zeroday

It's to the point where it is surprising if at least one Z isn't trashed every week at my350z.com...so many young inexperienced drivers are buying this car (17/18 yrs old)....or their parents are buying it anyway...i've just never seen anything like it and I was wondering if this is common on other RWD sports car forums.

Can't wait to see what my insurance rates will be next year...

Most of their 'wrecked my z" posts start off with ' turned my VDC off and was hotdogging on a back road'

Crazy Bimmer

It wasnt that bad on the bmw forums.....but shit does happen.

Red Rider

You hit the nail on the head, inexperience !! The fact that the very powerful Z is reasonably priced and attainable by these drivers is probably the main cause.

mattg

there would be a lot more of that here if it weren't for good old fwd.



the z is certainly not a kiddie car.

Sarlacc

parents nowadays just pay for driving lessons for their kids, never spend an ounce of time in the car with them, and them buy a new car of their choice when they get their license, then the kid goes out and wrecks it, and gets rewarded with another new car.

Quite sad. for both the kid and the irresponsible parents.

BBsAcuraRacing

We had a situation locally last year where parents bought their 16 year olld son a camaro SS for his 16th birthday.

The first weekend he had the car, he killed a 60 year old couple with a head on collision while drag racing in a poulated business district in a head on collision.

I think in a situation like this, the parents should be held crimininally responsible.

mattg

very poor judgement on the parents behalf, to say the least.

1killercls

Exactly...:word:

CLean

I think that parents need to be hold responsible for their kids under the age of 18.

Up here, if a kid misses to many days of school, the parents have to go to court and then spend a few nights in jail. I think there needs to be more of this. Maybe this way parents will take more time and care into raising their children. I know its off topic, but although I am 25, I see so many young (12-18) year old kids doing some stupid things and have nothing done to them to teach them a lesson.. And the parents reaction is "what can I do....." Seems that the parents are afraid of the kids instrad of the other way around.

darrinb

i remember that, the guy he was racing was a friend of my cousin.

but remember the Z is light and rwd its alot easier too lose control expecially in the winter ur fucked

GreenMonster

Inexperience drivers and high HP sportscars never mix well. Doesn't matter if it's RWD or FWD either. Lots of HP will get alot of people in trouble real fast.

Once they wreck one or two cars, they usually learn their limits. That's why I always recommend a beater for a kids first car. Some people just like throwing money away

Would you give a 17-18 y/o a loaded pistol to play with, with out proper training ??

synth19

^ and especially if they are driving on the stock tires.... I know two kids (one 16 and the other 17) who both have Z's. Parents bought the cars for them, but arent giving the kids anymore money. So these kids cant even afford winter tires.

JRock

no no clearly they should sue Chevy for making such a fast car.

Scrib

I remember the first time I took my Dads Camaro out for a spin, ALONE. Did a 360, coming off a turn in a subdivision. Fortunately for me, I learned a lesson pretty quick. I was 20 the first time I got to drive it.

Any car, regardless if it's FWD or RWD is a recipe for diaster if it's fast and given to a young kid. While the parents can't watch over these kids when driving, they can certainly do their homework and understand the risks that come with such a car like a Z. I'm sure a google search, would yield enough information to educate them.

It's sad to here of all these accidents, but I'm not surprised. Kids are getting a lot more today than just 10 years ago. It's not a knock on anyone here, but it's simply a fact. If mom and dad have 30K to spend on a car for their kid, they should at least do some homework to understand what they're buying. My hunch is they just listen to the kid and their "It's a cool car", blah blah blah respones.

When the time comes for my future kids to drive, they're certainly not going to be tooling around in anything fast, RWD powered until they can show me they're responsible. I don't think that's unreasonable.

Chaptorial

No shock here with the low price of a Z and all the young people driving them.

darrinb

i'm young w/ a quick car, u just got to be safe about what u do, no one has a fast ass car and drives it like a puss, u got the car for a reason, etc etc

but i think i can handle this low 14 sec car, i want a car that can get me in real trouble trapping at 135+

charliemike

As long as you do it on the track, I don't care what you do or how fast you go.

You do it on a public road, no matter where it is, or what time of day/night and then I'm going to have something to say about it

turbowhat_RENAMED

there are 4 350z's at my high school now, and 2 G35' coupes.

01pdgcls

Mitsu EVO's are replacing the Z as the cheap, fast car of choice. The way I've seen em driven you' ll see a lot of wrecks.

Sarlacc

You know, since when was a 30g car considered cheap??? This refers to EVO and the higher end Zs.

TypeSAddict

Oh man. You know, I'm 17 and feel pretty damn lucky that my parents bought me a CLS. Partly because of that, I would never drive the car like someone who has been driving far longer than I; something these younger Z drivers think they can do apparently. I realize (admittedly grudgingly) that I'm not as good a driver as people who have been driving for 20+ years. I've had my license a year and a half, my parents drove FOREVER with me, got me lessons, the whole ball of wax. But, it really comes down to experience. I make mistakes driving. Until I am really comfortable with my driving ability, and have racked up a lot of experience, I'm not going to drive like I have. Kids who drive like maniacs and crash their cars, deserve to loose the car IMHO. I'm not saying that people who have been driving forever should drive like maniacs/idiots. I just think that they are a bit more knowledgable about how to handle a car, and, as a result, are more capapable of spirited (but controlled!) driving.

legendaryCL98

i wouldnt mind a 350Z.. shoot..

