My sons first set of wheels?

[canadian]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

How much do you trust your son... or rather how much do you love your son? Think back to when you were 16. I know I drove a crappy Mercury Topaz and drove it like a race car. Get your kid something safe first and flashy second. Would I give my kid a Syclone/Typhoon at 16? Not likely. I'd at least get him something that has airbags at a minimum until you know you can trust him with the power.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[turboj91]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

I don't know your son and I bet nobody knows him better than you but my job has given me 23+ years of teenagers and their cars. Unless you are 100% sure he would have the upmost respect for a Sy/Ty, don't do it. Kids will be kids. I am sure you would educate him on this type of truck and most likely he will read this site to learn. He will brag to his friends or to anyone that inquires or makes "fun" of the truck. Then he may want to show it off (in recent months, no less than 6 dead teenagers here in CT from drivers showing off their WRX). Showing off could mean many things. First thing that comes to mind is a boost launch. The chances of breakage are better than almost all other vehicles. If he manually downshifts too many times there is the chance of trans damage (read George Blakes posts). Many possibilities here. If he is paying for his own fuel, with the prices the way they are and where they are going, he may want to save a few bucks on a tank fill up and go with something less than 93 octane. On the boost with 87 is certain death to the engine. There is a recent post here of an owner that had what he claimed of one tank of 87, was on the boost easy and briefly and put out a hole and is now in the engine rebuild process. To sum it all up, unless you know your child has the upmost respect for one of these trucks (or any other high power vehicle for that matter), it would not be my choice for a first vehicle. Then again, if he has the maturity level to respect the truck, you guys could make this the ultimate project. The modification possibilities are more than most vehicles. You both could be spending time turning wrenches, having many great conversations and then making it to the track to see the fruits of your labor (and knowing why your wallet is empty).

 

[vinnieTy]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

How much do you trust your son... or rather how much do you love your son? Think back to when you were 16. I know I drove a crappy Mercury Topaz and drove it like a race car. Get your kid something safe first and flashy second. Would I give my kid a Syclone/Typhoon at 16? Not likely. I'd at least get him something that has airbags at a minimum until you know you can trust him with the power.

Just my 2 cents.

Eveyone had great points but the most important one was what canadian wrote....AIRBAGS. Sorry but i definetly want my kids to drive something nice when they hit the roads but safety in my oppinion is the most important. Good luck!:tup:

 

[RJE 93Green/Tan]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

I'm 17 and I daily drive my 12 second typhoon. I found out fast that beating on it is not smart on a daily basis. The trans went within 6 month of owning it. Wasnt cheap either! Now that I payed for it myself, I drive it totally different because I dont want that to happen for a long time. I thank my dad every day for letting me get a ty because he has the most upmost trust in me, he know that I know there is a time and place to race, not the street.Growing up at the track has taught me this and getting the ty was the best choice I have made in my life. It is all worth it when someone tells you "nice truck" or "wow I haven't seen one of those in years". My dad tells me I have to keep up my grades and not to get a speeding ticket, he will take the truck away. As of now my grades are great and after a year no tickets. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Kerr]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

If it was me id get him a high milage Z28... let him beat the snot of out of and when he crashes your not out a lot of money. Ive seen LS1 car in the $4-6K range. Then later on if he doesent crash or get into trouble look for a nice TY...

My parents where just backwards. I wanted a TY and dad said hell no because of the price. Then i wanted a Z28 with a 6 speed. He said fine mine said no... So i got his hand me down bmw... beat the living crap out of that slow car for ever, Then when i graduated they got me a new SS.

 

[Try Me]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

If you "give" him any kind of nice ride he will never have the same respect for it as if he were to go earn it himself. Im glad i started in a crappy looking 79 buick station wagon, because every dime of my own money i spent on my hot rods really meant something to me and made me take care of them properly.

 

[JSM]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

If you "give" him any kind of nice ride he will never have the same respect for it as if he were to go earn it himself. Im glad i started in a crappy looking 79 buick station wagon, because every dime of my own money i spent on my hot rods really meant something to me and made me take care of them properly.

