Is it a bad idea?

[falcon_bandit]

My daughter is ready to get her learners licence in a few months and has saved nearly $5000 on minimum wage for her first car, something she can learn in & drive for a couple years to tafe, job etc.

Ive been watching gumtree, ebay & carsales like a hawk recently to begin searching for the "right" car cause i know they dont popup at the right time.

Looking at 4cyl shoeboxes that are easy on juice, easy to park, and cheaper on rego. Only to find that all sellers think these $20,000 (when new) cars are still worth 6000-7000 in low km, excellent condition even after 13 years. Then when you find one near 5k, you ring up and get told how the body has hail damage, mechanical issues etc. And im not talking about kia/hyundai/festiva. Talking about quality jappas

So here is the dilemma. I have an AUII 75th futura with about 97,000 original km's that i paid a pretty high price for, and done a few things to get it running perfect & looking good. I also have just recently purchased an AUII fairmont V8 wagon (unregistered) which im dying to get on the road, but dont have the money to do it.

My daughter loves my AU futura, and has been pestering me to sell it to her, and i know by having an instant sale it would get my wagon on the road & modded fairly quickly. And at least i know the car is a reliable one & easy to maintain. But downside is that its gonna cost an extra $800 a year on fuel (based on 10,000km) than a 4cyl, and an extra $200 on rego. This might be too much pressure on a young kid trying to make ends meet.

I would want $4500 from her for the futura, and its honestly worth way more TO ME than that, i dont really want to sell it. At the same time is that ripping her off? Should she just go with an overpriced 2002 model economical 4cyl ?

The mind boggles !!!!!!!

[xisled]

My thinking would be, what will get her from A to B that she will be happy with and is safe to drive.

Last thing you want to happen is purchase a car that is unreliable and brakes down all the time, you know it reliable and the recent history of the car.

If she is happy with the car, and you are happy to sell it to her why not.

[Qwerty321]

Originally Posted by falcon_bandit

My daughter is ready to get her learners licence in a few months and has saved nearly $5000 on minimum wage for her first car, something she can learn in & drive for a couple years to tafe, job etc.

Ive been watching gumtree, ebay & carsales like a hawk recently to begin searching for the "right" car cause i know they dont popup at the right time.

Looking at 4cyl shoeboxes that are easy on juice, easy to park, and cheaper on rego. Only to find that all sellers think these $20,000 (when new) cars are still worth 6000-7000 in low km, excellent condition even after 13 years. Then when you find one near 5k, you ring up and get told how the body has hail damage, mechanical issues etc. And im not talking about kia/hyundai/festiva. Talking about quality jappas

So here is the dilemma. I have an AUII 75th futura with about 97,000 original km's that i paid a pretty high price for, and done a few things to get it running perfect & looking good. I also have just recently purchased an AUII fairmont V8 wagon (unregistered) which im dying to get on the road, but dont have the money to do it.

My daughter loves my AU futura, and has been pestering me to sell it to her, and i know by having an instant sale it would get my wagon on the road & modded fairly quickly. And at least i know the car is a reliable one & easy to maintain. But downside is that its gonna cost an extra $800 a year on fuel (based on 10,000km) than a 4cyl, and an extra $200 on rego. This might be too much pressure on a young kid trying to make ends meet.

I would want $4500 from her for the futura, and its honestly worth way more TO ME than that, i dont really want to sell it. At the same time is that ripping her off? Should she just go with an overpriced 2002 model economical 4cyl ?

The mind boggles !!!!!!!

image

Please don't take this the wrong way, I mean no offence by it at all. Would you really "sell" your child a car for 4.5k? She's on minimum wage, has 5k saved up and loves your car. I know the cars worth more than that, and I know it has far more emotional value to you, but personally I'd say either keep the car, or give it to her. Selling something to your own child just rubs me the wrong way.

Personally, I'd "charge" her just enough money to get that Wagon on the road and give her the AU. Now you know for sure she's driving a safe reliable car that you worked on yourself. If this isn't something you're comfortable doing, then I'd say don't sell the car onto her. This is the sort of thing that could end up getting messy, her spending almost all her money on buying a car off you, to then have high fuel costs and high insurance costs etc.

[Sox]

I like the idea.
But, $4500 sounds quite high for your AU, but then I don't know it's history.

