KE3NNY

I've read through all the pages and seen a lot of good advice given. When I turned 15 my parents bought a new vehicle and I inherited my dads 1999 Ram 1500 with the 5.2L, 2WD, and 230,000 miles. It was his old work truck, but to me it was awesome! They let me drive it for a while after I turned 16 and eventually we traded it in and they bought me an '07 Ram, 2WD, 4.7L. My parents said the only reason they did that was because I took care of the '99. I babied the '07 and took care of it throughout high school and college. Now that I'm on my own and have a full time job I bought, well ordered actually, exactly what I wanted. Moral of the story and I guess the point I'm trying to make is be happy with what you get and take care of it. Eventually you will be able to get exactly what you want. I was fortunate enough that my parents wanted me to focus on school and were willing to provide a vehicle, and a truck at that. When we bought the '07 I was in love with jeeps and wanted a wrangler. Not gonna lie, I REALLY wanted a jeep. But my dad said we needed a truck in the family now that he had a SUV and my mom had a minivan. He figured it would come in handy for hauling trailers and just tossing all around stuff in the bed. So there is another reason to get a truck haha. Alright, enough rambling, hopefully you are smarter than me and start off with a ford and not a dodge... LOL. But seriously enjoy what you get, I'm sure it will be good till you can buy exactly what you want.

a_tack

My $0.02. When I was 5 my dad bought a brand new Mazda B2200 2.2l 5spd, no a/c, no power steering, no radio, crank windows manual locks. I loved that truck. Little did I know, 11 years later, he would give me that Mazda. I didn't complain. Still loved that truck, washed it weekly, took care of it. When I turned 17 I got a 2000 model ranger xlt. Took even better care of it. One night I was stupid and drove home too late, fell asleep and wrecked it. We sold it for what we could get out of it, dad gave me the money and told me to find a vehicle. Any cost above and beyond that money, I had to come up with. Bought a 2001 Chevy blazer. Between the wreck and the blazer purchase I drove a 1982 jeep j10 4spd.

Fast forward. I'm 27 now. Have a good job and just bought myself a $40k truck after driving that blazer through college and working on weekends to pay for it. I appreciate what I have now even more because of what I was given then. I know what it's like to drive junk and take care of it like its a Cadillac, so I appreciate my nice things even more.

Moral of the story, take what you can get, appreciate it, and drive the hell out of it. Believe it or not, 10-15 years from now you will look back at that crappy first car and appreciate not only the fact that you were given a vehicle, but you will appreciate the lessons learned from it.

bobkyle2

Ok, Since we got the "Your going to be a bad kid if your dad buys you a truck" out of the way.....Drop it.

rigrat2011

you speak much truth wise one.

myself, I still have my first car. won't sell her either. in fact, I bought my 2010 screw sterling grey 4x4 5.4L brand new when I wrecked my 2002 Dakota sport 4door 4x4 4.7L.

I will never forget the saleslady asking me why I wanted a half ton truck. I replied "to haul my car from time to time but not every day". so she asked me what kind of car do I have".

I smiled a half smile and said very proudly " I've got a 67 chev impala 4 door. the car is completely original paint and dealership sticker, floor mats, hub caps, door locks, and even valve covers. she's me. my truck is just a truck. my car was bought from the dealership by my great grandfather and I also have that receipt along with the original owner's manual, and warranty manual. women can come and go all they want in my life, not one of them will ever get me to sell the car. I remember my mom taught me how to drive it when I was 8 years old."

i'm gonna stop there lol...


OP... take this guy's advice. if I gave my kid a used truck, no matter what it is, i'd take it and take care of it. why? parents are tricky. they may want to see how you're going to drive, maintain and wash, keep clean and vacuumed, etc.

there's no way i'd get my kid a new vehicle, when he's got under 10 years of driving experience. i'd buy a used one, that way I wouldn't feel so bad if the kid wrecks it. remember, the vehicle MAY be under a parent's insurance. (that's a good convo too. get your folks to talk to you and teach you the "birds and bees" of auto insurance"

btw, I bought my f150 a few months after I turned 31. i'm looking at wanting a new 2015 f150, but if I keep my 2010, i'll be happy too.

