Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that it's ridiculous, to buy a 17 year old a brand new car?

311 replies

ILiveAtTheBeach · 23/11/2015 16:29

That's exactly what my DD's best friends parents have done. A brand spanking new car, for her 17th birthday. A 65 plate. She can't even drive yet (obvs). She is still at school, so I guess when she does pass, that all costs associated with the car (fuel/insurance/road tax) will be paid for by the parents??!!

Thank goodness, my DD also thinks it's crazy. But I'm sure some parents in the friendship group, will now feel slightly pressured to buy their kids a car.

I mean, I could maybe understand getting your kids a car for say £1-2k, but I think even that would be extremely generous.

I had to buy my own first car and pay for all costs that went with that. It was old and cheap. And I was working FT.

They are not particularly well off (if their house is anything to go buy).

OP posts:
Spidertracker · 23/11/2015 17:41

My Dad bought me a brand new car every year from 17 to 22, I kept the one he bought me at 22 for 10 years and have just replaced it with a brand new car, first one I have bought myself.
He paid for insurance and fuel for the first one, insurance for the second. I was married at 18 but he still swapped my car each year until I had my first child. He has done the same for both my brothers.

Headofthehive55 · 23/11/2015 17:42

To learn to drive is a fantastic life skill, and one that you generally need to hit the ground running when competing for jobs etc.

Not every car in the family can be insured for a learner driver, it was certainly cheaper for us to provide a car for our DD and quite frankly, I don't want her to Borrow mine as I am busy using it!

Waiting for them to save up and buy one is fine, but my DD would miss out on opportunities for example representing her uni in competitions.

Sansoora · 23/11/2015 17:42

We did this for all of our children and each of them have gone on to have a second brand new car bought for them also just because we could. The first cars were usually a Mercedes E class, or a 4x4 of some sort because of where we live. And the second ones were usually a repeat of the first lot but better models.

They're our children to give what we want to, they deserve all of it, and if that pisses the OP off then all the better.

OurBlanche · 23/11/2015 17:43

and if that pisses the OP off then all the better. OMG!

Headofthehive55 · 23/11/2015 17:44

She has given us some money towards it...

stealthsquiggle · 23/11/2015 17:45

Ignoring the bunfight, I can see how this could make sense.

If the parents have company cars, for example, their DD would not be insured to drive their cars, so would need a car of her own before she passed her test.

I can completely understand that you would want your teenager in as safe a car as you could possibly afford, which means something reasonably new. With low cost finance deals and bundled insurance, a new car could well work out cheaper to own and run than a second hand car with decent safety features.

Depending where they live, her being able to drive might mean significant savings in other transports costs and/or parents' time. One of my friends got a car at 17 on condition that she took on her share of ferrying younger siblings around, which made a huge difference to family logistics.

So, whilst it might not be your priority, it could well make perfect sense for them.

32ndfloorandabitdizzy · 23/11/2015 17:46

I bought my daughters on 10% cash deposit. 36 months interest free and then a final lump sum of about 45% paid in cash. So both cash and credit but interest free credit.

My daughter paid some of the lump sum as she had acquired a small amount of money when she was 18 (known about in advance and given for a car). I pay the tax, insurance and servicing as she is at Uni.

Its great. When she is at home we have a driver.

SirChenjin · 23/11/2015 17:47

Oh dear - only a Merc E class? How embarrassing for them.

Canyouforgiveher · 23/11/2015 17:47

My son's grandparents wanted to do exactly this for him when he turned 18/passed his test. Eventually they gave him the money for it. He has invested the money for the time being because he can't have a car in the university he is going to.

They had the money, they wanted him to have a good safe car, their choice. I can think of far worse things to spend money on than a safe car that costs less in insurance than a banger. If they didn't do it, we would have bought a reasonably good (we don't buy new cars - even for ourselves) car for him and subsequent children to use.

Original poster
ILiveAtTheBeach · 23/11/2015 17:48

Gloria That was obviously a typo. Sansoora Did I ever say I was pissed off? Nope! Not once have I said that. Good for you for buying all of your children brand new Mercs and 4x4's. you're not showing off at all

damnbamboo You are very uptight. Maybe try Wine

OP posts:
ALemonyPea · 23/11/2015 17:49

Suck it up Princess? When did we merge with Nethuns?

Op, I can't see the problem, if they can afford it. The only thing I find odd is that they've bought it before she has passed. Are they taking her out in it?

Personally, I'd love to be able to afford something like that for one of my DC when they pass their driving test. I'd rather they drive something that will not breakdown or have problems the first few years they're driving. I'd hate for them to break down in the middle of nowhere.

