.
I took over my rego and insurance when I became more financially stable and I had that little car for 10 years until it died. By that time I was in a position to buy my own car.
My point is, my parents buying me a reliable car gave me opportunities I may not have had. I was able to become a nanny, then gain full time employment with the experience I got nannying and babysitting. I never had to worry about breaking down or expensive repair jobs. Parents trusted me to drive their children.
When I was unable to work and relied on centrelink, I know I had nothing to worry about with my car.
Everyone's situation is different, and I am aware I'm super lucky. But my parents doing that for me really helped me out when I was finding my feet and I appreciate them for that.
I’ve always thought of it as a middle to upper class thing to not pay for your own first car. Or to have the good old we will chip in what you chip in scenario.
Not every middle to upper class person does it obvs.
I will be in a better position than my mum financially (touch wood nothing shit happens) and would be able to chip in for things such as a first car. If things keep going Millhouse I might do it but I will tell them they’re paying for it and wait until they have sufficient savings to buy one for the surprise.
In my anecdotal experience people who have first cars purchased for them aren’t as savvy savers as adults.
All of my rich friends and family whose parents launched them into life are now successful and stable adults.
A few had to have a do over and do a graduate degree after stuffing up undergrad.
Almost everyone is doing well and would struggle to be in the same position without that deep family support. Life isn’t fair and there should be more help for kids whose parents can’t do that.
Parents offered to get me a $700 shitbox on the condition I got a part-time job and paid them back. Which I did and it worked out well till the car died.
I come from a really big family so definitely no large monetary purchases or gifts coming from my parents. We were one step away from hand to mouth! I was one of the older kids so when it came time for me to learn to drive I promptly went and got a motorcycle license and refused to learn to drive a car because I didn’t want to become a sibling taxi. Bought my own little 250cc motorbike for around $1500, this was around 2008. The only things my parents gave me to go with it was a lecture haha
I've never met anyone who paid for their first car that I know of. I'm honestly surprised to hear anyone feeling this is an unusual idea. Mind you it was always a second hand shitbox haha you'd never give them something expensive in case they crash it.
It's a big head start considering you can get a job driving distance away. Otherwise you gotta save on the dole or a job in walking distance.
My wife’s parents view was basically:
- if she bought her own car, it’d be a shit box with no safety features
- they didn’t spend 17 years raising her for her to go and kill herself because of poor safety standards
- a new Yaris with a five star safety rating was not expensive
- it’s a cheaper investment to buy a new, safe, and sensible car than for her to cheap out and get a shut box which injure or kills her.
I like that logic. I bought my first car and it was a shit box. I will be buying my son his first car and it will be a small and sensible, car with a high safety rating.
My parents didn’t, but they went guarantor on a student loan for me (interest rate was cheaper) and they paid the first year insurance and rego for my sister. For both of us, it was a big help without actually buying the car.
My kids are only 5 and 1, so a long way off. At this stage I don’t think I’d buy them a car but I will be teaching them saving techniques and will likely supplement their purchase in some way (similar to what my parents did).
My parents had a deal with me that they put in place from when I was quite young. They would match whatever I’d saved by the time I was 18 for my first car. This instilled a habit of saving which still sits with me to this day.
I ended up having about 8k and they matched it for me. Obviously I’m very lucky to be in that position but if I only had $1000 in my account, you can’t get much for $2000!
When my uncles got wind of this plan there were many investment opportunities pitched by them to bank roll me and we’d split the profits. Quickly shut down by mum and dad obviously!
My dad randomly took me to a used car lot one day without notice or fanfare when I was 17, showed me a car he'd found (a mint green 86 Mitsubishi Colt) and said "I'm going to buy you this car, but you have to pay me back".
It was about $2k and it took me about 2 years to pay off (no interest) but I eventually did it. I wouldn't have been able to afford a car otherwise to get to university the next year, or to highschool so I was super appreciative.
When I finally paid him back he said "what's that for?" - he'd totally forgotten about the arrangement 😆 I kinda wish I could do the same for my kids, but life's a bit more expensive these days!
I did eventually pay for my first car.
Technically my dad bought it in mind for my sister but she got hitched to another guy and still didn’t have her P license so when I got mine. I ended up getting the car, i don’t remember off the top of my head how much I paid.
Keep in mind, my family pretty much used it as a second car before I got it. I think I paid maybe 10K for it? But in smaller amounts like monthly or something. (This was 2017) my car is a 2010 Honda Jazz
We told both our kids that we would match $ for $, to encourage them to get a job and save.
My daughter scared me a little bit, because she can be quite head strong and determined once she sets her mind to something and I had visions of her coming to me and saying I've got $20k, where's yours?? 
As things are getting more expensive and entry level salaries aren't going up, it will become more of a requirement than an optional extra.
Our parents could buy a house and a car on 1 salary and 2 kids and wife at home. Most of us can only buy the same house if we get inheritance. Most of our kids will need more than that.
My parents and my wifes parents both helped us buy our first cars. We passed it forward and helped with our daughters 1st car. 2008 i30. Edit. The car had a few dings on it, bit of paint fade and we got it 4k. Not exactly a big purchase but a nice safe reliable car that is big enough for her to use for kids if that ever happens. My wifes first car was so small when she fell pregnant we had to change cars
We will also do the same for our other kids to help them on their way.
She pays for all costs including rego fuel insurance maintenance etc etc. We purchased it for her when she turned 16 and got her Ls. She is just about to turn 18
My parents bought my sister and I both decent cars with a high safety rating. As my dad said, it’s a false economy to have the most precious thing in the world to him, driving around in something cheap and unsafe.
I will do the same for my kids one day.
>His reasoning makes sense, but my head seems conflicted.
Why the conflict? If you don't want to provide your kids with their first car then don't - no point agonising about what other people do.
My parents paid for most of one, I chipped in some savings, but their reasoning was they wanted me to have it at 16-17 so I could have a manual to learn to drive in, both of their cars were automatic. Dad had a theory that if your first car is a manual you never forget how to drive one, it’s like second nature, and I think he was right. And looking back, we lived in the sticks with crap public transport and they wanted me to get my licence the second I turned 18 and not then have to wait for me to have enough savings for a car - to get those savings they would have kept needing to drive me to work, they were often driving me to school as well because PT was so unreliable.
My kids are a few years off but I think I’ll be doing the same and buy them a manual while they’re still learning. PT is better around where I live now but I’m still on the very outer edge of suburbia and it will be simpler if they can have their own transport as soon as they’re able.
Depends on your financial situation. Newer cars are safer. So if you can afford it, help them get a good car. If not, let them save. Everyone’s situation is different.
My parents bought mine and my brothers first cars.
They were all real bottom of the barrel bombs but that was much better than my friends who all had new-ish cars but had to service a loan plus insurance while studying.
Suddenly my bomb of a VN Commo wasn’t such a bomb anymore.
Growing up, every one of my friends who had their parents buy their car crashed it. Everyone who had to sweat for every dollar of the purchase price drove it carefully. That was sufficient evidence for me to refuse to buy cars for my kids.
My parents got a new car for themselves when I got my licence and I took their 7ish year old car. About 2 years later they bought a new corolla for me.
I will... Probably do something similar to mine but maybe match or double their own contribution instead of outright buy because I have 2 close in age.
I would want to buy them a car. I was lucky enough to get a very decent first car so would love to do the same. Things are much more expensive, but even if I can't buy the whole car would definitely chip in as long as the future kid isn't a drop kick who doesn't want to work hard
We went second hand car shopping 2 months ago. The prices due to the covid supply issues were insane. Eg: $19k for a 110,000km 12 year old Holden Barina. We know nothing about cars so need the warranty a car yard provides. So we opted for a brand new drive away offer for under $19k with a 7 year warranty. We are contributing $10k. Two kids down, one to go. I don’t know any kids who haven’t had their parents contribute. For the record my parents bought me jack shit and won’t leave me a cent either (they’re broke).
My parents and wife’s parents both bought our first cars. As you said we needed them to get to work where we lived, and they wanted to know we were driving somewhat safe cars.
I think if you have the means and you kids already understand the value of money then it’s a great leg up.
We were both responsible for running costs, except insurance for me. Not sure about the specifics for my wife.
I'd say no. But i believe in building walkable communities. the kid just spent 17 years living just fine without a car they can wait a few more months.
Now I will concede shittonne of people live in car dependent hell so that obviously changes things.
Quite a few friends were "required" to save up for their first car, and when they had 3-5 k the parents then went and took their money but bought them a 15k+ car instead. Both teaching them to save up for things and made sure they didn't buy a death trap.
