would you let your 18 year old have a Jeep

[WambliSka]

My son went into the Air Force two months short of his 18th birthday. When he graduated from tech school I let him have my first year of production Rubicon. So HELL YES!!!

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[PBCounty]

When I was in high school the parking lots were full of Wranglers and Tacomas. That was back when they were cheaper entry level vehicles.

 

[azmojave]

Yes. A manual Wrangler with roll up windows and no a/c

 

[NotSo Bright White]

My first jeep that I bought at 15 having held multiple jobs was a 74 CJ-5. Probably not the best choice for a very immature kid. Black Jeep, white vinyl top, and white spoke wheels. And Renegade was painted, not stickered on the hood. I loved that thing but I repeat, lucky I survived.

Now my daughter is totally different. She is gifted smart and taught herself how to read at age 3. Graduated top of her class from Georgetown, did a two year internship in a lab at Harvard, and now is almost finished with her full ride scholarship for her PhD and MD from UCLA. She has already finished the PhD in molecular biology and is in the final year of medical school. That was a brain I wanted to protect so she got the most boring Volvo made! And she loves it! When she starts practicing as a double doctor, she can upgrade! And buy me a beach house! :{)

So it depends more on maturity and not the age of the person in question!

 

[DirkG]

Our current 16 year old drives our Wrangler 4xe as he has his permit but not full license yet. It's a very sturdy, high seating vehicle that is relatively safe and easy to drive. Used 4xes have absolutely tanked in resale because of the recall and discontinuation, so they're unbelievably inexpensive for the amount of vehicle you get.

 

[Sweetums]

Depends on the kid and the Jeep, but I’d push them towards a TJ and help with buying the tools. Good life lessons, lots of fun, and way less space than the station wagon I had as a first car - if you know what I mean.

 

[MCATDT]

At 16 my daughter got a TJ with a 5 speed. Not only did it limit the number of people none of her friends have any clue on how to drive a stick. One of my best parenting moves. My youngest is getting ready to turn 16 and 2 door JK is the plan.

 

[Zachanadandy]

You asked…
While I don’t have any children of my own, I’m Uncle to all my friends kids. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, kids nowadays have an attention span of a drain fly. The wrangler is a vehicle that demands all of your attention.

What better way to teach them to DRIVE? Give your kid some modern, self driving, self braking car and they'll still be terrible drivers at 40. Teach them in something that forces them to pay attention and they will learn to pay attention. Give them another touch screen with wheels and they'll be scrolling social media while they "drive". To the OPs question, especially on the gladiator forum, if you have the means I say go for it. There are far cheaper and more efficient means of transportation, so if money is an issue I wouldn't do it. But if you want a truck that's fun to drive, you can learn to wheel which will make you a better driver, and is very maneuverable for its size there's nothing better on the market.

 

[Zachanadandy]

When I was in high school the parking lots were full of Wranglers and Tacomas. That was back when they were cheaper entry level vehicles.

They still are. The Nissan versa was the cheapest new vehicle on the market at $24k last I looked. You can get a brand new base JL for $30k. Nothing is truly cheap, but the JL is a much better value than the Nissan from my perspective. My son got the wife's Mazda 6 and she got a new JLUR, but if I were looking to buy the kid a brand new car the JL would still be high on the list for value and of course fun.

 

[Lost1wing]

Had three kids, each one’s first vehicle was an older Jeep (TJ), wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

My daughter got a supercharged Mini Cooper. Maybe a mistake after a few speeding tickets. She's in law enforcement now, go figure .

My other son got a Diesel Jetta. Noone got a new vehicle, but they were only 3 to 4 years old.

Wrangler or Gladiator is a fine choice for a teenager.

Edit:

Out of my three children, the one with the TJ is the best driver and most experienced auto tech. The TJ was a learning tool for him. He swapped from a auto trans to a manual, installed a lift, kill switch, and now a body swap. He is not afraid to do anything.

 

[BourbonRunner]

At 16 my uncle attempted to convince my folks I needed a CJ-7. it was brown with a tan top. He tried but it didn't work. I wound up buying my grandfather's 86 Cutlass Supreme, aka the Gutless, the Burgundy Birth Control Device. I learned how to wrench on it but it was no Jeep. I had to wait another 30 years for one of my own.

I think a TJ is a perfectly fine first car. 2 doors, less likely to have a pile of friends in it as a distraction, entirely capable stock for any weather, relatively safe compared to other small vehicles and simple enough for character building from basic repairs and maintenance.

 

[Gvsukids]

No idea why it posted the same post twice. Like I said, she is the smart one!

You can delete your double post.

 

[caryt]

Sure, they can buy and insure any vehicle he or she wants.

 

[Ramboy]

please cast vote


I've created this thread because I was thinking about getting a Jeep at my age which is 18, I wanna hear your guys thoughts


drop 'em below

Yes, but only if I can use it too!

 

[NotSo Bright White]

You can delete your double post.

You are full of wisdom! I never knew how to edit or delete a post so thanks for the motivation. But now I don’t have an excuse for my stupidity! Thanks again!

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