Thoughts towards buying first hot rod for Kid(s), what age

[XS29LA47V21]

How early would you buy your child their first old car to begin tinkering on?  If opportunity, would you buy the nice optioned, nice rare color colored, nice yr, to most collectors an rare investment grade car as a builder..... or buy something they like when they are about 14-15 yrs old, not rare but already driving to groom.  BTW, my kid is 9, but I found an outstanding car even for a non-dodge and it got me thinking...   I do not want to push them to the car hobby, but rather give them the opportunity; I want their hobbies/interest to be their directions.

I guess my real question is how early did you help or engage you kids with their own old car (not their daily driver to school and such)? 

What are your thoughts and old guys what did you do that looking back you would do again or not do?

[bakerhillpins]

I have had the same thoughts as of late as well. My boys are 11 this year and while I don't have the space, funds, or oppertunity I have given this a thought more than once. I was leaning twards getting them something that they could work on and learn and make mistakes. Then move them on to cars that I might have that are more "desirable". In the long run though I wouldn't tell them directly. Rather I want them to just spend time in the garage working on my car(s) with me. That in it's own right should give them good memories and breed a want to connect with Dad and love cars. Or so I hope. Then when they get older if they are showing lots of interest you make it a big deal to "give it to them" at that point. I always struggle with wanting to give my kids everything and helping them grow by making them earn things. Nothing worse than them not respecting what they have. 

In the end I just want to share my passions with them. 

Good luck.

[70 sublime]

I do not know what to say

My son when he was around 10 was in the shop with me all the time when I was working on my 69 Charger
I would let him do and try everything when I was there (even let him do a little with the mig welder)
Sanding ,scraping, painting (with a brush on car floor) finding the right wrench for the size of bolt,ect

Now at 17 he seems to have very little interest in older cars

He know what they are and what makes them interesting to me

Hope it is just a phase at this stage of life and he will get back into it some day

[Nwcharger]

I was around 4-5 when I became interested in mechanical things. I would scatter my dads tools all over the place taking thing apart to see how they work. I remember taking my training wheels off my bike because my dad wouldn't. I got my first set of real tools for my 7th birthday and ill never forget it. The one and only car my dad gave me was a 68 charger 318 f8 green automatic on the floor when I was 11 or 12. I now have a 13 year old daughter and 11 year old son and they can't stop watching that tv or playing video games. Sometimes my son will come out and give me a hand and to me that's great. I think the sooner the better but I'm not sure about a rare car for a first. Maybe a 70 dart or scamp 318 just to get there foot in the door.

[Dino]

I wouldn't start kids on anything (except a good education of course).  Offer them the oppertunity to tinker with cars, do sports, learn music, whatever, but let them find out themselves.  The best part of starting out with old cars is finding them yourself and learning as you go along.  There's no fun in having a tricked out shop when you don't know what it's like to pull an engine in the driveway or find the softer kind of cardboard.  (ok I'm kidding with the last bit  )   

[hatersaurusrex]

I do not know what to say

My son when he was around 10 was in the shop with me all the time when I was working on my 69 Charger
I would let him do and try everything when I was there (even let him do a little with the mig welder)
Sanding ,scraping, painting (with a brush on car floor) finding the right wrench for the size of bolt,ect

Now at 17 he seems to have very little interest in older cars

He know what they are and what makes them interesting to me

Hope it is just a phase at this stage of life and he will get back into it some day

Hahah most 17 year old boys only have their mind on one thing.

[68X426]

Thoughts towards buying first hot rod for Kid(s), what age

As soon as they can steal their own 

then it's time to get involved and buy one.

[odcics2]

My son was 6 when he was "rebuilding" carbs.  Well, taking them apart and puttin' 'em back together, without any left over parts!   
At 16, he blew up the engine in the 2.5 Shadow I gave him, then pulled it and rebuilt it.
At 31, his 3 year old daughter knows what a wing car is!   

[charge69]

If you buy your teenager a car to enjoy and work on together, be prepared to have them wreck it and to deal with the consequences. I just don't know of anyone who did not find a way to wreck their first car. Luckily, most of us walked away from the wrecks but wrecked them we did!

