hey guys i was just wondering if you allow your kids to drive you 997 turbo. I have a 16 year old son that covinced me to buy the car in the first place and hes the only one that ever drives the car. Sometimes i let him take it out by himself but i know that he wont go and crash or screw around with it because i personally think he loves the car more than i do.

 

He's 16... We were all there and no matter how responsible he is with you next to him, he is at an age where we all tested the limits. Unless he has been racing since a young age, it is a lot of car for someone with very little driving experience.

I am not saying he is incapable of handling the car, just that I would have been in trouble if I was allowed to drive one at 16 without adult supervision.

 

My friend's father lets his son borrow the 911 997 TT Cab all the time. He is 17.

 

that is very true. I have taken him to track events and race days and ive seen him on a track at high speeds and he does very well. But trust me if he ever came home one day with a speeding ticket i would kill hm.

 

I learned to drive in my dad's 1967 twin-carb Lotus Elan and it wasn't long before I was driving his 930... hardly new cars at the time, but rwd cars with many fewer safeguards / electronic nannies than a modern TT (enough so that my dad would fret if it started raining while I was out with friends)... you're the best judge, but I'd personally have no problem with my son (or daughter) driving my p-cars. Then again, I had a 993 in high school and a DB7 Vantage during my "college years" so I guess I'm biased in favor of letting your son drive...

 

Im 25 so I still qualify myself as a kid in some regards and after my M3 and M5 the 997TT is definitely a whole different animal.

Personally, I wouldn't let my kids, if I had them, drive it, because the car is way too fast for public roads. I also know how reckless I was when I was younger, I only calmed down in the last half year.

I think its much better to take him to the track and have him run it there. He'll get a finer understanding of the car, have experienced instructors help to not develop bad habits, improve his driving, and for me, it also made street racing totally pointless. I'm not going to pretend like I didn't do it, because I did, and I'm sure a large portion of forum members have as well, but I've noticed that tracking the car has really had the biggest affect on my public road driving.

Long story short, lol, keep taking him to the track, but dont forget that a kid is still a kid, and then its all about personality, if he has a temperment that makes him likely to be a bit on the edge, then he's definitely speeding and doing something reckless when you arent around. And even if hes the most responsible kid in the world, at 16-17 you arent old enough to know better. The first time he wrecks a truly expensive car, purely because he was being reckless, he may learn his lesson, till that point I think its inevitable at that age.

 

Quite good advice there, track time definitely helps. I'm not that much older than raiyu, but developing good habits is key, as is building confidence that you *can* drive anything. Timid drivers are, imho, the most dangerous. I did crash a car at that age, but it was a friend's older Subaru station wagon into a snowbank after a right front suspension failure (had rusted through the uprights!)... but still I felt very guilty that I was the one driving and crashed someone else's car and now am still timid about taking people up on offers to drive their cars, even though it wasn't my fault. Anyway, that's off topic...

 

[/QUOTE]i was just wondering if you allow your kids to drive you 997 turbo.[/QUOTE]

I don't have kids . I prefer that no one drives my car . Most people who know me don't ask .

 

Hey-
I'm the same age as your son (16), and got my driver's license in August of 2007. My father recently bought himself a 2006 Carrera S... largely due to my persistence (like your son, it sounds like). I've never had an accident or a ticket, and am very cautious. I'll throw out my perspective...

I've only ever driven the car alone once, and that was after dropping my father off at a party (alcohol and Porsches don't mix... heh). He allowed me to take it out on a short joy ride. What a blast!
However, I have not driven the car without an adult in the car since, though I have been offered the opportunity.
For one, I feel bad about driving my father's car... it's his, and he paid for it with the money he's earned from working very hard. Also, I have a problem with driving such an expensive car and having other people see me- many of whom probably lust for such an expensive car, and work much harder than I do (in school). Simply put, I feel like I have not earned the privilege to drive this car alone.
I have no qualms whatsoever about driving the Porsche safely, as I trust the electronic nannies will grab hold of me if I do something stupid. Also, I would never do anything stupid because I don't want a ticket, and I would hate to damage the car (I could live with breaking a limb if it meant protecting the car... haha). I care more about the car than my father, and am very careful with it.
Hope that helps!
PS- In my previous posts, I made no mention of my age, as I had hoped my father would get interested in this website and start using this account.

 

I prefer that no one drives my cars .
+1...

 

^^+2^^

 

A lot of people here say that they would prefer that no one drives their cars, personally I get absolute enjoyment out of seeing family and friends enjoy my cars, as for your son at such a young age, I would allow him the opportunity to enjoy your car provided he is mature and responsible, it is up to your judgement at the end of the day.

 

I personally feel that this this car was meant to be enjoyed!!!
I would share the feeling with the people that I love, my children and my wife. I have no reservations letting a responsible 16 year old drive this car (within limits). Short drives, no drives to movies or out to malls, and mostly with me in the car.
Think about it... this 16 year old (a child you cherish) has the opportunity to drive a dream car!!! He/She would experience this car with a thousands times more enjoyment than their "older" parent.
Sounds like your 16 year old can be trusted.

 

my exact sentiments. I share this enjoyment with my family. I don't have a problem letting 'close' family take a test drive in my car.
It's part of the enjoyment of the car.

 

Heard a lot of stories like this where kids took out the 997TT and got themselves and friends killed.

It is far too much car for a kid.

I would personally not take a chance.