LOL. only someone with self-esteem problems.

 

The Dodge is my paint truck I dont think the Miata soft top will handle 25 foot extention ladders !
Update -I just told him MaxN said he cant get it .I'm not kidding ,he's a wanna' be geek has taken 2 IT classes and is a fan of your postings on computers and Tech. devises and likes your Cars & Coffee galleries .It turns out I did want it more than him ,he would be just as happy with less car and more money in the bank .
Thanks everyone for all your counsel it helped a lot as always !

 

Are you bringing him to CnC tomorrow ?

I will have a journalist from the UK with me.....

Maybe we can inspire him to car geekiness too !

 

see, i knew it.

you have a smart son, korby!

 

If he's not working he'll come with me ,he always wants to go but works most saturdays .I'll be there eather way !

 

Yes to smart for his own good sometimes !

 

Don't bet on it. As a kid we had a Datsun 510 wagon and later, a 74 Dodge Dart. Relative to the Datsun, the Dodge (with a slant 6!) was a hotrod, and I treated is as such on the rare occaisions I got to drive it.

A big that you're not just buying the car for him outright. Max is correct - pride of ownership is key. It's a rare person who values something that cost them nothing.
Good luck!

 

*prints out quote and frames it for prosperity

here you go have a pic of my dearly departed 325iS

 

^ Needed a wax job !

 

im not going to say anything.

 

All teenagers have at least one little accident. One little accident may not be little in a Miata. A great first car is an Oldsmobile or 1978 Volvo no matter how talented the teen's driving appears to be.

 

Why all the negative comments on the crash safety of the Miata?

Our 02 is a great little car. I love driving it. (May be selling the Insight to my dad because I want to but out the Miata from him).

Its a fun little car. ~105 wheel hp. Its considerably slower than my 05 MC was. Its a good car to learn rwd on because it is balanced so well. Its really hard to lose it and not be able to regain control. You can drift the car around the base of a lightpole and its as smooth and controlable as driving in a straight line.

As far as crash concerns go, get a Hard Dog roll bar, and the car is as safe as any other car on the road.






Every model Miata from '90 up has gotten 4 stars on the frontal crash test ratings. I saw a guy walk away from a 60mph head on crash with a tree in his car. He was shaken up pretty good, and the car was a total loss, but he lived.

I feel very safe in ours.

 

That is like saying stick all teenagers in tanks, with added cotton wool and airbags.

Seriously, if you know you are not going to get hurt in a crash, it almost signals to the driver that they can take any risks that they like, does not matter if they smash through a house or two, they will be fine.......

 

ALL??????????? Thats funny I don't remember having one. Must be amnesia from the accident.

 

I would have no problems buying a teenager a Miata (I've owned 3, myself). A safety "bonus" most people are missing is that with only one passenger in the car, distractions are kept to a minimum. There's also not enough horse power in stock form for him to think he will win any drag races, but there is a great-handling piece of machinery under there.

I would make 3 suggestions, though:

1.) Get an earlier vintage, pre-'97. Cheaper to insure and parts are plentiful.
2.) With the extra money you save, sign him up for a driving school/track day - more than one if possible. Learn how to control the car under controlled circumstances, teach him to get his eyes up, etc.
3.) Get a roll bar installed. Some people like the hard dogs (but they need SFI padding), I like the Brainstorm (which sits in such a way as it will not)... but either way the crash protection the bar offers, epecially in terms of a side impact, is money well spent.

 

As a current Miata driver (with MCSC on order ), I have to point out that the Miata is a great way to train a defensive driver. You simply have to take your teen out in the car, drive around a bit, have him look up at an Explorer or Expedition and say: "Hit that, and you die." Iterate until it sinks in.

I'd definitely vote for ABS tho.

 

Hey heres a blast from the past ! My son still has'nt gotten a car and the Miata is still sitting in the same garage .Who knows ?

 

I dont. Here are my 2 cents though.

I turned 18 a little under 2 months ago and I am the driver of an 05 MCS, I would say that it an alright choice for a teen who you know is going to be responsible (as if that will ever happen). I got lucky though, the reason I am driving the MINI is because my Dad bought it for himself but had to stop due to foot problems. Despite that, I still find myself babying it and treating it as if it were my own, which I suppose comes back to the whole having a car you like thing. I honestly cant say I find myself driving at excessive speeds with any shocking regularity after having driven it for close to 2 year. That doesnt mean there wasnt time where I did though, in fact during the first 3 months of driving it (after getting over the initial shock of driving stick) I found myself driving very fast and aggressively. I have since stopped driving like that and would say I dont drive any worse than my parents or what some of the other members of this board about (see: having fun in the twisty bits). In fact I often find myself pointing out mistakes my parents are making. I am still learning but I have taken rides with people who are many times worse a driver then me.

Nobody has mentioned it but a base Cooper seems like a possibility. It's fun to drive but doesnt have the same amount of power as the S making it better suited to a teen. Likewise the back seats are small enough that he will probably be hard pressed to fit people back there (at least I am). Or you could just pull the back seats out. It is a good looking car that can turn heads and can draw compliments if well taken care of. Girls still call my car cute and guys are still impressed with the way it handles and drives.

Hope that all made sense.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Some Guy

Likewise the back seats are small enough that he will probably be hard pressed to fit people back there (at least I am).

I got 10 in and drove around the block to prove it could be done.
(Thats 5 in the back (stacked), 2 in the passenger seat (lap), myself in the driver seat, another one between the front seats, and one 6-footer in the boot!)

If a teen really, really absolutely friggin’ adores his car, he is much less likely to wreck it. I've had an '02 MCS since I was 16 and never, ever bumped it; it's still in excellent condition.

One recommendation I can make is to enroll your son in some sort of driving school or program. The US driving exam is a joke. It takes no skill to pass. He might not want do go fast (riiiight... ), but this will at least provide him with the skills that all 16-year-olds think they have. Plus, it will introduce him to legal racing and hopefully keep him from racing on the streets. (show him pictures of wrecked street racers, it works )

I would recommend an older MC(S) for several reasons:

1. Easy to handle/predictable
2. 6 airbags & good safety ratings
3. Practical w/ lots of room
4. Reliable (even the old ones)
5. Good resale value
6. Super cool & fun
7. Better than average fuel economy
8. This is NAM
& It’s a MINI!

 

Ok, well barring a stunt like that, that it doubt that there are going to be any more than 3 other people in it at any one time. Really how distracted somebody gets by another person varies so much that it is hard to draw any good conclusions. (IMO)

 

Definitely. I would never carry more than 3 in a real-world situation.

I would say that there is some correlation between the number of people in a car and the level of distraction. It's not absolute, but there's something to it. The more, the merrier...etc