My P car and my 19 Year Old...

The the un-avoidable has finally happened. I finally gave in to my 19-year old son's constant persistance to let him drive my P car by himself. He has always driven with me as a passenger in the car and he loves the ride. He is currently attending college locally and drives a Scion XB. His car gets great gas mileage and fortunately does not have a lot of power. He is a good driver but unfortunately has a tendancy of going over the speed limit more times that I really care for. After helping me clean the P car this afternoon he began his normal whining to drive the car. He told me that he was only going to the gym which is approximately three miles from the house and back home. After I gave him the keys he had a grin in his face from ear to ear. As he drove off I was wondering if I had done the right thing. My wife told me I was crazy....!! I spent the next hour in front of the house waiting to hear the sweet sound of the sport exhaust as he drove up to the house. He got out of the car handed me the keys and said "thanks dad.....and by the way.....great ride!!!" I knew at that point that I was in trouble. If any of you guys are in my shoes please share how you handle these situations.......

game over

My son is 13 months old and my daughter 4y.o. I've must have told my wife a million times "there is no way either one of them is getting near my car!!" Good luck!

Gutsy move, man. Glad it worked out! In the same position, I'd let my kid take a ride. I think. Ask me again in 13 years (he's just turning 6)...

Time for some time of teen driving school and a nice boxster or something!

Just tell him 'now you know what you're saving for' - 'I'll help you pick out yours when you have enough in the Bank'!

Manny - I'll give you two an entirely different views on this subject. First view: My only daughter is 19 years old and I have tried to teach her how to drive the P-car (which is the olnly manual tranny car in the family). She never really get the hang of a stick shift, so for now, I don't have to worry about her driving the P-car. Now, the other view of this story. My daughter is a twin. Her twin brother died unexpectidly in his sleep almost 8 years ago, at the age of 11. To this day we don't know the cause of death. I wish I could worry about having my son drive my P-car! I am very envious of you for that, and I mean that in a very positive way. Trust me, don't ever worry about the car. Always be concernrd about your son. I just wanted to put this issue in the proper perspective.

You are a great dad! There's nothing wrong with letting the kids drive the Porsche. OK my kids are 1 and 3, so that's an easy statement for me. However, if I recall how hot-blooded I was behind the wheel between 18-22 , I'd suggest: continue to let him drive the 911 but join him as often as you can on the passenger seat. Teach him how to drive the car with reason and let him know in which situations he can have fun but remind him that a 911 can be a deadly weapon without being a kill-joy. I'm sure both of you will enjoy the passion 911 over time with even more exaltation and that's one great thing: share your love for the car with the ones you love.

My son is only 2 years old, so haven't dealt with this yet . I don't think him driving or not driving the P-car will be based on it being a P-car. I think instead it will be based on his track record...aka the more responsible he proves himself to be...the more trust he gets. Also depends on the types of peers he has. You can speed in any car, and kill yourself in any car. thanks, Amir

i think as long as you trust your kid and you think he's responsible as (1) a good driver and (2) as a good person not to gloat or exploit the fact that he's driving daddy's p-car, i don't think there's anything wrong per se with letting your son drive the 911-- once in a while. if you think he'll pick up his friends and cruise the movie theater parking lot showing off, then i'd reconsider. but that's probably not him. on the same token, even if he's responsible, what will he have to look forward to in terms of driving satisfaction after he drives your car? will a honda civic or accord cut it? a bimmer? will he be making enough money in the near future to support his now-sophisticated tastes or will his parents have to support his interests? tough call.

Sorry to hear Tim, what a different perspective

This is why you will always have a great relationship with him. Good Job, Now NEVER do it again! :-)

Tough call. Young people perceive risk a lot differently than mature adults. I think it would depend on the individual, but I would be suspcious of why he would want to drive the car WITHOUT you as a passenger. Just because you're a passenger doesn't mean he's not going to enjoy the car any less, that is unless he was doing things you wouldn't approve of. On the other hand, sometimes you just have to let go.

