Entitlement.....

[SMACKDAB]

The way sh!t is run now by the government, concerning kid/parent relationships, it will probably be mandated in a few years as a requirement to purchase the car, and all involved for all your children.

Wouldn't surprise me one bit.

Government is serious bidness.

[Hawk]

I hear ya JR...I'm paying for my kid's insurance as well. She does well with gas money etc though and she did save up enough to buy the car mostly on her own, so I give her credit there. Figured she is in university and we are trying really hard to get her graduated with no student loans and if paying for her insurance helps, then why not.

[Scrumtrilescent]

Good on ya, JR. When I get there, we'll be doing the same thing. Which was completely opposite of what my parents did for me. They paid for the car and insurance, but it was mostly due to our deal that I got a full ride = new car. Before that one, they gave me a hand me down car that only had a 3 mile radius before it overheated. Better than a GPS tracking device.

[pstall]

Even if my dad owned a car lot, this guy would NOT have gotten the car for nothing.

For my kids. I may match some money they earn to buy them a car. But they will pay for everything else.

[Johnny Rockets]

I hear ya JR...I'm paying for my kid's insurance as well. She does well with gas money etc though and she did save up enough to buy the car mostly on her own, so I give her credit there. Figured she is in university and we are trying really hard to get her graduated with no student loans and if paying for her insurance helps, then why not.

Well, we are giving him a free car (hand me down from my wife) so I am not going to budge on the insurance thing. As mentioned, I was going to cover gas and insurance until June anyway. I honestly don't think he cares if he drives or not right now, so if that is the case why should I worry about it.

Your post brings up another discussion the wife and I had.......college.

In a perfect world it would be nice to save up enough to cover 100% of your kid's college....but life throws some curve balls and that doesn't always happen. Now I am fortunate that he has done well enough in high school that he should be able to get partial or a full scholarship to a good school but if there is a balance, then who's responsibilty is it to pay for the rest? Most kids seem to think it is up to the parents or grandparents to foot the bill. Have they stopped doing student loans or something?

I am a firm believer that if a kid is investing their own money into something, then they will value it that much more. Sure I would help him pay back the loan if need be, but I see nothing wrong with a kid taking out the loan for himself. Welcome to the real world kid.....shocking that everything isn't free huh?

[dimbee]

I've already told my almost 9 year old (going on 18), that he'll get his first car the same way I got mine- saving money from mowing lawns and buying it at a city auction. His mother has already pretty promised him a fast car, god help me.

[Hawk]

I agree with you JR, again...if they pay for it, chances are they'll appreciate it more than someone else always footing the bill. That said, when my daughter was only about 3 months old, we started an education fund for her. It was only $50 per month, so I never really noticed it and now she is getting her three final years paid for out of that fund. She had one semester paid totally with scholarship and I paid her first semester...so a 4 year term with very low financial impact!

All you new parents....put away something as soon as you can

[c0r]

In a perfect world it would be nice to save up enough to cover 100% of your kid's college....but life throws some curve balls and that doesn't always happen. Now I am fortunate that he has done well enough in high school that he should be able to get partial or a full scholarship to a good school but if there is a balance, then who's responsibilty is it to pay for the rest? Most kids seem to think it is up to the parents or grandparents to foot the bill. Have they stopped doing student loans or something?

student loans. my parents paid for little things like meal plans and books my first 2 years.

then i stopped buying books.

[Sultan33g]

my wife did the student loan thing. the interest rates are very reasonable and they do include books and such. its a great way to also teach them responsibility

[Jase]

my wife did the student loan thing. they are very reasonable and they do include books and such. its a great way to also teach them responsibility

And enslave them in debt for the next decade or two after they graduate.

[Sultan33g]

And enslave them in debt for the next decade or two after they graduate.

ya with a 5% interest rate... ya thats enslavement alright....then lets just not go to school then? better?

[cookinwithgas]

I bought my daughter her car (a psuedo clunker meant to hold together till college is done). I pay for her insurance, for the simple reason that it's way too expensive for a kid to afford unless they are working full time. In return, she goes to school. If she quits college, free ride is over.

It's simply a tool to help her succeed. Her mom was supposed to pay for half of all this but that's a joke.

[cookinwithgas]

dimbee getting your kid a "fast car" as a first car is a bonehead move. Way too many kids die this way IMHO.

When i was 16 I inherited my moms '73 Charger. Got 3 speeding tickets in 6 months (and did a hell of a lot more bad stuff in it and didn't get caught). Dad sold the car and I got to try again 8 months later in my future stepmoms rusty '76 Malibu, no more problems from then on out.

Got my daughter a 2000 Jetta, 2.0 with the 5 speed so she'd be forced to learn how to drive a stick. She's got a lot of parking lot dings and someone bended her fender for her but it runs OK.

[dimbee]

dimbee getting your kid a "fast car" as a first car is a bonehead move. Way too many kids die this way IMHO.

No doubt. That's what his mother wants to do... not what I want to do.