My son, who is 19, wants a Lexus. Should I get him what he wants or just buy a used Toyota or Honda?

My insurance company advises the biggest safest car dowdiest car on the market in your price range, so that he won't be the "magnet" driver for parties, and there will be less pressure on him to be the one to drive and carry lots of distracting passengers.

You know your son, and your relationship with him.

I'm 55, and I want a Lexus, too.  But wanting don't make car payments, nor insurance. 

What do you, and he, have to give up to make the Lexus affordable?  If nothing, then fine.  If you might be better served having the money in reserve for something more important--grad school application fees, student loan payments--then I would find it hard to justify a Lexus. 

YMMV.

Added:  Somewhere along the way, a mention of "help this young man have a better social life" was shifted to "have a difference on his life."

I want to make an ugly point:  the one thing a parent wants most of all, is for this boy to HAVE a life.  I have friends who gave their children flashy cars, and those children died in those flashy fast cars, along with other people's children.

Do everything in your power to help him get to 25.  THEN think about a fancy car.

Read other answers by

Karen Tiede on Quora:

• My fifteen year old daughter just stole our car and crashed it into the neighbors' fence after she'd been drinking. How do I deal with her?
• My mom will not let me go downtown in the town I go to school in as she thinks it's full of scumbags. How do I explain this to boys who want me to meet them there?
• I think my son is having sex with his girlfriend. I'm in way over my head. How can I cope with it?

Read more answers on Quora.

from Quora http://ift.tt/29DYhLW