Irrespective of it's value, I'd pass it on for a much smaller fee, say $1500 or so.

The other thing to consider is that it's highly likely she will bend it at some stage, they all do.

[EB#]

Originally Posted by Sox

....The other thing to consider is that it's highly likely she will bend it at some stage, they all do.

I tend to agree with this comment. I would suggest that you hang onto your prized AU and stick with the plan for a 4 cylinder as a first car. Even $3500 should be able to find a half decent 4 banger worthy of 3rd party property insurance only. Give her a few years on the road, plenty of driving experience and the AU may yet be able to be passed on to her and financial circumstances for all may be more favourable at a future time.

[Qwerty321]

Originally Posted by EB#

I tend to agree with this comment. I would suggest that you hang onto your prized AU and stick with the plan for a 4 cylinder as a first car. Even $3500 should be able to find a half decent 4 banger worthy of 3rd party property insurance only. Give her a few years on the road, plenty of driving experience and the AU may yet be able to be passed on to her and financial circumstances for all may be more favourable at a future time.

This is a massive bit of misinformation. I can tell you categorically that I know of only 1 teen that has written off a car, and he is the biggest **** in the universe. He wrote it off trying to drift in traffic and impress his gf. Didn't work - he drifted into the back of a Merc which went into the back of a Beemer. This twat is know in 25k of court ordered debt.

Apart from him I know of absolutely no other teen who's written off or seriously damaged a car. A friend of mine reversed her Golf into a concrete wall but that's it.

Trust me I'm a 18 year old myself, and I've been driving since I was 16. I've never even scraped my car once. Yes I've curbed at low speeds a couple times while parking but that's it.

Buy your daughter a nice car and make sure she's safe on the road. She won't crash it unless she's driving irresponsibly, and I highly doubt any responsible, remotely mature teen would do that. Especially a girl, come on man, they're called boy racers for a reason

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

Well then she has the option of catching the bus or earn her own money and buy what she wants, pretty simple really no skin off my nose.

But my kids are brought up better than that and I am sure she will be more than grateful and thankful for having a free car to drive to school/study/work/beach etc.

My first car was inherited from my mother. She actually bought it when I was 14 thinking "This'll be a good car for him to learn in". I learnt in it and my parents went "You're comfortable in the car, it's yours now". That Windom/ES300 lasted me a good two years until it's transmission failed in traffic and wrote itself off. Got my BA for 1.5k off a close family friend a couple weeks later.

Plus I think it would be a great experience. Having your father buy a car, working away on it in the garage with you helping for a couple years till you become old enough to drive. A little pet project. Then you inherit it as a first car, makes it all that bit more special.

[cs123]

Originally Posted by Qwerty321

This is a massive bit of misinformation. I can tell you categorically that I know of only 1 teen that has written off a car, and he is the biggest **** in the universe. He wrote it off trying to drift in traffic and impress his gf. Didn't work - he drifted into the back of a Merc which went into the back of a Beemer. This twat is know in 25k of court ordered debt.

Apart from him I know of absolutely no other teen who's written off or seriously damaged a car. A friend of mine reversed her Golf into a concrete wall but that's it.

Trust me I'm a 18 year old myself, and I've been driving since I was 16. I've never even scraped my car once. Yes I've curbed at low speeds a couple times while parking but that's it.

Looks like all the insurance companies are wrong with age excess?

Inexperienced drives are much more prone to dinging cars. Simple fact of life.

May not be big dings but a lot of them do it.

[kypez]

Originally Posted by cs123

Looks like all the insurance companies are wrong with age excess?

Inexperienced drives are much more prone to dinging cars. Simple fact of life.

May not be big dings but a lot of them do it.

I'd hardly quote insurance companies as having their hand on the pulse of their constomers... Their customers wallets maybe. No different to us paying premiums for Euro cars. We have become accustomed to it so they keep charging the premiums. Insurance companines have created (and rather successfully) this notion that young drivers = high risk and bad.

Explain why my insurance has gone up every year even though I've had zero at fault accidents and no infringements against my driving record if its only teens that are high risk?!

[EB#]

Originally Posted by Qwerty321

This is a massive bit of misinformation.....