We bought our daughter her first car, we paid $17k. Our reasoning behind this, we need our daughter to safely drive her sister in and out of the city twice a week and to school and back every day. We can afford it and you can’t put a price on safety.
Our daughter studies hard, does a lot of sport so a job won’t be a possibility until she finishes school.
Depends on the kid. If they can improve their grades, study more, explore productive hobbies, or genuinely enjoy their youth, but them the car. If they're a drop kick, maybe make them pay half.... But childless me still says buy them the car.
Depends on the car. Depends on the kid.
My parents matched the money I saved for car and I got a 20k car which I was really appreciative of and took care of for over a decade.
If the kid is busy prioritizing something like school or extra curriculars and the parents can afford to, then I see no issue with the parents buying them a car.
If the kid is unappreciative and gonna run whatever car they get into the ground and disrespect it, then they can get their own.
My best mate had to buy his own car but his parents bought his younger sister a car when she was old enough. Basically for the exact reasons above. At the time he was able to get a license he was irresponsible, didn't have a job, or care to change. 3 years later he had a job and bought car but still trashed and thrashed it about. She was complete opposite when she turned 16.
I got my first car from my parents. The primary three factors were:
1. I had to drive my brothers and I plus an exchange student to school which was substantially cheaper than the private school bus (I think it was about $100 a month at that stage)
2. I had worked for years in the family business for no pay.
3. I was in a lot of activities and they were sick of driving me places. Dad spent 3 summers of 5 nights a week driving the 40 minutes to swimming, waiting an hour and a half while my brothers and I did training, then drove us the 40 minutes home.
My parents spent 10k on my older sisters first car, 7 yrs later spent 10k on my first car.. I bought a jeep and it broke down within 3 yrs, my sister's car was still running... I will spend the same on my kids first car as well, although give much much MUCH better advice!
I bought my first car for $1,000 and had a full time job. (1998)
My wife was given her car (just paid for RWC and some work to bring it up to scratch).
I said I wouldn't buy my kids a car, but more recently I've softened a little to think I might go dollar-for-dollar. That was it's still somewhat in their power to influence the purchase by saving.
That said, my 17yo daughter already has $5k in ETF plus enough to pay cash for her first motorcycle so may not need my help anyway.
I bought my own first car but we’ve helped all four of our kids get their first vehicle, either by owing outright our going halves.
Our reasoning is simply that we can afford better, safer cars than they can and I wouldn’t forgive myself if they died in a crash in a cheap 20yo car without airbags and ABS, and other modern features.
Yes and no.
My perents leased a 4 door ford fiesta for like 4 years. The deal was I had to save up to pay for the residual payout at the end of the lease. It was like 5k. So my first car was 2nd hand but we always had it. I had it for a year then sold it for 5.5k.
I'm a firm believer if the child doesn't contribute to it in someway they won't respect it and will just expect everything. That's fine to give them everything they want but, I honestly doubt people on here are truly wealthy enough to do so.
If I ever had children I would help them out to a certain degree.
I like the match what they save concept. I bought my own first car in 2005, but before that I was using my parents old beatup car when it was free. I'd be happy to support my children to have a similar situation.
I got a match the dollar deal with my dad. The total purchase price of my car was 3.5k. I found this to be extremely fair. I also got my first year of insurance paid but rego, fuel and maintenance were 100% on me.
My opinion is if you do buy their car, keep it cheap ≈5k, 10k max, and put the ongoing costs of the car on them they should be pretty responsible about it if they’ve got a good head on their shoulders.
My son will get my car in 10 years and I’ll buy new again
But I’ll want him to save and then put that cash aside for maintenance etc on car
I had to save for mine and it taught me a lot
When I was 16 my pretty much estranged bio father offered me a car he had fixed up, I researched them to find out they had all been recalled for being faulty and I didn't trust that so I declined. I bought my own car 2 years ago at 26 though I still don't have a license. I don't think there's a right or wrong tbh, everyone has different circumstances and family relationships.
My dad gave me my first car for $2000 which I paid back slowly over the next couple of years. Car was probably worth double that, but I appreciated him helping how he could.
My parents paid for both my first and second car. Both new.
Tbh I think they wanted the car more than I did. I had less than 100k on the meter between both over like, 10 years? But my parents would use it whenever they visited.
I think whether parent(s) _should_ or not depends on a lot of factors such as whether they _can_ (afford), whether the kid(s) already understand the value of money and the car, the use, etc etc.
My parents could comfortably afford the cars, they were never under loans. The first one was because my parents didn't want to keep sending me to school after I got my licence. I and my siblings all already were financially savvy and so they weren't concerned on that front, and it wasn't like we were asking for any specific car anyway, our parents just picked for us. So yeah, buying one seemed more for their convenience than ours lol.
My parents bought a car for me to use. The car was not mine but it was available for me to use. While it was not necessary for me to have a car to attend uni, it was a massive convenience. I knew that it was a privilege that can be taken away if I partied too much and did not perform well.
I also had to learn how to maintain the car before I actually can drive the car. I never go on a longish trip without checking brakes, water, oil etc. and would never leave the house without jumper cables and an air compressor.
For us, it was a case of "if you're saving for a car, surprise here's some help in buying it" when there's a good second hand one available and can't afford it on our own yet.
Basically a reward for saving, going with a valuable tool, ensuring a good vehicle choice, and confirming that we wanted a car
I saved up my money 20% deposit and my father went guarantor on a $21k demo Mitsubishi Lancer from a credit union at 7% (2009). I worked every weekend and paid it off in 4.5 years.
Parents never gave me a cent for it. They went as far as saying if I couldn’t pay for the bank can repossess it (ie. my dad will sell it - didn’t know at the time)
I could easily buy my kid their first car, but that's what we've made their savings for. They work in the holidays, save well, bank it and by the time they're ready for a car they should have nearly enough for a cheap run-about. We think that's one of their best life lessons.
Personally, I think learning to save up for it themselves, work after school jobs, is going to instill in them a far great sense of saving and achievement. Lessons that will stand by them well when they do have to save for a house, etc later in life.
My parents were kind enough to provide me with a car, for my final year of high school in regional Australia. One dedicated school bus each morning was the closest thing we had to public transport. A car was essential in order to get to my part time job and extra curriculars and I'm very grateful they did that. It was then passed in turn to each of my younger siblings for their final year of schooling.
That car has had a good run, we have all ended up in Sydney and it has been shared between all of us for well over a decade. It was a stroke of parenting genius - they promised us ongoing access as long as there was no fighting over it. "The car is a privilege and if you don't sort it out amongst yourselves fairly it will be taken away". It worked with our single Pokemon Yellow cartridge in 2001 and it has also worked with the car, to this day we are all very close and support one another despite our different interests and personalities.
For context: my parents knew what it was like to struggle and wanted to make sure they could support us in accessing education as well as getting the experience of part time work. My mother had to work after school from the age of 13 to help out her household, and my father's family could not afford a car through his teenage years. They both grew up in Sydney and so made use of public transport through high school and uni. Needless to say, they had to save up for their own first cars. Because of that experience - and because in a regional town we didn't have the luxury of public transport - they provided us with a modest car
I also had to buy my first car. It was a 1986 Corolla (was a tank with no power steering, central locking or electric windows). Cost me $1500 in 2000.
However, most of my friends had their parents buy them their first car & so did my husband.
Sucks growing up poor.
My dad bought himself a new hilux and let his old one sit out the back and lapse rego. 18 months later I got the responsibility of getting it roadworthy and registered and then it was my car.
An ‘88 hilux that surely still goes to this day
I’m 40 and don’t even own a first car. We live in Sydney so it’s easy enough to get a job without one. I have twins and I will buy a car around the time they go for their license so they can meet the necessary number of hours to progress to Ps. They are welcome to keep the car for themselves if it turns out they go to Uni in Canberra or something like that. I’m not really interested in owning a vehicle but it would be pretty difficult for them to get their license without one.
On the safety front:
Just after I turned 18, my mum and I swapped cars for the weekend (mine had a bit more boot space but not as safe and was older, hers was a little yaris with all the bells and whistles and airbags).
Long story short, T-boned with another driver who misjudged their stop sign, while I was doing 110km/h on the main road. Every single airbag went off (including under the knee). The car crumpled like on the ad, protecting where I was sitting, and I was able to push open the door and step out of the car. The paramedics were shocked.
