Should I buy my son an S4?
07-15-2014, 06:01 AM
#1
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Should I buy my son an S4?
'm looking for a mix of parenting and car buying advice here.
Here's the situation: My son is getting his drivers license in August, and he has a job that requires him to have a car. He is a car enthusiast. He helped me pick out my Continental Supersports and my R8. I know he is expecting something awesome for his first car, having been around awesome cars his whole life. He is a good kid for the most part; extremely smart (though he is a B student), personable and passionate about baseball and cars. However, despite everything I just said about him being a good kid, he has his share of "bad kid" traits. And while I won't name them all, my primary concern is his irresponsibility (threw a house party while my wife and I were in Europe just one month ago), and him having a lack of respect for money (which is why I made him get a job).
I've been thinking about getting one of the following cars for my son.
2014 MB C350 4Matic
2014 Chrysler 300 SRT8
2014 Audi S4
Any advice is appreciated.
Here's the situation: My son is getting his drivers license in August, and he has a job that requires him to have a car. He is a car enthusiast. He helped me pick out my Continental Supersports and my R8. I know he is expecting something awesome for his first car, having been around awesome cars his whole life. He is a good kid for the most part; extremely smart (though he is a B student), personable and passionate about baseball and cars. However, despite everything I just said about him being a good kid, he has his share of "bad kid" traits. And while I won't name them all, my primary concern is his irresponsibility (threw a house party while my wife and I were in Europe just one month ago), and him having a lack of respect for money (which is why I made him get a job).
I've been thinking about getting one of the following cars for my son.
2014 MB C350 4Matic
2014 Chrysler 300 SRT8
2014 Audi S4
Any advice is appreciated.
07-15-2014, 06:19 AM
#2
Obviously, from your sig money isn't an issue and good for you... I'd just give him the Viper nothing safer for a newb driver than a 500+ HP RWD car... lol Seriously, though I'd go something a little safer like an A4 and maybe send him to a driving school for his own safety... S4 would be a very nice first car and is AWD but can still get away from you if you're not a decent driver...
07-15-2014, 06:41 AM
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Not to be judgmental, but you asked....
I would NEVER get a 16 year old newly-licensed driver an S4 or anything like it. Kids are stupid, even the smart ones. I learned to drive in Volvos that were built (and drove) like tanks. Boring, but I'm still here. My first sporty car was a Honda Prelude that I bought at 25, then went through a couple of M3s before my current S4. I could have driven an M3 or S4 at 16, but the combination of temptation and immaturity is potentially lethal. Seems like every summer I read stories of rich kids in high school dying in sports cars that their parents bought them. No guarantees, of course: a bunch of kids around here were killed a few months ago in a minivan crash. But kids are by nature irresponsible, and the temptation presented behind the wheel of a fast car is too much for a 16 year old, IMO. And it's not just your kid -- think about the friends that will be riding with him, and the other drivers on the road.
I second the prior poster's suggestion, go with an A4 or something similar. Still a ridiculously nice first car.
I would NEVER get a 16 year old newly-licensed driver an S4 or anything like it. Kids are stupid, even the smart ones. I learned to drive in Volvos that were built (and drove) like tanks. Boring, but I'm still here. My first sporty car was a Honda Prelude that I bought at 25, then went through a couple of M3s before my current S4. I could have driven an M3 or S4 at 16, but the combination of temptation and immaturity is potentially lethal. Seems like every summer I read stories of rich kids in high school dying in sports cars that their parents bought them. No guarantees, of course: a bunch of kids around here were killed a few months ago in a minivan crash. But kids are by nature irresponsible, and the temptation presented behind the wheel of a fast car is too much for a 16 year old, IMO. And it's not just your kid -- think about the friends that will be riding with him, and the other drivers on the road.
I second the prior poster's suggestion, go with an A4 or something similar. Still a ridiculously nice first car.
07-15-2014, 06:45 AM
#4
AudiWorld Uber User
No I would not get him an S4. While it's a great car, if you put in in Dynamic Mode and don't treat it with skill and respect it turns into a vicious animal bent on murdering you. Naturally this is the first thing a 16 year old boy will do with it. The least is he'll crash it. The worst is he'll crash it at ludicrous speed and injure himself or others. While the car is very safe, no car does well in 100+ MPH crashes. You already said he doesn't have respect for money, so he will drive it like you can buy him another one tomorrow.
Get him something with less than 200 horsepower and a stick shift until he learns to drive. Make him pay for the insurance too.
Get him something with less than 200 horsepower and a stick shift until he learns to drive. Make him pay for the insurance too.
07-15-2014, 07:25 AM
#6
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Not to be judgmental, but you asked....
I would NEVER get a 16 year old newly-licensed driver an S4 or anything like it. Kids are stupid, even the smart ones. I learned to drive in Volvos that were built (and drove) like tanks. Boring, but I'm still here. My first sporty car was a Honda Prelude that I bought at 25, then went through a couple of M3s before my current S4. I could have driven an M3 or S4 at 16, but the combination of temptation and immaturity is potentially lethal. Seems like every summer I read stories of rich kids in high school dying in sports cars that their parents bought them. No guarantees, of course: a bunch of kids around here were killed a few months ago in a minivan crash. But kids are by nature irresponsible, and the temptation presented behind the wheel of a fast car is too much for a 16 year old, IMO. And it's not just your kid -- think about the friends that will be riding with him, and the other drivers on the road.
