Buying teens new cars

[Lippitymoo]

I’ve been with my partner for 3 years. He has twin 16 year olds (mum isn’t around at all she upped and left them all). Ae don’t live together but are very serious, just won’t live in while our children are at home (I have a 15 year old).
His kids birthdays are in a few months. He’s told me he is planning to buy them both a brand new Hyundai i10. He says he just wants to get new as he hopes it will last them until they are financially independent and beyond that way. He also said he wants to be able to get the bigger engine for the sake of motorways and get them an automatic, so getting new will save the faff of finding something situ the requirements that they both like.
AIBU to think this is totally ridiculous?

Why?

I imagine a lot of people are like me - terrified that they will get lifts of other teenagers who take unnecessary risks and cause accidents.

At least with their own car they are not at the mercy of another idiot's driving.

Helping them to get a car - not ridiculous. But a brand new car for a new driver who is likely to at some point scrape it, have accidents even if minor to me is. I would assume insurance likely to be a lot as well. Better maybe looking for something still reliable etc. but second hand which will a lot cheaper and make sure low insurance.

He must be well off if he can afford 2 new cars and the insurance. I think I'd be worried about them dinging the cars and then depreciating in value or the costs of repair.

I got bought a car (not brand new) when I passed my test but I shared it with my brother. We lived rurally and my parents wanted us to be independent and also they were sick of driving us around.

Same, DD can drive next year when she is 17 (in Ireland) and she is saving to buy a car. She doesnt know that we will buy one for her. Both DH have always agreed that she will have her own car so she is in control and not being driven around by some kid showing off.
It wont be a new one though but likely 4/5 years old.

Ds couldn't learn to drive at 17 due to lockdown. His sixth form does not have any parking for students at all. He is at university and there is nowhere to park either on campus or where he lives and his terms add up to 30 weeks. Therefore the cars could be sat with no one driving them for the best part of a year. In theory buying them a new car, great, but he needs to think ahead, plus the wait time to actually get a test is ridiculous. DVSA recommends 45 hours of driving under instruction plus 22 hours I think of private practise. Lessons are usually 2 hour ones. Ds applied for a test in the July, the earliest test date was January. He managed to get a cancellation for September and passed.

I had a Hyundai, brilliant car, reliable etc. I did however buy a brand new car with all the safety features on it like collision control, blind spot mirrors, rear reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors mainly because I wanted to give Ds and his brother when he passes the safest car possible to borrow. Insurance is eyebrow raising, Ds is a named driver on my car and is £1k increase on what it was with just myself and Dh on the insurance. But I don't work so my car is just S&D, no commute.

It would not be me doing it that’s for sure! Nobody bought me a car, I worked and saved for it. Unless he’s going to buy them everything throughout their whole lives then he’d do them a bigger favour teaching them to pay their own way.

This. Plus if you’ve worked and saved for something you want, you value it that much more.

Depends where you live.
My teenagers don't 'need' a car, in that they won't die if they don't get one. Having one makes life a hell of a lot easier for us all though.

I live rurally. My kids wouldn't be able to get to a part time job to start saving money without having a car to get there.

It’s very normal to pay for lessons, the test and buy cars when children learn to drive (well it is with us and our friends). Also normal to pay for insurance and road tax, I don’t think it’s ridiculous at all. I also don’t agree with statements like this if you’ve worked and saved for something you want, you value it that much more. If you raise your children to know how fortunate they are any large value item is cherished.

We’re the same.

Bonkers. Is he buying them outright in cash or is he getting them on lease? If on lease, they'll have to hand them back after the 3 years, so he's not "giving" them anything except the loan of a depreciating asset!

We "gave" our son a 10 year old car that was basically worthless. He's had it 5 years and it's still going strong. I don't understand why people keep saying that you need a brand new car for reliability. DS has never broken down in it and it's never let him down either. It's always been serviced and DS is now looking after it properly, checking water/oil, checking tyres, etc., on top of an annual service with the MOT.

