OWhatAThrill

Hi all,
Thanks for all responses under my "wrecked max" thread. Still not sure, going to get couple more estimates tomorrow, think shocks or struts broke too on that right side and wanna get them all in the estimate if so.

But..think I'm gonna give the son the max and buy a friends 93 240. The 240 has 134K miles..the max has 147K, not really enough to matter I guess. Both 5 speeds. The max is bigger engine I think..especially as it's only a 4 cyc...like the son needs the bigger one, I know..lol.

What the plan is for me to take most of the insurance money and buy the 240, fixing only the radiator for the son. Will make him pay me a little bit monthly..not much, but some, and he will use his paychecks to fix whats broke on the max...but that would be the things that aren't the most urgent.

Anyway...if that happens, he'll probably start posting here..put a new muffler on it last week, was red, then he painted it green...lol..CHEAP muffler, glass packed but said he was gonna shatter it with water or something..and bought that one only because the other one was really bad and he didn't have much money and he's already messing with the air intake..or something..I told him to leave the car ALONE at least until its decided for sure..lol.

I really hope it works out because having all his time, attention and money focused on the car is much much better than some other things he could be focusing on...lol.

Then again..couple times he's said he wants the 240 too. I told him that was MY decision. :-)

Weasel

iTrader: (2)

My $0.02...

This is the kid that wrecked your first car. Don't let him anywhere near a rear-wheel-drive sports car, even one with so little power as the 240. The Maxima is faster, but it's also a lot more forgiving if he does something stupid or gets into a bad situation. If you're going to give him one of the cars give him the Maxima. Good luck with whatever you choose.

93 SE

give him the max,send him in these here forums,and we will shape him up fix that max and school him and as said by weasel do not get him a rear wheel drive car ,come winter time he will wanna fishtail and do 360s in the snow for fun and anything can happen....but then again i could do that in my max but at least theres more control in front wheel drive

OWhatAThrill

Yes, we do know he knows how to flip a max, given a 30 minute driving time, and only 4 hours after he got his official license, so MAYBE..just maybe..he will have a little more respect for what it's capable of and I'm really hoping knowing that its HIS will make a difference. Thats sad but maybe he will appreciate it a little more. He still thinks he knows all, but he's learning. Had some tough lessons but has been very fortunate so far <fingers still crossed>. So far, he's been one of those to walk away laughing, just not quite as boastful..and I know many of them..lol, I don't know how your mothers made it thru..lol..may I talk to them? :-)

Interesting...my mind was just thinking of that as little as I know about engines the max seemed much bigger (more cylinders for sure, more horsepower, I think) and therefore maybe a bad choice...and didn't know enough to be concerned about the front-rear vs. rear-wheel..but did wonder which would be my preference, I'm trying to balance...which one I prefer...and which one is the best for him to have. His safety will win hands down.

I knew I wanted a 5 speed and I think the black 240 SX SE has a sleeker, sportier look than this gray SE altho with the higher generation wheels thats on it and the back spoiler, but adding some tinted windows could be very sharp. Now..if we were comparing the superblack one with the dark tinted windows I had before, that would be a harder choice. It was a beautiful car. The 240 also feels more like a sport car inside and as long as I can still reasonably pull out in front of mac trucks on the interstate, I will be happy with whatever power it has or doesn't have. I remember YEARS ago getting a brand new hyundai (first year they were sold here I think) and getting on an entrance ramp to the interstate...YIKES...I had traded in an 8 cyclinder. Oh my..and I remember having to peddle up long hills.

Weasal..lol...if you're a gators fan..he will listen to you.. :-)))

OWhatAThrill

:-) I just mentioned the rear wheel thing to him..he said 'I can do 360's in the max..wanna see me..it'll be in reverse".

