Daughters First Ty???

[TYTILIDIE]

My daughter is 14, she will be 16 in Feb 2019. Not far away at all. Her mom passed away 2 years ago and she is receiving her Social Security until she turns 18. She also works at my moms sub shop on weekends so needless to say shes got some bucks. By 2019 when she gets her license, she will have 15k saved up.

I have been teaching her how to drive for about 2 years, she seems decent but since she isn't old enough for a permit, we can't go out in the streets so we generally practice in my shop complex. Over the last few weeks she has been talking endlessly about getting her first car, the other day she comes up to me and says Dad, what do you think of this?! She shows me her cell phone and its an add on autotrader for a GMC Typhoon. I was excited and cringed all at the same time. I asked her why in the hell would she want a Typhoon?

Now I have to take responsibility for some possible mild unintentional brainwashing here over the years. I bought my Ty because when she was born her mom had a standard cab Xtreme and I had a Corvette. Needless to say neither car was suitable for a baby, so I had her mom trade in the Xtreme and we bought the TY. Her mom hated the Ty and I ultimately "took it over" within like 8 months. So the Typhoon has been in my daughters life since day 4. I always thought that when it was time for her to drive I'd let her drive the Ty to school once in a while but, never in a million years did I ever see her wanting to own her own coming down the pipe.

Her answer to wanting a Typhoon is that they are "bad ass" and "so cute". I explained in GREAT detail the pain my Ty has caused me over the years and how much it has really cost me. She understood and kept reminding me of my driving habits and my lust for power and competition. She is quite opposite which she also reminded me of. I then asked her, so lets say your out to lunch off campus and some goon in a mustang or whatever pulls up and starts giving you shit and your little girlfriends encourage you to race him and you do. Win or lose, that innocent experience could be the bug that bites you. I spent about 10 minutes then explaining "the bug".

My other concern is jealous people who might key it and what not in the parking lot. You know how girls are when their boyfriends think some other chicks car is cool. I can just hear them conspiring now, oooooo and I can hear that key scratching DEEEP!My other concern, she wants to go to College out of state, I asked her who is going to fix that truck if she does so, she replied she will :roll: Yeah I hope where she goes plane tickets are cheap right? I appreciate her wanting a Ty and can kind of see why but I am curious to what other people here might think of this scenario.

 

[2500avalanche]

Re: Daughters First Ty???

I think it is cool that she wants a typhoon, but with being a new driver, and typhoons are not known for their reliability, I would worry about it breaking on her (I have a daughter myself).
Also safety. I am sure that you have experience in seeing how these things are put together. They are not the safest in crash tests or accidents.
I would look at another direction, and she can every once in a while enjoy your ty! (That is what I am going to do in a few years)

 

[Don W.]

Re: Daughters First Ty???

I agree. A decent safe, IE airbags, first car until she has driven maybe as much as a year. Meantime put her on the insurance and let drive the Ty with you in it. "Cute" doesn't cut it. Only experience. Her safety must be paramount. She may not like it but inside she'll know you're right.

 

[Quickstop [UK]]

Re: Daughters First Ty???

Until she has done a tranny pull, engine pull, motor mount swap, distributor change, compression test, setting timing and valve lash, half shaft pull, prop shaft R&R, coilover install, ball joints and tie rods, Putman arm swap, she should hold off until she can make an informed decision!



Edit: and buys a tool set and a selection of consumables that she will never remove from the truck...

 

[9194 Tornado]

Re: Daughters First Ty???

You could find a regular Blazer, or Jimmy, and deck it out in true Typhoon fashion from parts but keep the TBI or CPI powertrain for reliability and let her enjoy the ambiance of the visual facsimile.

Appearances go a long way with youth in that era (14-23 years).

Just a thought...

 

[Don W.]

Re: Daughters First Ty???

You could also let her drive the Ty down the track but not on the street. I let my niece do that with the Sy and it was great experience for her.

 

[Jay92Ty]

Re: Daughters First Ty???

I think it's awesome that she want a typhoon as her ride. I myself just went through the same situation with my son (18) but he didn't want a Ty, he wanted a Mustang GT. After going over all the "what if's" I finally talked him out of it. Got him a used Honda. He can get a Mustang later. In my honest opinion..I think you should talk her out of it for the moment. Like I mentioned, its awesome that she would want one of these POS trucks but you gotta love her for finding interest in them like her dad:tup: As a new driver it may be a lil much for her as far as power and reliability. At the end of the day your probably going to be the one either working on it or ( if she happens to get tired of it) owning it. They are hassles to own as I'm sure you/we all already know. Not to mention insurance price for being a new driver, people hating on her and the truck, if she takes it somewhere else..worrying about theft,ect.
I'm sure there's a lot of reasons why and why not she should get one, but this is only my opinion. At the end of the day if the girl's gotta have it...she's gotta have it..lol Good Luck
SyTy ON!!

 

[Jay92Ty]

Re: Daughters First Ty???

Also agree with 9194Tornado and Don. Good ideas!

 

[TYTILIDIE]

Re: Daughters First Ty???

I never thought of the safety aspect because she isn't like me in the sense that she'll go beat on it. She actually has a lot of respect for power and machinery and is intimidated by it on some level. I can't believe I have been at this for 14 years and never knew they were considered unsafe. I got in an accident in mine and was fine. Could have been worse like any other accident of course. She actually asked if she got one would we take both our trucks to the track together. I told I still wasn't sure if she should get one yet.

