Son wants an 80 for first truck....Thoughts...

[Andrew Bluemel]

If your kid has expressed interest in wrenching & doing this stuff, maybe it's a match. Speeding isn't an issue, stopping & momentum is - so make sure he gets physics applies no matter your age, sex, or day of the week.

If your kid is into sports & figured out girls aren't icky - then get a G3 4Runner or a Subie, and tell him not to speed. He's got more on his mind than wrenches.

I beg to differ . I'm in sports (fastest freshman in Colorado for 800m and second fastest for the mile), into girls, into mountain biking, skiing, but that doesn't change the fact i'm into wrenching on my cruiser. It's a hobby. Plus its always fun to go take people wheeling. Can't do that very well in a subbie.

 

[LINUS]

I beg to differ . I'm in sports (fastest freshman in Colorado for 800m and second fastest for the mile), into girls, into mountain biking, skiing, but that doesn't change the fact i'm into wrenching on my cruiser. It's a hobby. Plus its always fun to go take people wheeling. Can't do that very well in a subbie.

Haha, well - that wasn't the general experience for kids who were here in rural WA.
If you were fortunate to do sports, it was because a parent helped make it a priority - and for me I could if I kept grades up & did the sports, with the expectation of college being the conversation immediately after HS.

Did I do that? Short answer, no. I found I liked snowboarding on weekdays more than HS, so my 'ride' evaporated (like it should have - no free lunch in my family).
I had to work based on my own decisions to screw off.

Own it bud, you are not part of the average (or average as my old ass knew doing public HS in '86-'90).

You sound like your parents instilled good values, and you are using time management skills. And you must have expressed interest, or did you land an 80 by sheer dumb luck?

You now are what was the top 90-95th percentile from my years. -Seriously, good for you!!!- But you aren't average, correct? Good on you for not settling & being average BTW!

That compliment delivered, I know my nephew & stand by my prior post

 

[IanB]

An 80 could be a great first vehicle, but a 3rd gen 4Runner would be a better one IMO. Similar looks to an 80 (the uneducated), capable in all weather conditions, all have ABS and airbags, handles better, tighter turning radius, gets better fuel economy, easier to maintain, roll down rear window, etc.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

It would be a great high school car. Just don't lift it. Leave it low and slow. A 91-92 would be perfect. And make them buy the gas. That will keep them broke and out of trouble.

Disclaimer-My son started driving my FJ62 when it turned 16 and it was fine.

But a car is more practical and safer.

 

[mjosoba]

As someone who's second car was an 80 I'd say yes. But only if they pay for all gas, insurance and maintenance and do it all themselves. I'd say get a 91-92. They're easier to care for. And be aware that if you're working crap jobs to pay for it, it's probably not going to receive the greatest care. My '92 was totaled but it was still chugging away. I think the FJ's can stand a more lackadaisical attitude towards maintanence than an FZJ.

 

[napir]

An 80 could be a great first vehicle, but a 3rd gen 4Runner would be a better one IMO.

Yup, this is what I'd like to get my kids into one day, tho they have 8-10 years before they're of age. Maybe a 4th Gen by then. I like the idea of putting them into 80s, but 80s are needy SOBs and while I'd like to say it'll teach them to take care of their stuff, not much on these rigs is cheap (or easy) compared to a 4Runner/Tacoma.

 

[LandCruisinMy93]

Knowing what I know about myself and all my friends at that age, and of the few friends I have who have driving teenagers now. I say no way in heck would I get the kid an 80 as their first vehicle. Want them to be safe...get an old Volvo. One thing I have noticed is that even the "best kids" are morons for the first couple years of car ownership. Case in point, my friends daughter....straight A's, into sports, did extra curricular work at the school, local rodeo princess and part of the equestrian team. Great kid with great manners and a real thought out well rounded kid. Got a car...turned into an idiotic teenager like the rest of them. Wrecked 2 cars so far and she's been driving less than a year. Also, now that she has all the extra freedom she went and got herself an over aged boyfriend and is failing classes and quit taking care of her horses etc... same kind of stupidity with my other friends son. Wrecked 3 cars in 2 years being a dumb kid. The only way that kids seem to respect their cars are if they buy them with their own money. Hell, I didn't respect my first car until I nearly totaled it, it was no gem to begin with, had to fix it myself out of my pocket and pay all my own insurance etc... instantly changed my level of stupidity. So, I suggest against an 80 as a first car. Maybe you can buy it and make your kid make payments to you, don't take it light heartedly either. Cut them too much slack and they'll take advantage, no matter how good of a kid they are.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Most kids destroy their first vehicle, unless they buy it them self.
Let him buy whatever he can afford to buy, maintain, keep fuel in and carry insurance on.

