Good job DAD!!!!!....good kids deserve such things!!!..

 

Hagerty was rather direct if not blunt about my daughter not driving anything they insure for me until she turns 23. And no she doesn't have a bad driving record...

Sounds like they are loosening that up, I know by state they may use a different underwriter and that's where the limit is set. Here's a quote from their web page...

Q. How many years of driving experience is required of an insured?
A. We are happy to discuss coverage with all enthusiasts and able to consider drivers 18 years old and older. In some states, we cannot offer coverage to drivers with less than 5 years driving experience. Underwriting guidelines, including household driving records, will apply.

 

Let me throw the negative out there.

Most, if not all, 'high school' cars get wrecked or torn up in one way or another. By the driver, careless friends, jealous idiots, parking lot morons etc. A torn seat from a friend jumping in with a pen in his back pocket. Scratches from jacket zippers or notebooks. Door dings from careless kids who don't recognize or appreciate old cars. You get the picture.

We brought an old Firebird back to life for my son's high school car. It was a father/son project that lasted well over a year. Together we rebuilt the engine, transmission, rearend, put new quarters on it, did some body work, sanded the whole thing down etc. After we had it painted, the FIRST day he drove it to school some kid's ******* little brother keyed it for no reason. My son was heartbroken and I about blew a gasket. After it was fixed, one of my son's friends was acting goofy running next to the car, tripped and fell against it putting a big ol' scratch in the rear quarter with his jacket zipper. There were other things as well that my son was responsible for...

He may be a great kid, but I'm sure all the other kids at his school aren't.

Mark

 

Mark some of the things you mentioned I have already talk with him about them, one is not to park beside any of the other cars at school, he goes to a private school and there is only about 550 kids there from the 1st through the 12th grade, also told him to not be surprised about someone keying the car. By no means do I want anything to happen to the car but I do want him enjoy and appreciate the car, the car is a real good driver and does have few flaws, it is not one that has had a frame off or recent paint.

 

My daughter drove my Camaro from the day she got her license. Grey hair started sprouting from my head every time she's take off down the driveway and out of sight.

Yes you do have to assume that those bad things will happen. Your kid's friend hops into the back seat, his shoes scratch the sill plates, or he breaks the lift handle on the seat. Or the car is driven through tar, gravel road, construction site, any number of things. Any time you bring any expensive looking vehicle to a high school parking lot, someone will be jealous or just will want to spoil it- keying the car, breaking into it, even stealing it for a joy ride. If you are willing to accept this kind of michief, then it's completely up to you.
By the way the only way I could get my 16 year old son coverage for my 69 Camaro is to have it insured liability only- collector car insurance wouldn't allow it. But I one my camaro so my kids can enjoy it too, under dad's close supervision though...

 

Well it is a new thing at the moment so hopefully he will take care of it until the new wears off or until hot weather gets here, it does not have A/C and he will want to drive the truck.

 

 

Love the picture, it just brought a smile to my face. Reminds me of the trip home, from the used car lot, when I bought mine at 16 years old.

 

Since newer drivers normally have a higher accident rate I would think that I would want my son or daughter in a car with better safety features (airbags etc....). Not to sound like a stick in the mud but life is short and the older they get the more they might appreciate these older cars. That is not to say that I wouldn't let my kid drive it but I would be with them and only after they earned it. Maybe I am getting old......

Brandan-

 

i drove my 66 C-10 to high school everyday in 2001-04...first car....when i was 16...made me a better driver 3on a tree manual brakes and steerings...heck yeah!

 

I think you made a great choice.
I got mine at age 14 (8th grade) from my dads friend, all original.
My dad and I re built the motor, and I helped the body man with the work and paint, make him do the work, and spend a little of his money so he can appreciate it.
I've never wrecked mine, never really came close, I have too much of my own $ and my parents $ and my dad & me into the car, I wouldn't even think of street racing it, or getting into a position to wreck the car.

I think the problem these days, is the parents buy an older car for their kids all fixed up for 13-18k, nothing special, but better than what mine was through, so they don't have much into it, and they wreck them at some point through high school.

It helps to know about mechanics and how to do things, but my friend got a 68 mustang in decent shape, was doing a one wheel peel to impress some friends, hit a curb and damaged the car... I thoroughly believe if he put his own time, money, and heart into the car, it wouldn't have happened.

My parents never tossed me the keys, I didn't start driving the car without my Dad until senior year, it was cool just being able to drive it with him, looking over my shoulder, so that probably rubbed off on me. Now that I've earned their respect, I can take it just about anywhere, any time I want, while they probably still worry some, they know I appreciate the car just as much as they do, if not more.

 

Let me tell you something.....you may not have to worry about your son. My father didn't. However, other kids are effing PR!CKS and those are the ones you have no control over. No way around it. Actually, a lot of people are but the younger, the less self control in my experience.

My first time I took mine to college someone raked a key all the way across the trunk and stripes from quarter to quarter.

A 16 year old here has a frame off '73 that was a factory type rebuild that morphed into a 600hp engine (the father reliving his youth). He is mostly afraid to drive it but one of the last times he went to the store he popped in for a soda and came out to a key scratch down one rear quarter panel. This was right before a car show.

