mike_mds, how is my saying that I want a good looking car but not necessarily wanting a fast car a reason to not let teenagers have fast cars? There are kids a year older than me fighting for your freedom overseas and you are going to tell me that they are too young and shouldnt drive fast or nice cars? I want a nice looking car and the vette fits that criteria, that is all. I know for a fact there are less responsible 30 year olds out there that you would encourage to get a corvette the moment they asked for an opinion on whether they should get one or not. True, there are irresponsible teenagers out there, but just because there are irresponsible teenagers out there doesnt mean I am one of them.

 

Look, we could do point - counterpoint for hours on end, and it won't matter a bit to either of us.

What DOES matter to me is the statistical FACT that my wife and kids are more likely to return alive from the shopping trip they are on now if teenagers aren't out on the road with them driving high powered sportscars that magnify their tremendous inexperience behind the wheel.

 

I went from a 200HP Auto stratus to a 400HP (modified) six speed vette (learn to drive a stick the day I bought the car) I was 21 when I got the car. So far only 1 speeding ticket (5 over in a town I later found out is known for speed traps) and only one near disaster when I found out the hard way I cant give it 50 percent throttle while making a right hand turn to try and beat traffic. The car was sideways with the a** end in the left lane and the front in the right by the time the active handling saved my but and prevent me from getting T-boned by a HMMVV (it was on base)

To be honest drive a crappy car for a few years, then buy a vette as a second car and spend some time driving around your neighbor hood to learn the car. It is a totally different animal. Also been a few times on the highway dropping to third and gunning it to pass a slow car and nearly driving up someones but.

When you have 350+ HP on tap in a car that weighs around 3300 pounds with a driver and a full tank of gas takes a lot of restraint


like they said in spider man
"Having great power means having great responsibility"

Just my .02

 

I think a good compromise here would be him getting a C4 or an A4 C5 with the 2.90 gears

 

I would love to have an A4 C5 but I just dont know if I could go to driving an automatic when the only car I really drive is my neon which is a 5 Speed.

 

I remember when I was 17. Nothing would have pleased me more than to have a Vette. But there was one thing stopping me. MONEY!!! Vette's aren't cheep, insurance isn't cheep, and ANYTHING that has to do with a CORVETTE, isn't cheep.
I wanted a CORVETTE sense I was 10. It took me 30 years to get my first one. The second one came shortly after.
Here's my advise. Take it to heart and live by these rules:
1- STAY IN SCHOOL. Get through college and get a degree that will secure a life long income.
2- Get a good job ( with the degree you earned) and don't quit the first time your boss chews you out. Life sucks in the adult world.
3- Work for it. It will take time, but the wait is WELL worth it.
4- Don't do drugs, smoke, or abuse alcohol, that only throws money away that you could put toward your VETTE, not to mention shorting your life span.
I wish it were easier, but the reality of it is, if it's worth having, it's worth working for. There are thousands, millions of vette's out there. The one for you will be there waiting for you when the time is right.
Don't give up, keep in touch, and WELCOME to the forum.
Andy

 

I spent 16 months in Iraq, and a lot of sat nights at home alone saving to get my vette.

 

That's the spirit!!!
It's not so much the age factor. There are thousands of men and women in their 20's that have Vette's. I personally know a couple of "kids" in one of the Corvette Clubs I'm in and they respect the car and the responsibility it demands. The difference is they have their education and estabilished jobs that can afford a Corvette and have a life too.
NOTHING is worse than having a car that you can't afford to enjoy.

 

If you were my kid I'd tell you that you can BUY any car you want and can afford. I MIGHT help on the insurance as long as your record is clean and you qualify for the good student discount. Other than that, you'd be on your own. I bought a Sunbeam Tiger before I was 18. Totally restored it before I was 20. Sold it for the down payment on my first house when I was 25. I lived to tell the story. If you get the Vette, be careful. If you want to race, do it at an autocross or on the track. Be good, or dont get caught!

bb

 

Just a quick question. Let's say you do decide to get a vette where are you going to get it? A new car dealership that sells used cars? A used car lot?

Keep in mind, you can only finance a used car for X amount of money depending on year and mileage. You can't really ask for a $40,000 loan for a 1995 car with 300,000 miles (exaggerated). The bank finds too much liability with that kind of collateral. My suggestion, go to a dealership, look around, get penciled, talk it over with your parents, maybe us as well.

The most that can happen is that you'll lose a little time and gain a reality check. Could be good or bad.

 

One more note, going to the dealership will help you realize your emotions. If you can't control your wants there, how are you gonna do it when some young guy in a mustang next to you throws you revs? Just food for thought.