I second the prior poster's suggestion, go with an A4 or something similar. Still a ridiculously nice first car.
I would NEVER get a 16 year old newly-licensed driver an S4 or anything like it. Kids are stupid, even the smart ones. I learned to drive in Volvos that were built (and drove) like tanks. Boring, but I'm still here. My first sporty car was a Honda Prelude that I bought at 25, then went through a couple of M3s before my current S4. I could have driven an M3 or S4 at 16, but the combination of temptation and immaturity is potentially lethal. Seems like every summer I read stories of rich kids in high school dying in sports cars that their parents bought them. No guarantees, of course: a bunch of kids around here were killed a few months ago in a minivan crash. But kids are by nature irresponsible, and the temptation presented behind the wheel of a fast car is too much for a 16 year old, IMO. And it's not just your kid -- think about the friends that will be riding with him, and the other drivers on the road.
I second the prior poster's suggestion, go with an A4 or something similar. Still a ridiculously nice first car.
Last edited by DrGP; 07-15-2014 at 07:32 AM.
07-15-2014, 09:31 AM
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I was the same when I was growing up. I've always loved cars and I used to find cars for my father (albeit in a different price bracket). I therefore always had access to large engined powerful cars. In my first month of driving, I had more 'issues' let's say (knock on wood) thank I have had in 15 years of driving since. You need to explain to him that a car can be like a weapon in the wrong hands - it can kill. That's not something to be taken lightly.
Again like others on this forum, his is inevitably inexperience and you have no idea how good a driver he will actually be though be might be passionate about cars. A lot of that does come from experience.
My suggestion is down to my assumption that you have a decent budget and you want him to have a fun driving experience. I would recommend the 2015 Audi A3 Sedan (or even the MB CLA250). Although it's a shade smaller than the A4/S4, it's full of the latest tech and if you go for a Prestige with Sport pack it'll look the part too. This along with some track day experience will be a great way for him to get exposure to handling a powerful car with over 200 bhp and a decent sized turbo.
Oh, and if he doesn't really need a 4-door, then consider the all new 2015 Audi TT. That will be a head turner.
Sorry for the lengthy reply, but it's a topic very near and dear to my heart. Good luck to you both with whatever choice you make!
Again like others on this forum, his is inevitably inexperience and you have no idea how good a driver he will actually be though be might be passionate about cars. A lot of that does come from experience.
My suggestion is down to my assumption that you have a decent budget and you want him to have a fun driving experience. I would recommend the 2015 Audi A3 Sedan (or even the MB CLA250). Although it's a shade smaller than the A4/S4, it's full of the latest tech and if you go for a Prestige with Sport pack it'll look the part too. This along with some track day experience will be a great way for him to get exposure to handling a powerful car with over 200 bhp and a decent sized turbo.
Oh, and if he doesn't really need a 4-door, then consider the all new 2015 Audi TT. That will be a head turner.
Sorry for the lengthy reply, but it's a topic very near and dear to my heart. Good luck to you both with whatever choice you make!
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07-15-2014, 09:39 AM
#8
AudiWorld Senior Member
I'm no lawyer, but I think you might ought to consider your own personal liability should you buy him an S4 and he goes out and does something stupid or just dangerous with it and hurts or kills other people. Kind of the contributory negligence "give a kid a loaded gun" thing. You could become the target above what the insurance company pays out. I had personal experience with 2 sons, and thankfully they both came through it, . For this reason, I agree with most of the comments above. I can foresee the immature attitude of "I deserve this, I can do what I want to with it, and I'm invincible with it." Not to disrespect your desire to give your son a nice car, I think the lack of investment in it may preclude proper respect for it and what it can do. The peer pressures and bad judgment that come with it are real, and I have buried some of my young military personnel because of it.
My advice: you want him to grow up to be a capable, forward-thinking driver. As a safety officer, my mantra was always to think "what could happen if...." Buy a car with reasonable performance, good vehicle dynamics and brakes, and focus on teaching him car control and constant awareness for the "what if" including what other drivers are doing (or not doing). I'd say let him earn an S4 in a few years through demonstrated capability, maturity.
My advice: you want him to grow up to be a capable, forward-thinking driver. As a safety officer, my mantra was always to think "what could happen if...." Buy a car with reasonable performance, good vehicle dynamics and brakes, and focus on teaching him car control and constant awareness for the "what if" including what other drivers are doing (or not doing). I'd say let him earn an S4 in a few years through demonstrated capability, maturity.
07-15-2014, 10:41 AM
#9
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Agree with others... I'd say A3 or A4 at best. Cited lack of respect for money and irresponsibility might make me pause to give him anything right now to be honest, particularly with the house party only a month ago.
