[mgsouthwest2001]

OP, whether or not you should get your son a challenger is really something only you can decide because kids are all different and only YOU know your boy. Some teens are wild and grossly irresponsible. That is not a good match for a challenger. Others are well behaved and follow their parents directions. That kind of kid may be able to handle it fine. I disagree with those who feel that kids should earn/pay for everything. People have their entire adult life to work like an adult and "earn" their way. Childhood and those precious few teen years should have some wonderful memories. Probably, the most awesome teenage memory I have is my Dad buying me my first car when I was 16. And yep, it was a sports car. It was a Z28 Camaro that was only 3 years old and was gorgeous. Had the V8 in it, a shift kit, T tops etc.. I didn't get killed in it. Now, I did work some for my Dad who managed a hardware store and I worked some at a movie theatre when I was a senior but I didn't earn anywhere near the money it would have taken to afford that nice of a car. Dad took care of that. What he asked of me was to be a good kid, to stay out of trouble and do well in high school. I did that and he rewarded that with that car. My Dad was as good a Dad all the way around as any kid could ever hope to have. I will always appreciate the fact that He let me be a kid and really enjoy those years. He worked hard so his kids could have things He never did. Today, I would do anything in the world for him as well.

 

[2012R/T]

Personally I would not. Long hood, bad blind spots and a car that makes people want to race with it. Love mine, bought it when I was 23. Glad that I did not have it when I was that young. Mine is a M6 R/T

 

[Rich's_R/T]

Ok well I myself was fortunate enough that my grandfather bought my car for me when I was only 16 as well. After much research, my dad and grandfather decided on getting me a R/T with the manual. I have received so much crap in the few years that I have owned it for it not really being my car and how I don't deserve it and such but in reality people have no clue what they are talking about. Granted there are some kids out there who I know who take advantage of extreme generosity like this but damn don't give us all a bad name! I still work my ass off to afford my car. I pay all the gas, maintenance and insurance for it (and the occasional upgrade :naughty. people say that this is a generation of "I want it now" but I would like to respectfully tell you that you have no idea what you are talking about. You clearly have only talked to a few of us and decided to judge all of us. There are kids like that in every generation. the ones who don't realize what they have.

Well now to actually answer your question. I would say that the manual is a fantastic idea. My father would not let me get this car unless it was a manual. The automatic doesn't keep your hands and minds busy like the manual. Because of this you are distracted easier which is a common issue among us young drivers. also i live in New Jersey and with my car (knock on wood) i have yet to have any problems with the weather. I would invest in snow tires like i did and with the manual I am able to drive through almost anything. People say that the V8 is too fast but in reality we all know that us kids will probably drive a little faster than we should in nearly anything that we are in. Might as well do it in something that is designed for exactly that! As some have mentioned, the visibility issue is a slight concern but everyone here can agree that it will just take some getting used to.

My personal opinion from experience is that the challenger is actually a great first car. It teaches you to respect true power and it is responsive enough to react to any situation you come across. It is fast to accelerate out of a bad spot but also has the handling and stopping power to slow you back down to safe speed. The crash test ratings on the challenger are quite good as well so I say go with the R/T and you will not regret it!

 

[HK-Pro]

It appears YOU BOUGHT YOURS. You are not a KID. You are a 18 year old MAN. You earned it. I respect you for that. I could have bought my son a car...he bought a truck on his own. I could have paid his college bills...he does. Not me. Likewise, my father did the same. I thank him for that. This is America's biggest problem...30 year old "teen agers."

Though generally true, I wouldn't say maturity entitling car ownership requires the money to pay for it yourself. My dad bought my charger when I was young because I was about to graduate HS with an associate's degree as well. Mental maturity matters just as much as work ethic maturity. Then again, the v6's back then werent close to 300hp lol.

 

[c26bt34c]

How many Americans achieved ...

Though generally true, I wouldn't say maturity entitling car ownership requires the money to pay for it yourself. My dad bought my charger when I was young because I was about to graduate HS with an associate's degree as well. Mental maturity matters just as much as work ethic maturity. Then again, the v6's back then werent close to 300hp lol.

...What you did? You are the exception. You earned it too. I assume you WORKED HARD for that degree...as a high school student. Work is work. You EARNED IT.

 

[HK-Pro]

My point was moreso that paying for it yourself is not as important as being smart enough to drive it intelligently. There are probably a lot of working teenagers that could pay the payments, but how many of them are smart enough not to drive it like a teenager? When combined with my first post the biggest point is that even if a kid can afford it and is smart it's still a good idea to wait. I survived, but I know I drove it like an *******. I think it's pretty age-correlated

 

[6Gears'N'Leadfoot]

I would buy him a beater, make him drive it for 6 months. Let him get experience with a car and a stick then decide at that point if a v8 challenger is something he can handle.
I turned 16 and my stepdad asked me if I wanted a car. I said hell yes, so he said good, go get a job and buy one. I got a job in fast food and walked to work for the next year, saved my money and bought a Ranger just in time for senior year. Now that im older I understand what he was teaching me, but it sure would have been nice. Its been my experience that most kids that buy their own cars care for them more than ones that are given to them. Of course there are plenty of responsible teens out there as well. You know your son better than anyone so it really is your decision. If my kid makes good grades, no troubles, is respectful and focused on his education I would consider buying him a car. I can always take it away should something go south.

It would be badazz to have a Challenger R/T in high school though!