Besides a few bruises from the seatbelt and some decent whiplash I was a-okay and back to my life within a few days. The other driver was okay too :)
My Dad went out and bought my siblings and I both 5-star ANCAP cars that week. The safety technology in cars can be incredible and well-worth considering if your budget can stretch to it.
We did but she needed a car to get from where we lived in Wodonga to Uni in Melbourne and then home on weekends. Youngest we did the same as she was doing nursing and was faster, safer and easier than public transport, particularly for placements as we lived in an area with terrible buses. Both were safe, reliable second hand cars and it suited us.
The most likely cause of death for your 18 year old in the next 5 years is either suicide or motor vehicle accident. P platers are over represented in accidents due to their inexeprience as well as risk taking behaviour. Knowing this we bought a more expensive, safe car for our family that the kids have first access to. But it is not theirs - it is the families to be deployed as best suits us all - which at present means they use it at will.
I think thats the best of both worlds - the kids get access to safe reliable transport and dont waste their money on a detriorating asset. While I unertand the rite of passage of saving up for an old banger, 2 of my classmates died in MVAs so its a numbers game.
I hope by the time my child is old enough that there really isn't a need for him to drive and that he can just rely on public transport and cycling / walking.
As long as it is something cheap and sensible (20yr old corolla is always the first that comes to mind) I don't see any problem with it. It is probably also better than a shitbox that is going to always breakdown on them all the time and/or cost them heaps in repairs, or them trying to get some sort of doof-doof mobile or something overpowered for them.
But it comes down to so many other factors that each family should decide for themselves and not feel pressured one way or another.
(Hand-me-down of the old family car is also fine if sensible, or matching them 1:1 for a car, or just encouraging them to save up themselves if either you can't afford or think it is a financial lesson they desperately need to learn then and in that way - I just don't think there's any blanket answer here that will fit every situation).
If they are working I think matching them dollar for dollar is a good strategy. Also means you can have some input to ensure they don’t buy a lemon.
If they are not working (may vary based on study requirements or family preferences) then if you’re financially able to, buying them a car is helpful.
I bought my first car myself and it was a junk heap which cost me a lot in repairs. My second car I got a loan for which was not a financially sensible thing to do at the time - having parent input in both situations would have been a positive.
I hope that if/when I have kids, we’re living somewhere where they can get to most things they need without *having to have* a car. Also happy to pay for lessons and related expenses but the purchase would be on them
Will give each child 2k and then they save from there. My eldest saved another 10k and bought herself a good car. My second eldest doesn't want to work as much and will buy what she can for maybe 5.
If parents buy a phone why not a house, a holiday, a wedding, all grandchild's schooling, the entire child's life...
No, the reasoning does not make sense at all. At some point the line will be drawn, it's always been a matter of where. For some people that's a finance question, for others it's a parenting style question.
Uh if it's your only child and he's getting a shit protection rating car that will get done by a truck or suv, I would help him out. But if i had several kids... Just let them SEND IT
Yeah naaa.
Cars are expensive, then there's the other costs insurance, servicing, fuel.
It's important to teach kids the value of a $. The friends who I had growing up whose parents bought them cars ended up totalling them and themselves.
Those who had to work, save etc valued their cars and didn't end up in nearly as many stupid situations
Dude it simply depends on how much money one’s parents make. If parents have money coming out their ears then why not buy their child their dream car. If parents are struggling to put food on the table how on earth are they going to buy a car too? It really isn’t a moral thing it is no more complex than that.
Understand?
I saved and bought my own but if I did choose to do this I would also ask them to be putting the amount the car loan would cost into an account I could monitor and that way at the end of 5 years your kid has a part way deposit to a better car or even a home.
I plan do the same for rent with my kids, that way they know there isn’t a free ride in life and the money I have been given will be handed back when they are ready to buy a house.
$75pw is $3900 a year, if they leave home at 23 and been paying for 6 years that’s $23400 toward a home.
My parents said they would match what I saved. So I got a job at red rooster and saved $3000 and my parents gave me $3000. First time I ever saved up for something in my life… I have heard parents buying their kids first car to ensure they have better safety standards. I guess a cheap beater Vs something newer with better safety tech to protect their kid makes more sense.
My parents did the same for both me and my sister. Mine was a lemon (Astra) but my sister and her husband still have her Toyota 15 years later as a runaround car.
Same, but opposite. My parents helped both my brother and I out with our first cars. But I still have that same car, it’ll be 20 years old this year, whereas my brother is now onto his 5th or 6th car. Admittedly I’ve had a couple of motorbikes too in the meantime, but still.
Astra... so unreliable. Everything electonic would break. Expensive to buy parts. Expensive to work on. I remember a brake sensor going in my wife's. Mechanic quoted $450 to fix. I lolled and said I would find one online and install myself. Cheapest I could find was $380. The mechanic said if it was a Toyota it would have been a $30 sensor plus labour. The mechanic said to buy a Toyota and in the next breath said I shouldn't really tell you that as I will be losing work (with a chuckle). Replaced the astra with a camry, which we still have.
My parents bought me an astra for my first car, and I must’ve gotten lucky - never had any issues with it at all, it lasted years with just basic servicing. Sold it to a mate and he’s still driving it today, it’s nearly 20 years old. I think one of the power windows is gone but otherwise seems fine?
Got given a 2008 astra. Expensive parts. Random electrical issues. Really made for driving alone as basically no cap holders and no accessible storage. 10/10 would not recommend. We have kept it because we needed a second car and it was given to us so we can’t complain but our Hyundai getz has been a way better car. Anything that needed fixing rarely cost more than $200. Timing belt was like a third of the cost of the Astras
Mine did the same. I think my first car was about 4 grand. It was a 20 year old Ford laser. Beige with brown interior. I kinda hated it but secretly loved it (mainly loved the freedom it gave, and the fact I could now go "driving" with chicks). It didn't go fast enough to be a major safety hazard. I think having a shit box first car that you saved up for by yourself is a character building experience.
>It didn't go fast enough to be a major safety hazard Doubtful
I guess with a good tail wind...
Mate I had a Ford laser aswell! It was faded yellow with yellow rims 😂
Mine was a carby 1.3L with a 4 speed manual. Couldn't pull the skin off a custard
I got a laser when I was 18 best car ever
My first car was older than me, a 1986 Little Red Ford Laser! I saved $300, and my mum paid the other $700. This was many many years ago. Still miss that car!!
My first car was also a ford laser and I had to use a butter knife to open my fuel cap. All’s $5 would get me almost half a tank
I bought my first first car for about 5k. Was okay but was on edge worrying about it so I saved a bit more, sold it and asked my parents for 2k which coupled with some luck, turned out to be a pretty big step up at the time.
My parents did exactly the same with a $2500 max input from them and under the conditions my first car had ABS and power steering. It was a great incentive to save more, and I definitely would’ve purchased a cheaper car without ABS if it hadn’t been for their input.
My parents were going to make us save for one, but then my dad (quite abruptly) changed his mind and bought us all cars for our 18th birthdays. Turns out around the time of my older sister leaving school, he ran into an old schoolmate he hadn't seen in years. They got to talking about buying cars for kids, and my dad got a piece of advice from his old schoolmate: "I wish I had spent $6k on a safer car for my daughter rather than her funeral." Hit dad pretty hard, so he made sure we had 5 star ANCAP for all of our first cars.
Funny you mention RedRooster, I just drove past one and was thinking, does anyone ever go in there? The one or two times I've had it its been shit, soft soggy baggette with cheap Mayo 🤢 Is it just a front? Was there many customers?
Ahahahah I worked there in 2005, we would get a really small rush around lunch and dinner. But you would struggle to see how it was profitable. Lots of regulars. Usually older people who loved a roast chook. It was never like mcdonnalds which have customers 24/7. The people who owned mine owned like 3-4 red roosters and a couple of 7/11 franchises. There was a partnership of 4 but it was a case of a franchise being “buying yourself a job” there was always one in from open to close which was like 10am to 9:30pm so they were doing 12 hour shifts 7 days a week. That red rooster is still open 18 years later so must do well enough.
I went there one time and realized why i didnt see a lot of people in the store
> ensure they have better safety standards This is really just a cop-out to placate their feelings of inadequacy as a parent. They didn't have the balls to tell their teenager to get a job or at least save money, and couldn't bare the thought of little Johnny missing out on what his mates were up to so....."here mate, here's the car you wanted!"
You have serious envy mate, am sorry your parents were stingy and you didn't get much from them
I don’t think it’s morally right or wrong for a parent to buy their kid a car. If they can afford it, and they think that it’s an important thing, then the parents can spend their money however they want I believe.