Tim, thank you for sharing your perspective with the rest of us. I can't imagine your loss....I'm so sorry. Everything else in life pales by comparison. My wife and I have three healthy, happy children who love us. We couldn't ask for more. Manny, my three kids (ages 12, 14, and 17) helped me rebuild my Porsche. All three have driven it (in deserted new subdivisions). I enjoy taking my 17 year old daughter out in it for driving lessons. I look forward to all three driving it on the racetrack and to senior proms. My kids share my passion for fun cars. I keep telling them that they need to work hard in school so they can have nice cars when they graduate from college, preferably graduate school also. A man that I met in the local Shelby Club gave his son a Saleen Mustang upon graduation from college with his four year degree. He promised his son his own Saleen race car (SSC ) upon completion of graduate school. I would love to be able to do the same for my kids. Share your passion for cars with him and he will do the same with his kids. I will happily reward my kids for good grades by letting them drive the Porsche. After all, it's only a car..... Ok, so I lied....it's good to let the wife and kids think it's just a car. We know better.

As stated "perspective". Kids first! My oldest daughter is now 14,and loves my 996. She is always eager to join me for a ride to the beach. She enjoys not only the look of the car, but seems to also enjoy the thrill of the ride. I honestly can't wait until she can drive so that we can share the P-car driving experience. As far as driving it alone....teen car school and even DE through PCA. Driving habits can be taught, but honestly haven't we all become a little caught up in the "performance moment". As far as why he wants to drive it alone? Does that really need an explanation,lol, 18 years old guy, Pcar, even if driving perfectly, just to be seen...ahh the possibilities.

I think a poster above said it best - it all depends upon the track record of the kid. Can they be trusted? Have they shown a good track record of responsible behavior? Are they prone to impulsive behavior? Do they show off with friends? The last thing we want is another Nicole Catsouras.

My youngest son, now 29 has always been courteous, respectful, careful, responsible, etc. He drove my 996 with me for about 10 miles thru a canyon the day I bought it. My wife and I have each had sports cars, I, Harleys and Sports Bikes as well as daily drivers since my son was born. So exotic cars and motorcycles were nothing special to him but just fixtures or implements that have always been in the garage. I suggested that he take my Jaguar XJS to the Senior Prom rather than his Suzuki Samari and while not overwhelmed he thought that was cool. He also would drive one of my motorcycles around the neighborhood occasionally by invitation but would never ask. My wife had Corvettes during his first few years of driving and he never asked to sample one of those, nor was the invitation extended. Seems he was always more interested in things people his own age were doing like video games, roller blades, skate boards, etc., than vehicles that his parents had. He bought a Ducati 748 a few years ago and owns Grand Cherokee and another Jeep.

who? anyhow you made a good point. to the OP: been driving cars with way more than recommended HP since I was 16. Never got into any serious trouble or hurt anyone...but it depends on the kid. Honestly, he's in college...so he's probably worked his way out of the highskool show off to all your peers mentality because at college you're just one kid in a bajillion so who cares lol. I think a lot of kids with even the most basic elements of common sense would realize that doing 200 down a 40 zone is not smart at all..even if they are trying to show off. Drive with him as much as possible...and tell him that u'll put yer foot up his *** (think 70's show) if he whacks the car up.

He's driven it before so you shouldn't have worried.

http://www.google.com/search?client=...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 Nasty accident. A sad waste of a car and an unpleasant way for a person to go.

