Take it from a father who's been there, cool ain't nearly as important for a new driver as safe. I love old cars, but they're not nearly as safe as newer vehicles. There's a very good chance you'll be getting a call some night, believe me, you won't be thinking about cool when that call comes. If he can survive the first couple years, he's got plenty of time to be cool.
As most kids destroy their first ride in one way or another (I did too), I would advise something disposable -- not a family heirloom or something too rare
im only 20...my first car was my 50 ford...which still isn't finsished, i got when i was 16, wasn't running,stopping etc...got it on the road...get em a project and let him get it on the road...best way to learn in my opinion...learn by doing. my 100 HP 50 ford can't be that much more unsafe than one of those super fast turbo suburu things... when you've got a slow car you aren't tempted to drive like an asshole...and if it's an old car, you'll probably be more caring towards it...
I'm glad you brought this up..... As I wrote my post in this thread earlier, I was thinking that a Ranger or S10 really wouldn't be a bad idea for a first vehicle. An older, 'cooler' vehicle can come after that... just another idea/option
Or something on an S10 chassis - modern driveline, brakes, steering and cool older body - see the definitive S10 swap thread here on the HAMB for ideas.
I started my first born out in a 70 C-10 with a 250 6 and a compound 4 speed. Solid truck that he drove that way for a year before we built a decent small block for it. Not fancy and not fast with the but safe. My daughter's first car was a 75 Mercury Monarch with a 250 6 that was a tank and always got her and her friends home safe even with a few mishaps along the way. Again a solid body and a dead nuts reliable engine and trans that wern't fast but would keep up with normal traffic without issues. I'd probably go with an early/mid 60's Falcon, Nova or similar straight six car with the idea that after he had driven it safely for a couple of years and had the rest of it sorted out and then consider the V8 swap. A sad and close to home note is one reason I am pretty much against getting beginner drivers cars that are too fast. When she turned 16 my niece wanted a Mercury Comet GT with a stout V8 in it. My brother argued against it saying that she didn't need a car that was that fast but his ex wife went ahead and bought it for her. She had her license less than a week when she got in a race with a kid from school and rolled the car and killed her best friend who was riding shotgun. This is in a state where the law reads that 16 year old drivers with new licenses cannot carry non family member passengers for the fist six months with the license. I also agree with LuxBlue 100% on the safety equipment. Things like a collapsible column and good quality and properly mounted seat belts may not sound like a big deal but they may save the kids life or his companion's life at some point. He can survive without having a warhorse of a car but he may not survive a car that isn't up to par as far as safety goes.
I know I'm a downer here, but you can't build an old car to be as safe as a newer vehicle unless you're a millionaire and an engineer. Newer vehicles have crumple zones throughout the body and frame as well as airbags, shoulder belts, even anti lock brakes (though I'm not so sure about those) but you get the idea. Get him an s-10 or ranger to drive and an old car to build, by the time it's done, he'll have developed the skills to drive it right. Believe me, I'm not nearly as level headed as my posts are making me seem, but you can't replace a kid.
Being 17 myself (Although, in my mind, I think like an older man) I would say get him a 4-cylinder 2 wheel drive pick-up of some sort. Like a S-10, Ranger, Hardbody. Let him work on it and get some experience and then pick him up a project to start working on. I feel like trucks are more in the line of traditional Hot Rods (Simple, Practical, Customizable) than say, a Kia Montero or Chevy Lumina. And if he does get into some fender benders, than you've got a good chassis for a frame swap.
Sounds like a winner to me. I'd even leave the little 6 banger in it, you never know where gas prices will be in 2 years. Unfortunately, since the only thing that'll trip the cool meter in high school parking lots these day's is some Fast & Furious BS you might just as well build the Granada. Most of yur kids contemporaries won't know the difference or care to learn. I'm sure Bomb pilot's kid will have better taste though. That was my first thought too. Not to mention, heavily insured and completely padded inside. I think just about any older 4 cyl. Toyota Camry makes a good first car. They are cheap, uber dependable and best of all slow. Just don't get him the station wagon grand pa cause they're big enough to... well you know.
All the replies seem to have good points on safety which should be the number one item for a new driver. The point of it all is getting to build the car the right way with your son and him doing the work would make him appreciate what it takes to build a car and understand how to care for it. I did this when my son was 14 and he is 29 and still has that car and has taken care of it because he understands what it took to get the car where it is today. What ever you choose in a vehicle just enjoy the time working on it with your son it will make you both closer.