It's a great introduction to the Real World® and adult life.

 

[Dudleyfj40]

I have three kids and they all had or have Land Cruisers for their first vehicle (school). A FJ62 and two 80 series.

They asked for Land Cruisers also, so I got them one.

Not a lot of them around here so they get noticed if driving badly. Plus, living with country highways and dealing with snow, I would have it no other way.

But then again, I am a Land Cruiser guy also.

 

[Bludozer]

An 80 could be a great first vehicle, but a 3rd gen 4Runner would be a better one IMO. Similar looks to an 80 (the uneducated), capable in all weather conditions, all have ABS and airbags, handles better, tighter turning radius, gets better fuel economy, easier to maintain, roll down rear window, etc.

I've noticed this is a good way to trigger fellow 80 owners. Walk by their pride and joy and say "nice 4runner man!"

 

[Andrew Bluemel]

Most kids destroy their first vehicle, unless they buy it them self.
Let him buy whatever he can afford to buy, maintain, keep fuel in and carry insurance on.

It's a great introduction to the Real World® and adult life.

I completely agree. I bought my Cruiser with my own money by mowing lawns, doing yard work, and snow blowing driveways in my neighborhood since 7th grade and now in the process of getting a job at Home Depot. It definitely has made me develop an appreciation for my car and I mostly drive it accordingly.

I will say I'm not as nice on my car as maybe a 40 year old would be. I do donuts in the snow, try to find the deepest snow drift and try to go through it, I have taken in mudding (not the best idea ever and probably won't do again), and take it off-roading. But also after all that I make sure its okay. I keep engine bay as clean as possible and always check the vital fluids when I'm filling it up (almost every week lol), and got a little $10 OBD 2 scanner to keep an eye on the water temps for long trips.

All my other friends I feel like abuse there cars. Drive it redline when the engines cold, never ever wash it, just never do anything to it. My only friend who does take care of his car bought it himself also (1979 F-250 pretty cool truck).

All I'm saying is it sucks to be a teenager working whenever you have free time, but maybe its just me, but knowing every morning when I hop in my Cruiser and knowing that it's all mine and I earned it, I think its one of the best feelings.

If he wants a Cruiser make him pay for it so he will respect it. If not get him a civic or a subaru, better someone destroy's one of those then a Cruiser.

 

[dogfishlake]

My youngest daughter will be driving her 80 in a couple of months when she gets her liscense, just like her older sister did (and still does) when she turned 16.

 

[Broski]

Wow a lot of opinions, I wanted to get my son a 4x4 for his first car as a father & son project but he was not interested, did not get his license tell he was 18 and started college. His only request for a car was something that got good gas mileage I have to say I pay for insurance maintenance tuition & Housing. In return he's been a straight a student and has never be in a Accident,Graduate this spring with a job offer in hand. My Daughter is the same and will Graduate in a 2 Years. both came out of high school with a 4.2 Gpa So giving them a car dose not automatically make them idiots. Proud Dad that barely made it through high school

 

[scrowley]

Better get a good job and stay local so he can afford fuel.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

If you already have an extra one on hand, you bet. Otherwise no, unless he's paying for it.

What Johnny wants isn't always what Johnny gets. Pick up an inexpensive and boring car for him.

 

[IanB]

Any '93-'01 Honda Civic or similar Honda/Acura product is about the very best 1st car you can get IMO. They are dead simple to work on and learn the basics of maintenance, cheap to buy, cheap to operate, reliable, etc, etc. And everyone should learn to drive manual transmission for their 1st car, makes for a much more alert driver I think.

