NSdriver1

Hello, I am a "newbie" to your site. I have been looking at it for sometime now and it has helped me to decide what to get my son. The only question is manual or auto??? What do you guys think?

CLUofI

Get him a first gen. A whole lot less $$$ to mess up or crash.

Edit: you have a nsx and 911. Get him the stick (asuming he knows how to drive one)

TypeSDragon

You son is so lucky to have a father like you.

Shawn S

Who’s betting this is really “junior” posting and collecting info to give to “dad” ???

Shawn S

4pumpedCL

$10 says the guy who typed that is some 15 year old kid. He couldn't spell his own city correctly. "Pheonix?"

NSdriver1

I really dont want to get him a used car. Im hoping by getting him something new he can learn the value of a true car and take care of it. Also the warranty will help. He knows how to drive a stick as I have let him drive both cars of mine. I would like to see everyones opinion for a 16 yr old.

CLUofI

i got a 92 diamante when i turned 16. You learn the value of a car by paying the repair bills for a car with 115,000 miles on it.

NSdriver1

Sorry, I was on a conference call while typing this. I am very serious about this. It seems like I am not getting any of the help that I had hoped to have found.

jimcol711

how about getting him something less flashy and fast..inevitably kids that age love to race and speed...why give him a 260 hp car 30,000 dollar car when you can give him a 140 hp car for half the price? why not let him earn his car or have some sense of what type of responsibility it is to own a car? why not teach him the value of money so that he doesnt become a typical spoiled brat kid with a car he doesnt deserve or appreciate? i just have to shake my head at this type of situation..no matter how rich i ever get, my children will learn proper values and grow up understanding how life really is and not get the best things handed to them on a silver platter..just sad....

4pumpedCL

I'd get him the 6speed. The auto seems to really limit the potential of our vehicles.

NSdriver1

The only reason I am doing this is that he won a bet with me about grades for the past 2 and a half years. I have to keep my end of the bargain. Personally, I want to get him a Jetta or a base RSX. I wont lie to my son which I hope none of you do.

zeroday

Get the 6 speed. If only for the fact that the 5 spd auto is very prone to massive failure. Check out the transmission problems section of this board if you want more info on it. Otherwise the CL got rated most reliable coupe by consumer reports this year.

You may want to check out insurance on him 1st. If you can actually get it, I have a feeling that it's gonna be more than you're paying for your NSX cus of his age and the car's hp/weight ratio/price. They may not even do it...good luck to ya in any case.

Nashua_Night_Hawk

Beside the fact you are so rich and you can afford the best for your kid..

The CLS is a damn fast and powerful car. Why you want to give your kid a weapon to kill himself...

Forget about the 6 speed or 5 AT...

260 HP FWD and 16yr kid is the recipe of a fatal crash

soopa

Well, get a 6-speed...

He's less likely to get bored and do something REALLY stupid... (he will be doing stupid thing regardless)


But, ya.. go for the 6 speed... otherwise he's just gonna be standing on the e-brake all the time. lol



P.S. WILL YOU ADOPT ME?!? :'(

AJP97

A base rsx would be a good choice. Pretty quick and very comfy. Looks good in my opinion and is very good on gas.(regular) I enjoy mine very much. It also has great useable power for day to day driving. Peak torque is around 3500-4000 rpm's. If your heart desire a CL-S go with the six speed. It is dangerously quick. Good luck!You sound like a cool dad.

moomaster_99

Get him the 6spd if you are set on getting him a CL, but just note that most accidents occur within the first 2 years of a driver receiving their license....and as a 16 yo...I used to do stupid stuff....even when i matured and got my license at 18...I was still flyin around doing stupid stuff.

superdx

You might have promised your kid to buy him the CL-S, but I don't think you'll accomplish your objective of teaching him the value of owning a car.

IMO even if I had all the money in the world, I would start my kid with something that had 150HP. A luxury vehicle has to be bought with money that he made for himself to truely appreciate the fact that it's a luxury vehicle. Good grades are fine and dandy, but nothing compared to raking in $30k for yourself.

He might not understand this, but I sure hope you do!

NSdriver1

Thanks for the help. I am still wondering what to get him. I like the RSX-S as it feels real close to the transmission in my nsx. Well, I am not worried by a wreck on his part because if he does, he knows he will not drive with my money again. Put it this way, 18 year old at college without a car, he wont screw up.
Actually, I am more worried about my 13 year old daughter who is more excited about driving than he is. She wants a Boxster S and I already told her that answer.

Scrib

6-spd...

Or I'll sell you my '02 5AT...

NSdriver1

I understand this completely. But a bet is a bet, and if I go back on my promise what will that be teaching him a different lesson.

moomaster_99

Well, just dont pay for the gas for him...that'll make him a lot less willing to drive it to LA...

jimcol711

is this all for real? what kind of life to people live now-a-days...its absolutely unreal...getting a 35k car for free for good grades at 16...its a recipe for disaster as another gentleman said here...260 hp + 16 year old male = big trouble....absolutely incredible

mcdanjw

Bet or not, it is irresponsible of you to buy your son a powerful car like this.

It shows that you have no care for his life.

You may think that he is the most responsible 16 year old in the world, but I promise you, as soon as his friends or that super hot chick he wants to impress gets in the car, all that shit goes right out the window.

But I went to a school full of people like this, and I know that there is nothing I can say to stop you.

My family might be multimillionaires, but I was raised to appreciate hard work. I never had a car paid for me. And I am so thankful.



As far as the 6 speed vs auto argument goes, definitely go for a 6 speed. It will teach him how a car truly operates, and give him an edge in learning how to control a car by proper gear selection for cornering and braking.

