I purchased my first Porsche 911 SC Cab at age 17 (Well my parents did in 1982) and then I traded in the following year for more HP and a different color interior. In 1986 at 21, I purchase my first 928 S. I drove pretty responsible but mostly the people that knew me realized that my parents had worked hard and purchased the first 2 cars for me.

I worked all of my young life earning money by throwing papers, working at the local grocery store, cutting lawns, washing cars and anythings else I could do. My parents insisted that I get jobs not affliated with them until I was older. I began working when I was 13.

I got looks and comments from others who felt I was Muucchhh to young for the cars I was driving but I had to learn to pick and choose when and where I drove the cars. As it turns out now, things haven't really changed that much even today. Some people just dont understand how or why I drive the cars I do. I used to dress like I was out of GQ thinking that would help them accept it but it was the same. Now I just wear old jeans sometimes and dont care. During the week, I drive my honda to work and drive my other cars later in the day or weekends. I tend to put a lot of miles on my Honda so it really serves a purpose.

I am 44 now and I still have the same issue I did when I was younger and most people know that I can easily afford it. Dont let it bother you too much but be careful where you park. There are a lot of jealous people out there.

Enjoy and be safe!

 

So when your young you are not supposed to own a porsche. When you are in your late 30's (like I am) or early 40's and buy a Porsche you get the cliched "there you go mid-life crisis huh" remark. So when is it socially acceptable to own a Porsche. When you are in a wheel chair or a walker in your 70's or 80's?

 

Well, lets see... I am 36 and bought my first 997 at 35. I dreamed my whole life about a Porsche one day, and after 4 years of college, 4 years of med school, 1 year internship, 5 years residency and fellowship; and finally two years of practice I went out and bought the car of my dreams. Now, could I afford it earlier in life? Definitely YES while I was moonlighting. Did I choose to by one, no. It all comes down to choices. Early in life or later, who really cares? Not me. Lets just meet up on the weekend at Coffee shops and DE's at the track and have fun and develop friendships, because when it is all said and done that is what really matters. Rock on young guys. Have fun with a great machine and be safe.

 

Yeah...I think we are agreeing. (Expensive doesn't equate to fast.)

I bet boys driving used WRX's and EVO's are more dangerous than anyone in a Boxster. After watching the Fast&Furious...don't kids buy them so they can do meth then go drifting? (It would be neat to see an actuary's breakdown on accident% vs age broken down by model type.)

 

I'm over 50 and only recently indulged in a few sports cars. I've had many good years in high-tech, but my kids drive hand-me-downs (89 Saab, 95 VW), and a well worn and used 95 Subaru. I still feel uncomfortable in front of the kids, whether it sends the proper message about frugality and practicality. Not with the cars they drive, but the cars I drive. And the few times I've discussed buying new cars for them, they wouldn't hear of it.
There is no right or wrong here. It's all about values, and I'm very proud of how they turned out.

 

Would you give back a lottery winning citing that you didn't "earn" it ? Curious.

 

i was formally one of the "spoiled teens" that some talk about. over my life I have had 2 350z's and now a S2000. while my parents did pay for the car, I was required to pay for taxes, insurance, and mods. well my first Z a 2005, bought used, was totaled. I was 16 had the car for a month and got into a wreck. wrecked it on a back-road being stupid with my friends, under-steered into a tree. I wasn't going to get into another one but my dad had recently been incarcerated (but wasn't in for long, and charges dropped), and my mom was working and could not take me or my brother to school, and me to work. we found a great deal at the time (before prices bottomed out) and we picked it up.

I had that car for about 1.5 years. I was working the whole time still in high-school to pay for insurance and taxes and the extra money I made I put into the car for mods (about 8k worth) all paid by me. I had a very good job that I kept for a while. I was working as a scuba instructor. I got into a wreck there by sliding off the road when raining. (combination of bald tires, wet roads, and debris on the road courtesy of the storm). now im not saying it was not my fault. It completely was, but with me trying to avoid the crap in the road I lost control and slid into a tree. damage wasn't too bad but insurance totaled it. Police came out and deemed it not my fault, and I was not speeding. Well all in all I lost all the money I put into the car because Insurance would not let me take any of the aftermarket parts off. I even went to the tow yard and tried to sneak and take some of the parts off. needless to say that did not work.

well after getting hauled around by my parents for a while they got very tired of hauling me around and gave me a price of 15k to find another car. I had to get something reliable becaues I am doing a lot of driving living 100 miles away. I picked out a s2000. With me still working I still had to pay the insurance (which is crazy high now, but understandably), taxes, and mods. I still have the s2000 and dont drive like I used to. I put about 5-6k in the s2000 now and haven't looked back. I was told If I got into a wreck being it my fault, I was not getting another car. needless to say about 3 months after having the S2000 I got hit by a 18 wheeler on the interstate. Car was down for 3 months but is in perfect condition again. got the whole car respraid courtesy of their insurance. but damage was not too bad surprisingly.

The only reason I even got a sports car was because my dad is a gear head as much as me. He used to race but got out of that some time ago. and the other circumstances.

Now Things I have learned are a lot of things. I used to street race a lot, since going to college I don't race much anymore. Maby the occasional highway run but I don't do it every weekend. I dont do stupid crap while on the road any more. I have grown up a lot. Now I am in college and paying my way, not car payment but still paying everything else. I am saving for a bike and hopefully a 996 turbo so my brother can have the S2000 when hes 16.

I know I am going to get a lot of crap from my car history. But it has happened and I cant change nothing. I wish i could go back but I cant. stuff happens and Hopefully it will never happen again. like I said I have grown up a lot since then, and now I enjoy my car. I hardly ever even speed. lol.

