What was the statistic that just came out recently? Something like 1 in 4 teenage girls have at least one STD? Whether she has a car matters not - 1 in 4 teenage girls are irresponsible, ignorant half-wits. The last thing they should be given is a f'in automobile. Especially a fast one like a Mustang GT. Same goes for teenage boys.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Teenage Girls With Cars Are More Lethal Than the Atomic Bomb
- Thread starter carbonmotion
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You americans... 100hp is more than enough for everything legal! In France most cars have less than (just a wild guess) 140hp with a maximum speed limit of 130kph (80mph, more than most US states, with narrower lanes) and they work fine. Actually, the faster I've driven (I've been a dumb kid too) is 175~180kph (110mph) at the wheel of a Citroen ZX 1.4L (!) with, according to wikipedia, only 75hp (!!) and a manual transmission, and I was still far from the top speed (which I guesstimate at ~200kph/125mph). I'm still surprised by its speed, actually, although I admit that I was going on purpose to Barcelona to pick up my Nikon D2X and with a bicycle, I'd have also got over the speed limit. 
Apart from the need to move a heavy vehicle, I just don't see the need for a faster (or more powerful) car.
Apart from the need to move a heavy vehicle, I just don't see the need for a faster (or more powerful) car.
Eh, what exactly do you mean? If you are spending your own money and are prepared to pay for the gas (and understand the consequences), then fine. However, if they are handing this car to a girl because she thinks its cool to have a fast car and is ignorant to any other fact than that, then she doesn't need to be driving it on top of all the other reasons stated above.
Sorry I misunderstood. Thought you were going on a Prius-loving eco trip with it. Now I understand. Sorry.
Think that has anything to do with how much europeans pay for fuel in comparison to how much we dirty americans pay?
Don't get me wrong though - I'm pretty content with my Saab (166hp). Contrary to what you Europeans think, we don't all drive SUVs and Mustangs.
the M5 was that kid's father's car. he was all over the BMW forum and said it was his, but once he killed himself it all came out that it was his father's.
my first car was a 1988 VW fox, it had like 80HP. giving a kid the keys to a mustang, M5, whatever, is just a disaster waiting to happen.
Oh yeah I remember that story now. I watched a video about it on YouTube, and was in shock. The parents should have never given him the keys to a 500+ hp car.
It also said he had 4 traffic violations in 2 years. Uh, a red flag?
Probably, yes, it does hurt! Although lately there's a trend in Spain towards SUVs... Where I live (certainly not a poor district, I reckon) it's like you can only see Cayennes, Rextons and X5s.
"Teen" showoff cars (18+, since you cannot drive before that) around here would be:
Seat Leon
or Opel Astra GTC
Apart from the gas price, look at the price difference
Entry level Astra GTC (small city "sports" car) MSRP: 17000 ($26000)
Entry level Ford Mustang (quite a sports car) MSRP: $19500 (12500)
If the trend in Spain keeps this way (and it'll depend on gas prices) I can see myself importing Mustangs en masse.
it was recently, like two months ago maybe? on some private airstrip in florida. i don't know if he actually had permission to take the car or not.
and to whoever said that anything more than 252HP is too much, come on now. my rabbit has 150HP (2.5L I5) and it moves. it's not neck-snapping, but it's plenty of power for day to day. we had an audi TT225R, chipped and up to about 280HP. THAT was excessive, but it was also earned and appreciated, not handed to a child.
kids can do stupid stuff in a car with 80HP or 480HP. i'm not saying i'm perfect, i got my license at 17 and in the first year and a half got three tickets driving my 80HP fox, but i've gotten no more since then. one was for going 42 in a 25 zone, anyone in any car can do that. but a high-powered car is just asking for them to start to show off, and handing it to them means it has no value to them, so they don't care if they hit a pole parking or something.
Probably, yes, it does hurt! Although lately there's a trend in Spain towards SUVs... Where I live (certainly not a poor district, I reckon) it's like you can only see Cayennes, Rextons and X5s.