Steady on there mate. Young, new drivers are prone to banging cars around a bit - that is common knowledge, not "massive misinformation". This may not necessarily mean a write off (although it can happen), but there are plenty of kerbs, bollards, walls, garage doors, concrete columns and other cars around the place! My point was that a bit of a cheap, roughie car can take a knock here and there without any dramas or extortionately priced comprehensive insurance premiums to deal with.

Originally Posted by Qwerty321

....Trust me I'm a 18 year old myself, and I've been driving since I was 16.....

Given that I have been driving about twice as long as you have been on the planet I think I have a little more experience and have seen a bit more than you have .

[Qwerty321]

Originally Posted by EB#

Given that I have been driving about twice as long as you have been on the planet I think I have a little more experience and have seen a bit more than you have .

No doubt about that. But I happen to directly know the exact demographic of people in question here. I'm not comparing driving ability, hell no. You're incredibly safer on the roads than I am!

All I'm saying is teenage drivers aren't all that bad. We don't all go around knocking cars into walls. A few of us do, sure, no doubt about that. But a parent can easily tell if their child falls into the responsible category, or the into a wall/wrapped around a tree category. In the case of the OP, his daughter has a stable job and has saved up $5000. I think she probably falls in the responsible category. In which case I see no reason not to get her a slightly more expensive car that's safer than some early 90s jap box.

[SYZ]

Originally Posted by EB#

Steady on there mate. Young, new drivers are prone to banging cars around a bit - that is common knowledge, not "massive misinformation". [...]

Each year in Victoria, approximately 57 road users for the 18 to 25 age demographic are killed, versus 29 for the 60 to 69 age demographic.

—TAC, 5 Year Average, 2015.

[Sabantien]

I reckon you'll find something decent with 4cyl for the price, especially if you get something mechanically sound, but with a few scrapes, which let's be honest, she's going to put on it anyhow.

[Beastie]

Firstly, that's a beautiful AU

Now to your dilemma....and a couple of other things to consider.

1. Do you want your daughter to learn in an auto or manual as this would have a bearing on your next decision.

2. There are plenty of great little 4cyl cars out there, you just have to be patient and wait for the right one. One of my favorites would have to be a Mazda 323 (and Ford's equivalent).

When I went through this same exercise with my daughter, we must have looked at 30+ cars until we found the right one and she loves it!!!

My son's first car was (and still is) a BA XR6. I laugh every time he fills up and pays $80+ to fill the tank!!!

If your daughter is going to take on the financial responsibility of her car, then I strongly recommend a smaller 4cyl.

Fuel
Tyres
Rego
Insurance
etc

I think she would also have a bigger sense of achievement too if it wasn't 'Dad's old car'

On her birthdays, you can let her take the AU for a spin

Good luck!

[Russ]

Personally both my boys started off in small cheaper 4 cylinders, eldest son had a KHII Laser Ghia and the youngest a 2002 Pulsar. The KH Laser is a bit long in the tooth now but a KQ would make a nice starter for her The Pulsars are a great little car too, I had never really considered them until his one came up and we took it for a run, his was a 5 speed manual as was the Laser but both were 1.8 EFI's and had more than enough grunt for a learner / P plater to start off with !! Both were good on fuel too and most parts (basically serviceable items) were relatively inexpensive and easy to find as well.

My .02c worth

[kypez]

Honestly, when my little sister started driving, I got her the safest car we could afford. She didnt wreck the car and having ABS, Traction Control, Stability control, enough airbags to insulate her in an accident was peace of mind. I never understand people who push for a crap car for learners (not suggesting that you are, just that I've noticed suggest this in similar threads). If anything, IMO, they are the youngest and least experienced on the road so any extra features would be handy. If they wreck it, so be it. Most insure the car higher than its value.

Your futura, while its nice and well kept, can be a handful in the wet. I'd lean towards at least a BF (stability control) that you can pick up for around that price.

I dont know your financial position so I'm not about to tell you what to do with your money or say if you can afford to give the car to your daughter or not. I'd look at something like this if you can stretch the budget a little...

http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/de...12092969/?Cr=2

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...-3796164/?Cr=4

http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/de...12231195/?Cr=2

These have stability control and I'm assuming she can drive a manual... If she cant, good to learn on one as its an art that may come handy in the future (especially if going overseas on holidays, auto car rental is more than manual!).