I wrecked (hit a parked car looking at another in a driveway) my Mother's car when I was 14 ! Yes, I was licensed and that was not my last wreck (thankfully, my own car after that) as a teenager.  Yes, I was mechanically inclined and could do just about anything, including a complete overhaul, in my driveway with confidence it would be done right. I was a "MOPAR island" in a world full of friends with Chevies and Fords,mostly 50's and early 60's models.

[Daytona R/T SE]

If I hadn't gotten myself addicted to old cars when I was a teenager, I might have went on to get a better education and I might not be stuck in this shitty dead end job that I hate with every fiber of my being.

[charge69]

To Daytona R/T SE:  Man, that is a depressing thing to have to live with.  I really hope you can find some peace and happiness in your job. If I hated my job that much, I just would FIND a way to change things.

I know, easy to say and much harder to actually accomplish but, if you don't try, you will never know.  My working days are over now and I do remember waking up and hating to go to work,mostly because of people, not the job. So, I decided that my attitude needed to change for me to get thru the day. Not letting people get to you made a big difference in my job!

[moparstuart]

I have my dream job , I get to play with cars 24/7 .  I never have to grow up .
I just wish it was paying for it self right now   

[areibel]

I've got 4 kids, and they're all different!
My oldest is now 22, he's the up and coming motor head.  We have a pic of him when he was about 4, opening the trunk of my old Challenger with a screwdriver (just like Dad had to do it!).  He's into Mopars, he has another semester of college to be a mechanical engineer (and already has a job!), and just did his first solo starter replacement on his 87 D150 oon Saturday.  And that was a front yard job, couldn't get it into the garage so he bundled up and braved the snow to do it- made old Dad real proud!  He's already shopping for his next vehicle, he looking for a first Gen Cummins if he can find one in nice shape but likes B bodies too.
The others are younger, but they just don't seem to have the interest- my middle son is 20, and reminds me of my brother at that age- a car? just drive it!  My daughter wants a pink Challenger, but probably wouldn't be turning wrenches to build one.  And my youngest, I think he's leaning that way but can't tell for sure yet.  He's 14, but other than asking a few promising questions hasn't shown the madness yet.

[Cooter]

Out of all four (4) of mine, the youngest son got his start when he was about 9 Y/O. He began hangin round me in the shop with the Dart and would hear me talking with my buddies about cars, setting up Street races and bench racing. Ever since he got his first car by mowing lawns (ours included), at age 13, he's been into making things go faster/better. Right now, he's got a raging H*rd-on for a Fox body Mustang LX 5.0...

Calls me in the Air Force from the base every now and then talking something about 15 Lbs of boost and what a difference hybrid Turbo's make...

I will say however, DO NOT PUT ANYBODY UNDER AGE 21 behind the wheel of ANYTHING ANTIQUE YOU BUILD THEM....You will be picking up pieces of it off the side of the road.

[Daytona R/T SE]

To Daytona R/T SE:  Man, that is a depressing thing to have to live with.  I really hope you can find some peace and happiness in your job. If I hated my job that much, I just would FIND a way to change things.

I know, easy to say and much harder to actually accomplish but, if you don't try, you will never know.  My working days are over now and I do remember waking up and hating to go to work,mostly because of people, not the job. So, I decided that my attitude needed to change for me to get thru the day. Not letting people get to you made a big difference in my job!

I've got to get a few of my ducks in a row, then I'm leaving this shit hole.

I just have to keep my head down for another year or so...

But, with my Irish temper...

Thread hijack over...

[Hard Charger]

kid #2 of 3 will be getting a car soon (on Dad) i imagine the same will happen as when #1 got hers, i could not bear to buy anything with out a air bag.

[mauve66]

buy what THEY like in a semi-driver shape, their driving skills need to be honed on something that can be dinged "a little"

[XH29N0G]

I'll let you know in a few years.  My neighbor is trying to sell my 14 y.o. (almost 15) son a car for a $, but still needs to get the title from his daughter.  If it works, my son will have his work cut out for him.  Not a mopar and not super fast, but should be a learning experience.  The idea came up because my wife wanted something for my son to do that would keep him occupied and doing things with me.  We are both book types, so I don't think it will have bad consequences for college and I also know from my own experience that he can get in accidents, so it will be his funds and our work that put this thing back together.

