Teenager wants a Cobra

[Worriedmom]

I have a teenage son (almost 18) who has been saving his money for quite a while to buy a Cobra. We are reluctant to allow this because we are worried that he will be tempted to drive too fast and get injured. He assures us that he wants it for style and to keep it "forever" as a collectors item. He even says that we can put a Governor system on it that will allow us to know if he has been speeding. Could someone who owns a cobra give me their opinion of whether this is too much car for an 18 year old. He lives for cars and wants this car so badly but I just don't know if it is a good idea. Thanks for any input you can give me.

[JBejarano]

personally I dont think that it is too much for an 18 year old. When I was 18, I got a promotion at the job I had then and was able to get a 99 Lightning, different vehicle, but still pretty much the same situation. Naturally, driving fast is going to happen when you put a teenager behind the wheel of any vehicle, so that is pretty much to be expected. However, if you allow your teen to get a Honda civic, the same will happen, mods, more power, easier to go faster. But if he actually said that it was a "collectors item" kind of a car, then perhaps he will treat the car with the respect it deserves and not take stupid risks.
When I did have the Lightning, I got pulled over once in the little over a year that I had it. Never had any accidents with it, nothing. I traded that in for my 99 Cobra that I currently have. I have had it for 2 and a half years, I got it just before my 20th birthday and have gotten one ticket, not for speeding but for making a turn from the wrong lane :rolleyes: and I have been in two minor accidents. One was I forgot to put the traction control back on after a race and hit some water lost control and went up a curb, no one was hurt, car had a few repairs that needed to be done and that was it. The second was when some lady ran a red light and smacked into me. Again, no major damage. So to sum it up, if you believe your son to be responsible, know between right and wrong, and believe that he has a fair amount of common sense, then he should be fine with the Cobra. :thumbsup:

[SpeedFreakSVT]

im 19.... ive had 6 mustangs, a camaro and a trans am.... truthfully? i wrapped my first car which was a 11 sec mustang around a telephone pole at 45 mph... but we all make mistakes... i would give ur kid a chance... is this his first car? since he is 18 im sure he has been drving for a while.... how is his record?

[White Venom]

i got mine on my 18th b-day. i made one mistake by street racing it and wrecked bad but it is now fixed and i respect it more. My parents were the same way before i turned 18 but they let me have it. just tell him to really respect it.

[SpeedFreakSVT]

i could say a lot of different things like whitevenom said.....respecting it is a lot.... common sense is another...... its a lot of car...

[Ken 01-Cobra]

It depends on the kid. If the kid is dependable and keeps his word in all other things, odds are he will do so here too. Let him get the car, then explain to him that there are places designed to go fast. They are called tracks and drag strips. Encourage him to take his car there if he wishes to "see what it can do" and give him a membership in this club as a way for him to accomplish that goal. Hanging around people who like to go fast, but respect the car and the consequences of going fast, will teach him the proper way to do it.

Another thing you might give him as a gift when he gets his car is a weekend at a high performance driving school. This will instill in him the basics of what a high performace car is all about. It will also teach him how much he doesn't know yet. ;)

If the kid is irresponsible, and shows a willingness for pushing the envelope, then you already have your answer.

My 2 cents.

[redsnake99]

My son is now 19 and he inherited my 91 Mustang LX convertible when I got my Cobra. He has had a couple of speeding tickets in his car, which has far less power than mine. Your decision should not rest on "Cobra or not", but on your son's level of responsibility with any car. That makes far more of a difference. A few of our club members have teenage sons who have Cobras and they seem to be doing fine. I'd love to get my son a Cobra, but finances don't allow that right now.

Giving them the opportunity to drive their car fast at our club-sponsored driving events on tracks where safety is a priority is a good thing to do. Stressing that fast driving is not meant for our nation's highways, but in controlled, safe environments such as drag strips and race tracks where we hold "high performance driving schools". These events help drivers understand the techniques for keeping the car under control and learning its limitations. Far better experience than street racing.

Get the Cobra and explain how it is to be driven, and if those expectations are not met, sell it and get a car that has no power or prestige among his friends.

[cobrabitn]

I'm going to tell you the same thing I told a fellow parent member in this club. If your son wants a Cobra, then I think you should allow him to have it especially if he saved his hard earned money for it. If you don't let him have it then he'll find some way to get one anyway. Why not teach him the limits of his car and encourage him to go to different track events and teach him to be responsible Cobra owner?

It's kind of like when you were a kid (of which I still am even though I am 42), you wanted something and no one is going to stop you from having it. Educate your son, get involved with his likes and dislikes and the return will be much greater then being a worried mom. Many clubs have multiple track events to keep you son busy plus he can learn more about his car and its characteristics.

Just my .02 worth..... you opinion may vary!:doubt:

[kevin]

it all comes down to attitude. period.

i know some "older" men that first time on a track think they're mario (even tho they have no track experience) and wreck.

i know some teenagers that respect the dangers of driving a car wrecklessly on the streets and don't.

after the attitude is simply experience. nothing will ever replace time in a car and on the road. kids have less experience (which also means they may not correctly interprete what their eyes see). my son used to say he's got better reflexs because he was younger, till an incident which proved my experience saw "it" coming and was able to avoid an accident faster than his less experience and faster reflexs.

bottom line, judge his attitude and recognize mistakes may happen almost regardless due to a lack of experience.

let us know where you live and maybe we can direct you to some open track events that provide instruction. which may include driving technique and the morass of things the mind must interpret quickly. could help keeping the speeding on the track and make a safer driver on the street.

[Worriedmom]

I can't thank all of you enough for giving me your opinions on my son getting a Cobra. I think he is a pretty responsible kid (now). He had 3 speeding tickets in Dec, Jan & Feb. He was very upset by the 3rd one and didn't really want to drive for a while after that. Then in April one of his good friends died in a rollover crash. I think that all of this together really made him think and he has changed his driving habits since then.

We live in Boca Raton, Florida. I loved the ideas about taking him to a track and giving him a class in driving at the track for his birthday. I think there is a place called Moroso Speedway about an hour from here. I'll check into that. I will also let him know about this site. From what I've read, you're the type of people he should be talking to. Again, thank you very much.

Not so worried Mom

[SpeedFreakSVT]

im in miami, so if ur son is interested.. id be happy to show him my cobra, to see if thats for sure what he wants and everything else...