School him, eh? lol..you have a good point, on all fronts. I've learned with kids, that I could talk til I was blue in the face, but if it's somewhere like here, he'd listen in a heartbeat and hopefully he'd take the lessons learned by you all, the car itself, speed, driving, etc., and benefit from that. Of course, I don't talk to him til I am blue in the face about maxima's in general because I don't claim to know, but I always caution "restraint". :-)

He's washing and waxing it as I speak. Gotta love it, least when I let him drive it, he does all that. :-)

Brandon90gxe

wow... if he was my son i really dont think id let him drive. And if i did id make him pay every cent for the car and insurance and all, because it seems like the guy didnt learn the first time..

i dont wanna give you parenting advice haha cause its not my place, but im 17 been driving a lil while, and i like to have fun in my car, but if i fliped it or id somethign stupid at my fault i really dont think id be driving anymore.. and im not a perfect driver, i have some fun with the car, but mainly in empty parking lots.. on the road i really try to keep the driving to a safer level.. doesnt mean i still dont do dumb things. i mean you gotta learn your lesson for things, i took a turn to fast on the freeway swiped the guardrail.. heh wasnt to bad luckily, cracked my corner and little dent, but i konw never to trust my car around corners like that again, and it made me cool it on speeding a little. but your son is braggin about doin reverse dohnuts after flippin one already...id be worried..

OWhatAThrill

I remember your swipe of the guardrail :-( ..and...if it hadn't been a deer, he might actually BE PARKED. He is limited tho..to work and back and wherever I tell him he can drive..like today to take trash off. And I agree..he didn't learn ENOUGH the last time but he is paying for his own insurance...and quite a bit of my portion that went up too because of his wreck. He's now working at McDonalds and Taco Bell/KFC, will be doing 40 hours at Taco Bell this week, in addition to the 4-6 hours he'll get in the mornings at Mickey D's. SO..he's not fighting my driving restrictions much..lol..he's too tired. I think every accident is a learning experience ESPECIALLY when you are the one behind the wheel..and he's learned as much from the deer as the rollover (that he says deer were involved with too). TN has restricted driving licenses for teens and altho his is a regular one because he missed deadline by a few..I think it's a great thing. And yes..I agree about the bragging about reverse doughnuts..I mean..I did regular doughnuts as a teen too..but as an adult..it's like.."thats so lame". and worried? you betcha! think thats the role as a parent...

93 SE

whoooooo 2 jobs at his age, your lucky,man when i was 16 i was driving in nyc manhattan traffic for driving lessons(yup im a born natural driver) and my dad paid for the insurance lucky me

OWhatAThrill

LOL...the two jobs were his choice because he wanted to hurry and save $3K to buy the SE from me anyway. He's only going to school 5 hours a week and will be out in early Dec so it's do-able without risking his grades. He plans to start at Nashville Tech (because I can't afford the FL that he wants to go too) in January..and he only turned 17 in Oct.

On the insurance, I feel a little guilty. My parents paid all mine and stuff and I didn't have a job until I graduated from high school, but the facts of life are different..as are the circumstances. "I" didn't total a car to raise my parents insurance substanually, and I'm also a single parent, whereas mine were together.

As for driving in Manhattan...wow..don't think "I'd" wanna drive in Manhattan even now at 40....so my hat is off to you!!!! I'm sure it was posted on the board after the 9-11 incident, and I will go back and read, but I hope you and yours were/are safe.

I let him drive yesterday on his first big journey to a bigger city..other than driving thru Nashville with ME in the car..but he journeyed to Clarksville by himself yesterday (to get an estimate and my back was hurting too much to go). He wanted to go to Nashville but I nixed that idea and he wanted to take two friends..I nixed that idea too. Just think he can concentrate better by himself. BUT I think he was proud of himself..and I was too..chewing nails the whole time...but very relieved when he pulled into driveway. Gotta let 'em go at some point.

Oh...and his Dad might have paid for his insurance and even helped him with a car, but as I've pointed out on numerous occasions..his Dad has footed all the legal bills when he's gotten in trouble..like getting kicked outta school last year on narcotics charges for having 3 pills at school..$4K..there's a little bit of his car. :-(

Brandon90gxe

hehe cool.. yep that sounds better.. damn 2 jobs is rough! but i agree with ya all the way..

when i first got my lisene my mom wouldnt even let me drive.. i was so ****ed.. but you know, i understand it now.. and its good he didnt do the trip because in the beginning showing off is so damn easy to do.. i konw cause i didnt, guess i was luckier i didnt crash. I just kinda stepped up driving more and more.. plus i had the restricted liscnece which my mom wanted me to follow.. but all thats over now so its all guud.. but payin for you own stuff does make you feel the impact much more that for sure.. anyways good luck! btw.. the max is better, its bigger.. heh.