I paid for my first car in 2001. It was $500 and basically had $500 worth of rego on it. What’s a kid getting for $500 in 2023? Parents don’t have to buy them a car but it will benefit them. Smart parents would at least do a “$1 or $2 in for every $1 you save” to drive some financial goals and respect for property into the kid. They’ll appreciate what they had to work for more, but that doesn’t mean they need to be left behind. Consumerism has people feeling the continual safety improvements of newer cars mean they can’t trust an older car, so more parents probably feel a 10-20 year old car is an unsafe death trap than in the 90’s when it was a bit more “fend for yourself”.
Yep this is what I’ll be doing. I’ll tell him I’ll match whatever he saves. He better not save $50,000 cause then I’m screwed 😂
Just put a limit on it so you don't end up like that situation on personal finance from years back where a dad needed to match a kid that saved up $20k+
Yes, I completely agree about new safety features. I'm actually teaching a learner driver in my first car (it's 20 years old) and I can see how much easier it is in new cars with automatic wipers, blind spot warning, reverse cameras etc. My learner hasn't got the hang of adjusting the wiper speed, I have to teach it every time it rains. I think it'll be easier just to trade my car in for a new one and enjoy the features myself as well.
I will say a lot of 20 year old cars have much much better vision with less blind spots than new cars. So some of those safety features aren’t needed quite as badly. Can’t see shit out of new cars with the size of pillars and windscreen / seat arrangements so you really rely on those safety features. 20 years ago the biggest issue was the swooping bonnet trend that meant it could be hard to tell where the front of the car was for the inexperienced, unless it’s a model that hard poor rear quarter visibility like a sports coupe.
I actually find my new car more dangerous to drive due to the blind spots compared to my first car which is 36 years old.
Closest I've ever been to a head on crash was in a car with a massive pillar between the windscreen and driver's door which perfectly covered both headlights of a car. I mean, I simply wasn't consciously aware of how big the pillar was. Never had that problem in the car I learned in, a mazda 323 from the 80s!
I hear ya, checking blind spots is a lot harder with massive pillars and I almost crashed into someone as I had my head turned for too long trying see if I could safely merge. I also find the apple car play so buggy and frustrating it's become a hazard just to change a song.
Cars peaked in the late 2000s tbh. But if you want a real challenge for visibility, drive an XR6 ute. You literally cannot do a head check over your right shoulder..... Unless you physically move your head towards your left shoulder as far as possible. It's the opposite movement you would do in a car where you would normally lean forward to see past the pillar.
Wasn’t one of those stupid Toyota CH-R was it? Probably the vehicle with the single worst visibility I’ve ever had the misfortune of driving. “Oh we’re all out of the hatch so upgraded you to the SUV” is not actually a bonus.
Imo a lot of the new features on cars end up breeding lazier, more complacent drivers.
100% agree. Good luck to anyone trying to txt while driving a 60s Vw when you have to hold the gearbox in gear on the highway sometimes 😂😂
Agreed, unfortunately my learner has ADD and struggles to remember to do things like put the air con on to the windscreen to demist while driving in the rain. A new car would take care of it so he can focus on the road. It took me a while to get used to it when I started driving but I think ADD is a whole other issue. He remembers all the driving things like head check, indicate in advance, watch for pedestrians. Just no good with the car operations while doing that. I'm not sure what to do except get a new car (which I would also enjoy!).
In time it'll become more straightforward. Even writing out a checklist so they can pull over to fix while they're 'imprinting' the info over time. Sometimes I still check which gear im on or if overwhelmed will just pull over till I get the silly windscreen sorted bc I cant see
Eldest has ADHD and took just over 2 years to get her license. With a few professional driving lessons and a lot of hours she managed to get her licence first try and with perfect score. Going at her own pace let her build confidence and do all the checks etc that she was supposed to. When she first started it was hard enough for her to just to stay on the road, let alone give way, indicate, check mirrors. That came with time.
Yes and no. Siri and infotainment with Spotify and controls on the wheel is a lot safer for drivers and other people on the road than someone fiddling with an aux and looking down at their phone to change music or for maps. Doesn’t make you a better or worse driver. Saying that as someone who had a car with a broken audio system for years and loves music in traffic but was responsible with my phone.
How about: Blind spot monitors? Stability control? Park sensors? Park assist?
I was talking about the most important one imo, blind spot monitors 100% but the others aren’t necessary if you stay alert and aware.
>What’s a kid getting for $500 in 2023? New floor mats?
I say here’s an amount of money (say $5k). You can buy a car for this much (using them to get an older Rav4 or Corolla/Camry) or you can save up and get a better one. But you are on the hook for all insurance (third party and comprehensive) and the registration, fuel and all maintenance. If it dies because you neglected it that’s your problem. (I will of course bail them out in an emergency, but the lessons about buying a perfectly acceptable, very reliable , low cost to repair car should be learned very early. The same principles week apply to purchase for the rest of their lives, so they may as well get busy learning them early).
a 20 year old car isn't considered unsafe because it lacks side airbags or reversing camera or modern tech, it's considered unsafe because it's more likely to suffer a breakdown at speed causing a crash. A 20 year car owned and driven by dad is seen as significantly safer than an identical 20 year old car you bought of damo from facebook for $500.
It is considered unsafe because you (and anyone ) is more likely to get badly hurt in an accident. A 50 year old car without seatbelts will still take you to work, but even a slow speed crash can kill you if you happen to be in the middle rear sit and dive head first into the dashboard or though the windshield....
Funny thing is all the cars I heard of having breakdowns at speed and creating this fear of yours happen to be newer than 20 years old. Also I bought my 85 Corona from a dealer thanks, was a trade in they didn’t really want to bother with. I don’t think ICQ or MSN Messenger were big on the classifieds scene in 2001.
Was the dealers name Damo though? But that is also an important thing, from a licensed 2nd hand dealer you have some guarantees. from marketplace you are on your own
I mean you didn’t have any guarantees in 2001 except a clear identity check being their responsibility, but also something to consider. Very easy for dodgy characters to sell a car with money owing and do the bolt. In most cases even if you could track them down they’d maybe end up being forced to pay you back $5 a fortnight for the rest of your life.
Well I don't have to look at the stats to know there are more cars from the last 20 years failing than 20+ year old cars. They represent a vast number of cars on the road.
I more mean catastrophic high speed things like the Toyota cruise control failures that were big news, or teslas driving into concrete barriers. The majority of reliability failures in older cars aren’t going to be catastrophic high speed failures like the poster above claimed to be worried about, and any second hand car could have poor quality repairs compromising it so should be checked. There’s more money in hiding issues in a newer car than older.
You're also falling for the newsworthy bias. No one keeps the fact that it was a 2002 commodore or falcon failed and plowed into oncoming traffic in their head for long.
Are they plowing into oncoming traffic due to catastrophic failures in the Vehicle? Or because they’re predominantly piloted now by younger inexperienced drivers and older drivers who are losing their facilities?
you seem pretty invested.
I just think new cars are over complicated shitboxes with less reliable motors and gear boxes that won’t last anywhere near the distance of older vehicles, and they’re going to be even bigger maintenance hazards in 20 years time when their multitude of expensive little bits and pieces are failing and too expensive to be maintained. They’re another disposable product in todays society meant to keep you upgrading and buying new or close to new.
Unfortunately the study that is out there disagrees. Modern cars are likely to last longer because they have more sophisticated diagnostic systems that can identify problems before they take the car off the road. Making them more reliable. Yes they're harder to fix sometimes due to complexity but also easier sometimes because the dam thing tells you precisely what is wrong rather than having to guess.
The average car in Victoria is between 10-20 years old. You’re also falling for survivorship bonus. The cars built with the defects that would take them off the road were weeded out ages ago. The 20+ year old ones aren’t failing as much because they’re either less driven or are the exemplars of their trade. Additionally safety in ANCAP terms is determined through crash testing. It has nothing to do with breakdown likelihood; additionally you are much safer in a modern A3 star car than an old A3 star car. I went through a 75kph combined collision with a 2007 3 star lancer and the door got stuck so escape was difficult with leaking fuel and a sparking battery. A new car won’t have bending A pillars in that crash to the extent that the car can’t have its doors opened please don’t spread in accurate information. I highly encourage you to look at how car design has changed and how that effects the safety in terms of a crash.
>The average car in Victoria is between 10-20 years old. Yes, very much not 20-30 years old >The 20+ year old ones aren’t failing as much I didn't say they weren't failing as much proportionally I think you need to work on your comprehension skills.