 

[midfat]

Newest cars trumps all when it comes to safety. Period. The single biggest contributor to a drop in motor vehicle fatalities was not seat belts or crumple zones or air bags - it was traction control. In other words, it's not managing the forces of the impact, it's managing the actions that lead to the impact. ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) represents a fundamental shift in how we approach vehicular safety and accident avoidance - and it's the foundation of just about every current new vehicle. Love it or hate it, it's such an effective technology, it will likely result in the near elimination of auto related fatalities in the next quarter century.

 

[greentruck]

While I understand the idea that newer cars are safer, if you get the airbag edition 80 and the kid is smart enough to wear the belts, you'll gain most of what you need in survivability vs more recent hardware. Not that every technical/safety improvement is a bad thing, it's just that most are incremental.

The primary factor in safety is still the nut behind the wheel..probably 90% of the equation. If you think that's covered, I wouldn't sweat the other 10% of hardware-safety-related stuff too much. Life is hard, we survived. By the time I was 16, I already had years of offroading and gravel 2-lane experience down on the farm. Experience already gained is probably the best determinant of future success.

On the mileage issue, yep, keeps 'em close to home.

You biggest problem in the long-term? Having known the sweetness of awesome offroad performance, the poor kid will go searching for a replacement at some point, maybe even willing and able to spend big bucks on Rovers, Jeeps, G-series, etc and maybe even newer LCs, but will always be let down in comparison to the performance and relative economy of the 80-series. It will take real character to survive that, most likely by keeping and cherishing the 80.

 

[Andrew Bluemel]

Newest cars trumps all when it comes to safety. Period. The single biggest contributor to a drop in motor vehicle fatalities was not seat belts or crumple zones or air bags - it was traction control. In other words, it's not managing the forces of the impact, it's managing the actions that lead to the impact. ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) represents a fundamental shift in how we approach vehicular safety and accident avoidance - and it's the foundation of just about every current new vehicle. Love it or hate it, it's such an effective technology, it will likely result in the near elimination of auto related fatalities in the next quarter century.

I agree all those technology's can be great (even though they do limit the fun) but you guys all survived without all the electronic aids. Why do we need all of them? And not having electronic aids will probably teach better driving skill. An 80s series has the important ones in my opinion. Abs, Airbags, and Seatbelts.

 

[LINUS]

While I understand the idea that newer cars are safer, if you get the airbag edition 80 and the kid is smart enough to wear the belts, you'll gain most of what you need in survivability vs more recent hardware. Not that every technical/safety improvement is a bad thing, it's just that most are incremental.

The primary factor in safety is still the nut behind the wheel..probably 90% of the equation.....Life is hard, we survived. By the time I was 16, I already had years of offroading and gravel 2-lane experience down on the farm. Experience already gained is probably the best determinant of future success.

On the mileage issue, yep, keeps 'em close to home.

I'm onboard if we are talking a '95-'97 for the SRS bags & ABS - until real recent I still had a stocker & the ABS works if you have reasonable stock size tires & no lift.
Screw modding it or buying a modded one for a kid, 90% of kids WILL find a ditch, a car, or whatever to bump into.

I think at least for boys, alot of us who are a generation back had more exposure to risky things the 'Xbox generation' probably hasn't- we had a designated section to park if you had a firearm in your car @ high school (going birding after or before school was a common thing for 2-3 dozen of us), we had legal fireworks, we grew up finding alternate uses for lawn darts - so for us a car wasn't our 1st exposure to "available stupidity".

I wish the Xbox generation would have made a bunch of kids who played Gran Turismo & had a jump, but the games don't translate.

-seatbelts should be drummed into kids by now, aren't they- (yet another reason for the paramedic ridealongs, seeing uncensored blood & body fluids in a wreck).

I see if you live certain places more rural where a 80 maintained is a solid answer, also from the recognizablity aspect if the 'parent network' sees a kid dicking off & driving like a tool.

Beyond that, it's really a decision made staring at your kid, they may be fine in a LS3 powered car or they might better be served by a Briggs & Stratton gokart if they are immature yet (relatively).

Them paying for a car is a double edged sword - they pay & they may respect it more, but how are you as a parent going to yard their keys their 1st screwup?
-I'd have that conversation with them, let them know insurance costs & how fast they lose your $upport there for screwing up.-