I just remember days like these and get a warm fuzzy.

 

[Mephisto]

Re: Daughters First Ty???

I'd have to agree with just about all of the previous sentiments... I wouldn't wish these trucks on anyone, especially a family member or any of my unborn children!:lol:

I think back to my teen years and just barely scraping by to keep gas in the tank of my POS first car just to go out on a friday night! That car probably got double the mpg of a typhoon too! Having had one of these curses for 14 years you should know first hand the scarcity of parts and the cost of said parts when it breaks... which it will. Plus, unless she's working part time, you're gonna be paying to feed it and insure it. If she's anything like me when I first got my license you want to spend as much time driving as possible, cause at that age it's still fun. So she'll be using A LOT of gas too.

As far as safety goes... I can't really comment on whether they're not as safe as a newer car. I had a 91 S10, a 94 S10 Blazer, a Syclone, and a Typhoon. The typhoon is the only one I haven't been in an accident in (yet). The S10 I was rearended twice. The Blazer I rearended 3 people (thank you awesome ABS), was rearended twice, and I rolled it. The Syclone I was rearended by a Porsche going 60mph, and hit a woman who made a right turn in front of me from the left lane. I'm still here, and all of the trucks were easily driveable after the accidents... had they been a new "soda can car" they all would've been totaled. So that's something else to think about.

If it's me, I'd say nay on getting her a Ty of her own. Show her all the receipts from the money you've put into yours, and show her what it costs in gas each month. That should be enough to change her tune.

Lastly, and this is just my own rant... but I think drivers training is HIGHLY insufficient. When I took it, we drove around empty neighborhoods, back country roads, did a ton of 3 point turns, and went on the freeway twice... that's it! Total joke. Driver's Ed can tell you what to do if you fishtail or hydroplane, or tell you how to parallel park... but you NEED to actually do it behind the wheel, A LOT! My friend and I used to break in to these soccer fields in the off season and go do donuts in our cars, THAT is what taught me to drive.Hauling ass out on a huge open field of wet grass, you really do learn how a car maneuvers, and how to correct it, how to steer into a skid, how to do all the knight rider and dukes of hazzard tricks, everything really. That's how I learned... like REALLY learned to drive. Since then I've never once been in a situation where I was scared and didn't know what to do... although my first AWD drift in my syclone was a little sketchy only because AWD doesn't react quite the same as a RWD S10 haha.

Anyway, my point being, if you have an empty open field close by, go get a rental car and let her just rage on it, do donuts, get all squirrely, spin out etc... let her learn how a car handles and how to correct it, and she'll get more comfortable and confident behind the wheel. Without that, the lack of knowledge and experience mixed with the power and subpar handling of a Typhoon... spells disaster to me. I went to high school with a kid whose parents bought him a 93 Typhoon for his 16th bday. Not even 4 months later, and he wrapped it around a telephone pole. Not saying your kid is as stupid as this kid, but shit happens and no one wants to see your kid get hurt or another Typhoon get totaled. Good luck!

 

[TYTILIDIE]

Re: Daughters First Ty???

Driver's Ed can tell you what to do if you fishtail or hydroplane, or tell you how to parallel park... but you NEED to actually do it behind the wheel, A LOT!

I know what you mean. I have her getting good at losing control and gaining it in the Duramax. By the time she is 16 she is going to be a fabulous driver. We just started donuts a few weeks ago except I don't really let her do the donut, I make her get sideways and correct, we use my shop complex which is a dirt lot for the most part to practice in. ****in scary as shit sitting in the passenger seat with a 14 year old controlling a 7000lb 400hp vehicle. But, she is doing awesome and I am pretty impressed. Only thing I can say bad at this point is she has a rough time backing in to a parking spot.

 

[Don W.]

Re: Daughters First Ty???

I'm 110% on the driving thing. I remember sitting in my dad's lap just steering. Later offroading in a Jeep. Go-carting. Getting sidways in my parents '59 Pontiac. That was interesting. I like your parking lot practice. That will save her, uh, rear one day.

 

[Mephisto]

Re: Daughters First Ty???

Only thing I can say bad at this point is she has a rough time backing in to a parking spot.

Gotta use those side mirrors! When I back into the driveway, I always use the side mirrors and line up the side of the car about 6" in from the edge of the garage door and correct accordingly as I'm backing in.
Parking spaces can be a lil more tricky if you don't have a focal point for reference... but you can always cheat and tilt the side mirror down to see the lines on the ground.

If she gets frustrated, tell her not to feel bad... I once watched a woman in an Escalade EXT (the one that's the size of a school bus) spend over 15 minutes trying to fit that monstrosity into 3 different parking spaces in a trader joe's parking lot (which are notoriously small out here), before she gave up and drove off :rotf:

 

[Squid2Soldier]

My 14 year old daughter wants my Sy - which has ultimately led me to not selling it after I 1/2 assed attempted to sell it without really wanting to. I'm keeping the Sy and planning for a engine/trans rebuild and minor restoration - I'll give it to her after she graduates college....but til then, I'll buy her a safe, reliable fun car (I'm trying to convince her to like the Fiesta ST)....we'll see what's around in 4 years.