when i was 18 and had my trans am, full coverage was 500 a month and i had 4 speeding tickets on my record.

 

Sorry buddy, I have to agree, I don't think you should have this car at the age of 16. You haven't earned having that nice of a car yet! And, chances are you will end up wrecking it with in the first year or less of owning it because you will do something stuipd trying to show off or just from being inexperienced! I can understand the passion of wanting this car, believe me!

Your first car should be something that you pay for 100%, and if it needs work or a little TLC, then that will show how responsible you are.

My first car was a 1990 Camaro that I bought USED and paid for it 100%. I had to put alot of work into that car to keep it running and looking good. I turned it into a project car in the first few years of college and put a new motor and trans in the car. I can't begin to tell you how much I learned from that car! I still have it.

 

my very first car was a brand spankin new 1999 camaro v6. i dont really agree with your thinking^^^^^^^^^ when i have kids im going to give them the same perks i had when i was 16.

 

Also your location plays into the rates as well. I'm in the Military and moved from Idaho (low accidents) to Arkansas (high accidents) in 2007. My premium on 2 vehicles went from roughly $80 monthly to $190 monthly, because of 1 phone call to correct our mailing address. No tickets, claims or anything on my or my wifes' record.

 

I know I would have hated all these old timers telling me not to get your dream car too but they offer some sound advice and reason, which you will probably ignore.

I truly congratulate you if you can even realistically think of affording this car now, but I find it unlikely. Hard for a 16 year old to bring in that kind of money. More than likely mom and dad will fit the bill and you will do something stupid and hurt the car, or yourself, or someone else, because until you truly have to work hard to get something you want, you can never truly respect it.

You are 16 with very little driving experience. Get a "beater" or even a so called nice beater, as I understand a 16 year old has an image to uphold. But get some experience driving for awhile. Maybe at around 18 if you are still in a good spot, then re-evaluate it again. People grow up alot from 16-18. 16 is just too damn young for a car like this.

And I won't even mention the better things to spend this kind of money on at this age, even though I just kind of did.

 

What, if you don't mind me asking, ever become of that 1999 v6 Camaro?

Ok, I'm on the fence on this topic I guess. Because I know I gained alot of having a car I had to work for and take care of in order to keep it in nice condition. I just feel there are to many young kids out there who's parents throw them the keys to a brand new car and those kids end up being the ones who don't take care of them or think it is expected to have a shiny new care to fit in. How do you teach responsibility and appreciation by just giving a 16 year kid what they want?

I mean, you might have been the exception to the rule, but I have a feeling you will find that one or more of your kids will not care to clean, service, etc the car that they should be "Responsible" for.

 

the car was turned in on lease. and then i bought a 1999 trans am when i was 19. i paid it in full from the money i had saved over the 3 years of the camaro lease. i never had a wreck in either of the cars. i cleaned them up at least every weekend if not twice a week. i was very responsable. except for the fact of a few speeding tickets in the camaro. i was smart and never did any stupid stuff.

 

At age 16, you are FAR better off investing in education. It will pay itself back many times over in the future. Then you can get the car of your dreams.

 

Agreed and LS1 and LT1 cars are getting cheap! Besides man at 16 good luck trying to have cheap insurance on a camaro....Id say get a car start saving and before you know it you could have a nice 4th gen for now Im 24 And I cannot stress enough the importance of the choices you make....choose wisely! School will effect the rest of your life!

 

i never went to college. i got a great job, make amazing money and have no school debt. yes choose wisely

 

I agree, choose wisely, that will efect the rest of your life. I did go to college and because of scholarships and working on a coop program in automotive, I was able to pay for all of my college and save money on top of that. I'm still going to college now to finish a Bachlors degree, and I am lucky to have a job that is currently paying for my college expenses.

There are alot of people out there, especially now a days, that have alot of really nice things, but what you don't see is that some of those people are caught up in materialism. They are behind on payments or struggling to make payments. Just because people have alot of expensive things doesn't mean they can afford to have those things.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is, is spending that kind of money at age sixteen really worth it right now. It might be better, like suggested above, to get something cheap now and save to get the nicer a little later. People are giving things away right now like house, boats, CARS, and I'm sure you can find a steal out there!!

I'm also 24 and I really want a new Camaro, but it has been a battle in my head to weather or not I should get one right now. Chances are I will in a year or two though, but I'm not SIXTEEN!

 

FWIW, When I was 24 and had just graduated from college, I looked to getting a brand new Z/28 Camaro as my first "new" car (my previous cars, a 67 Chevelle and a 68 Camaro had been used). I looked into the insurance costs and even with my stellar driving record (just 2 tickets in 8 years) it was going to cost me over $400 a month on insurance... and that was 1989!

I ended up buying a cheaper to insure car, and waited until my 30th birthday to buy my new Camaro (as that was the next big insurance break).

If I were 16 today, I'd be looking for a nice clean 3rd or 4th gen Camaro, and start saving for college.

 

I agree that one can do well without going to college. Bill Gates didn't finish his degree at Harvard and the last time I checked, he was doing OK.

Investing in education does not necessarily mean college. It could mean investing in a trade school or a myriad of other options. One can be very successful without education. However, if one looks at the odds, there is a better chance for success if one does invest in education.

 

yeah, but the one thing i have learned and i am a firm believer in, is that , college is not for everyone. i would never push someone to do schooling if they didnt want to, as long as they had their head in the right places and had a good plan. alot of my friends who did go to school, no have about 30grand in bills and probably will be paying for it for quite a while. me on the other hand, i graduated HS and started working and making money. no debt. the only debt i have now is a house that i bought when i was 19. my fiance went to a small college and graduated having 10-15 grand in loans. now 4 years after she graduated she is still paying the loans off. she makes just as much as i do, but she still has that debt. no one can really tell this kid what to do but they can just give good info. do what feels right to you. but remember when/if you get buyers remorse, its harder to return the car than it is anything else.

 

Now there is not a word of that above that I do not agree with! That actually almost says it all.