 

[whiterabbit]

I think you should get the kid a Geo Tracker. Sporty two door, 4 wheel drive for winter, convertible for summer, and the chics dig um. Total package!

 

[NeptuneChallenger]

I think you should get the kid a Geo Tracker. Sporty two door, 4 wheel drive for winter, convertible for summer, and the chics dig um. Total package!

Did you really just refer to that Geo/Suzuki thing as "sporty"?

OP- Starting off a driving career in a total beater hooptie is a right of passage for any man, you will regret denying your son that experience.

 

[1970FJ6T/A]

While I don't agree with buying children cars, if you have the mean$ and you believe your child is mature enough and responsible then yes. I purchased my 1st car at 19 a 1970 T/A Challenger which I still have I worked long and hard to earn that money to buy that car, I drove my parents cars from 16 to 19 when they were available I always had to put gas in them and wash both their cars. I will be faced with similar decisions in 5 years and 11 years. I will let my kids drive my T/A - SRT8 when they demonstrate they are mature and responsible young adults, to just hand over the keys is a mistake. Good luck with that decision.

 

[StealthChallenger]

Well, my first car was a one owner red 1985.5 Porsche 944 with 68K miles on it. that my father purchased for me when I was almost 18 years old back in 2002. The car cost about 5K back then, but I was on cloud nine. I was a straight A student, heavily involved in cross country/track, theatre, etc. and never got in any trouble. As long as I kept this behavior up, I was allowed a car of my own. Since it was a "Porsche", people thought it cost a ton of money and that I was spoiled, which was funny. I absolutely babied that car and never horsed around in it because I felt like I earned it, even though I technically did not buy it myself. If your son has some type of investment in the car whether monetary or schooling related, I don't see an issue with getting him a Challenger if you can afford it. IMO, I would not go higher than a R/T for a new driver. I have owned SRT and R/T and will say SRT would be overkill for me to daily drive let alone someone almost half my age. I also think while your son may be responsible, a 16 year old with friends in the car, will drive like an idiot. This should be monitored, and I am sure Ohio has some sort of Graduated Driver's License laws in regards to passengers. Driver' under 21 are pretty bad when it comes to fatal accidents. When it comes to winter, he will need snow tires/rims. They are working great for me.

 

[Yahooligan]

I wouldn't recommend it and my wife and I aren't going to be buying anything like that for our daughters, either.

My first car was a $1500 El Camino. It had a tired 305 V8, 3-speed auto, no ABS...but it held up well enough and got me where I needed to go. Every vehicle after that was on my own.


I don't believe giving kids such an expensive and "special" first car is a good idea for a number of reasons; They're kids, even the best ones are likely to have a lapse in judgement and want to show off. All their friends will want them to drive everywhere, all their friends are likely to be distractions as well. Insurance is going to be more expensive. Other kids may feel jealous and end up keying or otherwise damaging the car while parked at school.


We'll probably go with something like a Honda Civic or Accord that's at least a few years old. Inconspicuous, fuel efficient, cheap insurance, cheap to operate, safe, and inexpensive.

 

[wasp392]

I guessing there's a lot of drama at your house now. 16 yr olds are very persistent when they want something bad. Worst teenage year. They'll tell you want you want to hear, manipulate you, and push you till you give in to their demands.
Don't give in.


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[GIancarlo]

I saw no problem , depends on your son. Be honest with your self
Is he a good kid you can trust? Only you know the answer. . And be honest with him. If he is not to be trusted? Tell him why. A Challenger is a good choice if he is a responsible young man. If not you did not do your job as a parent. Be Honest.....

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[RWL11]

One word, well actually, 2: NO WAY.

 

[70monte]

I personally wouldn't do it as I'm not a believer in giving kids a car plus a car with bad visibility and over 300 hp is probably not a good idea with a new driver. My 18 year old son has a 1999 V6 Dodge Dakota and my 16 year old Daughter has a 2004 Kia Rio with a 4 cyl. My ex-wife bought both of these for them and seeing how they both don't take very good care of these vehicles just reinforces why neither one of them deserves a nice first car. I'm constantly reminding both of them that they need to check and change the oil as well as keeping the vehicles clean. That doesn't happen. At least neither or them drive crazy. My fiancée's 18 year old son drives like a maniac and doesn't take care of his truck or anything he drives. She at least made him pay for half of the truck and he pays for his insurance.

Obviously only you know what kind of person your son is and whether or not he can handle the responsibility of owning the kind of car you are thinking of getting him.

Wayne

 

[wasp392]

I saw no problem , depends on your son. Be honest with your self
Is he a good kid you can trust? Only you know the answer. . And be honest with him. If he is not to be trusted? Tell him why. A Challenger is a good choice if he is a responsible young man. If not you did not do your job as a parent. Be Honest.....

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I don't think honestly and trust has anything do with it.
It comes down to experience. I don't trust his experience.
It's like getting your kid his first bicycle without training wheels. Sure, you can do it but is it wise?


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[buckwheat]

I would get him the SRT8.

 

[mgsouthwest2001]

Hey, all you guys that don't want to buy your kids no nice car, just remember your kids get to pick YOUR nursing home later. :icon_lol:

 

[c26bt34c]

Doubt that...

Hey, all you guys that don't want to buy your kids no nice car, just remember your kids get to pick YOUR nursing home later. :icon_lol:

At the rate they are going...they will still be living with their parents...and have to move to the old folks home with them.