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Letting your kids drive the car? (teenagers specifically)

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Resurrecting an old thread, fast forward 3 years from the last post and I see Chevy Malibu now offers a teen mode with ability to get statistics on driving patterns (top speed etc) and Ford has a smart key that blocks incoming calls to paired phones. Seems like Tesla could easily implement a teen driver mode with these and more features. Perhaps Tesla does not see the Model S as really appropriate for teens and I generally agree but the ability to limit speed/power, monitor location and now with enhanced safety features that come with autopilot (collision avoidance) the safety factor has gone up. Not to mention the Model S is truly a tank from a collision safety standpoint. That said, even minor repairs are crazy expensive and seem to take a painfully long time to fix. I cringe at the cost to insure a Tesla with a 16 year old driver in the house!
Personally, my S60 is 3 yrs old and I have a 3 more years before my first teen driver is of age so we'll see what comes along.
 
my children are beyond their teen years and are emancipated, they own and drive their own cars however if the needed to drive my tesla I am sure that they'd be trying out the acceleration of the car and I trust them enough to be responsible and not trash the car.
 
No Way. That's one of the reasons I bought my kids their own car. My Daughters Audi S3 292 HP(4.2 Sec 0-60) my Sons Charger SXT 250 HP(6.4 Sec 0-60) but I think I still made some huge mistakes should have gotten them both Nissan Altimas.:biggrin:
 
Are you going to let your teenager drive your Tesla? I'm letting my 16 year old son use it to drive to school occasionally, at night when he wants to go out, and during the weekend when I don't need it. Thoughts?


I was a teenager when I bought mine ;P

Having said that, it's one thing to drive someone else's car as a teenager and it's another to spend your own money - I treat mine as if it were my pet and I'm sure you do too.
 
My first car was a 1985 Reliant K purchased at a forest service auction. I've always joked that it would go 0-60... eventually!

I backed it into a ditch once and it didn't change the car at all. I'm in total agreement that a first car shouldn't matter if it gets dinged up. I'll have a Tesla when my son turns 16, and he won't be driving it. He'll probably be driving my 2009 Honda Fit when the time comes or I'll trade for a cheap low range EV since they'll be nearly worthless by then.
 
I'm going to say that the 120hp inline 4 and mushy automatic transmission in my 1991 Camry kept me out of quite a bit of trouble when i was 16-18. There's a reason why you learn on go karts before progressing to F1 cars.

I should also mention I racked up quite the laundry list of "abuse" related repairs in that car... including a rebuilt transmission. Heh neutral drops FTW!
 
There are too many situations where a teenager just doesn't see a dangerous situation that people with years of driving experience see right away. It's just a matter of having a few years behind the wheel and having gone through a few close calls and dangerous situations to become a safe driver.
The chances of something happening are just a lot higher. That's why insurance for that age is so much more expensive.

Having said that, I let me 16 year old do her driving test in my Tesla :)
 
Before the Tesla I owned a BMW with a ... bigger than necessary engine. I loaned it to a friend who had just started driving, the clutch was smoked in one (!) afternoon. With great power comes great responsibility.

I would only loan it to people I KNOW are responsible, fresh drivers, or in my case that friend, will probably never solo drive it ;)
 
Funny story -- Years ago I left my brand new BMW (less than 200 miles on it) with my teenage son and headed out of the country on business for two weeks. When I got home, the car was in perfect shape sitting in the garage waiting for me, freshly washed. But strangely, it only had another 60 miles on it. In TWO weeks! With a TEENAGER. A BOY. Totally confused me.

When he got home, he told me what he'd done. Each day he pulled up to a luxury dealership in Boulder, CO (our home at the time). When the salespeople saw him, they assumed 'silver spoon' and threw him the keys to whatever he wanted to drive for the day. He drove Jags, Mercedes, Lexus', you name it -- and put no miles on my car.

Love that kid.

I can totally see which of my children would do this. One of those situations where you're telling them "bad boy", but secretly smiling in amazement.
That said, my 10 year old routinely asks if she can "auto drive" the Tesla. I tell her she has about 17 more years of schooling before she's qualified.