Guys, I appreciate everyone's opinion. As background, I had a paper route, cut grass, and flipped burgers in order to buy a '70 Z-28 when I was 16. A car that I still own and still has its born with drivetrain.
Through hard work, good fortune, and some good decisions along the way, I am in a position to pretty much buy what I want within reason. When my daughter turned 16, we purchased her a year old Lexus SUV. It has 17 airbags and is big and heavy. She was and still is a straight "A" student, but very busy with two full time sports. She is now going away to college in two months with a full scholarship. She has taken good care of her car, and fortunately, no tickets or accidents. She is extremely responsible and in the little spare time available, manages to do some volunteer work.
My son, is also a strong student, and very responsible for a 16 year old boy. His school, about 5 miles away, has no transportation and with my daughter going to college, he will no longer have big sis to take him. He is a top Jr. tennis player, with a busy practice and tournament schedule, which really precludes a part time job. He too will probably get a full scholarship to college.
I thought the SSR would be reliable, fun, have modern airbags, and being a heavy vehicle would hold up well if an accident occurred. It is also a two seater which would preclude cruising with a bunch of buddies in the car. Now, it certainly has some power, but with my car interests, he has grown up with fast cars. Some of our other cars include a BMW M3 Conv. and a 911 Carrera 4 conv., which are no slouches, but probably not good cars for a 16 year old either.
My other thought was a year or two old full size truck with airbags, and while not as cool as the SSR, wouldn't be too bad with some new chrome rims. If he proves to be responsible, like I believe he will, then perhaps an upgrade would be in order at some point and I'll keep the pick-up for myself.
Thanks, again.
