Would you let your kid drive an '02 as a 1st car?

[daniswaytough]

i'm 19. and it wasn't my first car. but i do feel really safe in it for being 35 years old.

It's like driving in a fishbowl. Blind spots are super minimal.

But the greatest thing about it is it's handling. I'm usually very alert, and if anything waas to happen on the freeway, say a chair falling off the back of a truck, i know i would be able to swerve out of the way very suddenly and still have control of my car. Wheras an SUV, or poorly balanced car, would get major wobble and spin out or roll over.

It's very agile, and as long as your kid stays alert, he should be able to dodge anything that comes his way

[Devian]

My first car was a 73 malaga 02 4speed. I loved the car endlessly. I think that your kid is going to either be like me (a mobile nightmare) or not; regardless of the car they drive. My only stipulation would be not to give them an 02 in mint condition. Instead, give them one with potential and encourage them to fix it up. I wouldn't give a 16 year old a new car in mint condition.

An 02 is quick and SAFE! What better car?

Devian

[roundieryan]

My agave '72 was my first car and even though I'm still a pretty new driver, (2.5 years) I think that it has taught me some very important things. I don't think that I would have been nearly as careful with many other cars, it has probably kept me from doing some pretty stupid things just because of how much I like and care about the car. I have paid for the car and almost everything I have done to it, and I think that has helped me gain even more respect for it. I found a pretty good example that has been a good daily driver, and am thankful for that. I hope to keep this car a long time and have big plans for it down the road.

[Guest Anonymous]

When I was a kid my father bought me a broke down Volkswagen when I was 14 and said "If you wanna drive make it run" He gave me a wrench and a book. Until recently I've had 15 aircooled volkswagens I learned to respect the car and love it, doing all the work on those old Vdubs turned me into an enthusiast. When I bought the 02 I put the vdubs on hold probably forever, but plan to buy my stepson an 02 in a couple of years and throw off the timing. Hand him a wrench and a book and say make it run. I'll stand back and say yay or nay.

[gpetrus]

Having a 17 year old son about to be licensed, I actually think about this in more than a passing way. He's a decent, somewhat responsible kid, but very inexperienced behind the wheel of a real car, on a real road, with real other cars. (But he is a killer go-card racer.) The problems with a 2002 as a first car are at least three-fold from my perspective.

First I want him totally concentrating on the road and the other drivers, and if he can avoid shifting a manual, one less distraction.

Second, the car is too low and small to be easily seen by other drivers,and finally, and most important:

I want my kid driving the safest tank out there (read used Volvo) with all the possible safety features available, and but for seat belts, are viruually none-existant on a 1972 car. End of rant.

______________________

Roger

'72 Malaga

;'//.I think that the first car someone gets comfortable driving determines what kind of driver/habits will endure. Driving a manual shift of an 02 forces the driver to be aware of their speed because it does not have huge amount of excess power as to lug along in too high a gear. It's my belief that much of the moronic activity on the roadways is a product of people who only know the point and squirt method of driving.

I rented a Camry a couple of weeks ago and had to look at the speedometer to know if I was doing 50 or 75. Things like computer assisted traction control are good if there is a previuos understanding of what the breaking point of a car coming loose is. But if someones first car is computer assisted, is the driver or computer in control?

I agree with your concerns about there being no airbags and the lack of size of an 02, but to me, that is offset by a car that requires the driver to drive it properly.

[pkbinplano]

A stock beater maybe, then let him do his own mods so he'll appreciate what he's done to it. My 73 was going to be my sons first, but after I built it, it was like no way. He'll kill himself in it. Mine has alot of mods and I knew he'd push the car to it's limits. Plus I fell in love with it. LOL. Ended up getting him a 84 325e that he totaled after a year, not to mention the other incindents he had prior to totaling it f*cking around with one of his buddies. bent the frame

[TMK-001]

I got a 2002 as my first car - I still have it and love it...

[aa/fd]

Great topic,

I am about to turn over my 72 Tii to my 16 year old and have debated the same issues. I know these old BMW's have survived Electra 225's, El Dorados, Vista Cruisers, Country Squires, and Suburbans which all tip in over 5000 lbs. A 2008 Excursion has nothing on a 1975 Lincoln Town Car but rubber bumpers. The 2002 is now facing its biggest challenges, the cell phone disabled driver, who I see texting, eating a bowl of cereal, reading the paper, applying makeup, and god know what else, all at speed. And then there is the "diver" you know the idiot in the third lane that comes to a complete stop to cut in line at the off ramp. These all should be capitol offenses, but we care more about catching the single occupant in the under utilized (read waste of money) HOV lane. It use to be a joke in the bay area, if you want to sell your car to the insurance company, stop for a yellow light. Well that driving philosophy is now the norm in the Puget Sound area too.

So wish him luck, he and we all need it.

[Jim_75Sahara]

The "average driver" in the USA is stupid, preoccupied, selfish, and overconfident. Last night I was driving on OH 741 (2-lane byway) and nobody could manage to maintain a steady pace. Slow down, speed up, wobble about, all for no reason. I passed the losers so I could have some open road. Also it appeared to be "CAR-CRUSHING TRUCK" night. Lotsa yahoos in sky-high pickups w/monstrous knobby tires. Buttwipes!!

[73tiiDavidPA]

I let my daughter (now 18) occasionally drive the '73 tii (mint - original - unrestored). For daily driving she has the '03 Honda Civic with 4 airbags. The Honda is still a small car, but much safer, and still fun with the 5 speed. She also knows that she need be extra careful in the tii - SUVs not "seeing" the car, weak and pathetic brake and turn signals (comparativly). She has wacked the Civic twice now in ways that I'm glad wasn't the tii.

[winstontj]

NO!!!!

That is from a Resident Dr. in LA who has seen way too many kids come through triage.

You will be issuing your child a death warrant - Buy $500 car and restore it with your son/daughter if you want but don't turn then loose in one of these unless they have welded floors, rockers, strut towers, etc.