What do you guys make your teen drivers cover financially? Just curious the views on this subject.

I make her pay the payment

She wanted a newer CRV, so I put down enough money to get her payment to $400...

Thats what I make her pay or the car goes bye-bye, plus about 75% of the fuel...I do when I feel like it fill her car up once maybe twice a mo

I cover, insurance, oil changes, tires, batteries, inspection etc..

And after a year, she hasn't let me down..she is 17

We gave the daughters hand-me-down family cars. They were to get jobs, which they did. Oldest worked in a bakery, and we called her donut queen. Youngest worked making pizzas for Dominos, and she was pizza queen. We paid insurance and they were to pay for gas. The wife slipped them money behind my back, so I don’t know all of what they really paid for.

Oldest still won’t eat a donut.

Don’t have kids here, 16 years ago my parents matched my down payment for a total of $5,000 towards a used truck. I was 17 at the time and was working while in high school. They co-signed and I was responsible for the payment, fuel, and they covered insurance for a year. They would help if I needed tires or something expensive until I was 21, but oil, brakes, spark plugs, filters and such were on me.

Both my boys worked and sold their hogs and woodworking projects through the FFA auction each January at the Collin County junior livestock auction. After they covered their hog feed and project materials they made good money.
As parents we helped them out but they made their car payments and it's sweeter if they have some skin in the game. We paid for insurance and maintenance that was out of our conform zone. The boys did oil changes, tune-up and general maintenance, (life skills). We helped with a tank of gas as needed and I didn't pay for any tickets. If they got a ticket it was on them.
Their first vehicles were manual transmission because everyone needs to know how to drive one.

I Saved for and bought my first pickup at 15 for cash.

Parents covered the insurance (liability only) .

Drove it until I went to college. Bought a new vehicle for cash to drive to college. Worked my way though college.

My dad would slip me a $20 now and then for gas, to get me to come home on weekends.

That was the last time I paid cash until i was 52

I paid the insurance premiums. That kept me from getting tickets and driving like an idiot.

Gave my son his first (1/2-ton GMC Heavy Half). It was 10 years old when I gave it to him. We paid the insurance till he got out of college and never bought him any gas for any vehicles. He worked since he was 16 and always very responsible and had his own money.

In the same situation coming up soon. My son with be 16 in November and me and my wife have very different views on how that’s gonna work. Let’s just say she is willing to go buy him a car and pay for insurance. Called insurance to get a rough idea on what that’s gonna do without adding another vehicle and I’m over ruling that now. I had to pay for everything except insurance when I was a kid.

I look at these responses and see how times have changed. When I was in high school I bought my truck outright, a 68 Ford F100 for $800. Mom and Dad paid for the gas and insurance as I was involved in sports.

I matched my sons dollar for dollar for their first car. For every dollar they earned and saved towards the car, I matched it. They both held multiple jobs during high school so ended up with pretty nice cars. Agreed to pay for insurance unless they got a ticket or an accident that was their fault. Then it was on them. Also agreed to pay track fees at the race track. If they were caught racing on the street, all driving privilege's were forfeited until they moved out. All other vehicle expenses were theirs.

Deductible if involved in a collsiion

I paid for my first vehicle (70 El Camino), paid insurance and bought all my gas from day 1 without any help from my parents. I gave my truck to my son because he was going to pay for one himself, but I didn`t like anything he was looking at. Told him he could have mine if he would keep it for 2 years. I think all kids need to have some skin in the game or they will never appreciate things. My son doesn`t make his kids pay for anything though. Time will tell if him making it too easy on them (my opinion) was good or bad. My dad always said you have to crawl before you walk. I don`t think that mentality exist much now days. Like that old saying, "good times make soft men".

I let my parent handle buying my first car and taking car of gas / insurance, that is how it was done in my circle of friends.

I got my wife a fairly cheap small sport car from Brian at Texas Motor cars for her first car, after she got her license and drove for about 2 years and had no accident then I bought her a new Honda CRV.

