Guess I'm not part of that 98% statistic considering I learned in a Toyota Sequoia, got the Maxima as my first car, and got a Trans Am a year later.

 

To the OP, I suggest you "detune" the car by having the timing retarded....dealer can do that in less than 10 minutes. You know someone there, it might cost you nothing to $20 cash to the service guy.

In terms of the comments, I respect many on here learned to drive in some nice cars. Good for you. But just because you had some good learning experiences and didn't die or kill anyone is a sad arguement to throw a new driver into something they may not be able to manage. Yes, new drivers are going to push the limits of the vehicle, including speed...if you have a car that is more capable of reaching high speeds and doing that more quickly, then that equals increased risk for the driver. Most comments I see suggesting "don't worry" or "let the kid drive it" are by those who are still very young. Great, daddy let you drive the Porsche.... Until you 1. grow up and 2. have kids of your own....I don't think most of you are going to get the true feeling behind this question.

We all had our early driving experiences...I had mine...and they influence our thoughts on this issue. My experience was my dad putting me in an '84 Mazda truck. His logic was 1. it was a beater, I'm going to wreck it...and I did 2. Even if I wanted to go fast, I couldn't, maybe get a ticket, but it would take forever to even make the speed limit.....so my "test" of the limits quickly hit a glass cealing and I stopped.....this helped me become a safer driver and allow me the have the experience when I did get into bigger vehicles. It also helped me learn to better get a "feel" for the limits of a vechicle. 4. Having limited seating meant I had fewer people in the truck, less likely to show off, and hurt someone else or myself.

IMO, to the OP...I think really it boils down to what have you taught your son about Maxima's and yours specifically. I know I've taught my son these cars are fast and powerful (regardless of how they compare to other cars). My '89 is turboed and I've raced it at the local track with him watching several times before and after it was turbo. I've also done some mods to my '03. But, overall, I've sent a message these cars are fun and fast.....so I will NEVER let him start out on one of these cars first just because the idea he has about them. If your son thinks of the car as performance and fast, he will most likely treat it and drive it in that way.

 

The car you learned to drive on was 600hp? Ok. Great. You're the 2%. I'll wait until I hear the same from about 1000 other people from demographics other than those that hang out on car forums. Until then, I am siding with statistics.

 

Just saying, its possible to do it. Lol

 

You know, after all these comments (mine included), this is one of the best responses. It directly addresses the OP's question.

 

but still it doesnt matter, a 5th gen or a 1989 Civic both can reach 200km/h. HP isnt the biggest issue

but whatever the OP was wondering how to slow down a 5th gen and we've gotten onto a war about what cars to learn on

 

Well you could get the kid what I had:




Or if you actually want your kid to have a social life then have the base timing retarded on the max so it isn't *as* peppy.

 

I also have a 16yr old driving my max, My big fear is her getting cought in a snow storm with the car because my Max really sux in the snow.

 

Now that I think about it more, maybe buying a kid a beater for his first car isn't the best solution. The reason being: you tend to take better care of things you value. My first car was an '01 Celica GT, and it looked awesome. I made sure I took care of it and stayed a mile away from the car in front of me, was very careful backing up, etc. If I had a beater, I probably wouldn't have cared if it got a ding or a scratch. Another thing that kept me safe in that car was the great handling and tiny engine output combined with the 4AT. Speeding was so frustrating that I just stopped trying. And the back seats were sized for amputees, so having a lot of passengers was impossible. So I'd say, if you think your son can't handle the Maxima, buy him a compact, nice handling, sporty looking car with an automatic and not too much horsepower.

Another thing, people also tend to value things more if they pay for them themselves. So maybe have him save up and buy a car himself?

 

I agree as well, as long as it won't hurt the car.

Any suggestions as to how far to retard it?

Thanks everyone! Great response!

Jim

 

Assuming it's set at stock timing now...as I recall that's 15*.....then I understand it can only be adjust by two degrees in either direction. So a max of 17* or minimum of 13* timing.

I'd suggest dropping it the full two degrees to 13*.

 

Yeah I say the same thing!!

 

I learned to drive on a '99 M3 and my first car was a 2000 gle. If you truly think your son is the stereotypical idiot teenager, he'll get in an accident no matter if he's driving a 90 hp geo or a 222 hp 5th gen. If that's the case get him a safe car, don't cripple a perfectly good maxima. (Not saying Maximas aren't safe...)

 

When I got my license at 16 I took a driving course for two reasons. 1) To learn the proper rules of the road. 2) Lower insurance, which my parents were paying for.

When I got my G2 (Canada), my parents let me drive their cars when they didn't need them. I didn't know anything about cars and didn't care to know anything, I just wanted to drive and I was pretty reckless. Nothing changed until I got a speeding ticket then I drove the limit, and thats it. After a while I got back into my old habits.

When I had to split on a car with my parents (2000 Maxima), thats when I became a lot more responsible because now it was my money I was messing with also.

Sorry for the life story but in the end I think that your kid will want to have some fun in whatever car s/he will be in but they will think twice if they put some of their own money into it.

 

the G2 is where you can drive alone but can have 0 alcohol/less demerits right?

i waited a while to get my license and got it right after they changed it to you have to take a 3rd test to be able to have alcohol and more demerits, im still on the 0 alcohol one because i doubt i would pass the 3rd test

 

You aren't allowed to have any alcohol and I'm not sure if you're allowed to drive on the highway. My driving instructor told me that you're allowed but some people say that you can't which would make sense as the G test which is the third and final one is basically a G2 plus going on the highway.

As for the demerit points I have no idea as I never really understood how that works or how many you have.

 

maybe its different from us then, here you just take the written learners test where after you can drive with someone 18+ with a license except at night, then you have to wait a year and can take the drivers test, once you pass that you can drive alone anytime anywhere but no alcohol and less demerits, then 2 years later or more you can take ANOTHER drivers test and can have alcohol and more demerits. before it was just learners then full license.

i dont know about taking the 3rd one myself because i think its dumb that residential streets technically have 4 lanes, and ive picked up so many bad habits and stuff that i would fail. plus i rarely drink.

you have to pay to take the 3rd one as well so IMO its just a scam for them to make money

 

Here in Ontario, (unless things have changed in the last few year) its a year in between each test. Unless you take a driving course, then you can get your G2 after 8 months and if I'm not mistaken the price for the course covers your G2 test and G. If you pass that is, if you fail then you have to pay some amount.

Here you also have 5 years from the time you get your G1 to get your G or you lose everything and have to start from scratch. Not a 100% on that but I have heard from a couple friends that they had to get an extension because they were in that position and one friend actually lost his but he doesn't like to talk about it to much so I never got the full details.

 

My first car was a 98 Chevy Lumina, i was lucky to get that thing up to speed to merge onto a highway. It was also built like a tank. Got rear ended twice (none my fault) one by a Camery and the other by a F250, the only damage I got was a cracked fender and a cracked tail like. So I would recommend a Lumina and let him beat it to town for a few years.

Besides the car is big enough that he should learn how to park a full size sedan so when he moves to the maxima (my current) it is a breeze because it is a lot smaller.