Python2121

ive been driving a year and a half and i wouldn't get into any trouble with a 350z, even apex driving it around, these kids are just idiots, clearly not as good as me at driving



hehe, j/k obviously. i drive more responsibly then most of the kids i know, who drive like idiots. i just respect my car more i guess (but thats not to say i dont open it up on the occasion)

Shawn S

Flame me all you want, but I still say that buying any kind of high-power car for a 16 or 17YR old is just a STUPID decision by the parents.
You should have at LEAST a year or two of experience driving before you have a fast car.

I’m sure quite a few of those cars that arrived with bows on the roof yesterday will be sitting in the junkyard in a few weeks.
And some of the kids will be DOA along with innocent victims.

Yes, I know that pretty much any POS car can reach 100MPH and cause a fatality, but you’re more likely to do it in a high powered vehicle.

Shawn S

Joe5.0

Now you guys know why mustang & camaro insurance is so high for people under 25. Parents have been buying high hp cars for their kids since the muscle car era, it's not gonna change. Just try not to get wrecked by some idiot kid who thinks they are top shit because they can turn a key and push a pedal. I really think there should be much more stringent courses for getting a license. Not to the level of Germany or anything like that, but some real life training for these kids that are out there. I luckily had a dad who took us out very weekend and explained EXACTLY what we were doing wrong, and what was and wasnt acceptable. I know I am a much better driver for it, and I know my brother is a much better driver because I also have helped him learn todrive correctly.

TypeSAddict

I dunno if I agree with your last premise Shawn. Seriuosly, kids seem to care less about a POS vehicle, and, as a result, drive less responsibly. I guess it depends on the kid, but I think that some can handle a car like a 350Z or CLS and some are simply too immature. Another thing to consider are the safety values of each respective car. My parents wanted to get me a CLP because it was less powerful, but they were big on the fact that the CLS had VSA. If it wasn't for that, I'd have a CLP now ( hehe, I kid, I kid). POS cars aren't going to have airbags all over the place, xenon lights, and a crash worthiness like the CL's. Factor in the good price of the CL and we were sold. I know I know, they coulda bought me a Camry, or Accord. But, I guess I liked the pimp factor :P . And the fact is, 200hp on a Camry and 260hp on the CLS isn't going to make a whole shitload of difference if you wanna drive like an idiot. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that you really can't say that a certain purchase was a stupid decision until you know the types of people involved, the circumstances, etc.

thealliance15

i don't think it is necessarily the experience factor but rather the immaturity of kids my age. I am 17 and have driven a 240sx 5-speed in winter it slides around almost every corner but its not like i am trying to drift or anything. What i am trying to say there are good drivers my age, it's just when u have a car, ur parents are trusting ur judgement, so u have to be responsible. When i first got my liscence i went crazy i raced everything, i got a sign and lucked out, i got a mad speeding ticket, so naturally i came back to earth and sloed the fuck down. Another one of my friends who was in my car while i was racing thought he could do it too, and when he got his liscence he totaled his parents only car. oh and the kid told me before he got his liscence, "i am not like u i don't drive stupid"

TypeSAddict

Oh def, I think everyone has done some stupid shit while driving (even you old guys) Some kids just seem to have a very high incidence of such behavior.

darrinb

what do u consider high poered, like over 250??

Hobo

a few of my friends when they got their licences took courses from like race style drivers to test the limits of their cars, i think that helped them realize what they can and cant do. i for one started driving with a car that couldnt do more than 70 so it wasnt really an issue

F23A4

Power almost doesnt matter; I'm certain there just as many kids getting killed in Hyundai Accents as there are in Z cars. However, having 287hp on tap for only $26G is pretty attractive; kind of explains why we didnt here about this happening too often when the Z32 TT came on the scene costing $40G+.


TypeSaddict, your comment about some of us "old guys" is well founded. (I'm just as guilty as the next 30 y/o enthusiast rocketing down a major hwy @ triple digits.) Thing is, I'm also just as quick to bail out of an impromptu race and I was to get into it.

TypeSAddict

Sometimes you gotta have fun, wether your 30 or 17, right? As long as you don't go too far,

synth19

With tax and what not, people are paying 29-30k for these Z's. I dont know anyone who bought their Z out the door for under 30k at the minimum (brand new).

zeroday

true....i may be a bad example though because i was one of the unfortunate early buyers who paid msrp...36.5 for the car (all options touring) plus taxes and tags...ended up somewhere around 39k. :o

JRock

Another posted Christmas day, dunno if this was one you mentioned
http://www.my350z.com/forum/showthre...threadid=54582

F23A4

You got it!!!!!!

bigman

in my neck of the woods a lot of kids are getting the srt-4's and they are fast as is stock, but everyone is doing the mopar upgrades. The problem with the z is that these kids are going nuts with a rear wheel drive car. Rear wheel drive cars may handle and perform better, but at the limit they are dangerous to an unexperienced driver.

F23A4

That's the fact!!! RWD is NOT as forgiving as FWD and has much less margin for error!!

Bluto

You either learn, or wreck.

What type of tires do Zs get stock? How are they at the limit?

The stock CL Michelin Energy are the prefect tire for risky drivers. They squeal like pigs long before they let go.

VeeralS05

Yeeaah, I'm 16 I've learned my lesson driving fast, first 2 months i had my CL-S I got my license suspended!! I had a hard as time finding someone to hire me back on for insurance now that i have to pay the insurance and gas and all the other shit it sucks!! So nomore speeding for me...cruise control is my best friend right now....