The OP's question asks what parents pay for their current teen drivers. Most of the responses are about what you guys had to pay for yourself back in the good ol days and is really not relevant to today.

To answer the question, I have 2 teen drivers right now. One is in college without a vehicle and will remain without one as long as he's living at an apartment with an $1800 annual parking fee. The other is in HS. They both have my old truck that I made some decent upgrades to w/ regards to stereo, wheels, backup camera, lighting, etc. There is no car payment. I pay for insurance and all maintenance, and they are supposed to pay gas (although my wife sometimes pays it for them). Many of their friends have much nicer rides, but teens are inherently poor drivers and I've made it abundantly clear that they aren't getting a recent model 4-Runner or something similar.

My wife and and I decided that we would pay for my son's expenses. I worked too much to make great grades and my wife did not work and she made great grades.

I will tell you in 4 years how it works out. He is in the honors engineering program at TAMU, so far so good.

We bought our daughter an inexpensive used car when she turned 16. When she graduated high-school and went to college, the used car was upgraded to a much newer used car because I didn't trust her old car driving to Lubbock and back (original car was 13 years old at the time). When my son turned 16, he took my 10 year old truck. We cover the insurance and one fill-up a week.

My oldest is turning 16 next year. I'll buy their cars and cover all expenses as long as they keep making straight A's and playing HS sports and stay out of trouble. I've always looked at it as my responsibility to pay for my kids expenses, and the kids job is to make good grades and focus on school.

For high school cars... we matched our kids car savings account dollar for dollar and they bought cash vehicles. Didn't let them get into debt at such an early age. I paid for insurance and required them to cover their own gas and maint. When they went to college we helped them upgraded to cars that were dependable and cost effective since they all opted against local universities.

Was just curious if I was in line. My son was given a nice 2005 Chevy z71 by my dad when he got a new truck. I have put some money into like repairs, tires, stereo, exhaust, lift, etc. I figured I could pay some since I didn’t have the actual expense of the vehicle. I also have paid the insurance to this point. My son pays his gas and any extra little mods he thinks he needs. Just wondering if I should have him start covering the maint items like battery, oil change, tires, smaller repairs if needed. Or at least split those costs with him. Money is not a problem for him, he works his tail off. And he doesn’t ask for much ever.

Like I mentioned, I pay all of the maintenance on my old truck that I gave them (and that's probably been ~$1500 in the last year). But, that's a lot less than car payments on a $20k note, so I don't mind it. Everyone's financial situation and belief/value system is different, so there is no right or wrong answer.

Both my kids wanted to get jobs in high school. Told them their job was to make good grades and play sports. They worked helping around the house. My son worked cattle and hauled hay. Daughter volunteered. Still have my sons first truck 1985 f150 4x4 which we will rebuild and give to his son in a few years. They are in their middle 30s now and are living the dream.

When I was 12 my dad started saying he would match me dollar for dollar on my car and I better start saving my money. At 15, I bought my first car outright. A Datsun 280Z. It was a 79 in gold over brown with T-tops. Bought it from a family friend for $500 of MY dollars. Mom and Dad paid for insurance and a tank of gas a month for driving my brother around (I remember the cheapest I paid was $0.78/gallon in 1996.


Anecdotally, I got an offer of $1500 about a year later for the Z. Asked Dad if he would still match me dollar for dollar since I bought the Z by myself. He said he would. Low and behold we had a Mazda 626 that was Dad's daily driver. He was ready to get back into a truck. I handed him 15 hundred dollar bills from the Z. I held on to that one until my brother was ready to drive. As a senior, I got a boatload of scholarships and school was nearly a free ride. Got to use part of my college money and bought a 1996 Dodge extended cab 4x4 in maroon over gray at a dealer auction in Dallas. Loved that truck and won't forget how pissed the buyer from McDavid Auto Group was when we wouldn't be outbid.

That how I was raised as well. Kids have there whole life ahead of them to work.

In my family as long as I passed I was good, I never did any homework and made straight B and C in all my classes, except Soccer I made all A's