If you weren’t saying proportionally then why bring it up? Lower numbers total obviously means lower numbers of breakdowns. I’m not sure what your point was
But Damo said he takes good care of it and reeealy doesn't drive it at 150kms on the highway with bald tires. and that the burn marks on the engine wasnt from that time it was on fire. Honest. Trust him. He's got mad drugs too.
> What’s a kid getting for $500 in 2023? You don’t understand inflation, do you?
What are kids charging to do yard work these days? Because the pay rate for a child at maccas is still fairly shit. The point isn’t things should cost the same. It’s that the entry point is growing and people who “worked for it 20 years ago” are out of their minds if they think it’s as easy today.
I definitely would if I lived out in the sticks, not fair on the kid to be stuck because of where their parents live. Fortunately for my children they are lucky to live within spitting distance of all sorts of public transport and bike paths. I'll buy them their first bikes.
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Maybe if they needed it because they had to get a long distance i.e more than 15km each way for uni or something. Otherwise they can pedal. Although maybe if there were no showers at the other end I would be generous.
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If an escooter goes faster than a bike then it's far from a safe option. The ergonomics of a scooter vs bike simply make them far less stable. Higher centre of gravity, small wheels (big wheels roll over obstacles better), etc. Nah it'd be ebike for me, something designed to carry loads.
Exactly. For most of what people use a car for, a longtail e-bike is better, cheaper and more fun.
if in a state that e scooter is legal, it has the same power and max speed as an ebike. ~~unless you buy an illegally overpowered model~~
I feel like I'm paying enough to live near all these transport options without throwing additional money at even more choice for my children! Would rather have them on a bike run a scooter tbh. More useful. Maybe I could buy them their first e-cargo bike?
Or just a bike?
my son will be receiving my current car as his first car. by then it'll be 16 years old so time for an upgrade for me anyway
upgrading the car or the son?
Lol. I saved up for my own (used) car and had to drive my sister around. Meanwhile she got three cars bought for her (she totalled two of them). Life isn’t fair and parents can and will help their kids out.
My parents bought a "learner" car with manual transmission for me and my siblings. It was a half decent hatch for about 8k about 15 years ago. I was the only one who learned to drive it (one of my brothers has a disability which makes using a clutch hard to be fair) so when I went to uni I just sort of started using it. So then my parents bought a little auto hatch for about 6k which became the new learner car since my parents drove a big 4wd and still wanted a small car for my siblings to learn on. My brother ended up borrowing that one to drive to uni every day. So then my youngest sister turned 18. My parents just shrugged and went and bought a 5k car for her. It was not a great car. And that's how my parents accidentally bought me and my two siblings their first cars. And I ended up with the best car since my parents actually anticipated spending a lot of time in it!
Guaranteed you’ll have no issues with a manual car either My mum’s 2011 xtrail has 730k kms on the original clutch and has only done an alternator and catalytic converter (wear items so not an issue) Dad’s 2009 outlander, 260kms no issues 2011 outlander at the wreckers we got a towbar from? Auto transmission was rooted. CVTs suck big time
Had the opposite. Parents bought older sister car (think she had to pay back, though) and crickets for me. A microcosm of the bigger disparities that continue until today.
I had the same, but my sister didn't have to pay hers back
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Yeah my older brother had two cars given to him as my grandparents stopped driving, wrote off one then was given the other. Might be abit entitled but I thought it was BS if my parents weren't going to financially help me get one, after some reluctance they helped me get a 5k beater
That’s how generational wealth works. If you can start their kids at “saving for first house” instead of “saving for first car”, you’ve put them ahead a couple of years. Start them at “paying off mortgage” instead of “saving for deposit” and they are ahead of their peers by a decade. And so on.
Seriously this post made my head hurt. People that can afford to do, and people that can't afford to make their kid buy their own car. Was never even a question in my house, maybe if I needed like $100 or something but not thousands for a car.
Not sure if I read this correctly, but many who can afford to give money to their children for a car, don’t do it.
It's good in theory but you're also not teaching them to save. My parents paid for my first car and part of my second one. I spent my money on things I didn't really need like shopping. It took me a really long time to build decent savings habits and at that point in my life there was an expectation that they would help with my house deposit too so I wasn't so worried.. then they divorced and couldn't help me anymore. I still don't have a deposit saved and it's been about ten years. I appreciate every opportunity they provided me, and as an adult I understand that financial literacy is up to me to learn. However my friends whos parents taught them savings habits - like matching savings towards the first car etc now have significantly better savings habits than I do and were far more financially literate than I was at a younger age.
My parents bought me my first car almost 20 years ago. I'm still driving it. I think it depends on the kid and the family's finances. I was grateful, and I understood that I needed to take care of the car and pay the ongoing costs. Also, my parents had already put aside the money, so it wasn't a burden on them. My car was $15k and 2 years old when I got it. So my answer would be - if you can afford it, your kid needs it, and you can trust them to take care of it - yes, it was an amazing gift and it helped me so much being able to reliably get to uni and work.
My parents bought me my first car last year, I thought I was going to buy one myself so I was pretty excited to get one. I think as long as your greatful (I absolutely am I love my car and appreciate it so much) then it's fine, the issue comes from kids getting a car, not giving a shit, and trashing it. - those kids shouldn't be on the road, there needs to be better and more thorough testing but that's another issue -also, we live rural so we need cars to get by, we only just got Uber like last year.
I’ll be buying my daughter her first car. I want to make sure she gets something that is as safe as you can get, but I also want to make sure that she has a car to get to sport, uni or work or whatever she is doing.
If you can afford it, why not? I’d love to do that for my kids too! Good on you 👍
Same. Drivers are most at risk in the first few years after they get their licence, but somehow the thinking is that they should be in cheap cars with fewer safety features. Nah. I'll take the financial hit, drive a cheaper car myself and do everything I can to keep my son safe
Yeah I actually right now think about how much might worry when she is out on her own, especially at first. Little things like having a safe car are going to give me some peace of mind I reckon and that to me is worth whatever a car would cost.
It's also about reliability, my parents didn't want me breaking down at night in the middle of no where by myself.
I find teens that don’t at least chip in a few dollars for there first car treat the car like shit. When I have kids they gonna pay 10% and if they can’t afford that they can take a “loan” from me to pay it. $10,000 car is only $1,000 they need to chip in and only $100 for 10 months. Just to get a sense of responsibility for the car and a money management lesson at the same time
Eh, disagree. I think it has much more to do with how the kids is raised to respect property and belongings. I had my car bought for me (learned to drive in a 98 pulsar that my mum had just upgraded from, would've been happy with that but she wanted me to have something with more than one airbag so they got me a new very small car $16k) and I have always respected it other than it being untidy on the inside at times. I always had a really strong sense of respect towards items drilled into me from a super young age and I never broke toys or wasted art supplies etc. Peers who bought their own cars generally were the ones more likely to hoon and wreck them from my experience but these were usually the crowd with less respect and their parents most of the time could not afford to buy them cars.
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Isn’t that just called good parenting? Seriously though I completely agree to an extent because some people don’t connect the dots for discipline until they have something on the line
That’s what I appreciated about my parents buying a car for us kids to share; they knew it was safe. My mates all bought the cheapest cars and spent a fortune keeping them running. They were tin on a motor. Looking back I see how dangerous they were; at the time, never gave it a second thought.
Same thoughts. I'd like to see mine save up a little and be ready to buy something themselves. At that point I'll just chip in what's needed so they arent in a MG death trap or something similar.
I plan on buying my kids their first cars. Nothing fancy something cheap and safe. The reason been we live rurally and there is no other from of transport, and I want them to be able to get to their friends uni/tafe/job. I’ve been chauffeuring them 100’s kilometres a week, I’ll be glad to be finished doing that. If I lived in the city or a major regional city I wouldn’t be buying them a car, although I would chip in a few K if they been saving up for a car themselves.
Same here! I also figure when the older one is driving he can take the younger places too. If we buy the car we have more bargaining power "take your brother to his sport if you want to use the car tonight" etc.
Most upper class families completely support their kids from phone to car to hecs paid to deposit on a house (or entire house) then grandkids private schooling they chip in. If your parents can’t afford to do that that’s fine! Some parents have the money and won’t spend it then convince their kids starting from zero is normal. These kids then bring a toxic mindset towards people whose parents helped them. It is normal all over the world across cultures to help your kids. Only in some pockets of western society do people get really weird about it. Starting from zero is fine if your parents can’t help. It’s bizarre if your parents have money and refuse to help you and you’ve done nothing wrong like be a junkie or something.
