^Exactly. IMO, not matter how "mature" a kid is at 16, they are still much more prone to make bad decisions upon a little coercion or just giving into their own curiosity. Problem is they usually don't have the experience or wherewithal to deal with a hairy situation like someone who has driven cars for 20 or 30 years.
Trust is to be earned not handed out, and sure isn't something that I assume about.

Unless you grew up as a mini Lewis Hamilton / raced before you were toilet trained it seems like a bad idea to me.

I know when I have kids they are getting 100hp Civics until they prove their driving ability and then it will be about respect, not just awe of fast cars. Then you have a kid who not only loves cars as much as you do, but will take care of one like you would.

I know from my own life, I made some pretty poor decision in a Honda Accord when I was 16, a 997 is just a hand grenade instead of a fire*******...
Hell I'm still nervous about getting into a car with more than 400hp not because I cant control it but rather I know a mistake in it is much more grave than a car that couldn't break the tires loose on an ice rink.

 

Anyone see this ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZT5mQLy5C4

 

You know the funny thing is that i own that exact same car but in silver and i tought my son how to drive a stick in that. But i never et him drive it by himself.

 

that video really has no relevance. That kid was about 10 years old and had obviously no understanding of a manual transmission car being in gera

 

my boys are only five, so I dont have to worry about this for awhile.....I have to admit, it would not have been a good idea to let me drive a TT (unsupervised) when I was a teenager.

 

I was just thinking back to when I was 16 (it's been awhile) and what were the two things foremost on my mind. Based on that fond memory, this would be my plan. If there is a 16 year old boy living within 1000 yards of your house, lock up your TT and lock up your daughters!

 

I don't know about this whole 'I trust my 16 yr old' thing.

When I was 16, I was valedictorian of my high school, had perfect manners, did trackdays every other week, the whole 9 yards. My dad taught me everything he knew about driving responsibly, which was a lot. Then I totaled his car (993tt) anyway. Reasons? I was overconfident in my driving ability, took a risk I shouldn't have, and just had plain bad luck.

I was the perfect example of the kid you could trust. IT DIDN'T MATTER. I still didn't know any better. And I'd submit to you all that, until you were confronted with your own mortality for the first time, you didn't know any better either.

It doesn't matter how often you take your son to the track. At best, it will give him really good experience and judgment. At worst, track time will give him a false sense of ability, like in my case. But even if he comes away with the best possible judgment, it takes just 1 pile of sand in the middle of 1 corner to throw all that out the window. If you've been driving cars long enough, the time will come when something like that happens. And regardless of skill, experience, or whatever else, you will crash. Do you really want to take that chance with your son in your 500+HP car?

Why take the risk? Why not teach your sons about not driving on the street at 100% (or even 70%) in something where they're a lot less likely to die if they mess up? Once they know that, THEN let them drive a sports car.

My crash was pretty bad, but I think the same thing would have eventually happened in my 160HP FWD daily driver. But it would have happened at a lower speed, and the insurance company wouldn't have dropped us because of it...(there's nothing like being 80K in debt at 16!)

-a kid who has been there, done that, and was fortunate enough to be able to learn the lesson and move on

 

Reality is, just as many grown men loop fast cars around a pool as 16 year olds........

 

i say its your car, you know your kid, you can let him drive it, my suggestion would be to go with him and do some "bonding"

 

The moment that parent hands him the keys to any car he not only turns over his car but involves himself in the decision process of his kid getting behind the wheel . If the kid has fun --terrific . But if not that parent has to live with the idea that he handed the key to the high performance vehicle which may have been a bit over the top .

This thread gives testimonials by those who lived to enjoy it . The parents of kids lost in tragedy have not posted on this thread . The testimonials of their kids have been silenced forever .

How many teens do you think died in car accidents with dad's car ? A few thousand ? A few million?

What type of testimonial do you think they would give? That's why all this excitement about driving dad's car makes no sense --because the testimonials of those teens who perished in dad's high end fast car have been silenced forever.

 

I have been in ONE accident in my 10 years as a driver, it was when I was young.

At 16, my "calm down you f-ing idiot" wreck ended with me upside down and busted into the windshield of my sister's land rover... I was clipped by someone who did not stop at a stop sign. I was going WAY too fast, rolled over a parked convertible.. 4 wrecked cars, 3 totaled.. Thank god no one was hurt.

By the way, I drove like a perfect angel with my parents in the car. Unless your son does not have the natural adolescent desire for a thrill, he will most probably drive like the rest of us did. Do you remember when you were 16? Your story may be different than mine.

If you have the cash, get the kid a heavy, slow, and safe car while he gets over the learning curve, and make him pay for any repairs it needs. When he can afford his own porsche, he can most probably handle and truly appreciate it too.

 

I recently decided to teach both my kids (18 year old twins) how to drive a stick. Since the only manual in the house is the turbo, that is their classroom. At first I thought..."no way!" but I've changed my mind. I don't think that either one will get to drive it solo, however, any time soon. Like the next 5-6 years.

I'd like to get my son involved with DE, but I doubt my daughter will have much interest. We'll see.

 

As a younger lad who owned a some what higher powered car (relatively speaking) and ended up very nearly killing himself with it as a result of some bad decisions, I can probably say that letting your child drive your 997TT is probably not the best idea.

It seems that it is very common in Youth to not have a full understanding of the gravity of your decisions and the effects of the consequences associated with them. When I was growing up I heard the lectures about "SPEED KILLS" and all of that, but I constantly decided not to listen to it. I told myself it didn't apply to me, that those kinds of things only happen to some other guy, but never to ol' Dirty-D. I really didn't have any experience with my own mortality or in general, the frailty of life. Looking back, i didn't really have a very strong understanding of the gravity of my decisions, and how real the consequences could be. I hadn't been living "in the real world" yet.

In the years since my collision (happened just after I turned 18, i'm turning 21 in a few days now) i've done a lot of volunteering with the Calgary Health Region...sort of my way of giving back to the organization that saved my life after I had made a number of decisions that had seriously put my life at risk. Drawing from this volunteer experience and looking back at my own life experiences with hard earned wisdom, it seems like a large majority of youth suffer from this type of complex...More or less summed up as a feeling of invincibility. Hell, I felt like I was on the top of the world and nothing was going to happen to me, regardless of what I did. Again, this seems as much a part of youth as learning to ride a bicycle. Most youth as they grow older and mature just grow out of that attitude, but not all of them ever get the chance for that.

If he finds himself in a potentially dangerous situation, even if it's not by his own fault, his lack of driving experience (compared to someone of your age) leave him in a very dangerous position.

If I were in your position, i would seriously think twice before handing your son the keys the next time.

 

ultimately, I think it's a case by case basis. I know how I drove when I was 16, I knew what the difference between getting behind the wheel of a high HP car and driving my honda was etc. I respect what I drove, and I got to drive some cool stuff as a kid. I also think there are many out there like me, and that we aren't really in a minority.


What about all the ADULTS that have been killed not respecting a High HP car, or hell....all the people that have respected them and still have lost their lives (how many do you think? A few thousand? A few million?). You live once, many things out there can end your life......you live life once.....respect it in ANYTHING you do.

 

Big difference . The teen is not only in many ways considered a minor but also happens to be the child of the parent who hands him the key .

The parent has to live with the risk choice he could hedged by saying no .
The kid does not get that choice in the most tragic example.