"Teen" showoff cars (18+, since you cannot drive before that) around here would be:
Seat Leon
or Opel Astra GTC
Apart from the gas price, look at the price difference
Entry level Astra GTC (small city "sports" car) MSRP: 17000€ ($26000)
Entry level Ford Mustang (quite a sports car) MSRP: $19500 (12500€)
If the trend in Spain keeps this way (and it'll depend on gas prices) I can see myself importing Mustangs en masse.
Don't import Mustangs unless Spaniards only drive in straight lines at high speeds, because that's all the (stock) models are good for.
Last time I was in Spain, I rented two Vespas for me and my girl and I couldn't imagine traveling any other way in such a beautiful country...
that plus the fact that I sincerely doubt I could fit a decent sized car down some of the roads.
the saturn astra XR here in the US is only like $18k or so. the entry level five door XE starts at around $15k. the GTC is a trim level the US didn't get.
GTC is the European name for your XR, I think. At least it looks the same to me.
That would be more than a 40% price difference... (and I even think the engine is smaller here, at least for the entry level) Even worse than when buying a Mac!
What they should do it raise the driving age to 18 and the drinking age to 16. Seriously, if kids were to experience alcohol earlier on, I don't think they would make such a big deal up to when they are actually 21. 16 with no car, but a 40 in hand
Kids are going to get alcohol if they want. Grabbing a pair of keys and driving underage is something they would be less likely to do.GTC is the European name for your XR, I think. At least it looks the same to me.
That would be more than a 40% price difference... Even worse than when buying a Mac!
the GTC is a 2.0T, the XR here is the same engine (1.8L) just with sporty looking trim. we didn't get the 2.0T.
Well, I would certainly love if people started realizing that's a better way to go than what we are doing now. However, if I had a choice of whatever car I wanted for free, I'd take a 2.0 liter mitsubishi lancer, so I'm obviously not an ultra tree-hugger
I think its OKAY to generalize teens because statistically speaking, teens get into more accidents that older folk, whether is due to inexperience or immaturity.
Where were you? I recko that we develop some good skills at driving in narrow streets and roads.Last time I was in Spain, I rented two Vespas for me and my girl and I couldn't imagine traveling any other way in such a beautiful country...that plus the fact that I sincerely doubt I could fit a decent sized car down some of the roads.
This link shows the choice in Astra GTCs in Spain. Starting at... wait for it... 1.4L! And up to a 1.9L Diesel beast!
Where were you? I recko that we develop some good skills at driving in narrow streets and roads.
That time, to and around San Sebastian, Bilbao, Pamplona, then up to France.
some streets were more like glorified sidewalks by modern day standards. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
This link shows the choice in Astra GTCs in Spain. Starting at... wait for it... 1.4L! And up to a 1.9L Diesel beast!
hmm, must vary around europe i guess.
from wikipedia: During 2005 Opel introduced the OPC version of the Astra GTC (Astra VXR in the UK) which is powered by an updated version of the 2.0 L turbo ecotec engine producing 240 PS (177 kW) and 320 N·m (236 ft·lbf) of torque. Standard features of the OPC version include sports bodykit and interior, a six-speed manual gearbox, xenon headlamps and 18" alloys wheels amongst others.
Well, I think we used to have a 2.0 GTC version (I think I saw something about that in the catalog when we bought our Astra) but as you can see, $26000 for a 1.4L 90hp sports-looking city car is a little overpriced, compared to the US!
Age most certainly IS a factor. Under 25 (which includes me
) and above 65/70/75 (i.e. Old people) have similar fatalities per driven mile, which happen to be the highest of any age group. At one end, inexperience and/or immaturity, the other, degraded senses, reaction times, and sometimes strength.Combine that with the ****-tastic driver's education we have in the U.S., the complete disregard of important aspects of driving such as lane discipline and proper following distances, and the continued isolation of the driver from their surroundings, and the result is crappy driving conditions all over the country.