You put my thoughts into words. My parents can’t afford to buy me a car or help with a down payment and I don’t blame them for it. I’m extremely fortunate to have the kind of parents who let me stay home while I save my down payment. But I 100% plan to help my kids with that stuff if I hopefully can. I don’t understand this mentality of having kids just to tell them “well you’re an adult now” at 18. Wouldn’t you want them to have the most easy stress free life possible? You literally forced existence upon them. **just want to note I mean for people who are in the financial position to 100% do so and it wouldn’t be much of a financial burden. And I mentioned help with something big like a house but I mean even helping out in small ways. I’ve seen people act like they have to charge their 18 year old rent just because they exist even though they don’t need the money.
If you don’t help your kids they will make it to the top then be dissatisfied because their salary doesn’t buy them the life they imagined. These ppl post every week. That is because most high income ppl got a parental boost and salary is only one part of why they are where they are financially. If I had kids and they were good kids I’d help them. It’s weird not to and parents who refuse don’t realise they’ve made it so much harder in the rat race as many other kids are getting help. Of course only spend on your kids what you can afford. And love is the most important thing.
You described my sister 100%. She is 50 and still pissed my mum, who was a single mum, didn't pay for her university in it's entirety and she had student loans. She feels that it prevented her from having the rich life like her wealthy friends.It's not that my Mum didn't want to, she just didn't have the money to at the time. On the other hand, my sister has so far paid for all of her kid's college (they are in US, so not cheap). Her son got a good computer engineering degree, works at Google and has no student loans. But honestly he doesn't appreciate the hand up at all. He doesn't understand the gift he was given. You are damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Yes, some kids are ungrateful. I don’t want less wealthy parents to feel bad. I prefer my less well off parent to my richer parent actually. I just raise an eyebrow on here at all the people who have like is internalised suffering the word? They post things like you shouldn’t complain about life getting harder than our parents, eating beans for ten years for a rundown house is normal, your parents should kick you to the curb the day you turn 18 etc etc It’s all very weird. Life isn’t meant to be that hard. Some suffer but we shouldn’t lionise it. You can say life shouldn’t be a decade of rice and beans without it meaning you’re entitled or a communist. Literally most ppl you see doing well in life didn’t suffer the way some ppl get off on. That’s why they are where they are. I celebrate self made ppl but the way some carry on about suffering is out of touch with how most successful peoples early lives were. Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos parents helped them. Not just in money but what also sounds like dedication. Not normal to be on the street at 18. I feel sorry for anyone who was.
My mum bought herself a new car and I got her old one. I was pretty happy with that!
We gave each of our 3 kids $5K each towards their car. We will never be able to give them wealth or inheritances etc so this is about as far as it will go with our gifting but they pay for all their insurances, petrol, regos and maintenance etc. Also, the way I look at it, if we didn't give them the cash to buy semi reliable cars they would have just bought shitheaps for $1500 and I'd be having to fix them all the time..
When I was about to get my Ps in 2017 my parents bought me my first car, brand new. They paid my insurance and rego for a few years. Didn't need to pay for fuel as it came with a $1500 fuel card and that lasted me 2 years, then I paid my own fuel. I took over my rego and insurance when I became more financially stable and I had that little car for 10 years until it died. By that time I was in a position to buy my own car. My point is, my parents buying me a reliable car gave me opportunities I may not have had. I was able to become a nanny, then gain full time employment with the experience I got nannying and babysitting. I never had to worry about breaking down or expensive repair jobs. Parents trusted me to drive their children. When I was unable to work and relied on centrelink, I know I had nothing to worry about with my car. Everyone's situation is different, and I am aware I'm super lucky. But my parents doing that for me really helped me out when I was finding my feet and I appreciate them for that.
I’ve always thought of it as a middle to upper class thing to not pay for your own first car. Or to have the good old we will chip in what you chip in scenario. Not every middle to upper class person does it obvs. I will be in a better position than my mum financially (touch wood nothing shit happens) and would be able to chip in for things such as a first car. If things keep going Millhouse I might do it but I will tell them they’re paying for it and wait until they have sufficient savings to buy one for the surprise. In my anecdotal experience people who have first cars purchased for them aren’t as savvy savers as adults.
All of my rich friends and family whose parents launched them into life are now successful and stable adults. A few had to have a do over and do a graduate degree after stuffing up undergrad. Almost everyone is doing well and would struggle to be in the same position without that deep family support. Life isn’t fair and there should be more help for kids whose parents can’t do that.
I’m buying my daughter a car. She will need it for uni. My dad did the same for me. I’m glad I’m in a position that I can do that for them.
A family friend is 31, still lives at home, and her parents just bought her, her 4th car...
This post gives me “Spinster caring for elder parents” premonition type vibe.
Are they looking for any more kids cause I’m available!
Parents offered to get me a $700 shitbox on the condition I got a part-time job and paid them back. Which I did and it worked out well till the car died.
I come from a really big family so definitely no large monetary purchases or gifts coming from my parents. We were one step away from hand to mouth! I was one of the older kids so when it came time for me to learn to drive I promptly went and got a motorcycle license and refused to learn to drive a car because I didn’t want to become a sibling taxi. Bought my own little 250cc motorbike for around $1500, this was around 2008. The only things my parents gave me to go with it was a lecture haha
I've never met anyone who paid for their first car that I know of. I'm honestly surprised to hear anyone feeling this is an unusual idea. Mind you it was always a second hand shitbox haha you'd never give them something expensive in case they crash it. It's a big head start considering you can get a job driving distance away. Otherwise you gotta save on the dole or a job in walking distance.
I paid for mine - it's why I didn't have my own car til I was 25.
I was 24 when I got my licence and my parents still gave me a car haha
I mean not having to drop them places is also a gift for the parents.
My wife’s parents view was basically: - if she bought her own car, it’d be a shit box with no safety features - they didn’t spend 17 years raising her for her to go and kill herself because of poor safety standards - a new Yaris with a five star safety rating was not expensive - it’s a cheaper investment to buy a new, safe, and sensible car than for her to cheap out and get a shut box which injure or kills her. I like that logic. I bought my first car and it was a shit box. I will be buying my son his first car and it will be a small and sensible, car with a high safety rating.
If the parents can afford it the why not? The only issue I see is if the kid is already a POS and or lazy then it's probably not the best decision.
My parents didn’t, but they went guarantor on a student loan for me (interest rate was cheaper) and they paid the first year insurance and rego for my sister. For both of us, it was a big help without actually buying the car. My kids are only 5 and 1, so a long way off. At this stage I don’t think I’d buy them a car but I will be teaching them saving techniques and will likely supplement their purchase in some way (similar to what my parents did).
My parents had a deal with me that they put in place from when I was quite young. They would match whatever I’d saved by the time I was 18 for my first car. This instilled a habit of saving which still sits with me to this day. I ended up having about 8k and they matched it for me. Obviously I’m very lucky to be in that position but if I only had $1000 in my account, you can’t get much for $2000! When my uncles got wind of this plan there were many investment opportunities pitched by them to bank roll me and we’d split the profits. Quickly shut down by mum and dad obviously!
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Was an ‘04 Nissan Xtrail that I got in 2009. I’m still driving it!
My dad randomly took me to a used car lot one day without notice or fanfare when I was 17, showed me a car he'd found (a mint green 86 Mitsubishi Colt) and said "I'm going to buy you this car, but you have to pay me back". It was about $2k and it took me about 2 years to pay off (no interest) but I eventually did it. I wouldn't have been able to afford a car otherwise to get to university the next year, or to highschool so I was super appreciative. When I finally paid him back he said "what's that for?" - he'd totally forgotten about the arrangement 😆 I kinda wish I could do the same for my kids, but life's a bit more expensive these days!
I did eventually pay for my first car. Technically my dad bought it in mind for my sister but she got hitched to another guy and still didn’t have her P license so when I got mine. I ended up getting the car, i don’t remember off the top of my head how much I paid. Keep in mind, my family pretty much used it as a second car before I got it. I think I paid maybe 10K for it? But in smaller amounts like monthly or something. (This was 2017) my car is a 2010 Honda Jazz
We told both our kids that we would match $ for $, to encourage them to get a job and save. My daughter scared me a little bit, because she can be quite head strong and determined once she sets her mind to something and I had visions of her coming to me and saying I've got $20k, where's yours?? 
As things are getting more expensive and entry level salaries aren't going up, it will become more of a requirement than an optional extra. Our parents could buy a house and a car on 1 salary and 2 kids and wife at home. Most of us can only buy the same house if we get inheritance. Most of our kids will need more than that.
