Did you get your children cars once they started driving?
Did they have to work for them? What were the stipulations??

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Be careful what you wish for.....

When our daughter got her license we told her we would help her get a car. We had a $2,000 budget (this was eight years ago). She couldn't find a car she liked in that price range and insisted on one particular car she found that was almost three times that amount. We told her if she wanted that car, she needed to get a job. Which she did. She made her car payments, but we agreed to pay for her car insurance as long as she remained on the honor roll (which she did). It worked well for us. She held that job all thru High School and for her first two years of College. The entire five years she worked, she called in sick one time. She was also able to still participate in sports at school. She actually started the job on her 16th birthday. I think its very important for kids to learn the value of a dollar, and also the value of self worth by working. I work at a local High School and I can't tell you how many 16 year olds I see driving around in cars that cost more than what my dh and I drive....and the kicker is that most of them don't have a job to help pay for the car.

They had to work and buy their own. They never drove my car either. I worked for mine and I see no reason to hand it to them.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

No, yes, and we shall see. The oldest child was not very responsible, so no she did not get a car, she was not even allowed to get her drivers liscense until almost a year later than she could have gotten it. She was a "party girl" and just not trustworthy, so no she did not deserve it. We actually never bought her a car or ever helped her buy a car. She is now super responsible and we just helped her buy house, though, so she has made alot of changes over the years. The second DD was super responsible, got a job at 15, never got into any type of trouble, good grades, never any problems in school, rarely even talked backed, a model child. Yes, we bought her a car when she turned 16, it was an older Mitsubishi Eclipse red sportscar. She paid for all her car insurance, gas, car maintenance, repairs, etc. When she sold the car it was with the stipulation that the money go towards the newer car she was purchasing when she started college, she was going to be driving 50 miles a day roundtrip for classes. We have a 13 year old still to go, and we shall see, so far she is pretty responsible as far as school, good grades, plays sports, active in church, involved in extra curricular activities. I think each kid has to be treated as an individual case. I don't know that you can treat them all the same, although I know we would like to be able to treat them all the same. It also depends on your finances to purchase such things. With my oldest (she is single with 2 kids) we just helped her by a house, it was just too good to pass up, it was a Fannie Mae repo, 1500sq feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, on 5 lots with a fenced yard for $24,000. It needs some repiars. The only thing is you had to have cash, she didn't, but we did, so we bought it. Now chances are we won't be able to do that for our other 2 children (it's because of the economy we got this so cheap), but you do what you can when you can, IF you have the resources.

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Just wanted to add. It had nothing to do with money. I could have bought cars, but I did not. It also had not6hing to do wuth the way my children behaved, etc. It is just fo rthe reason that I do not personally believe in handing my children cars. I feel that is something they should have to work for and pay for on their own. It is just the way I feel and I do not expect anyone else to agree.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

I told my son that I would buy him a car if he got a job when he started driving. He did look one time but never tried again.

I did let him take a car to college though.

Both my sons had part-time jobs and they paid for their first cars with their own money (and paid their own insurance).

He bought his own car, paid his own insurance, etc...

My parents had an OLD beater that I got to use... It was the kind of care you would NEVER want to be seen dead in, on old 2 tone brown econoline van... I got to drive the beast, thought, and it made me humble! I'll do the same for my kids! When I graduated from college, they helped me get a car, but I had to make the payments.

Dh and I both drive cars over 10 years old. Provided one of them makes it another 7 years.. we'll probably let Abby drive that when she turns 16. That's what my parents did. When I turned 16, they gave me my mom's old ford escort hatchback provided that I pay for all my insurance and car maintenance. I also got a job before I turned 16, and when I quit that job about two years later my parents took the car away until I got another one. I wound up driving that car all through college...

Yes as soon as they got their drivers liscense, we purchased vechicles for them. Nothing new but fairly new, and dependable. They were already working and they have to pay for their own gas or if they borrow have to pay it back. We currently pay for our sons Insurance because financially he only works 2 days a week and goes to college the other 3 days. Eldest daughter pays her totally her own for her insurance and gas however she will be 23. Now younger daughter Caitlin is only in drivers ed, so no car for her yet. When she does and if she does pass her road test, we will also purchase one dependable car for her. We probably will pay for gas for awhile since right now school is number one and she only babysits. However she too when she turns 18 and goes to college and gets a better paying job will have to pay for her gas, we will cover insurance.. Edited to say I was not looking forward to the day when they did get their liscense's its a very scary moment in a parents life...Peace. Catherine

Oldest DS was in 4H for 6 years and saved all the money he received from the sale of his animals. He bought a really nice 2000 ZR2 truck, that had minimal mileage on it. We pay for his insurance, only if he stays on the honor roll. Hasn't been a problem! As far as gas, we give him $10 a week to drive to and from school, as a convenience to mom! Otherwise, the rest of the gas and repairs are on him.

DH and I discussed this early on and felt that we were never handed a car and for the kids to truly appreciate their own vehicle (and respect it!) we wanted them to pay for theirs. Life is all about being responsible!

Our kids are still little, but when they do drive I am getting them the biggest and safest boats on the road. If I have to pay some toward it that's fine, but they need to show responsibility or it'll be the first thing taken away. And NO OTHER kids in the car unless I know about it!

If they had to pay their own car insurance they'd have to get full time jobs in New Jersey, so we'll have to help out with that.

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"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." ~ Bernard Meltzer

Flipper I agree with you 100 percent about other kids being in the car. Having more then the driver and a passenger to me turns into a party . I feel as all drivers you are there to drive and need total concentration. I personally know so many of my childrens friends who when they first got behind the wheel and legal to drive, all their friends pilled in. Very dangerous and of course I have warned all my kids that while We may have purchased the car for you,if you do anything irresponsible the car is taken away at any given moment. In fact my eldest dd Hope was careless in the beginning going back 6 years ago she lost priviledges a few too many times for her liking and soon learned to be more responsible, because cars are expensive and are not toys to be taken lightly. At this point she purchased and makes payments on her car which is a 2006 acura but again she is almost 23. Peace. Catherine

I told my 12 yr old he should start saving now. When he gets his license and is ready to buy a car, I'll match however much he has saved, but he'll still need to get a part-time job to cover ongoing expenses like insurance, gas, and repairs.

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

My DD got her license last Oct. We paid for 1/2 her car, the other half coming from savings bonds she had.The car is a 10 yr old VW Beetle. We pay her insurance, which is just over what we put in for the car. I wish she could have a job, but between sports every day, 3 clubs (including NHS) her internship at the local hospital, CCD etc, it is impossible. She babysits whenever she can and pays for the gas when she has that money. She is applying for summer jobs right now. Not the ideal situation, but that is how it is working out here right now.

My step son and daughter will be 17 in August and their mother seems to think that it is our responsibility to see to it that they both get cars. I feel that they need to work for them and she is in disagreement with that.
She thinks that we have alot of money because we have nice things however she does not realize that I dont pay full price for anything and I am able to budget things....

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Be careful what you wish for.....

Well, it is your money, so do not let anyone "pressure" you into doing something you do not feel comfortable with or you will only end up resenting it. If you feel the kids should work for it then make them work for it, or at least help out or come to some compromise. We purchased my middles DD's vehicle, but she was already working and saving for one, so we knew she was motivated to get one anyway. I know I feel the same way about college, I worked my way through and used scholarships and so have my older 2, my oldest has graduated and my middle one will graduate in August. We each have our own values and what's important to us and what we value and what we think our kids need to learn. Each of us are going to have varying ideas of how to do this. None are right, none are wrong, they are just different.

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