I am thankful to have a son to share my love of p-cars with even though he is only 3. While on the potty he has started to look at my dupont registry and excellence so I know that I am in trouble when he can drive

Something to think about, a few days age I drove my Carrera up to Alta, a ski resort at the top of a steep twisty canyon road. For the most part, the speed limit is 40 mph with a passing lane for a couple of miles near the top. I was enjoying the twisties gliding 60-65mph and didn't want to push it too hard because of all the residual sand still on the roadway from winter maintainence. All of a sudden I see a car rapidly approaching in my mirror and then 2 kids fly by passing me in a Nissan with the top down. The passenger has his arms up in the air swaying back and forth like in a roller coaster and by the line they are taking thru the turns, I expected to find the car overturned not too far ahead. Lucky for them, they are still alive. Sometime later thay made a very high speed pass in a no passing zone coming down the canyon. They passed half a dozen cars behind me, and then caught me and made the pass, illegally as well. These guys looked to be 16-17 yo, obviously in their parents car. Nearly every year around here, some high school kids get killed in a high speed car accident. It seems like it's often an exotic that was borrowed from dad or mom and joy riding was the plan. Kids don't realize the limitations of high powered vehicles and often kill themselves, innocent passengers and pedestrians. It is the parents responsibility to ensure this doesn't happen.

when my 2 year old gets into harvard or the like with a full scholarship, she will get a porsche of her own. that was what my father told me, and boy did i study my *** off and fulfilled that dream.

I too have a 19 year old son and we both have a love of cars, Porsches included. We have shared many incredible experiences together at WGI, VIR and Mont Tremblant. My son has seen his share of "offs" (luckily not our own) and he understands what can go wrong. I trust his judgement and let him have my Pcar at will. BTW he helps me maintain my car and always does so willingly. So I agree with the general theme here which is to go with your gut about your own child. Some kids are ready for the responsibility and some aren't. If you think he will be responsible then let him have a ball and if that voice inside says it's a mistake then don't do it.

Hey guys thanks for your feedback. Tim I am sorry about your loss and it does definately puts a different perspective on the situation. My son is no different from any other 19 year old. He is a good student and has a full scholorship which fortunately does not cost me anything. The P car is my first "performance" car in camparison to my other previous cars which have mostly been SUV's. I have let him drive the P-car many times with me as a passenger and he drives pretty well. He is definately aware of the circumstances if he would get a ticket or even worse an accident. Unfortunately these cars are a magnet, especially when a young driver is behind the wheel, for police and other young drivers wanting to show off and race. I live in miami and the p car is my daily driver. ALMOST EVERY DAY a get a young kid driving in a mustang, camaro, corvette or any other similar car wanting to race me down the highway or local street. Fortunately my experience and maturity tells me that I know better. However when a teen is challenged by another teen all bets are off!!!! I do not care how mature, intelligent or responsible your teen is sooner or later they will make a decision that they will later regret and that is my fear. In the meantime I will evaluate every request and hopefully make the right choice.

Manny - The real question is, How many miles did your son put on the car in the hour that he had it out? You said it was about 6 miles roundtrip to the gym but my guess is that he put 50 miles or so on the car. At least his right leg got a good work out. I have a daughter who is about to turn 13 but luckily for me she is not into cars, although with my luck that will quickly change when she turns 16. Tim - I am very sorry to hear about your loss. Your story certainly does put discussions about cars in perspective. I can't imagine something happening to one of my daughters, everything I own pales in comparison to them and their health.

Tim - Shows everything is relative, and very sorry to hear about your loss. My kids are 4 and 2. By the time they can drive, I'll be driving a future Porsche - I assume all electric, and very expensive! We'll see what happens then! All I can say for sure is I will try and teach them how to be responsible, both in life, and in MY car! Wish me luck!

As Ronald Regan said, "trust, but verify". Your p-car could get your son into a heap of trouble very fast. http://www.alltrackusa.com/ Glad his first solo went well!!

You have probably made the biggest mistake ever in the life of your son. If he is anything like I was at 19 he will be hooked on these cars and will never be the same again! I drove my first Porsche at 19 and bought it. Now, 4 Porsches and several tens of thousands of dollars later, I'm still addicted. Why didn't you just hand him a crack pipe?

just say NO.......NO........ NO........