it is after all the first vehicle I've ever boughten ON MY OWN and without a cosigner, on a $10/h job while living on my own with a rent of $1100 a month and other bills.

so don't give up hope, just take your time. be patient and chill out.
take what's given to you and treat it like your dog or gf. consider it family and keep her clean, but enjoy it. your parents are giving it to you because they like to make you happy. seeing you happy with what ever they give, will really make them happy.

also, for the love of god... if you have a beer or more etc, please just phone your folks and ask them to drive your ride home for you. it'll show responsibility and you're not willing to risk losing your wheels, license, or your health to your youthful stubbornness.

thanks

a_tack

I wasn't telling him he was a bad kid. I was simply trying to relate to him with a story from someone who was in a similar situation more recently than many other posters.

I wanted a 4x4 xcab ranger so bad I could taste it. I tried and tried to talk my dad into one. He had the money and I got aggravated when I didn't get one, but I appreciated what I was given. I was simply trying to explain than even though you may not understand it now (like I didn't), you will 10 years down the road. Just enjoy what you get.

Red13

The kids of these days! I say get a job, and start saving. It is pathetic that kids these days think that we as parents OWE them anything. I was 17 when I bought my first car. It was a 84 chevy citation. ugly but got me from where I needed to go. It is disgusting that children have the need to act like the OP. Your father ;if he was smart would buy you a bicycle and a reflective jacket and say " enjoy."

Adam013085

Here is something to consider that I don't believe anyone has mentioned (I admit I skimmed quite a bit of this thread), but I would consider a cheaper older alternative than a newer mid teens $ vehicle. What are you going to do when you back into a tree, or hit your friend or parents car? It will hurt a lot less on a $5k vehicle than your nice newer $15k vehicle. It will happen sooner or later more times than not with a newer driver.

georgenicholas77

Just quoting one of the many comments on this thread. This is the most pathetic thread I have ever read. The kid simply wants a damn truck for his birthday. It doesn't matter how you got or what you got for your first car because that was years ago. Times are different now, so please all y'all stop bitching about his dad buying him a truck. At least help the kid out to convince his dad to get him one so that we have another ford guy on this forum. Grow up guys

LastResort

I'm going to post again, and hope that you're at least willing to reconsider:

1. Congratulations on earning your dad's trust by performing well, and staying out of trouble. My parents bought a car for me to drive because we quickly discovered I couldn't make enough money pay for a safe vehicle, put gas in it, and insure it while also saving for college. My parents decided the the college fund was a more important investment of my effort they provided a vehicle assuming I kept my **** together and worked year round. My brother, on the other hand was in sports. He did work during the summers, but he was busy during the school year with that, so they also provided a car for him to use.
2. You're not going to be safer in a larger truck than in a midsize car. While bigger is typically better, trucks are the exception due to the rollover risk. Stability control helps with that, but you're not going to find it in your price tag. Per one of the captions in this article, Ford trucks have the highest rollover rate.
   http://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/ar...arge-cars.html
   http://www.cars.com/go/crp/buyingGui...erer=&year=New
3. Trucks simply cost more to operate: fuel, tires, insurance, brakes, etc. Assuming you go off to school, enter a trade, whatever, a car will run you a ton less money keeping it on the road when you do have to foot the bill and That's really, really important. As well, if your dad is paying for this stuff, you're showing him a ton of respect by looking for ways to decrease his costs.

I wanted truck bad as well so I can sympathize some. But, here is a chance to demonstrate to yourself, and your dad, that you looking beyond cool and willing to make sounds decisions. Learn that skill now, and you're going to have plenty of money to buy neat trucks eventually.

Just my $ 0.02.

tareed94

I'm not getting why everyone is making it out like the OP thinks his parents OWE him a vehicle. He clearly stated him and his dad were looking at vehicles and all the criteria it had to meet. So how about everyone cut it out with the "I worked for my first car so everyone should." mess and help I personally love my truck and would never drive anything smaller. I wanted a mustang so bad but the bumpers are plastic and they'll go under just about any truck even at stock height. My parents told me I had to get something that the bumper would meet with most vehicles so that left me with a truck. Safety is a matter of perspective. When I'm in a small car I feel substantially less safe than in my truck.