Teens and Cars: Why it’s unrealistic for teens to be gifted luxury vehicles

Whipping around in a clunky, beat-up car at the age of 16 is a fortunate right of passage for most high school students. But for some, being gifted with a brand new BMW or Range Rover for their 16th birthday is their right of passage — one that doesn’t really make sense.

Purchasing your teenager a luxury vehicle is an all too common occurrence at East, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay. 

As a newly-licensed driver, your chances of crashing are much higher than experienced drivers. According to a study conducted by the Texas-based PM Law Firm, new teen drivers are eight times more likely to crash in their first three months of driving compared to experienced drivers on the road. 

Not to mention certain luxury cars, like Jeep Wranglers, aren’t even that safe to drive. According to a test done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a new 2021 Jeep Wrangler received only a “Marginal” rating when it came to safety for drivers. These new drivers are already more likely to crash, gifting them with unsafe cars only increase their chances of crashing. 

With that statistic being acknowledged the obvious question is presented: Would you rather pay the repairs on a 2021 Audi SUV or a pre-owned 2002 Ford SUV? Let me rephrase that — Parents, do you really want to pay the repairs on a 2021 Audi SUV?

Some parents and families answer this question simply; “because I can afford it,” but that answer isn’t plausible nor logical in the slightest. 

The logical answer is “Those cars are ridiculously expensive especially for a teenager. The repairs will be costly, insurance for a teen driver is already expensive and even more when you purchase a luxury car. My child won’t learn the value of working for their own possessions, so I won’t.” 

When I turned 15 and had my restricted license, the conversation of what car I would be driving was a constant discussion among my family. I had two options: take one of my parents’ cars or purchase whatever car I wanted with my own money.

At first, I was skeptical to buy my own car — I thought there was no way my 15-year-old self could afford a decent car with low mileage, little repairs and the obvious must: seat warmers. However, I was proven very wrong. Working for my own money and purchasing something myself taught me lessons I think are vital to myself and my life. I learned the basis of gratefulness for money and shopping and gained more insight into building a work ethic. 

I had a decent amount of money in my savings, and then I spent one weekend scouring my house and room for “emergency” money I had shoved into random crevices of rooms and came up with an extra $400. I brainstormed random ways to make money from walkings dogs, babysitting, garage sales to selling old clothes. 

So by the time I had found myself an old Infiniti FX35, I had accumulated enough money to pay in cash for it. 

I could’ve taken the easier route and accepted a perfectly capable and paid-for car from my parents but by purchasing my first car, I learned about the true value of a dollar and had a practical car all for myself — something teenagers who are handed expensive cars would never be able to grasp. 

Sure, you could state the argument “once they go to college they’ll be on their own with their own expenses and money,” but the issue is at what point do the handouts stop? Certain teens may not have a concept of valuing money if the beginning of their concept of working for money is a Ford F-150 truck or Audi Q5 before becoming even a legal adult. 

So then what? You’re 18 and off to college and upset because your graduation gift didn’t top the Range Rover you got your sophomore year. Correct. You expected a college apartment or credit card because that’s what “tops” the luxury car you only got as a 16-year-old. 

Don’t get me wrong — you can be gifted an expensive car as a high-schooler and have a concept of money and a work ethic, but the excessiveness still applies. Setting your child up with their first car that many adults spend a lifetime working to afford sets them up for failure.

When these kids suddenly can’t afford their rent, clothes or new car they’ll fall back on their parents for help with conditioned expectation that they’ll be “saved.” After all, their parents helped them with their Range Rover at the mere age of 16. 

Although I understand wanting simple luxuries like a sunroof and seat warmers in your first car, those can easily be found in a car under the $40,000 price mark. Teenagers should be driving used, practical cars not because they’re less than a nicer car but because they’re privileged to even be driving a car.