I helped fix my first car in my dad's cousin's shop at the same age and it was a good experience.  I spent most of my time with my dad (an art history professor) building racing outboards for boats.  When I graduated college he let me buy his car - the charger I have now.



My 

[JB400]

Being a young gun, I guess you could say I was dads' shadow for quite a while.  I wanted to go to work with dad and do everything dad did when I was younger.  If he was in the garage, so was I. If there was something I could do, I did it.  If not, I watched what he was doing. He gave me a holley carb and a 8 hp Briggs to tear apart and put together.  I would rather hang out with the guys dad hung out with just so I could learn something.  My dad ended up getting my Charger when I was 13, and I've had it ever since.  Best thing was, he was even willing to let me have a 440 in it at the time.  But, life happened and times changed.  Charger got put on the back burner, but not forgotten.

Some of my other relatives on the other hand, video games and cell phones.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

I say give them advice, go with them to look for a good car, guide them through the purchasing process, but let the kids pay for their car with money that they earned on their own.

[oldcarnut]

There's a bit of good words in most said so far.  I'm not sure what qualifies as an old guy but here's my take. My kids are now 27-30.  If the child has an interest while he's young, teach them all you can.  Many of the kids I see now and adults too don't know anything trouble shooting wise unless it can have a pc hooked up to it to get a code and then they ask somebody else to do fix it.  It's almost inevitable that at school or somewhere the car's gonna get dinged up or wrecked if not from a stupid mistake by them but by some other kid who has no appreciation for older cars or the work that went into it. All of mine started off with a Cavalier, Saturn, or similar until they afforded their own car and was responsible for the upkeep. They were offered some classics but thought they were too old until their friends thought they were cool but it was too late; they had what they had.  I would have liked my son to take an interest in learning about them but it wasn't just his forte.  Can't make'em like'em.  Now my grandson on the other hand likes them and will turn a wrench and ask questions. Who knows what it will be like for automobiles, gas, etc in 5-9 yrs and laws concerning old cars fixed up or not. Would they (you) even be able to afford them to drive it.  Then there's insurance.  Paying for full coverage for a new driver/teen was gonna break the bank for me without any claims/tickets.  I think it would be great to have a preteen have interest in working with dad on a project (dad's) and share those times.  Maybe after their first car experience gets broke in good broken you could give them the one they helped dad build. There's a lot of cool stories to tell about father son projects and wish there were more.  It's too bad laptops, xbox, and texting cell phones etc. are more important to most now.  Didn't mean to be a downer but just offering another perspective

[Alaskan_TA]

I bought my own at age 15 over 30 years ago. I had a job & saved for it since I was 13.


Any kid should pick what they want & use their own money if at all possible.

[aussiemuscle]

Any kid should pick what they want & use their own money if at all possible.

probably a good idea if you want them motivated.

then there's this

[Back N Black]

I think the passion starts at a very young age. Since i was 6 years old i was in love with cars, i could tell you every make, model and year that drove down the street. A good friend of mine has a 7 year old son and every time he walks in my garage his eyes light up, i can see the passion in the kid and know he will be a car guy.

[Tilar]

Personally I wouldn't buy anything until he knows what he wants, or you may end up locking your money into something that neither of you want. When my son was younger, maybe 13, I had a Chevy Luv that had a 350 stuffed down into it and he always wanted it. I sold it because it was just too much go for a small truck like that. Somewhere around the time he turned 15 I had bought an 80 camaro just to flip it but he wanted that so I gave it to him. I had no attachment to it anyway and not a lot of money in it.

I helped him build the engine and tranny in the Camaro. Small supercharger on the 350 but that thing ran really good. He drove it home from the shop, parked it in the back yard and thats where it sat. He bought a Chevy Luv, pulled the engine out of the Camaro and stuffed it down into that little truck.  Total miles on the Camaro after I gave it to him? Less than 10. 

Don't get me wrong, the time spent with him working on those two vehicles are worth their weight in gold to me, but in hindsight I wish I had let him buy what he wanted and then offer to help him with it.