wrecked 2007 Lexus IS 350
03-09-07, 08:01 AM
#16
If you are truly working for it and paying for it yourself, then you deserve every dollar of that car! True, I'm making an assumption that this kids parents paid for the car... but you cannot deny that it is a resounding theme in this country.
I come from a pretty well off background... and my parents did get me pretty descent cars... but no way in hell would they have ever bought me a BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, etc. One of the greatest accomplishments, I think, is the natural progression of moving up to higher end cars as you move through your career. If you get a freebee at age 17 already, then that negates much of that sense of responsibility. Granted, you can get a base 250 with no options in the low 30s... and my parents paid 34k for my Chevy Z71 Tahoe when I was in High School (first car). But, there is a certain prestige that comes with getting a luxury car that I think people need to earn for themselves. Not have mommy and daddy give it to them.
I come from a pretty well off background... and my parents did get me pretty descent cars... but no way in hell would they have ever bought me a BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, etc. One of the greatest accomplishments, I think, is the natural progression of moving up to higher end cars as you move through your career. If you get a freebee at age 17 already, then that negates much of that sense of responsibility. Granted, you can get a base 250 with no options in the low 30s... and my parents paid 34k for my Chevy Z71 Tahoe when I was in High School (first car). But, there is a certain prestige that comes with getting a luxury car that I think people need to earn for themselves. Not have mommy and daddy give it to them.
03-09-07, 08:12 AM
#17
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On another note...
Isn't it sad that we define a 17 year old as a "kid"... almost tells you where society has put "young adults"... because when i think of a "kid" I think of limited responsibilities and still needs to be cared for. When I think "young adult" i think of one foot out of their parents house who is more than capable of making decisions and using common sense... somehow we (although I am only 28 and no children) keep lowering the bar of responsibility for our actions... There are 18 year old "men" in military... my how we have fallen 
Never fear though, even though he wrecked that beautiful machine (with no regard fro his passenger as well)... the "kid" will get a bigger "safer" GS 430 from his "young adult" parents
But you never no... they might discipline him and only allow him to keep it stock until he proves he is more responsible.
Never fear though, even though he wrecked that beautiful machine (with no regard fro his passenger as well)... the "kid" will get a bigger "safer" GS 430 from his "young adult" parents
But you never no... they might discipline him and only allow him to keep it stock until he proves he is more responsible.
03-09-07, 08:12 AM
#18
Well put. Sorry for coming down hard on the young ones, but pictures like that really get to me because think about how many fatalities occur for every miracle walk-away accident, yet we don't hear about it, presumably because they are dead and can't post... Yet we have members here using that one accident to assume the car is safe for a 85MPH flip over wreck.
I think sometimes financial responsibility does have something to do with it. I have an exact concept of what my car is worth to me because I had to work for every dollar that went into the car. Part of my motivation is to protect my investment. It pains me to have to pay higher insurance... But for the kids who have yet to really work and see their after-tax paycheck, all they see is that they got a car that's half the price of their dad's S-class, so whatever... if I wreck this one, I can get another and it'll still come out to the same as dad's car...
yes, on my part, part jealous, but part happy that I have some perspective on money.
03-09-07, 08:29 AM
#20
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First: Glad to see that everybody in the car was ok.
Second: While not downplaying the severity of an 85mph crash... it is good to see how well the IS stood up to that. Having been in one nasty crash (not my fault, BTW) and fortunately having walked away from it, I have a healthy respect for automobiles. I can also tell you that they might have walked away BUT I can assure you that they were extremely sore for a few days afterwards.
Third: Yes it is painful to see someone that young with a high end car and no appreciation for it. But as other have said, not every young adult is is irresponsible.
Second: While not downplaying the severity of an 85mph crash... it is good to see how well the IS stood up to that. Having been in one nasty crash (not my fault, BTW) and fortunately having walked away from it, I have a healthy respect for automobiles. I can also tell you that they might have walked away BUT I can assure you that they were extremely sore for a few days afterwards.
Third: Yes it is painful to see someone that young with a high end car and no appreciation for it. But as other have said, not every young adult is is irresponsible.
03-09-07, 08:44 AM
#22
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I am currently taking registered EMT-B courses, and I garauntee that these kids were taken to the hospital in an ambulance purely based on the Mechanism of Injury (MOI).
whenever there is a rollover or any auto accident involving a vehicle with speeds over 55 mph, EMT's are required to take them to advanced care. These kids didn't walk away unharmed, they might have been released from the hospital the same day with minor bruises and hairline fractures, but they were taken to a hospital prior to "walking away".
I agree that people need to work for what they get, or they will not appreciate the value of what they have.
whenever there is a rollover or any auto accident involving a vehicle with speeds over 55 mph, EMT's are required to take them to advanced care. These kids didn't walk away unharmed, they might have been released from the hospital the same day with minor bruises and hairline fractures, but they were taken to a hospital prior to "walking away".
I agree that people need to work for what they get, or they will not appreciate the value of what they have.