Things like that are part of the reason I'm not doing any paint or body to mine for a long time. I like to drive it and park it without worrying too much. And I don't do that "park in the middle of nowhere" thing. I've found that the harder you try to keep one safe, the more insatiable the hooligan's desire becomes to mess with it.

With that said, let him drive it. It's just a car in the end. Just know what's out there and be prepared to deal with it. Most of the stuff is the same regardless who drives it.

 

After my nephew begged me, I sold him my 2002 WRX. The 3rd day he owned it, he drove it to a party in a apt complex. When he came out the windshield was busted, doors kicked in, dents in the roof, tail lights busted, and grill kicked in.....

 

It's nice that a good kid can have a nice car to drive - however can't say I would let mine do it for a regular driver, maybe once in a while. These cars don't have the safety features the newer ones do and it's not always the person behind the wheel that causes the accident - I'd rather the daily driver have an air bag etc for my kids.

 

It's nice that a good kid can have a nice car to drive - however can't say I would let mine do it for a regular driver, maybe once in a while. These cars don't have the safety features the newer ones do and it's not always the person behind the wheel that causes the accident - I'd rather the daily driver have an air bag etc for my kids.

X2, I was thinking I could hook my kids up with a nice camaro or chevelle and it would be cheap if I did all the work, but then I started thinking about there being no airbags and trashed the idea. Too many kids died when I was in highschool in car wrecks. One kid had 3 passengers and he tried to outrun a train. They had to use dental records to identify who was in the car w him. Of course airbags wouldnt have saved them but I want my kids to have the best chance should anything go wrong.

 

You have to be kidding me. These cars are just not safe enough for a kid to be driving. If he wants to take it to a show that would be great but a daily driver I think would be a mistake. Unless you have went over this car and replaced the critical suspicion parts, all the brake components and body mounts you know they could be over 40 years old. A car with a 350, substandard safety belts, no airbags, just is not a kids car.
A $1,000.00 used car these days would have twice as much safety equipment in it then one of these Camaros. I am sorry to be a downer but it is something you got to think out.

Roger

 

A $1,000.00 used car these days would have twice as much safety equipment in it then one of these Camaros. I am sorry to be a downer but it is something you got to think out.

Roger

A 1,000 car these days ain't gonna be safe and/or drive without needing some kind of serious work. Trust me, my friends have been there and done that. A Mercedes one of them bought for $900 a year ago has been a money pit.

Complete replacement of shocks and struts, rebuilt alternator, master cylinder, radiator, headlights (rotted out and dim), manifolds, muffler, some kind of ceramic part, it doesn't accelerate good and is at times, a saftey hazard, THE DANG GAUGE CLUSTER IS BAD AND HAS BEEN SINCE THEY BOUGHT IT speedometer is wack and odometer broke at 150,000 miles EPERTS SAY THIS CAR HAS AT LEAST 300,000-400,000 MILES ON IT and maybe more, paint is a mess on the hood, and it has been in the shop for AT LEAST four weeks. FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, BUYING PARTS FOR A MERCEDES ARE VERY EXPENSIVE AND QUICKLY ADD UP AND MAKE CAMAROS LOOK LIKE CHEAP CHINESE CARS FAST.

 

This will not be a everyday driver, he has 2001 S-10 Extreme for his everyday driver, his high school prom is coming up maybe drive it to that and some other things.

 

Even with the best kids, Proms can get the wrong behavior happening - I'd rent a limo for the evening before I'd let one take a vinatge Camaro to it - yes it would be a lot of fun but I wouldn't do it - maybe I am overly protective, but better safe than sorry.

 

Stephen you know I wasn't talking about a Mercedes. Those things are a money pit after the honeymoon. I was more thinking about a $1,000.00 Chevy or Ford would have a lot better saftey equipment then a 1st Gen Camaro.

Roger

 

Stephen you know I wasn't talking about a Mercedes. Those things are a money pit after the honeymoon. I was more thinking about a $1,000.00 Chevy or Ford would have a lot better saftey equipment then a 1st Gen Camaro.

Roger

I know you weren't talking of a Benz, I just used my friend's car as an example. Now, either I'm not looking in the right places, or what but I have yet to find a "nice, running and driving, no work needed, "safe" car" for $1,000 or under". All the ones I've found, OLD OR NEW, have needed work in SOME form. The body was smashed, engine needed rebuilt/replaced/missing and/or tranny, car was a rust bucket, exhaust needing rebuilt/replaced, brake issues, car was totalled from a crash, missing/stolen title, or the vehicle was not parent approved or I would be a cramped sardine in it (I'm 6 foot 3, I'm not going to be in a clown car).

I've checked Craigslist, Dayton Daily Classifieds, and the junkyard too. Thanks to cash for clunkers, this is even more difficult. Too get into the market for ANY decent, driving vehicle, you must be looking in the $3,000 range and up. This isn't 1990 or whatever anymore, it is 2010 and prices have risen. I'm sorry if I sound rude or pushy, but it seems nobody ever wants to listen or even at least consider to what I believe to be fact.