 

You might what to check with your insurance co. Just out of curiosity I ask my agent what the insurance costs would be if I listed my 20 year old son as primary driver on my 99 vert. He has a pretty good driving record just, a couple of speeding tickets in the last few years. The rate jumped from $300.00 to $3,000.00 every 6 months, just on his age alone. I would hate to see what it would be for a 17 year old.

 

Make sure you get a insurance quote first before you buy something at your age there going to milk you on any sports car you get.

You got it good, just drive the neon even tho its a really slow who cares. Enjoy your youth don't work for a car. I had one as a rental and while the vette was at the shop. Since you asked Just so you know the vette like 4x faster according to my butt dyno lol This cars spoil you

Btw, there no point in having a "nice" car and you can't afford to go out with the guys or even afford to go on dates. I could afford a even more expensive car but I would have to give up going out every weekend. And thats not going to happen.. Where the fun in having a nice car and its sitting in your driveway on a Saturday night. Because you have to save money

 

I recommend that you keep driving the car that Mom and Dad are providing at no cost to you. Cheap cars - ala the Neon - are usually the best on gas, lowest on insurance, and the least expensive to maintain. You can get a set of tires for the cost of ONE Corvette tire. Everything on the Corvette is more expensive - insurance, tires, repairs, fuel, depreciation. You name it - it costs more and you are not in fiscal position to get one. Drive the Neon until it dies on the highway and you will be thousands of dollars ahead over the useful life of it versus a Corvette.

Once you are earning real money, buying an expensive car may still be unwise, but at least you are foolish with your own bucks.

 

A lot of you guys are mentioning the insurance costs and I have already talked to our insurance agents about that. I checked out a '99 Mustang GT Vert in September and my insurance would have only gone up about $50 a month. That is also with me keeping the neon, the mustang, my dad's 08 Avenger and my moms mini van. So, in reality the insurance would have gone down if I could trade the Neon for the Mustang. Bearing in mind that the Mustang was a '99 Vert and the C5s I am looking at are '97-2000 Coupes, I dont think there will be too much difference. Especially since if I get the C5 the Neon will be gone. The reason for having such low rates according to the insurance lady I talked to was that we have a multiple car discount and we get our house insurance threw them so we get insane discounts. Bear in mind that all of that took place a few months after I got my license, in March I will have had my license for a year and then my insurance will go down more. So basically I will still be paying $100 a month like I do now (my parents foot the rest of the bill and I will only have to pay the insurance difference with whatever car I get). Also, I talked to my dad last night and he gave me the go ahead on the vette once I get the $2000 downpayment and my grades are where he feels are acceptable. Also, I talked with my parents a while back before I looked at the mustang and they told me once I got a car and they got rid of the neon, they would give me around $20 a week for gas since they wouldnt be providing the gas. Now that all these things are falling into place a C5 is looking more and more realistic to me.

 

This is all the transportation my parents were willing to help me with at 17. Seemed cruel at the time. Years later, I am way better off for having to obtain it on my own. Forces you to make a smart decision and not just the fun decision.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...ductId=2401183


Good luck in whatever route you go.

(Sorry, my parents didn't teach me how to post the image).

 

lol, my parents know better than to let me get my hands on a scooter. The last time I rode one of those I almost killed myself trying to do a 360 off a curb and I ended up laying on the ground laughing while my mom was flipping out.

 

I think you should save till your 18 and get an Enzo Ferrari or a Lamborgini. If your going to do it, lets do it right! LOL Get yellow on either models so it really stands out at high school. Good luck with whatever choice you make.

 

haha, yeah, I think Ferraris and Lamborghinis are a little out of my reach at the moment but I was actually thinking about renting one for my senior prom next year.

 

wait til after college. You want a high-performance car at 17? Find yourself a 1994-1998 LS1 Fbody. Lt1 or Ls1, trust it won't matter because it'll get you used to it. Plus, you can find some 100,000+ mile ones for a good price that you can really afford. Forget the C5 for now. I make a hell of a lot more than you and its still a very expensive car to own, payment/insurance wise. I'm 24, have my degree and my "real" job btw. I had a 1994 Formula Firebird that I bought for $7500 when I was your age. It was awesome and I'm glad I started with that. I learned how to work on cars and respect power in that thing. Unless they're going to flat out buy you the C5, I don't think there will be one in your drive way anytime soon unless you invent the next facebook or something insane like that. Stepping stones my friend..stepping stones.

I love my vette, but my 03 Altima I had before was paid off and if I still had it I'd be able to be STRAIGHT BALLA' every weekend blowing $ on extravagance and long outtings. Now I have to cut back to only splurging 1 night per week and minding my P's and Q's the rest.