Neice Anne

Don't feel guilty at all about it man, you're doing him some good. When I was 15 and got my license, I wrecked my car 4 times. The first 3, and my parents scolded me a little but paid the bills. I figured "yeah, so I got in a wreck, that kinda sucks that I won't have my car for like a week.. oh well." Then wreck #4, and my dad paid for it still (he was a single dad like you for me and my bro for the last few years I was in the house) but he made me pay him back every cent, and made me pay the terribly high insurance bill. All 4 of my wrecks were in between age 15 and 16, as well as all of my tickets. After I started paying for my own $hit, I learned that it might not be a good idea to go 90 down a boulevard, as it was probably gonna end up hurting my spending/mod money. You're doin him a big favor and lesson in responsbility.

noleafclover

lol...sounds like a smart kid...j/k. i'm 17 and still lucky enough not to have any accidents or tickets. in the 2 years i've been driving.

dko

iTrader: (7)

You know, I would think that people would try not to instantly believe what the most likely and stereo-typed opinion is. I'm 16 and own my Max. The downpayment was money I've been saving since I was 13. I've been working since I was 8. At the moment I'm going to school and working 6 days a week plus an extra day or two per month. I average 45 hrs a week. I pay for everything on/in the car: insurance, payments, gas, maintenance, etc. Teens can be responsible too. We get a bad rap because some of us are admitedly wacky in the head, but we aren't all bad.

3 weeks after I got my license a ford explorer hit me. The bags went off, my door had to be replaced, lots of other things. The damage bill is almost $7K, but insurance is paying for it. When the cops arrived I was issued a ticket for running a red light, even though it was yellow and this guy hit ME, making a turn out of the parking lot, into the outside lane. The cops had no other witnesses and he was about 30 years old. Whose story did they believe?

I'm a carefull driver and practiced plenty before getting my license or driving alone. Yet, still I got hit. And blamed for it. Now I have to hire a lawyer and go to court to dispute the charges. In fact, I probobly won't and I'll just ask for supervision and get off with that. **** happens. Whether or not it's your fault, at least make something good come out of it.

The moral is that as long as he didn't get hurt make sure he LEARNS something from it. I learned not to let cops do anything you don't agree with and the mere thought of a yellow light makes me queasy and likely will for a while.

Luckily I get my max back this week. For now I'm driving my brother's 2000 GS300 while he's at Comdex. It's no max, but it'll have to do for now .

Weasel

iTrader: (2)

I'm a Gator, 3 years running and trying to avoid a 5-year plan. I think the safer car for him is the Maxima, you can get going fast in any car if you try hard enough, but in a panic turn/braking situation a FWD car will be much safer than RWD for almost all drivers.

lp

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like the best money you could spend at the moment would be to send him off in the max to a good advanced driver school. He can find the limits of himself and the car on a closed track, wet/dry skidpan etc and not risk getting hurt. Apart from the ego anyway

Because he'll no doubt learn that his car control at the moment isn't great (or just plain sucks) and it will teach him more about driving in a day than his first 6 months on the road. First time he actually surprises himself with some skillful driving and realizes how good it feels, the desire to attempt reverse 360's won't seem that cool anymore. Thats the plan anyway

Best part is its great fun, even more so if a friend does it too so you can laugh at 'em so he shouldn't complain about going

Geez, I'm getting old.

OWhatAThrill

Great idea!! and even with the ego..I think I could get him to go without any hesitation..

and YEAH...old happens...lol...but there's varying levels of it..rest easy ;-)

Mike S.

Could you post a pic of your son? A pic of you?

1. I wanna see this kid so I can determine if he is in need of an a.s.s. kicking, and

2. I wanna see a pic of you so I can determine if your capable of doing it.

I'd say, sell the max, get the 240, tell him you want a car? you go find one and buy it and insure it....like my parents did.

I still have my loan payment book 248.42 per month for 54months. I'm on payment 38 or so! Paid all by yours truly with a part/full time job and full time college student.

oh p.s- I pay an extra 90 bucks a month for insurance.

Mike S.