Just my 2 cents

[falcon_bandit]

Firstly, not offended by anything posted here, im looking for opinions, im reading and taking into account every one.

Oh dont get me wrong, would love to give the car to her for nothing, and arrange a pearl pink full repsray along with it. She's a hard worker, good with money and deserves the best.

But i really am not in a position to do this. Low income etc etc. Getting rid of this car would be a big deal to me. In the end, its not even about getting the wagon on the road, its about is $4500 for a AU falcon with low km's worth it? Im guessing most people would say its not. Then again, are we talking about market value?

With cars under 5k, most look at cars in top condition, lowest km's possible, easy to maintain. Believe it or not, aside from the AU bias, i cant see the value in a 5k mazda 323

[Sox]

Originally Posted by falcon_bandit

Firstly, not offended by anything posted here, im looking for opinions, im reading and taking into account every one.

Oh dont get me wrong, would love to give the car to her for nothing, and arrange a pearl pink full repsray along with it. She's a hard worker, good with money and deserves the best.

But i really am not in a position to do this. Low income etc etc. Getting rid of this car would be a big deal to me.

That's fair enough. You can only do so much.

In the end, its not even about getting the wagon on the road, its about is $4500 for a AU falcon with low km's worth it? Im guessing most people would say its not. Then again, are we talking about market value?

I just had a look at your build thread, and it sure is a nice car.

Redbook says the following -
$1,500 - $3,500
225,000 - 375,000

So yours having only ~100,000k, maybe it is worth $4500 or so. Who knows.
It's such a tough call when you see AU3 XR8's go for less than $6000.

If she really wants it, and you're happy to sell it to her, the only thing you both need to agree to is a price.

With cars under 5k, most look at cars in top condition, lowest km's possible, easy to maintain. Believe it or not, aside from the AU bias, i cant see the value in a 5k mazda 323

Neither do I, I wouldn't go near anything like that for $5000.

AU FTW, just make sure she cares for it lovingly...

[falcon_bandit]

sorry forgot to mention, she needs an auto.

i guess that im flattered shes wants to step straight into a large sedan, and hates her mum's little car. Regarding B-series, ive heard alot of stuff is going wrong with them and have aged worse than AU's but i could be wrong?

also the 4cyl thing, i have no idea about these cars, how to identify issues, or how much parts are to fix. The unknown is what scares me, as whatever car she buys, i will be helping out to fix/maintain it

[Charliewool]

Smick as AU there, seriously!
Regardless of whether you give or sell it to her...
With a new, inexperienced driver, within the 1st year, those gorgeous wheels will be gutter rashed, and the odd scrape or ding here or there?
Can you handle THAT, is the question?

[blakef6]

Just get her a Hyundai getz. Cheap, reliable, good on fuel, won't send her broke. She will still have money to be young and go out

[pottery beige]

loots of cheap lasers on the market

still has a Ford badge and plenty of change from $5k

[Charliewool]

Would be nice to keep it in the family just the same?
Lots of love has gone into that car! (No doubt, darling daughter would know and appreciate that too)
If your daughter does end up with it, maybe a set of stockies on it for a year or so?

[Sox]

Originally Posted by Charliewool

Would be nice to keep it in the family just the same?
Lots of love has gone into that car! (No doubt, darling daughter would know and appreciate that too)
If your daughter does end up with it, maybe a set of stockies on it for a year or so?

I was gonna suggest the same thing.
Maybe the 16" alloys that came with it?

Originally Posted by falcon_bandit

Been thinking about one of the previous comments, i cant really afford to 'chip in' for her new car. But if i sold it to her for $3500, that would be a great buy for her, and get my wagon on the road & serviced etc.

Many would think that $3500 is still not a good deal, but i cant see her buying a better car in same condition for that. We both win?

I reckon $3500 sound pretty fair, particularly as you'll be the guy maintaining it.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Ill be the devils advocate!

Does she really need her 'own' car.

If she is living at home (I am assuming she is), why can't she just drive the AU when she need to go places.

My daughter is 12 but I have already got a car sorted for her, that she will be able to drive when the time comes, it will be my car she can 'use' and take care of till she is established enough to buy her own decent car.

