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Would you let your 16 year old have a Jeep?

Would you let your 16 year old have a Jeep for their first vehicle?


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99wishes

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I have seen a bunch of very young kids driving Jeeps. Not sure how I would feel about my kids having a Jeep as their first vehicle the more I think about it.
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bthomp

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I have seen a bunch of very young kids driving Jeeps. Not sure how I would feel about my kids having a Jeep as their first vehicle the more I think about it.
What's the issue exactly?
 
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99wishes

99wishes

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In some ways I want my kids to have boring cars. A Jeep comes with a lot of distraction and creates opportunities that other vehicles can’t such as driving with the doors off or off-roading. It also seems like given the choice, all their friends would want them to drive. Now, to keep my concerns short, I picture me at 16 in a Jeep with all my friends, no top, no doors, loud radio, and looking for something I shouldn’t be doing.
 

Bryce

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A Jeep? Sure.
A JL? No.
I think a 16yo probably shouldn't have something so nice right off. A shitbox will teach them some humility, a bit about maintenance and appreciation. And there's a high chance it'll get banged up..

Get a POS for a few thousand and let them deal with it for a while.

We still have the little shit box we got for out 22yo 6 years ago. We paid $1750. She took care of it and fixed it when shit broke. In 2mo, she'll graduate with honors with a degree in Mechanucal Engineering and commission in the Air Force. She currently as a Manufacturing Engineer. Once Active in the Air Force, she'll be in Aircraft Maintenance as a 2nd Lieutenant.

I credit a lot of her abilities today to racing ATVs and Dirtbikes and maintaining them as a kid and helping me take care of our vehicles.

The first thing shes doing after graduation is buying a new vehicle! She's ready to dump the 20yo shitbox.
 
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kylebw7

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Giving kids a lot without great expectations, responsibilities, and standards is a recipe for disaster. The right kid raised right is impossible to spoil. My dad knew I had money saved up and told me whatever I could come up with he’d match. I had a little over 10k. My grandmother gave me another ten or so if I remember right and we bought and brand new 04 Land Rover discovery. My dad and I lifted it, installed armor, winch, etc. I’d buy another one as a toy today if the motors weren’t such junk. Mine only last 90k but that was through college so it did the job

Friend of mine was a spoiled idiot. The same day he got a brand new grand Cherokee limited for his 16th he and a few other idiots with him went off roading after a hard rain and got stuck deep in the woods. I got the call and went and pulled him out. Apparently he was supposed to be home at 10 so his parents were driving around looking for him and found us and his destroyed brand new car at the pay and spray a little after midnight. His dad did give me $100 for pulling him (I didn’t ask for it) out but took away his grand Cherokee and he had a beater Chevy truck a few weeks after that.

In high school I always had keys to my dads corvette and his motorcycles. Didn’t even have to ask. He always said if I have something it’s yours. I also knew one screwup and I’d lose a whole lot of privilege that I enjoyed. Never stayed out too late but also never had a curfew. If they had a 4 door wrangler at that time I would have had one but I could never do a 2 door as a daily

it’s up to what you can safely afford and what kind of kid you have as to what kind of car you should buy them. If they’re driven and responsible you aren’t going to spoil them. The best time to have nice things is when you’re young and can enjoy them if you can handle it. Had a buddy in college with loaded parents (dad was an executive that helped bring about BofA). His dad told him he could have whatever car he wanted as a hs grad present. Kid picked out a Ford Escape smh. Obviously not into cars
 

cosine

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i dont have kids, not married or have a girlfriend. so here is my view points. it would be cool to have a wrangler perhaps a tj or a jk model. even a yj. start them off with an older year so if something happen, your out with little $$$. and less hp. restrict them from taking the doors off or top. top could be a choice, but if friends are going to ride in the back, i would leave the top on ( hard top that is). the other thing to keep in mind, 16 year olds are starting out in driving. so with that safety should be one the top of the list. a wrangler might not be the best choice. i have seen some bad crashes involving teens and wranglers. wrangler totaled, teen scared $hit. i knew a guy that was traveling fast on a narrow winding (short road) yapping on the cellphone ran off the road and slammed into a tree. he didnt make it. he cheated death once before with a pick up truck, but the 2nd time killed in a wrangler..

i could go on with pros and cons, but i would say for the first timer no on the wrangler, but yes on a cherokee (not the grand). once they get older and plenty of miles under there belt, a wrangler could be in the future.
 

limeade

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My 16 yr old drives a 2018 JLUR as his first car. I had a 2015 Ram 2500 and sold it to buy my JLUR. Then I got a security contracting job in Afghanistan and am home only 2 months every year.....so he gets it by default. My wife prefers him driving it as it's new and with a warranty, that way she doesn't have to worry about an older vehicle breaking down.