Plus when he leaves the stereo on too long in the parking lot, he can kick start the car.

SiGGy

It's also not the damage he might do to the vehicle. But what could happen to your son crashing in a CLS when he does get provoked to race/screw around. At 16 your know he's going to be pressured into messing around in the car. Also the RSX-S is right there in speed with the CLS. (arguably within a few tenths of one another 0-60)

If you choose between the RXS-S and the CLS. I would get the CLS just for safety reasons. As it is a larger vehicle. Wonder which scored higher in the crash tests...?


Also, where does he upgrade fomr this car? Going to set high standards for him in the short run. 16-21 is a long trek

Good luck with your decisions...

NSdriver1

Well, I know hes not the most responsible. Actually hes lazy. But I have never gone back on a promise in my life and I do not intend to start now. Hes a good kid, but he knows what will happen if a scratch gets on this car if he gets it. I want the RSX-S for him, hopefully it will work

soopa

This isnt unreal... I ran into a kid at the the other night...

17 years old... grand mother bought him a '03 CL-S. heh

AtlCl

I think the whole essence of growing up is that you learn to think of the consequences before you do something. When you are 16, actions come first, consequences later. Don't think that the fact that he might not get a car if he wrecks this one will deter him from anything. Kids just don't think that way, especially when they have friends sitting in the car. I agree with the other people that you shouldn't get him this car. He just won't appreciate it if you give it to him. Get him a normal car, like the jetta, this way he has something to hope for, such as a cl-s or beemer. Why would you study hard in college and work hard at a job if you already have everything? It's a lot more rewarding to set goals and to work towards them and then to achieve them, then to just have it come to you. You should really try to make him appreciate money, otherwise you will be paying his bills for a long time to come. My $.02

NSdriver1

This IS his car. He either gets the one he wants now and I am done with it. Or I can get him something used and inexpensive and I will buy him something as a college graduation gift. I said this to him to put the ball back in his court, see what he does with it. Im hoping a used Volvo S70. They are very safe, quick, comfortable, and relatively inexpensive.
By the way, you have a great website. Very informative and glad I joined.

mbeebe

I am 18 and I have a TL-S. This is a good car for a 16 yo. I would have gone with the sixer. However, in my opinion, if you don't mind spending a few more bucks get him a 5speed IS300 with a supercharger. This would be much more fun for him. Either that or give him the NSX.

mcdanjw

Be very careful, I've seen first hand what happens to kids when they're taught that what makes them important is the things they have.

He will unavoidingly get lots of 'attention' for having an expensive car. 9 out of 10 kids at my hs with this going on turned out to be real screw ups. As if kids don't have enough pressures on them already.

But they had nice cars and attractive chicks.

I guess that can't be so bad.

gmilian

buy him an audi 1.8t quattro. it's fast and safer than the cl. and he can appreciate the value by buying his own mods.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Well, I'm going to agree with the masses here and say that getting a 16yr. old one of these cars is not the best idea. I mean, when I was 16, I got into an accident, and so did most of my friends. Luckily it was nothing bad at all, but you drive very stupidly when you're 16.

I'll have to agree with whoever wrote that learning the value of a car is best learned with buying your own car and paying your own bills. My father leases my sisters car b/c she's in college and all she does is drive it and put gas in it. I on the other hand have purchased every car I ever owned, including my last three which were brand new, and I'm constintly washing, waxing, maintaining, and babying that thing b/c I appreciate it b/c it's my car paid with my hard-earned money. Not saying your money isn't hard earned, b/c I'm sure it is... but your son doesn't see that, he just sees the 260hp car he's getting at 16.

If you're dead set on buying him a CL-S... get him the auto. This way he can keep 2 hands on the wheel to hold onto the 260hp. Personally, I'd buy an RSX or something like that. Something a little more suitable to a young driver. I would still say get a used car... it would be cheaper for him... err, I mean you in the long run. Let him get his smashes out of the way before you get him a $30k car to drive.....

mbeebe

Guys, guys, give him a break. Last time I checked this was a very safe car. If he gets in a wreck in a small POS he has a much better chance of dying. I don't think it is irresponsible at all.

Nicky Pass

Adopt me.....then buy me the 6 speed

NYKEEROCKA

yeah right, a 16 yr. old learn the value when you buy it for him, ha ha. get a grip, he aint gonna learn nothing until he buys it himself.

amir was here

when i was 16 i got a couple years used infiniti J30t...

the same year, i got a new bmw Z3...it has no affect on me..spoiling 16 year olds is over rated...

get him the 6-speed..

if you give a kid high rolls at a young age, they will adopt the high standards that come along with it.

Hardly anyone downgrades in cars, if anything a nicer car will make him work harder to be able to get something BETTER than the CL when its time for him to get his own car.

my parents gave me the infiniti J30t, and i worked real hard to make sure my next cars would be better than that.

NSdriver1

Yea, well, he didnt ask for it. He wanted the Porsche. I told him not in his lifetime. The NSX is going here in about 4 months. I have an SL55 coming and I am getting more and more excited everyday.

moomaster_99

This is coming from Amir.....spoiling 16 yos is overrated.....

NSdriver1

Well, hes been working since he was 14 as a cart boy so hes got a couple thousand in the bank. I dont want him to spend it though, I want him to save it all to hes out of college on his own, then he can buy something.

MikeS 18

Obviously we think this is a bad idea;

however,

the consensus is that the 6 speed is a MUCH better answer then the 5 speed AT.

Without any question - no hesitation by anyone here. I think almost everyone here would get the manual if they were forced to buy the car again tomorrow. (Almost everyone anyways)