I just wish all the ZOMG SPEEDING!!1 people would complain about a REAL hazard on the road.
I disagree on that point. I think it is fine giving a teenager a brand new car with in reason. When I was 16 my parents gave me a 92 sentra SE-R it was christmas 99 when I got it. My sister got a 06 cobalt for her 16th. My brother god a 95 ram that used to be one of my Grandparents.
The problem comes in giving kids sports cars. My 92 unknown to my parents when they got it was one of the first pocket rockets. It made car and driver top 10 all 4 years it was produced. I will argue to this day that a SE-R was to much of a car for a new driver. It has to much power to put on the ground and picks up to fast but it is still one of the weaker sports car.
I think really teenagers are best with "family cars" like the civics, accords, cobalts. Cheaper cars that are great first cars and do not have the power to put on the ground to encourage any more unsafe driving that a car already does.
For the record, I'm 19.
Agreed.
Age is definitely a factor. The younger you are, you have less experience because you haven't been driving that long. Additionally, many teens are immature, make stupid decisions, and think they're invincible.
Here in MA, the licensing and permit ages are the same as you have in CT: 16 for permit, 6 months of permit to get a junior license. Personally, I think they should change it. Make it 15 1/2 for the permit and make you have it for a year (or even 15 and 18 months). More permit time gives the kid more experience in a controlled environment (with their parent who hopefully will make sure they don't do any stupid/reckless ****).
Age most certainly IS a factor. Under 25 (which includes me
Combine that with the ****-tastic driver's education we have in the U.S., the complete disregard of important aspects of driving such as lane discipline and proper following distances, and the continued isolation of the driver from their surroundings, and the result is crappy driving conditions all over the country.
Totally agree with that. People in this country are terrible drivers. They're always talking on their ****ing phones, texting, women putting makeup on in their mirrors, people trying to eat while driving, etc. Oh, and tailgating, not using turn signals, swerving in and out of lanes on the highway. I could go on and on.
My cousins are significantly older than me, so I'm closer in age to my niece than. When I was her age, I did many foolish things as I am sure we all did when we were teenagers. However, I feel it is important to take responsibility for what you have done. Nina wasn't punished, she wasn't grounded, she wasn't even yelled at. She spent the day crying to her boyfriend, he had the gulls to come up to me to tell me that "if the police come looking, you're gonna cover for her right?"
Perhaps the fact that my cousins are very well established further enabled her to live her life without any social regard. But, I firmly believe that somewhere alone the line, the parents failed to imbue upon their children the important lessons of decision and consequence. It is not only a problem with teenagers, but adults as well. Does anyone remember all the crazy stunts Paris Hilton pulled, only to be rescued from punishment by her mom and dad? I will certainly have a conversation with them about this.
Perhaps the fact that my cousins are very well established further enabled her to live her life without any social regard. But, I firmly believe that somewhere alone the line, the parents failed to imbue upon their children the important lessons of decision and consequence. It is not only a problem with teenagers, but adults as well. Does anyone remember all the crazy stunts Paris Hilton pulled, only to be rescued from punishment by her mom and dad? I will certainly have a conversation with them about this.
I see you live in Scottsdale. I'm also in the Phoenix-Metro area (Glendale).
Bicycling and walking here is awful. When I rode my bike regularly (before it all went to hell and almost every imaginable part of it broke at the same time) I'd almost get hit by a car every single day. I'd get the middle finger almost every day, too. Most often by drivers who don't care about/know the rules regarding cyclists legally riding their bikes in the street. I eventually just started riding on the sidewalk to avoid getting hit by a crazy driver.
I've almost been run over in the crosswalk while walking about 5 times now; three of those within 3 seconds of one another. And they all got mad at me, even though I was legally crossing when I had the "Walk" signal.
It seems Tempe is the only city that cares at all about cyclists and pedestrians. Most of the bike lanes I've seen in this city are in Tempe.
All of this said, though, I can't wait to get a new bike in a few months and ditch my car once again.