I would feel bad 'selling' a car to my own child, I don't think I could take money from my daughter, if anything I think I would be giving her money to afford a better car to add to her savings.

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

Ill be the devils advocate!

Does she really need her 'own' car.

If she is living at home (I am assuming she is), why can't she just drive the AU when she need to go places.

My daughter is 12 but I have already got a car sorted for her, that she will be able to drive when the time comes, it will be my car she can 'use' and take care of till she is established enough to buy her own decent car.

I would feel bad 'selling' a car to my own child, I don't think I could take money from my daughter, if anything I think I would be giving her money to afford a better car to add to her savings.

dude your daughters only 12yo

what if the little one isnt interested in your choice when the time comes

is that a bridge too far or a new whinge thread

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

dude your daughters only 12yo

what if the little one isnt interested in your choice when the time comes

is that a bridge too far or a new whinge thread

Well then she has the option of catching the bus or earn her own money and buy what she wants, pretty simple really no skin off my nose.

But my kids are brought up better than that and I am sure she will be more than grateful and thankful for having a free car to drive to school/study/work/beach etc.

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

Well then she has the option of catching the bus or earn her own money and buy what she wants, pretty simple really no skin off my nose.

But my kids are brought up better than that and I am sure she will be more than grateful and thankful for having a free car to drive to school/study/work/beach etc.

i pitty the scum below yourself and your childrens

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

Well then she has the option of catching the bus or earn her own money and buy what she wants, pretty simple really no skin off my nose.

But my kids are brought up better than that and I am sure she will be more than grateful and thankful for having a free car to drive to school/study/work/beach etc.

wow

Originally Posted by pottery beige

i pitty the scum below yourself and your childrens

read a bit slower this time

[Qwerty321]

Originally Posted by falcon_bandit

sorry forgot to mention, she needs an auto.

i guess that im flattered shes wants to step straight into a large sedan, and hates her mum's little car. Regarding B-series, ive heard alot of stuff is going wrong with them and have aged worse than AU's but i could be wrong?

also the 4cyl thing, i have no idea about these cars, how to identify issues, or how much parts are to fix. The unknown is what scares me, as whatever car she buys, i will be helping out to fix/maintain it

I think this is the kind of thing you should discuss with your daughter. Work out a price where your financially comfortable and she's not getting thrown into the deep end. I think terming it a "sale" is really where you're going very wrong here.

That said, I'm definitely on the side of her driving the AU. There are a lot of extremely poorly maintained 4cyl jappas out there, and I personally would not feel comfortable with my daughter (Don't have one, but hypothetically) driving a potentially unsafe car. Some people here have mentioned the rain issue and that is a valid point. However, from personal experience I can assure you this isn't a major issue. If the car does loose traction it will be under acceleration and that will only happen at relatively low speeds. I've only ever slipped out pulling away from intersections and signals. Safety wise, the AU is sound. If you're worried just make sure she has some good tires on the car and it'll be sweet. This buy a cheap first car logic is definitely not the way to go. When I got my first car (99 ES300) my parents bought the car for me for 4.5k and my old man said "I'd rather you have a safe crash than a cheap crash".

Also remember, these falcons are over engineered brakes and performance wise. They're designed to be driven by hoons (or closet hoons) like ourselves, and that's why a lot of us can claim they're a hand full to drive. Sure we've all broken traction, but don't blame the car, cause I can assure you we were all driving like testosterone fueled idiots at the time. The only times I've broken traction I've been foot to the floor off a signal/intersection thinking "Oooh, the roads empty and this'll be fun!"

At the end of the day if 3.5k is honestly the lowest you can go and be financially stable, then I'd say go for it.


P.S. Driving an inefficient car really teaches you a thing or two. I used to drive my ES like an absolute hoon but once I got my BA it stopped almost immediately. An inefficient car is one way to be certain your daughter is driving responsibly, because trust me. I went from idiot with a digital accelerator (either on or off) to a responsible civilized member of society after my car started costing me damn near $100 a week for just the basic commutes.

[falcon_bandit]

Been thinking about one of the previous comments, i cant really afford to 'chip in' for her new car. But if i sold it to her for $3500, that would be a great buy for her, and get my wagon on the road & serviced etc.

Many would think that $3500 is still not a good deal, but i cant see her buying a better car in same condition for that. We both win?