I am 18 the 1st car I had was my 72 2dr maverick. It was a 250 C4. I went about a year without a ticket, then got one for 74mph in a 50mph zone going to school. I managed to get out of the ticket. I then got my 51 F-1 around christmas and have been working on it since. My dad bought me a 69 F-100 with a .060 390 in it. I haven't sped much since I got a ticket, the most I do now is maybe 5 over. I would say a pickup with a small V8 in it would be a good vehicle. It won't be fast but it is still fun
Boy Wonder wants a '70-79 Camaro; Flat black with gloss black stripes, a decent interior, a 6-point roll bar, Viper bucket seats (I actually have these), 5-spokes and a small block. Actually he wants a blown Hemi, we're compromising by not giving him the tired 283 out of the Suburban. He's been told a manual transmission is not optional. He's told me he wants a motor that makes a lot of torque, because that'll get him off the line faster, because he won't be using high rpm horsepower on the street. I'm not sure if that makes me proud or scared. He's 13, and is planning on blowing his current savings on a over/under shot gun, and then he's going to save for a car. The deal I have with him is that I will match him dollar for dollar: he's actually written a budget on how many yards he has to mow between now and 15 to get the car with matching funds. Do I like Camaros? Not particularly. But he does, and I'm just thrilled he doesn't like ricers. We talk OFTEN about speeding, cops, wrecks, etc. When I'm driving fast, I always tell him where I'm looking down the road like a driving exercise. That's been a big eye opener for him. Sometimes I'll just start talking about what's on the side of the road or in yards way up the road so he can see them. It's always a driving exercise. The other thing my wife and I will be doing is sending him to Skippy School or Bondurant...one or the other is currently at Road Atlanta just down the road. Because of my job, he's been around Road Atlanta so often in race cars and hot rods that he has the course memorized, and 120mph rides are cool, but by no means rare. I also taught him to drive stick shift on the Bonneville Salt Flats during Speedweek two years ago, so level-headed instruction and learning about losing control on a closed race course is going to be a very, very wise investment for us. It's in his blood; he's grown up around it. Ignoring that, ignoring teenage stupidity and thinking "my kid won't do that" or thinking I can teach him all he needs to know is naive. Coughing up the dough for professional instruction and a healthy dose of Right Pedal Respect is cheap in comparison. Hell, most of us have spent more on braces for their teeth. That should put it in perspective. -Brad
Who cares whats gonna be cool in the highschool parking lot in a few years, as long as you're son likes it. I don't think an old customized car will ever not be cool in the highschool parking lot though. Maybe its just like what they say about clothing, "It's not what you wear, It's how you wear it."
I am 17 now but I bought this for $500 when I was 14, I knew I had to have and I didnt even know what kind of truck it was back then but I knew nobody else would have anything like it.
MY 14 year olds 42 dodge p/u is getting a 2.3 ford with 5 sp as they are cheep(free) by the dozen from a 5.0 litre mustang friend of mine who buys up mustangs for parts.
As long as his grades stay up he is................they drop he walks to school ! ! Dad's leverage ! !
Automobile accidents are the number 1 cause of teenage deaths in the United States. Teenage accidents, particularly with boys go up when there are more than two kids in the car. Personally, I would make him wait till he is older, no matter how much belly aching he makes. If not, a two seater sports car, or truck (w/bucket seats) would be best, based on the statistics.
Aye, im only 17, and drive a lowered '54 Ford every day (except during winter, have you tried hooking up on ice?). Its got a hi-po Y-block with the right dress up goodies, but Its still a 200 hp, 300 ft/lb torque engine, moving a 3500#+ car, with a 3.31:1 gearset. I don't do anything "stupid" because I go under the rule, I brake it, I buy the parts to fix it, I fix it. Also, my dad has the title in his name, and if my grades drop, I'll be walking in the summer too. Im not saying my father hasn't helped me along the way, he has done more than I would ever had wished. Heck he bought the car for me, and bought me my 292 for a birthday/christmas gift. He has also spent a lot of time with me, time that will be cherished when he is gone. My car doesnt have all the nanny-state stuff, not saying that cars don't need that kind of stuff. I've driven with drum breaks everywhere, I dont have seatbelts, and only use a rearview mirror. I feel this has made me a better driver, because I have to know what my car is going to do, and I have to be defensive enough to not matter who cuts me off and not get angry, and I always check my blindspots. You buy your son the car you feel right putting him in, and something he is interested in building/driving.
I gave my son the 57 BelAir 2door post car (327, TH350, 74 Nova rear, disc brakes up front, A/C) at 16 when he started driving. He's 23 now, married, and 2 kids but the 57 is still here at the house awaiting that fixup he started after high school. I think I'm elected.
This is going to sound like a downer but I think Lux Blue and others are onto something. I'd buy him some 4 cylinder Japanese crapbox for $1000 or less and let him learn how to keep it between the ditches for the first 6 months. Even better if it isn't overly reliable as he'll learn to work on it as well. Buy a nice project at the same time and work on it with him. He'll appreciate the cool car much more if he put's alot of work in it and probably take care of it. If you just hand him the keys to something nice, he won't learn that nice things are the result of hard work. Put the dents in the Tercel and the work in the nice ride.
I'm with Pasadenahotrod! If you must buy your son a car to get him interested in hot rods, buy him one that YOU like! Chances are it'll become your project anyway...
not a horrible idea, mini trucks may not be HAMB friendly but as far as the work that goes in to them there's more actual "kustom" work and fab compared to all the bolt on tuner crap for hondas and such
good point .......when i was in high school we drove 60's vintage shit. My Pops gave me his garage to work on my 67 gto. That was his way of passing the torch. We developed a good father son relationship working in that garage together. He always took the time to help out even in light of his busy schedule.
...what's wrong with giving him your C-10? there ALL steel,solid as hell,dependable,look cool,you can haul stuff with it,tow stuff with it ,customize it 6 ways from sunday,gotta love the classic look,besides all that,if you give it to him he will have something to haul home the project he really wants...have a great christmas.....the grinch
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