03-09-07, 08:56 AM
#23
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True, inexperience plays a part, but it wasn't the primary cause of this or many of the other most deadly accidents. New teenage drivers have far more deadly accidents than those who learn to drive as adults. Teenagers ARE different than older adults, and to ignore that fact is to put your head in the sand.
Please read the excerpt below that I pulled from this Time Magazine article: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...631970,00.html
It's a very important hint that there is some particular hormone-brain relationship contributing to the appetite for thrills, strong sensations and excitement. This thrill seeking may have evolved to promote exploration, an eagerness to leave the nest and seek one's own path and partner. But in a world where fast cars, illicit drugs, gangs and dangerous liaisons beckon, it also puts the teenager at risk.
That is especially so because the brain regions that put the brakes on risky, impulsive behavior are still under construction. The parts of the brain responsible for things like sensation seeking are getting turned on in big ways around the time of puberty," says Temple University psychologist Laurence Steinberg. "But the parts for exercising judgment are still maturing throughout the course of adolescence. So you've got this time gap between when things impel kids toward taking risks early in adolescence, and when things that allow people to think before they act come online. It's like turning on the engine of a car without a skilled driver at the wheel."
That is especially so because the brain regions that put the brakes on risky, impulsive behavior are still under construction. The parts of the brain responsible for things like sensation seeking are getting turned on in big ways around the time of puberty," says Temple University psychologist Laurence Steinberg. "But the parts for exercising judgment are still maturing throughout the course of adolescence. So you've got this time gap between when things impel kids toward taking risks early in adolescence, and when things that allow people to think before they act come online. It's like turning on the engine of a car without a skilled driver at the wheel."
Last edited by Bichon; 03-09-07 at 09:07 AM.
03-09-07, 09:08 AM
#25
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Those statistics are backed up with solid science.
True, inexperience plays a part, but it wasn't the primary cause of this or many of the other most deadly accidents. Teenagers ARE different than older adults, and to ignore that fact is to put your head in the sand.
From an interesting article about the teenage brain: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...631970,00.html
"It's a very important hint that there is some particular hormone-brain relationship contributing to the appetite for thrills, strong sensations and excitement. This thrill seeking may have evolved to promote exploration, an eagerness to leave the nest and seek one's own path and partner. But in a world where fast cars, illicit drugs, gangs and dangerous liaisons beckon, it also puts the teenager at risk."
True, inexperience plays a part, but it wasn't the primary cause of this or many of the other most deadly accidents. Teenagers ARE different than older adults, and to ignore that fact is to put your head in the sand.
From an interesting article about the teenage brain: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...631970,00.html
"It's a very important hint that there is some particular hormone-brain relationship contributing to the appetite for thrills, strong sensations and excitement. This thrill seeking may have evolved to promote exploration, an eagerness to leave the nest and seek one's own path and partner. But in a world where fast cars, illicit drugs, gangs and dangerous liaisons beckon, it also puts the teenager at risk."
Like dominant1, I had a high HP car that I bought and built myself at his age and lived to tell stories about it without incident.
03-09-07, 09:14 AM
#26
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Well, my parents did buy me my IS250. I got it when I was 19. So they got me that car, so you might label as a one of those over-priveleged spoiled kids. But I don't know too many of those kids who joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school, and whose MOS is infantry. That pays for every thing else I need, including school.
Also I don't drive too crazy, I totaled a new Envoy back when I was 16, wow was that not fun. Made me look at being on the road a little different ly.
Also I don't drive too crazy, I totaled a new Envoy back when I was 16, wow was that not fun. Made me look at being on the road a little different ly.
03-09-07, 09:17 AM
#27
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Ouch. Glad they are ok and hopefully they learned their lesson.
I wonder if the Highland Park police gave him a ticket for going 85 in a 35??
They gave me a $165 ticket for going 24 in a 20 (non-school or construction zone!)
I wonder if the Highland Park police gave him a ticket for going 85 in a 35??
They gave me a $165 ticket for going 24 in a 20 (non-school or construction zone!)
03-09-07, 09:29 AM
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That is insane i cant believe they bought a 17 year old a BRAND NEW 350!! But whos to say i dont know people who get expensive cars at a young age. My cousins FIRST CAR when he turned 16 was a 2002 BMW 535i. One year later totalled it on the highway, few months later his parents bought him a BRAND NEW 2004 330ci BMW and now hes 21 still driving the 330ci, but his mom has SL55 AMG 
03-09-07, 09:46 AM
#30
Well, my parents did buy me my IS250. I got it when I was 19. So they got me that car, so you might label as a one of those over-priveleged spoiled kids. But I don't know too many of those kids who joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school, and whose MOS is infantry. That pays for every thing else I need, including school.
Also I don't drive too crazy, I totaled a new Envoy back when I was 16, wow was that not fun. Made me look at being on the road a little different ly.
Also I don't drive too crazy, I totaled a new Envoy back when I was 16, wow was that not fun. Made me look at being on the road a little different ly.