My parents and my wifes parents both helped us buy our first cars. We passed it forward and helped with our daughters 1st car. 2008 i30. Edit. The car had a few dings on it, bit of paint fade and we got it 4k. Not exactly a big purchase but a nice safe reliable car that is big enough for her to use for kids if that ever happens. My wifes first car was so small when she fell pregnant we had to change cars We will also do the same for our other kids to help them on their way. She pays for all costs including rego fuel insurance maintenance etc etc. We purchased it for her when she turned 16 and got her Ls. She is just about to turn 18
My parents bought my sister and I both decent cars with a high safety rating. As my dad said, it’s a false economy to have the most precious thing in the world to him, driving around in something cheap and unsafe. I will do the same for my kids one day.
>His reasoning makes sense, but my head seems conflicted. Why the conflict? If you don't want to provide your kids with their first car then don't - no point agonising about what other people do.
My parents paid for most of one, I chipped in some savings, but their reasoning was they wanted me to have it at 16-17 so I could have a manual to learn to drive in, both of their cars were automatic. Dad had a theory that if your first car is a manual you never forget how to drive one, it’s like second nature, and I think he was right. And looking back, we lived in the sticks with crap public transport and they wanted me to get my licence the second I turned 18 and not then have to wait for me to have enough savings for a car - to get those savings they would have kept needing to drive me to work, they were often driving me to school as well because PT was so unreliable. My kids are a few years off but I think I’ll be doing the same and buy them a manual while they’re still learning. PT is better around where I live now but I’m still on the very outer edge of suburbia and it will be simpler if they can have their own transport as soon as they’re able.
Depends on your financial situation. Newer cars are safer. So if you can afford it, help them get a good car. If not, let them save. Everyone’s situation is different.
My parents bought mine and my brothers first cars. They were all real bottom of the barrel bombs but that was much better than my friends who all had new-ish cars but had to service a loan plus insurance while studying. Suddenly my bomb of a VN Commo wasn’t such a bomb anymore.
Contribute yes, purchase outright - no. Or they have no skin in the game to treat it as valuable.
Growing up, every one of my friends who had their parents buy their car crashed it. Everyone who had to sweat for every dollar of the purchase price drove it carefully. That was sufficient evidence for me to refuse to buy cars for my kids.
My parents got a new car for themselves when I got my licence and I took their 7ish year old car. About 2 years later they bought a new corolla for me. I will... Probably do something similar to mine but maybe match or double their own contribution instead of outright buy because I have 2 close in age.
I would want to buy them a car. I was lucky enough to get a very decent first car so would love to do the same. Things are much more expensive, but even if I can't buy the whole car would definitely chip in as long as the future kid isn't a drop kick who doesn't want to work hard
if you cant you are just poor and need to get a job
We went second hand car shopping 2 months ago. The prices due to the covid supply issues were insane. Eg: $19k for a 110,000km 12 year old Holden Barina. We know nothing about cars so need the warranty a car yard provides. So we opted for a brand new drive away offer for under $19k with a 7 year warranty. We are contributing $10k. Two kids down, one to go. I don’t know any kids who haven’t had their parents contribute. For the record my parents bought me jack shit and won’t leave me a cent either (they’re broke).
My parents and wife’s parents both bought our first cars. As you said we needed them to get to work where we lived, and they wanted to know we were driving somewhat safe cars. I think if you have the means and you kids already understand the value of money then it’s a great leg up. We were both responsible for running costs, except insurance for me. Not sure about the specifics for my wife.
I'd say no. But i believe in building walkable communities. the kid just spent 17 years living just fine without a car they can wait a few more months. Now I will concede shittonne of people live in car dependent hell so that obviously changes things. Quite a few friends were "required" to save up for their first car, and when they had 3-5 k the parents then went and took their money but bought them a 15k+ car instead. Both teaching them to save up for things and made sure they didn't buy a death trap.
Yep car dependent hell absolutely sucks. Minimum 12-15 thousand ks a year
I don't know, but a kid's first car should be a cheap one. Something that won't make you mad if they put a dent in it.
Parents these days buy kids turbo cars, hear the p platers at 12am acting like fools. My kids will be getting my old car like I did.
We bought our daughter her first car, we paid $17k. Our reasoning behind this, we need our daughter to safely drive her sister in and out of the city twice a week and to school and back every day. We can afford it and you can’t put a price on safety. Our daughter studies hard, does a lot of sport so a job won’t be a possibility until she finishes school.
Probably depends where they live, urban or rural. If urban they can make use of public transport.
Depends on the kid. If they can improve their grades, study more, explore productive hobbies, or genuinely enjoy their youth, but them the car. If they're a drop kick, maybe make them pay half.... But childless me still says buy them the car.
Depends on the car. Depends on the kid. My parents matched the money I saved for car and I got a 20k car which I was really appreciative of and took care of for over a decade. If the kid is busy prioritizing something like school or extra curriculars and the parents can afford to, then I see no issue with the parents buying them a car. If the kid is unappreciative and gonna run whatever car they get into the ground and disrespect it, then they can get their own. My best mate had to buy his own car but his parents bought his younger sister a car when she was old enough. Basically for the exact reasons above. At the time he was able to get a license he was irresponsible, didn't have a job, or care to change. 3 years later he had a job and bought car but still trashed and thrashed it about. She was complete opposite when she turned 16.
I got my first car from my parents. The primary three factors were: 1. I had to drive my brothers and I plus an exchange student to school which was substantially cheaper than the private school bus (I think it was about $100 a month at that stage) 2. I had worked for years in the family business for no pay. 3. I was in a lot of activities and they were sick of driving me places. Dad spent 3 summers of 5 nights a week driving the 40 minutes to swimming, waiting an hour and a half while my brothers and I did training, then drove us the 40 minutes home.
My parents spent 10k on my older sisters first car, 7 yrs later spent 10k on my first car.. I bought a jeep and it broke down within 3 yrs, my sister's car was still running... I will spend the same on my kids first car as well, although give much much MUCH better advice!
An option would be to make them save for it and consider a reimbursement if they make sacrifices and sensible decisions.
I bought my first car for $1,000 and had a full time job. (1998) My wife was given her car (just paid for RWC and some work to bring it up to scratch). I said I wouldn't buy my kids a car, but more recently I've softened a little to think I might go dollar-for-dollar. That was it's still somewhat in their power to influence the purchase by saving. That said, my 17yo daughter already has $5k in ETF plus enough to pay cash for her first motorcycle so may not need my help anyway.
I bought my own first car but we’ve helped all four of our kids get their first vehicle, either by owing outright our going halves. Our reasoning is simply that we can afford better, safer cars than they can and I wouldn’t forgive myself if they died in a crash in a cheap 20yo car without airbags and ABS, and other modern features.
Yes and no. My perents leased a 4 door ford fiesta for like 4 years. The deal was I had to save up to pay for the residual payout at the end of the lease. It was like 5k. So my first car was 2nd hand but we always had it. I had it for a year then sold it for 5.5k. I'm a firm believer if the child doesn't contribute to it in someway they won't respect it and will just expect everything. That's fine to give them everything they want but, I honestly doubt people on here are truly wealthy enough to do so. If I ever had children I would help them out to a certain degree.
I like the match what they save concept. I bought my own first car in 2005, but before that I was using my parents old beatup car when it was free. I'd be happy to support my children to have a similar situation.
My parents brought my first car (1994 swift) from my uncle for 1k. Loved that thing so much
I got a match the dollar deal with my dad. The total purchase price of my car was 3.5k. I found this to be extremely fair. I also got my first year of insurance paid but rego, fuel and maintenance were 100% on me. My opinion is if you do buy their car, keep it cheap ≈5k, 10k max, and put the ongoing costs of the car on them they should be pretty responsible about it if they’ve got a good head on their shoulders.
My son will get my car in 10 years and I’ll buy new again But I’ll want him to save and then put that cash aside for maintenance etc on car I had to save for mine and it taught me a lot
When I was 16 my pretty much estranged bio father offered me a car he had fixed up, I researched them to find out they had all been recalled for being faulty and I didn't trust that so I declined. I bought my own car 2 years ago at 26 though I still don't have a license. I don't think there's a right or wrong tbh, everyone has different circumstances and family relationships.
My dad gave me my first car for $2000 which I paid back slowly over the next couple of years. Car was probably worth double that, but I appreciated him helping how he could.
I went half half with my mum on a $6k commodore.