When I was 15 my dad made me a deal, you buy a car, I will pay to fix it up back to stock but you have to do the work.

I bought a 63nova, spent a year fixing it up, did everything. My dad spent I would guess 5-6k in parts.

I respected that car like no other, never put it in the ditch, nothing. To this day it is still in good condition and sitting in my dad's showroom.

Not only did I respect the car, but I learned a lot of lessons that have helped me throughout life and have a lot of good memories with my dad.

Looking back 80% of the value would have been lost had he just bought something nice and given it to me.

 

[JAY]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

Something else that hasnt been touched on is INSURANCE on these trucks. I've had 2 different companies drop it after they figured out it wasn't just an S-10. Some even said I could own any other vehicle on the planet besides a SYTY or Vector W-8 because they were "limited production" and I would be covered. I remember when I was 16 & wanted a 79 Turbo Trans Am, the insurance quote was enormous. I ended up getting a 75 Duster instead. My parents made me buy the car & pay the monthly insurance, $65 a month.

 

[SYO237]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

Its been over a year since this dude first posted and its his only post. Guess we did our job to scare him off.

 

[epix]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

Get your kid a Jeep Wrangler/Cherokee with the 4.0L engine.. being young you don't want him to be going fast.

A Jeep he can beat the crap out of and will keep on ticking, taking them offroad is LOADS of fun. Upgrade to some 31" tires and a 3" lift on the cheap and he'll have a blast.

 

[jasonpickett]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

When you get one. Make sure it comes with jack stands

 

[sy2675]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

If you "give" him any kind of nice ride he will never have the same respect for it as if he were to go earn it himself. Im glad i started in a crappy looking 79 buick station wagon, because every dime of my own money i spent on my hot rods really meant something to me and made me take care of them properly.

blah blah blah, just becasue ssome dont respect what is given to them doesnt mean ALL dont. I had GIVEN to me while i was in highschool, a convertible truck with dancing bed, then it was sold and i was GIVEN a 318i BMW, when an older person T-boned me, i got my first of 2 corvettes while in high school.

I may have been more proud of them if i had purchased them myself, but there is no way i woould have had the driving experience early on i did on my NO JOB pay scale.

You know what is more important in HS than working and buying a cheap car? Sports, Bitches, Networking, Parties, and being young.

Wish i would have had a syty in HS. But i had Corvettes instead.

 

[R&C_RallySyTy]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

My son is 16 and of course surrounded by kids with Import Tuner Cars(Civics/Integras etc.). He wanted my 99 Ls1 Z28 6-spd but I didn't like the fact that it was strictly RWD. So I was tellin him and one of his friends about the badass cars of my time. Of course there were Corvettes,Camaros and Mustangs but we were interested in the sleeper cars/trucks of my generation,Syclones/Typhoons and of course GN's. I showed him some video on Youtube of Syclones runnin 8 sec quarters. So I have been shopping on Autotrader and pricing Sy/Ty's. Can you guys tell me what was the best year of production? Any weaknesses with engines/drivtrain etc? Any help will be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

No matter what you decide on, he is lucky to have a father like yourself. Personally I feel you can't have a race car as a daily driver. With the way things are going, it would be great for your son to get a decent dependable daily driver to start with and then find a project that he can work on. Take out the nice car on beautiful days and track/race events and shows.

 

[Sean Krupa]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

I'm 16 and get my license in June. I love my Typhoon and always will. Everyday I detail in and out getting it ready for car shows in the summer. My dad daily drove this truck for 15 years and never had any problems, as long as you maintain it just like any other car. Any car will have some problems here and their, but you have to take it as it comes. I know a couple of guys on here around my age who have syty's, so it's not like we aren't mature enough to have such a rare and fast vehicle as your first car. Hope this helps with your decision.

 

[Try Me]

Re: My sons first set of wheels?

Its been over a year since this dude first posted and its his only post. Guess we did our job to scare him off.

LOL i didnt even notice that the first post was 2008 not 2009.