DHs first car was an N reg Ford Fiesta that he bought himself for £500 back in 2003. The steering wheel came off in his hands as he was going down a slip road onto a dual carriageway. I wouldn't want the same happening to my child.

32ndfloorandabitdizzy · 23/11/2015 17:49

My DH and I have no interest in car maintenance. We get rid of our own cars when they start to age. I have no interest in the trials and tribulations of managing a banger that may need constant work etc

DamnBamboo · 23/11/2015 17:49

Oh and DamnBamboo, please, for the love of god, stop typing myself when you mean me

Oh dear, yes I've done that twice! I feel so judged and ashamed Hmm because this is so relevant to the OP

Myself is a reflexive or stressed pronoun, which means that, generally speaking, it should be used in conjunction with the subject pronoun I, not instead of the object pronoun me.

So given that it has been used in a sentence (two to be precise) in which I am referring to my own actions/thoughs - are you sure myself is not correct? Not a grammar pedant so I can't be sure myself (see what I did there)

CandyCaneCottage · 23/11/2015 17:50

i got a new car for my 18th, before i passed my test, granted i paid the majority of it, looking at the house you wouldn't think we would have money, but not everyone needs to buy a big house

SoundFury · 23/11/2015 17:51

I was JUST saying to dp in the car that if we happen to be very well off when we have children, I would buy them a brand new car, for the safety aspect. I've always bought my own cars but I'm sure some of them were positively dangerous. I also grew up in a very rural area so most people found a way to learn to drive asap as people basically lived in random houses dotted around the countryside with no public transport etc.

I would buy them something 'sensible' i.e little hatchback, but it would be brand new (or very close to).

DamnBamboo · 23/11/2015 17:53

What the heck is nethuns?

I fail to see how my drinking wine will change your outlook OP. Perhaps you should have a bottle. Or not! Save the money for other, more worthy things.

whois · 23/11/2015 17:54

Some people at my school were given brand new cars for their 17th. Some were given 2nd hand cars. Some were allowed access to their parents car. Some bought their own car from working or savings. Some couldn't afford to have anything to do with driving.

Why does it matter what some people do? Loads of parents would rather their 17 year old was driving around in a new car with all the new safety features than a potentially dodgy 2nd hand banger 'for 1 or 2 k' which really doesn't buy you a lot of car.

Original poster
ILiveAtTheBeach · 23/11/2015 17:54

And rather than Wine damnbamboo gets more and more uptight. I've seen it all now!

OP posts:
SirChenjin · 23/11/2015 17:55

Myself is a reflexive or stressed pronoun, which means that, generally speaking, it should be used in conjunction with the subject pronoun I, not instead of the object pronoun me

Source: www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/blog/english-mistakes/me-vs-myself/ (in case anyone is wondering)

Grin
Headofthehive55 · 23/11/2015 17:56

stealth exactly. My DD is able to transport her siblings about when she looks after them, a bit like an au pair really...makes a big difference to our family.

She also does quite a bit of long distance stuff. I really don't want to think of her breaking down far away. She takes herself to and from uni, excellent for us!

Sansoora · 23/11/2015 17:57

Sansoora Did I ever say I was pissed off?

No, you didn't.

Your envy (and resentment) of your DD's friend and her family shines through and you couldn't be more scathing of them if you tried.

So I said, 'I hoped it pissed you off' that others have also done the same as the family you mentioned and that what you think is crazy is actually a common practice.

WoodHeaven · 23/11/2015 17:58

Some 18yo have everything handed over to them on a plate. And yes it DOES put a lot of pressure on other parents to do the same, esp when said brand new car is a Mini....
Some will look after it well and some won't. That is very clear too (even though I suspect the % of yound adults who will not be that careful is much higher than the ones who are).

If it was me, I wouldn't buy a new car because .... I would never buy a new one for myself! A new car is loosing so much value in its first year that it really doesn't make sense at all.

DamnBamboo · 23/11/2015 17:59

See the thing is, I'm actually not uptight at all.

That's the beauty of an anonymous forum. There is really nothing to be uptight about.

I fail to see how you think I am getting more uptight, because I don't respond to a comment about wine. Bizarre.

Sir of course I've cut and pasted it! I didn't know what the poster who mentioned it was talking about, I had to look it up! What of it?

DawnOfTheDoggers · 23/11/2015 17:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

timelytess · 23/11/2015 18:01

OP, if they can buy a new car for their daughter, that's nice. Its not wrong in any way. So, gently, get over it.

Swipe left for the next trending thread