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18 year old + 500hp car - very bad mix

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When I was in High School, one of my class mates father had a 428 Cobra Jet Mustang (Mach I). Dad used to let son drive this extrememly powerful car unsupervised. Luckily my class mate made it to adulthood alive, but based on some of teh stunts he used to pull in that car its a miracle.
 
That one hit close by:

One of my neighbors (without a lick of common sense)
let his 17 year old son drive his new Ferrari on a Sunday
afternoon--- to impress the lad's girlfriend.

The lad and the girl both managed to survive the Ferrari
breaking in half on the concrete electric pole when the
lad lost control at speed. No bystanders were injured.

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/nonono.gif
 
Heard about that crash, thought: "Testosterone and gasoline in another deadly cocktail"... M5, horsepower gone stupid.

If I'd been foolish enough to have had kids they'd be allowed to drive, sure. YUGO's. Never after dark, NEVER in my cars. Further, if I'd hear they had been a passenger in one with a peer at the helm, it'd be ankle bracelet and GPS locator time. NO exceptions. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/mad.gif

Kids just simply do not think. Humans don't get to a rational brain development point until at least age 24. Allowing access to the keys of a performance car to an 18-year-old is tantamount to negligent homicide, IMO. I don't care HOW the child acts in the company of adults.
 
That's a shame. Didn't the Corvette ZR-1 have a key switch that hobbled the engine's output in case you had reason to keep people from joy riding excessively, like a shady parking lot attendant (think "Ferris Bueller's Day Off")? Seems like that might be a good feature to have, but I wouldn't dare let a teenager take off with a 500 HP car.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]If I'd been foolish enough to have had kids they'd be allowed to drive, sure. YUGO's.[/QUOTE]

I was that foolish - just got one...

I was thinking something tiny, underpowered, stick shift, no ABS, no airbags and no crumple zones - in the hope that it imbues some sense of mortality into the little bugger.

Even then only after he's completed a car control course and spent some time on a skidpad.

Da Missus however wants him to have a tank.

So I guess he's going to get a Midget and some driving lessons for his 17th birthday. Fortunately I have 17 years to find the 'right' one /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
DrEntropy said:
Allowing access to the keys of a performance car to an 18-year-old is tantamount to negligent homicide, IMO.
Click to expand...

oops
 
/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/lol.gif

You're golden, Cam... Nobody in their right mind would put me "in charge" to run ~anything~.
 
DrEntropy said:
/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/lol.gif

You're golden, Cam... Nobody in their right mind would put me "in charge" to run ~anything~.
Click to expand...

In my case, anyway, it would be suicide, and quite nearly and literally was once. I think personal pride and responsibility has a lot to do with it. I paid for my car, and as a result, would not go to such lengths as this child did to jeopardize what was actually Daddy's toy.
 
Lessons learnt at the cost of experience tend to stick, too. With the 500HP Bimmer, the physics made the experience too costly to allow the "remembering" part... it was DISmembering.

Too sad.
 
It is amazing that I made it to adulthood. Remember the "gas crisis" in the mid 70's? I was young (and no doubt stupid) and GTO's and the like were dirt cheap. Nobody wanted cars with single digit MPG. I had a lot of fun though.It was weird, I had muscle cars, and Sprigets. What a dynamic difference, but either one made me grin. Still do in fact. I gave my kid ONE car. It was an 87 Jetta GLI (GTI spec, but w/ a trunk. Nice car, handled and braked OK . He rolled it into a ball on a country road. After a few years of bumming rides from his buddies, he bought a 97 BMW 328 coupe WITH HIS DOUGH. He takes really good care of that one.Stupid Children. Now he wants to sell that and get a 2002. Mebbe he is learning.
 
You may be right, Jesse. A rollin' greenhouse is far superior to those 3-series lumps. He's learnin'!!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif
 
Basil said:
When I was in High School, one of my class mates father had a 428 Cobra Jet Mustang (Mach I).
Click to expand...
We dropped off our Scion at my buddies shop this evening to have the lttle dent in the rear gate repaired, and there was a gorguous, blue 1970 Cobra Jet Mustang sittin inside.
I wanted to go for a little ride.... Of course it paled a little sitting next to the Factory 5 Daytona coupe (which I have driven Wheeeeeeeeeeee)
As for the Bimmer forum thread. That was eerie to read through. I hope that never happens here.
You guys (and gals) all be safe. Please!!!
 
One thing I noticed about roads out in that part of FL during this time of year. They (the roads) get SLICK after sun down... at least they were for me during Christmas 2007... It's a dangerous situation if you don't know the area or don't have the necessary experience for the power of the car under those conditions.
 
Strange read, that bimmer forum. Sort of haunting.
One thing though. That kid promised to post pictures of his car. Well the pictures went up.

I think there unfortunately all too many stories like that one. My way around the temptation is the same way as I did as a kid. Don't give the kids anything at all. Whatever they get, it's with their own money... and they have to work for that money.

My brother's first car was a TR4, bought for $250 saved from delivering newspapers. Then he and I had to work for months to get it working well enough to him drive it. I was 13 at that time, my brother 16. When we finally had something to drive, it wasn't fast or reliable, but we had respect for it.
 
Bought the BN1 as a kid, tried to turn in front of a public transport bus on a wet road, somehow managed to do a 360 circle with the bus in the centre of the circle prescribed, no damage, dont know to this day!, slowed me down somewhat!
 
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