Sorry to hear, glad she's mostly OK.

She wrecked it... she pays the consequences. Don't coddle her, otherwise what will she learn?

Theres no reason to take care of myself, or my things, because daddy will fix it.

That being said... a 5.0 might be a little too much car for a 16 year old, I know a nice Focus looking for a new owner

 

Or you could make HER pay the 1500.00. When I was 16 I had to help buy my car and i had to pay my own fuel and insurance. I had to be responsible for my car.

 

def. make her foot part of it, and if she has to drive around something that looks wrecked up, it's good humiliation and will teach her a lesson.

Mike

 

I'd fix it with her help.

I'd bet she has learned a lesson from it, and *hopefully* since she is your kid, she'll have enough talent to quickly improve... she has a great coach, that much is certain.

 

Take the car away immediately and have her buy herself a small bomber with the only consideration being it be somewhat reliable and safe. Even then, she will only be able to use it for work/school. No pleasure cruising until she can prove she knows how to drive.

Of course, all this after you have her pay, or at least help pay, to get the 'Stang back to a sell-able condition.

You went through all the trouble to teach her how to be a responsible driver and she rear-ends someone? I mean, thats the easiest of all accidents to avoid. :dunno:

I totally agree with everyone saying no handouts. She will only learn that daddy will bail her out if there is a problem and that is no way for anyone to be raised, even if daddy can afford it.

 

def. make her foot part of it, and if she has to drive around something that looks wrecked up, it's good humiliation and will teach her a lesson.

Mike

I completely agree.

dave.

 

Get her something else slower and with better brakes. Something with 4 wheel antilock disk brakes. Maybe a defensive driving course would help also.

 

I would make her split the costs 50/50, and have her do the wrenching. Getting her hands on the damage will definately make sure she remembers it.

 

No parent should ever buy a V8 car for their newly licensed child. You trying to kill them? :screwy:

 

^^^ depends on the v8

my brother had an 1986 olds cutlass supreme....lol........focus-like power (base zetec) except weighted another 2000 lbs more lol

 

No parent should ever buy a V8 car for their newly licensed child. You trying to kill them? :screwy:

My first car was a V8, sure taught me a lot. There were a few instances I probably shouldn't have got away unscathed, but overall I think it was better than having some 90hp tercel or something.

 

Yeah, I don't really know what you were thinking with the 16 year old daughter and the 5 liter. Spoil em much? Two words... teal Aspire.

 

Honestly, a new Toyota Camry is as quick as an older 5.0L Mustang, so who are we kidding?

I think it is a fine choice for a new driver with as much training as possible. Is it the right choice for ALL new drivers? No, but slidemaster's kid already has a leg up with a good trainer over the average 16 year old.

Kids make mistakes, and it doesn't sound like she was mishandling the power anyway. She'd likely have made the same mistake in a Corolla.


I had a drastically overpowered car when I was 16, and... I did learn from it. Thankfully I didn't kill myself or anybody else.

 

wow, some of you apparently have no experience with the 'raw power' of a Mustang 5.0. i'd put money on the new V6 models being faster, stock for stock.

Mike

 

wow, some of you apparently have no experience with the 'raw power' of a Mustang 5.0. i'd put money on the new V6 models being faster, stock for stock.

Mike

Definitely would agree with that. Most lawnmowers are tuned better than the old 5.0L.

A 16 year old is going to drive in an unsafe manner regardless of the car. The key is to discourage it as much as possible. Just having the name Mustang already encourages bad habits. Plus you never want to buy a kid a car that you dont want to see wrecked. I ruined every car I touched until I was about 19.

 

Get her some coveralls and tell her the car doesn't get fixed unless she's helping you work on it. In other words, when she's not wearing grubbies with dirty hands, the car is stagnant, but as soon as she is ready to start working, you are ready to start helping. This will give her a new appreciation for her vehicle, and she will likely be more careful because she knows what kind of work it is not to be.

 

Throw mismatched body parts on it and whatever else it takes to make it run. Don't paint it. Keep it ugly. Then tell her it's hers until she gets a job and buys herself what she wants, or has the money to fix it up and make it cherry again.

I had our beater Toyota SR5 truck when I first started driving. My dad paid for the insurance while I was in school, but when I got the itch for a new truck, I was on my own. It made me appreciate it so much more as well. And I didn't trash on it like I did on the 'yota.

Also - my sister had a few fender benders in her early 20s - turns out she was getting nearsighted and it was affecting her night vision! She got glasses and was astonished to find out how fuzzy her vision had been without them. She's still a scary driver, but at least she can see.

 

i would agree with some on her. if she wants to keep the car make her pay for it (if she has to make an investment in it then she will hopefully be more responsible with it). otherwise take the car away and let her get her own car

 

Park it in the garage and make it a project for HER to fix (with your supervision) Doubles as bonding with the 2 of you and make her drive a reliable bucket. A MID 80's Escort should do the trick.

 

Kinda wondering what a car with a V8 has to do with someone rearending another car?

So most in this thread have never rearended someone?
<---I have, 3 years ago. :lol:

 

The drama of having kids- it never ends.

With a boy on the way, thanks for reminding me!

And this reminds me of when my sisters had a 280SX that they totalled in two weeks - maybe one. Later, my dad learned to put all of us through additional drivers education, and that improved our skills much more.

And while my sisters didn't have to pay for anything when they got their own cars, I had to pay for everything, and look who's going to be getting a second car? Not my sisters!

 

Kinda wondering what a car with a V8 has to do with someone rearending another car?

So most in this thread have never rearended someone?
<---I have, 3 years ago. :lol:

I did. It was my first, and only, at fault accident in my 21 years of driving, 5+ years after I got my license.

Luckily, I think the guy was drunk cuz he hauled ass from the scene after looking at the (minimal) damage to his 80's Camaro.

 

I second (third, forth?) the notion that a 5.0 is a BAD choice in the first place. Yeah, maybe it doesn't have much to do with a rear ender in the place, but you never know. What were they *really* doing when the accident occured?

I agree with most others here on the fix too. Let her pay for it, or do the work with your help. Either way, she has to be responsible for the damage. She has to FEEL the consequences.

Omni, yeah, Camrys have just as much power. They also have 500lbs more weight, FWD, and suspensions that aren't from the Byzantine era. 5.0 Mustangs are incredibly more dangerous than a modern car, no matter what the power.

I had to teach my wife to drive on a 5.0, and it was terrifying for her and me.

When she needed her own car, I got her an Escort. She hit a number of things with it, and I never fixed it. I let her drive around with the shame.

 

5.0s have the worst brakes on earth. I upgraded to cobra disc brakes so I feel better driving mine. maybe you should rebuild the 5.0 better and stronger and get the daughter a focus or civic.

 

Omni, yeah, Camrys have just as much power. They also have 500lbs more weight, FWD, and suspensions that aren't from the Byzantine era. 5.0 Mustangs are incredibly more dangerous than a modern car, no matter what the power.

I'd also contend that the torque curve on the 5.0 makes the car much more likely to potentially cause problems for a new driver then a Camry.