 

I'm sure there are some successful 22yrs olds making a 6 or 7 figures...but most young owners get these cars with some help. A kid that has a silverspoon in one hand and 911 keys in the other, is (usually) fooling himself if he thinks he earned it on his own.

I am NOT young.....however, I used to be a young targa owner. I remember the experience well. I still remember my first drive home, explaining what I bought to my parents, the constant harassing by cops and neighbors, etc. People couldn't comprehend that I could possibly own such a thing. It kind of peeved me. I was like...I earned it. What's the big deal? I learned real quickly the default assumption of others that it was a gift from Mommy and Daddy.

So here's the twist...Although I techincally paid for it myself in cash at a transaction level ... I soon realized all those people were partially right. My parents indeed paid for all the other stuff that positioned me to buy a sports car that early in life (4-yrs tuition, first/last/security on my first apartment, plane tickets home, ski vacations, tax free gifts, etc.) I'm not knocking the fact that one must work really hard to incrementally earn (after tax) $25K, $50K, $100K, or $200K to spend on a toy..but the "I earned it" thing for a 20yr old tickles me just about every time.

 

Well, looks like I am fitting in the brackets. I just turned 22, have a 06 350Z, and am in the USAF so I work pretty hard for my ****. I've been through almost 30 cars, and have alot of track experience. No one in my family is a huge car nut so I learned what I know by driving.
Most of these younger gents are speed demons. Just craving to hit that claimed top speed without realising the consequences. There are mature drivers my age but far and few between.

 

I'm depressed reading all these threads with people in their mid 30's saying they are not young!

 

I am young, getting a porsche 997 tommorow actually.

My question to you guys is....
Is it wrong for a family making 5 figures to struggle financially to buy their child a car?
Wouldnt it make more sense of a family making 6 or 7 figures to buy there child a nice car which would not even make a dent in the wallet?

Imagine your garage is filled with ferraris, lambos, etc.

Is it even fair to get your child a corolla?

Everything is relative in life.

Yes, now some of you may say it is not about the price, it is about the A) Status B)Safety

To address matter A, if you raise your child correctly they will be subtle. Unless the kid likes the show off and be in your face about everything, they should be fine. Another aspect is attracting the wrong attention(drug dealers, wrong group of friends), once again if this is based upon how you raised your kid.

As for Safety, by no means is a fast car safe for any age group.
I have seen old men who drive like fast&furious morons
I have also seen plenty of young guys driving recklessly like idiots.

The funny thing about this is that they didnt need to be in a nice car to drive recklessly.

A child can just as easily kill themself in a corolla as they can in a bmw.

If you have trust issues with your kid, then dont get them a fast car.

Do not assume every young guy in a nice car is a death waiting to happen.


*i know this is contradicting what i just said to some degree, but honestly dont buy your kid a fast car. If you must, then get them a decently fast car and upgrade on speed as time goes. never just hand a kid who was driving a corolla a porsche all of a sudden.

You may say I am a hypocrite, because I am getting a very fast car tommorow, but i have been threw the stage in which most people do not go thru until much later in life.

Sorry if this was poorly written, very tired.

 

I don't have children and I do not want to have any. The day I woild buy a Porsche for a young person it would have to be one heck of an outstanding individual . Most of the young people whom I have met that have a Porsche fit the criteria where I can see how their parents feel.

It's not about money or work ethic . I do not have the view that a person must struggle or suffer to gain anything . If so then the guy cleaning toilets for a living ought to be a billionaire .

I do not feel that if I struggled .. so should everyone.
I do not feel that if I had it easy -- so shouild everyone .
I do feel that everyones life and circumstances are diffferent.

I also feel that income may or may not play a role in a car decision . There are many high income earners who are flat broke --so it's not just what one makes .. but how well he can hang onto it . I feel that part of hanging onto money is being able to say "no" to a teen who wants a Porsche regardless of income but if there is some quality so extradordinary in that person .. it might just be what it takes for most parents to say yes and buy the car .

If you are young and they did this for you --they have created a lifetime memory that hopefully you will cherish long after they are gone .

 

Cars you've been given are nice; cars you've bought with $$$ you've earned and saved are nicer. As a member of a couple of PCA clubs and a frequenter of the PORSCHE CORRALS at several Alms races each year I've met many great "young" (under 30?) people, but you can almost immediately tell the difference between those that rebuilt a 928 or 933 or early 996 and those driving modded 997's. My perceptions aside, it really doesn't make a damn bit of difference - anyone can buy a decent used Porsche for less than the price of a late model pick-up truck.

 

Age is a big issue with 911s since there is a sterotype of older men driving them in my experience. I was born in the mid 70s and got my first P car this year. I have gotten some jealous & critical comments about it, but I revised my attitude about ownership and it's been better since. Instead of nottelling people what car I drive, or parking it around the corner, I now do the opposite. Be openly proud about it. Tell friends why it's special to you, or fill them in on company news or racing updates. In otherworlds WEAR IT! People may still be critical of your car, but they'll be less critical of you. That's my experience at least.

Back to OP's comments. I think it's a bad idea to have kids driving premium cars. It sets the bar too high and also prohibits driving skills from being developed. There's a reason 2010 MBs have a feature to wake you up if you doze off....the car drives itself!!

My2cents

 

The money aspect was just one issue regarding young people in cars, rest of my post addressed the rest of the issues(moral issues, societal issues).
As for toilet cleaners, i personally feel that mental/emotional stress faced in many business situations is far worse than any physical labor can ever be.

You make a fantastic point, it is about the balance of income and spending that one can truly determine there disposable income.

I am fortunate enough to been given the oppurtunity to get one at this age, and by no means do i plan on wrapping the car around a tree. So far perfect driving record, but ive done far too many stupid things i should not have in my previous car(modded 335).
theres a time and place for everything in my opinion