In around 40 years of driving, most of those have been in "old" cars and I've only ever called out the RAC once.

Rather than spend £40k, he'd be better buying a couple of older cars at around £5k each which will be more than adequate for them to learn and use for a few years until they enter the workplace and decide what THEY want.

It's normal around here. There is no public transportation, it is all spread out, and teens can get themselves to school and activities. Used cars break down.

I was given my first new car at 15, even before I had a license. I don't think my dad knew how old I was and I didn't confess it - just drove illegally until 16, but really no one cared.

We bought dd an almost new Hyundai i10. It's a cracking little car but we found it more economical to buy an almost new one (think it had been a demo car).

We bought it for her 18th birthday. She was having lessons and passed her test a few months later.

Nice thing to do imo. Safe, comfortable, appropriate engine size and economical. In fact I’m planning on doing the same. No partner here to offer an opinion thankfully.

@Fruitflylady

Teenagers don’t ‘need’ their own cars.

That depends on where they live, study and work, doesn't it?

Around here, in a small town in rural area, the public transport is crap during the working day and none existent evenings and barely useable at weekends.

Son had to leave the house at 7:15 to get to school just a few miles away by 9am. He couldn't wait to get a car and pass his test to actually have a bit of luxury for the back end of his sixth form days and to avoid the crap public transport.

IF you live in a big city with good public transport, then, no, teenagers probably don't "need" their own cars. But in rural and semi rural areas, it's a completely different story, i.e. when the bus route is only ever 2 years and frequently cancelled - you can set off from home first thing and still not get to school/work by lunchtime!!

I think if he can afford to buy them outright, why not. Will they want a little Hyundai though? They aren’t popular with teens where I live.

Does he generally shower gifts on them? To make up for their mum not being around, maybe?

I'm in my 40s and have never had a new car, can't imagine ever having one either.

I'd imagine having a first car that you worked for and saved up for is a sweeter thing than one your dad chose and bought for you.

@Grendell

Used cars break down.

Not if they've been regularly serviced, looked after, driven sensibly, etc.

We're currently running a 16 year old and a 9 year old car, both bought new, and neither have ever broken down.

A previous car I had when I was commuting huge distances hit 190,000 miles before it finally died - that had never broken down either.

Even my first banger back in the 80s, bought for around £200 never broke down on me.

As for things like punctures etc that often need a recovery call out, they can happen to brand new cars too!

Statistics show that most cars last 12-15 years today on average! That means statistically, plenty will last 20 years to offset the much younger ones that are written off in accidents or are run into the ground by ultra high mileage drivers.

When I researched them they were the most cost effective in terms of what you got for your money, safety features etc. Dd absolutely loves hers and she wouldn;t have been able to do half the stuff for study and work without it.

He must be very wealthy to be able to afford to buy 2 brand new cars without financing them. If he financing two new cars for 17 year olds then he’s a complete fool. I’d have no respect for someone who would be so financially stupid.

I can see his problem with twins, tbh. If he buys them second hand ones, hard to get two that are exactly the same. One child may feel hard done by.

We bought our eldest a brand new car. It’s not really that unusual. If he can afford it why not?

The main thing is that it’s absolutely none of our business and your involving yourself suggests something else is the real issue. Perhaps because you can’t do this for your own child? Perhaps you don’t like his children?

His money, his children. Sounds like they’ve had a hard time. Don’t begrudge them something special.

I’m not doubting they need cars, they absolutely do. They live pretty rural, both have part time jobs etc.
His daughter does a sport which involves competing once a week/fortnight in various places, plus training before school 6.30-7.30, 2 days a week, 20 minute drive there, then 20 minute drive back for school. Currently he has to take her to these which is really inconvenient no doubt.
It is more the brand new thing?
His kids seem happy with the Hyundai, corsas and fiats were offered but the said they were an “ick”.
I plan to get my DC something second hand that can be banged up a bit, so it seems extravagant.