 

I had my car when I was in high school however, I only drove it to school once. Last day, senior year. I never drove it to homecoming or prom. The one day I did drive it I had friends parked on both sides of me. These cars can be driven by high school aged kids without an incident. I know because I done it. You just have to have sense about you when your behind the wheel, and I was very selective about who I let get into the car with me and where I went in it. Other kids see the car and immediately think old car = hot rod/racecar. I certainly did not think that because I had dumped every penny I made since I was 13 years old into it. Everybody wanted to ride in it at first, but they lost interest when they saw that I wasn't going to act like a wild man behind the wheel.

 

I say go for it. These cars were safe enough for us without airbags and with rear wheel drive. You only live once. If your child is mature and trustworthy, it sounds like a blast to me. I'd let my kids drive a classic anytime. Don't make the younger generation bigger sissys than society has already made them. Remember when we rode bikes, scooters, rollerskates and skateboards with no helmets. We laid in the back window of mom & dads big Buick to go on trips. Never wore seatbelts and have been in serious car accidents, wrecked bikes, motorcycles, fell off skateboards etc. and I'm still here to talk about all that stuff.
Enjoy life and let your kids enjoy theirs too.

 

well i must be the exact opposite of you guys. i graduated 10 years ago.
sophomore year i drove a 71 chevelle malibu. senior year i drove my 68 camaro 327/210hp powerglide coupe. both of these cars i funded with my own $.

now i had winter beaters(much worse off safety wise) since they use sooo much salt in mn. but all the days that were not winter these were my daily cars. my friend droped the seat back on one of my seat belts and broke the plastic cover and that was it. never had any problems with others wanting to vandalize it and i wasnt always the most liked kid in the car group(i didnt think my car was the fastest in the state like the others).

not only did i drive my car every day when prom came around i drove my dads 57 belair. now this was a car you sweat about everything. took it twice to prom. never any problems.
hell the year after i graduated i let my friend take my car to his senior prom with the upgraded motor and trans.

now the only thing i did to deface this car in 10 years was something slid in my trunk on a hard corner and put a small outward dent in my rear quarter. nothing too bad.
but then came christmas of 09. i was at my parents house where they let me store it for the winter so my wife can have a warm garage spot. i went to check out something for my suspension order and i see a tear in the front of my car cover.
it turns out my dad hit it with the four wheeler plow blade. it put a 1/2 inch deep crease in the front left fender over the side marker light about 8 inches long.
for his punishment until i can afford to paint the whole car(needed paint anyways) he has to sign it with permanent marker "merry christmas dad".

 

He has another car, he is good, let him drive it.
The safety issue? I'm pretty sure my dad turned out fine, drove a couple of old mopars probably with no seat belts and did stupid stuff in them.
My mom also drove a '67 malibu in hs, her dad was a mechanic so it wasn't slow, they are still alive.
I drove my beater ('97 Z-71) for the most part to school and ripped on that thing with my friends, mudding etc, so I wasn't tempted to do anything stupid in the camaro.
Again, I was 14 when I got mine, drove the wheels off of it, not a scratch or dent, i'm still alive, and my luck is terrible.
I wouldn't advise taking it to prom or any huge school event, and especially parties, decisions go south when mixed with alcohol, a few of my friends vehicles were vandalized from drunk people at drunk parties.

 

i like the idea.. my first car was a 66 mustang and i drove it to highschool constantly and had no problems with other kids etc. truth is anything can happen if its a $1000 car or a brand new $50000 car. evey car has its flaws.. just gotta use your head driving and itll work out good.. just my opinion...

 

You guys may be right. I hope you are. I am just looking at this as a parent and a retired firefighter. I have seen too many of these scenarios turn out with a bad ending.

Roger

 

i rather have a car that stands out from the crowd...then what just plain jane crap people drive nowdays..

 

It's your car and your child. Nobody here knows your son like you do. If you think he can handle the resposibility, then make that decision.

I have great kids, great in school, well behaved, etc.. I still would not let either of them drive a classic car to school, unless they bought it themselves. I am not so much worried about safety, but the lack of respect from other kids is not worth the respect. People don't look at cars the same as most of us on this board. None of us would ever lean on another persons car or purposely key a car. Many kids these days, have no respect for cars and just a little goofing around can result in a dent or other damage.

 

Many kids these days, have no respect for cars and just a little goofing around can result in a dent or other damage.

Not just cars, they don't have respect for anything. Dang, now I remember why my Classic Bikes are always locked up in the garage! I've only met 2-3 kids that were actually raised right.

Some trash kids took their bikes and rode them up and down my neighbor's drive way and they took their handlebars and scratched the paint on the car on their way down. Their trash parents didn't give a crap and to this day, my neighbor's SUV is screwed up all the way down the sides. Another jerk removed the stone that kept their basketball hoop up (top heavy) and the wind blew it just a tad right after he did that and SMACK! a big 'ole dent right on their hood.


Most kids nowadays didn't get whooped enough and need to learn respect, PULL UP THEIR PANTS, and leave other people's stuff the heck alone.

Just had to vent and back you up on your statement .