It's pretty much his now and he will take it to college or military. He has purchased a 2.5" RK lift, Synergy tie rod, drag link and front track bar reinforcement bracket, Warn winch and winch plate, various skid plates, Hikeit throttle controller, Tazer JL Mini, Dynomax muffler delete, MetalCloak Sportgate tire carrier, 37" Patagonia MT's, and Vision wheels for it. He is waiting (in)patiently for me to get home in March to install it all.

IMG_4239.jpg


Plus.....he grew up helping me wrench on the ORIGINAL Jeep Rubicon.....my 2004 TJ Rubicon in Electric Lime Green Pearl Coat. I had promised him that Jeep for when he turned 16, but sadly had to sell it years ago when the family outgrew it.

jeep 1.png
jeep 2.png
 
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amnesiac

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I used to think getting my son a wrangler would be a great idea. (used, of course)

after owning mine about a month, I realized all the dumb stuff I would’ve done if I had one of these things when I was 16. So, no, probably not.

definitely getting him something more boring and less capable. Maybe an escape, lol. (I drove escapes for 10 years before I got my Wrangler.)
 

LLANERO

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I think the car you give your kids at 16 has nothing to do with spoiling them.
What matters is how you raised them during those 16 years, the values you"ve tought them.
My daughter's dream car when she was in high school was a mustang.
We got her one when she turned 16.
10 years later, she is in 3rd year of med school, commissioned in the air force and nominated for her school's Humanism Honor Society. She has two rescued dogs, and fosters puppies for her local shelter.
 

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Luvmejeeps

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I gave up this to get my JL. 05 LJ Rubicon in electric lime green.

76135075-DA7E-4F37-808A-CC4A6EA01819.jpeg
I don't know how you gave up a nice LJR like that up. No way I could've let that go. They are worth good money. Hope you at least got a good price selling it.
 

The Fixer

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I'm not sure I'd give a new driver a brand-new vehicle because you have to expect a new driver may make some mistakes. I'm sure in other parts of the country that are less populated it's not that big of a deal, but it's very congested here and there are a LOT of distracted drivers that a new driver doesn't always see. Here in NJ, kids get their license at 17. My son was 15 when my wife got her JL in May of 2018, and we kept her '03 Jeep Liberty to give to my son when he turns 17 this May. He's been wrenching on it and driving it on his permit. I know someday he wants to get a Wrangler, but for now this Liberty will do.
 

Tiger1

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My 16 yr old drives a 2018 JLUR as his first car. I had a 2015 Ram 2500 and sold it to buy my JLUR. Then I got a security contracting job in Afghanistan and am home only 2 months every year.....so he gets it by default. My wife prefers him driving it as it's new and with a warranty, that way she doesn't have to worry about an older vehicle breaking down.

It's pretty much his now and he will take it to college or military. He has purchased a 2.5" RK lift, Synergy tie rod, drag link and front track bar reinforcement bracket, Warn winch and winch plate, various skid plates, Hikeit throttle controller, Tazer JL Mini, Dynomax muffler delete, MetalCloak Sportgate tire carrier, 37" Patagonia MT's, and Vision wheels for it. He is waiting (in)patiently for me to get home in March to install it all.

IMG_4239.jpg


Plus.....he grew up helping me wrench on the ORIGINAL Jeep Rubicon.....my 2004 TJ Rubicon in Electric Lime Green Pearl Coat. I had promised him that Jeep for when he turned 16, but sadly had to sell it years ago when the family outgrew it.

jeep 1.png
jeep 2.png
Now THAT's a Jeep family!
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