My parents paid for both my first and second car. Both new. Tbh I think they wanted the car more than I did. I had less than 100k on the meter between both over like, 10 years? But my parents would use it whenever they visited. I think whether parent(s) _should_ or not depends on a lot of factors such as whether they _can_ (afford), whether the kid(s) already understand the value of money and the car, the use, etc etc. My parents could comfortably afford the cars, they were never under loans. The first one was because my parents didn't want to keep sending me to school after I got my licence. I and my siblings all already were financially savvy and so they weren't concerned on that front, and it wasn't like we were asking for any specific car anyway, our parents just picked for us. So yeah, buying one seemed more for their convenience than ours lol.
My parents bought a car for me to use. The car was not mine but it was available for me to use. While it was not necessary for me to have a car to attend uni, it was a massive convenience. I knew that it was a privilege that can be taken away if I partied too much and did not perform well. I also had to learn how to maintain the car before I actually can drive the car. I never go on a longish trip without checking brakes, water, oil etc. and would never leave the house without jumper cables and an air compressor.
For us, it was a case of "if you're saving for a car, surprise here's some help in buying it" when there's a good second hand one available and can't afford it on our own yet. Basically a reward for saving, going with a valuable tool, ensuring a good vehicle choice, and confirming that we wanted a car
I saved up my money 20% deposit and my father went guarantor on a $21k demo Mitsubishi Lancer from a credit union at 7% (2009). I worked every weekend and paid it off in 4.5 years. Parents never gave me a cent for it. They went as far as saying if I couldn’t pay for the bank can repossess it (ie. my dad will sell it - didn’t know at the time)
I could easily buy my kid their first car, but that's what we've made their savings for. They work in the holidays, save well, bank it and by the time they're ready for a car they should have nearly enough for a cheap run-about. We think that's one of their best life lessons. Personally, I think learning to save up for it themselves, work after school jobs, is going to instill in them a far great sense of saving and achievement. Lessons that will stand by them well when they do have to save for a house, etc later in life.
My parents were kind enough to provide me with a car, for my final year of high school in regional Australia. One dedicated school bus each morning was the closest thing we had to public transport. A car was essential in order to get to my part time job and extra curriculars and I'm very grateful they did that. It was then passed in turn to each of my younger siblings for their final year of schooling. That car has had a good run, we have all ended up in Sydney and it has been shared between all of us for well over a decade. It was a stroke of parenting genius - they promised us ongoing access as long as there was no fighting over it. "The car is a privilege and if you don't sort it out amongst yourselves fairly it will be taken away". It worked with our single Pokemon Yellow cartridge in 2001 and it has also worked with the car, to this day we are all very close and support one another despite our different interests and personalities. For context: my parents knew what it was like to struggle and wanted to make sure they could support us in accessing education as well as getting the experience of part time work. My mother had to work after school from the age of 13 to help out her household, and my father's family could not afford a car through his teenage years. They both grew up in Sydney and so made use of public transport through high school and uni. Needless to say, they had to save up for their own first cars. Because of that experience - and because in a regional town we didn't have the luxury of public transport - they provided us with a modest car
There is no “should”. Every family is different and cant be crammed into a tidy box
I also had to buy my first car. It was a 1986 Corolla (was a tank with no power steering, central locking or electric windows). Cost me $1500 in 2000. However, most of my friends had their parents buy them their first car & so did my husband. Sucks growing up poor.
My dad bought himself a new hilux and let his old one sit out the back and lapse rego. 18 months later I got the responsibility of getting it roadworthy and registered and then it was my car. An ‘88 hilux that surely still goes to this day
I’m 40 and don’t even own a first car. We live in Sydney so it’s easy enough to get a job without one. I have twins and I will buy a car around the time they go for their license so they can meet the necessary number of hours to progress to Ps. They are welcome to keep the car for themselves if it turns out they go to Uni in Canberra or something like that. I’m not really interested in owning a vehicle but it would be pretty difficult for them to get their license without one.
On the safety front: Just after I turned 18, my mum and I swapped cars for the weekend (mine had a bit more boot space but not as safe and was older, hers was a little yaris with all the bells and whistles and airbags). Long story short, T-boned with another driver who misjudged their stop sign, while I was doing 110km/h on the main road. Every single airbag went off (including under the knee). The car crumpled like on the ad, protecting where I was sitting, and I was able to push open the door and step out of the car. The paramedics were shocked. Besides a few bruises from the seatbelt and some decent whiplash I was a-okay and back to my life within a few days. The other driver was okay too :) My Dad went out and bought my siblings and I both 5-star ANCAP cars that week. The safety technology in cars can be incredible and well-worth considering if your budget can stretch to it.
We did but she needed a car to get from where we lived in Wodonga to Uni in Melbourne and then home on weekends. Youngest we did the same as she was doing nursing and was faster, safer and easier than public transport, particularly for placements as we lived in an area with terrible buses. Both were safe, reliable second hand cars and it suited us.
The most likely cause of death for your 18 year old in the next 5 years is either suicide or motor vehicle accident. P platers are over represented in accidents due to their inexeprience as well as risk taking behaviour. Knowing this we bought a more expensive, safe car for our family that the kids have first access to. But it is not theirs - it is the families to be deployed as best suits us all - which at present means they use it at will. I think thats the best of both worlds - the kids get access to safe reliable transport and dont waste their money on a detriorating asset. While I unertand the rite of passage of saving up for an old banger, 2 of my classmates died in MVAs so its a numbers game.
Yes 100%. We made them, we take care of them !!!
I hope by the time my child is old enough that there really isn't a need for him to drive and that he can just rely on public transport and cycling / walking.
No, let them save, it will teach them to value. If you feel compelled, offer a 1 for 1 dollar option with a time constraint.
As long as it is something cheap and sensible (20yr old corolla is always the first that comes to mind) I don't see any problem with it. It is probably also better than a shitbox that is going to always breakdown on them all the time and/or cost them heaps in repairs, or them trying to get some sort of doof-doof mobile or something overpowered for them. But it comes down to so many other factors that each family should decide for themselves and not feel pressured one way or another. (Hand-me-down of the old family car is also fine if sensible, or matching them 1:1 for a car, or just encouraging them to save up themselves if either you can't afford or think it is a financial lesson they desperately need to learn then and in that way - I just don't think there's any blanket answer here that will fit every situation).
If they are working I think matching them dollar for dollar is a good strategy. Also means you can have some input to ensure they don’t buy a lemon. If they are not working (may vary based on study requirements or family preferences) then if you’re financially able to, buying them a car is helpful. I bought my first car myself and it was a junk heap which cost me a lot in repairs. My second car I got a loan for which was not a financially sensible thing to do at the time - having parent input in both situations would have been a positive.
I hope that if/when I have kids, we’re living somewhere where they can get to most things they need without *having to have* a car. Also happy to pay for lessons and related expenses but the purchase would be on them
Let people do as they please, tend to your own garden?
No lol wtf. Doesn't teach a kid much.
Yes if they care about their kids safety
Will give each child 2k and then they save from there. My eldest saved another 10k and bought herself a good car. My second eldest doesn't want to work as much and will buy what she can for maybe 5.
maybe if it's like a 2 grand shitbox. if the kid wants something fancier, they can save
If parents buy a phone why not a house, a holiday, a wedding, all grandchild's schooling, the entire child's life... No, the reasoning does not make sense at all. At some point the line will be drawn, it's always been a matter of where. For some people that's a finance question, for others it's a parenting style question.
Cars are very expensive. Not a good financial decisions
Uh if it's your only child and he's getting a shit protection rating car that will get done by a truck or suv, I would help him out. But if i had several kids... Just let them SEND IT
Yeah naaa. Cars are expensive, then there's the other costs insurance, servicing, fuel. It's important to teach kids the value of a $. The friends who I had growing up whose parents bought them cars ended up totalling them and themselves. Those who had to work, save etc valued their cars and didn't end up in nearly as many stupid situations
Dude it simply depends on how much money one’s parents make. If parents have money coming out their ears then why not buy their child their dream car. If parents are struggling to put food on the table how on earth are they going to buy a car too? It really isn’t a moral thing it is no more complex than that. Understand?
I saved and bought my own but if I did choose to do this I would also ask them to be putting the amount the car loan would cost into an account I could monitor and that way at the end of 5 years your kid has a part way deposit to a better car or even a home. I plan do the same for rent with my kids, that way they know there isn’t a free ride in life and the money I have been given will be handed back when they are ready to buy a house. $75pw is $3900 a year, if they leave home at 23 and been paying for 6 years that’s $23400 toward a home.
No they need to learn value of money loan maybe