beat the system. :)

[XRchic]

Given that my partner was only two weeks ago, involved in a massive accident - AU XR8 v pole, I would have to say that I would probably prefer either of my sons and my daughter to be in larger, newer cars. He hit the pole doing 100kmh as he fell asleep at the wheel in the country in the early hours of the morning.

The ambos and police told me that he would not have survived if he had been in a smaller or older car with no airbags and that the big V8 block absorbed the shock and saved him.

If you buy your kids little cheap tinfoil boxes, or older cars with poor suspension, poor brakes or no airbags, but think you are doing the right thing just because its a 4 cyl, then you are kidding yourself. Small and less powerful does not necessarily mean safer. You can drive at dangerous speeds just as easily in the 4cyl, and you are less protected. You can drive at dangerous speeds in an old car as well, but are less protected.

The power of the car is only an issue if the young person is going to cause the accident by their deliberate recklessness anyway. If you are a young driver in a powerful car, but get sideswiped by someone else out of control - I know what car you are better off in, and it aint the small cheapie 4cyl buzzbox.

If you lose control of your car due to being tired, inattention, a slight mistake in judgement or whatever (all of which are more common causes of accidents than outright reckless driving in a high powered car) then you are also better off in the newer, bigger cars. They generally would have vastly better brakes, suspension, crumple zones, airbag(s), better tyres, etc, etc....

I will be buying my kids cars and they will be as new as possible, and of a reasonable size while not being stupidly powerful that would invite them to misbehave in it - such as BA XR6 like mine for example. And I firmly believe that you can buy your child a reasonably powerful but safer car, and teach them to respect it and drive it PROPERLY (ie, pay attention, change lanes safely, keep left on highways, overtake sensibly, have confidence but not overconfidence, night driving, etc, etc)....

And by buying it myself, spoilt brats they may be, BUT I will have more control over it if I paid for it myself than if I just let them go and buy something. They want a free car, they will play by my rules.

Just my opinion.