Teenagers First Car

P

paulbloggs

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2013
Messages
27
Reaction score
2
My son is turning 17 soon and has thoughts of dropping a Bugatti engine into a Citi Golf!
His mechanical knowledge is limited.

I have been thinking of buy an older "classic" car - maybe a BMW E30'ish, Datsun SSS, Ford Escort/Cortina etc and spend the next year fixing it up with him.
Has to be cheapish and the body must be sound. The rest I am capable of.

What cars should I be looking at? Nothing too exotic but something different. And no XR6 Interceptors etc.
Spares must be available locally. Sandton area.

Thanks
Paul
 
I would just buy him a brand new Audi or Mercedes. One of the smaller cars. The Mini Coopers are also nice first time cars.

Oh, I miss the word cheapish. Building up a car is not cheapish and cost a lot of maintenance.

What is your price range?
 
Landrover, Series III, short wheelbase:

Con:
- expensive for a 1976 model

Pro:
- it will hardly ever go, so less danger on the roads
- when it does go, he'll pick up chicks
- but being a short wheelbase, not enough chicks to bring a party home to your place.
- when he crashes it he'll be fine. The other car... less so.
 
I think the Land Rover is a great idea. The pros and cons too. Just can be heavy on petrol.
Despite their reputation I have found them very reliable - only niggles really.
I have a collection of them already - Defender, Disco 2 and Range Rover Classic.

Budget? - say R30k.
Maybe an old Kombi?
 
Get him a used/demo polo vivo and let him learn the hardships of driving - he will appreciate any other car later on in life this way.
 
Flywheel said:
Get him a used/demo polo vivo and let him learn the hardships of driving - he will appreciate any other car later on in life this way.
Click to expand...
Yup and make him get full comprehensive insurance too/designate himself as the only driver for that polo :P
 
As a classic car owner, you need to make sure you are happy with your child being far from home when a mechanical problem inevitably hits, or be okay with him breaking down on the side of the road at night, these are all things that are very likely when you are driving a 30 year old car. It doesn't matter how much you maintain them. I spent R45k in maintenance on my old beetle, including all new soft brake lines, new wheel cylinders and hard lines, only to have the brakes still fail on me the day after. When I was 50km from home. You might find the same thing I found, new parts made for old cars, are expensive, and TERRIBLE quality!

That aside, if it were me, I would get something that they made a load of, so that parts are not an issue. Something old, but not that old in terms of having some safety, maybe like a golf 3? Jetta 3?

E30's are great, but insurance will probably be high, as these things are stolen more than they are bought.

I have recently been looking at E46's myself, and there are various models and shapes out there with varying price tags and conditions.

If I were 17 again, I think I might like the E46 compact. It's got enough power so that it's not going to get him into too much trouble, but also not embarrassingly slow. They're still very safe in a crash, and are usually very very reliable if maintained a bit. Plus they have loads of mods and parts available for them that are not too pricey and there is a large group of people who know them front to back who can help with anything you need if you're in a pinch.

Just my 2c.

Also, if you're with FNB, consider getting a Petro card, it comes with AA roadside assistance and they'll tow your car 45km for free. Has been a lifesaver for me on more than one occasion.
 
Think the best thing to do is get him something cheap and cheerful for now. Something easy to fix when he crashes.
Your first car is usually your bumper car.
 
You guys all suggesting older classics, forgetting he's a new driver, highly prone to an accident from his own error, nevermind from the monkeys on our roads. Get him a 2000's Polo or Fiesta or something like that with at least an NCAP 3-star. I'm a car guy as well, I get the appeal of an E30 and I'd take the risk of driving a classic, but for a new driver? Not yet.
 
zoozi said:
You guys all telling him to buy a classic car, forgetting he's a new driver, highly prone to an accident from his own error, nevermind from the monkeys on our roads. Get him a 2000's Polo or Fiesta or something like that with at least an NCAP 3-star. I'm a car guy as well, I'll take the risk of driving a classic, but for a new driver? Not yet.
Click to expand...
Like I said, your first car is your bumper car, it's not a question of if he crashes, but when he crashes
 
zoozi said:
You guys all suggesting older classics, forgetting he's a new driver, highly prone to an accident from his own error, nevermind from the monkeys on our roads. Get him a 2000's Polo or Fiesta or something like that with at least an NCAP 3-star. I'm a car guy as well, I'll take the risk of driving a classic, but for a new driver? Not yet.
Click to expand...
The ****?

Not one car mentioned here qualifies as a classic. ****ing children on the interwebs.
 
zoozi said:
You guys all suggesting older classics, forgetting he's a new driver, highly prone to an accident from his own error, nevermind from the monkeys on our roads. Get him a 2000's Polo or Fiesta or something like that with at least an NCAP 3-star. I'm a car guy as well, I'll take the risk of driving a classic, but for a new driver? Not yet.
Click to expand...

NCAP ratings dont matter if you driving home drunk
 
I wouldn't be happy with my child driving around Joburg in a R30k car that could break down at any moment and leave him stranded god-knows where.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X