[RussRamz]

Depends. There are 18 year old men that fight our wars and race cars for a living. If you feel your son has the discipline, then of course yes. If you have a doubt--no. It really depends on the individual.

If he wants to experience 500+ hp on a public road I would say no, but on the other hand I would be all for a young man to learn how to drive a powerful car properly and with adequate tutelage. The kind you might see at a HPDE.

 

[plastique999]

Tread lightly...I agree with you...not many 17 y/o guys have the discipline to handle this machine (e.g....the 5 that died in the M5 crash in Florida)...just not worth it...

When I was in high school driving my dad's Porsche, I admit I pushed it and got into some very Close calls...teenagers have the "invincible" complex

 

[mspeed]

hell no. and hide ur keys when ure gone

 

[Laidback]

HPDE is the best choice... it would be fun for you and him (father and son bonding)

 

[holmesmd]

No way. Too much risk and for what? This is a privilege that should be earned after years of character development and road experience. The HPDE might be a better more controlled way but still... 2 of my step sons managed to total the "beater" I got them for work and school despite constant words of caution and advice. Now they are on the bus and have learned that driving is a privilege, not an entitlement.

 

[NigelM5]

I'd take the time and let/teach him to drive it responsibly. You also might want to consider a 'teen' performance driving school. When I was at skip barber for 3 day race school at Lime Rock they had a designated program for teens which involved a number of high performance/car control exercises as well as some skid pad stuff in a viper. Like all things, its probably better to get taught these things properly. He'll have 500HP in his 325 before you know it.


For what its worth, 22 years ago (i was 16....actaully 15 and didnt even have a license) my dad taught and let me drive (responsibly) his 86 Countach. I learned how to drive right and learned proper respect for such powerful cars.

 

[DoctaM3]

Teach him well, but dont give him the car for some time. You see what happens when inexperienced drivers with mucho HP are combined... The kid and his 4 friends on the M5 side and airstrip was certainly tragic. Teach him well and only trust him once you are truly comfortable in turning over a "joy" or a "weapon" of this caliber!

 

[lorinser]

The 5 coffins in Ocala should be reason enough NOT to let your son drive your M6.

When I was a 17 I had a IROC-Z, it was fast but NOTHING like the M6...

The outrageous acceleration from 60MPH is more than a enough for a older skilled driver. In the hands of a 17 year its flat our LETHAL... just ask the father in Ocala who he feels about letting his kid drive his M5.

 

[Tiptronicsoldier]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

I'm 23, bought my own m6 and sportbike-I still don't get to drive my dads 911 turbo.

Go out and tear some fast go karts up. We go to those racep2r tracks and its alot of fun. I wouldnt mind driving my dad's car with him in it.

You know your son better than any of us so u can always make better judgement.

 

[Moscowed]

Let him drive it when you are in the car so that he knows what it feels like to tell his frends ))))

 

[chaseatl]

I am 23 and I bought 08 M6 Convertible in December when I was 22.

The first car I bought myself was 2004 E46 M3 when I was 19. I don't see any problem with letting him drive it.

Has he had any tickets or accidents with his 325Ci? I would base my decison on past driving history and if you trust him to use some good judgement. You should let your son drive you a day trip to the mountains or the countryside. He can get a feel for the power and handling of the M6, and spend some quality time together.

 

[RussRamz]

You can always use one of these:

http://www.davisnet.com/drive/products/carchip_products.asp

If you find he is abusing his privilege, you can tell him "I told you so."

 

[M6 Garage Queen]

driver schools

As part of his driving education we participate in HPDE with NASA.He was born to drive cars fast,got signed off after first school. It was the best time we spent driving together on the track. So, he can handle any car,but I'm afraid that being 17,he will misbehave on the steet(I remember, I was 17 also, long time ago)

 

[M6 Garage Queen]

tickets

I am 23 and I bought 08 M6 Convertible in December when I was 22.

The first car I bought myself was 2004 E46 M3 when I was 19. I don't see any problem with letting him drive it.

Has he had any tickets or accidents with his 325Ci? I would base my decison on past driving history and if you trust him to use some good judgement. You should let your son drive you a day trip to the mountains or the countryside. He can get a feel for the power and handling of the M6, and spend some quality time together.

Yes, he got tickets in his 325Ci. Speeding and recless driving. One more ticket, and he is walking. It really slowed him down, but you never know what will pop into his head .
I thing ,that I spoiled him to much. 325 Ci should be more than most kids will ask for. When I was 17 I dreamed to have anything on wheels. At age 22 I bought FIAT 126 with 24 hp (in Poland). I tought I reached the top of the world he he he

 

[holmesmd]

Yes, he got tickets in his 325Ci. Speeding and recless driving. One more ticket, and he is walking. It really slowed him down, but you never know what will pop into his head .
I thing ,that I spoiled him to much. 325 Ci should be more than most kids will ask for. When I was 17 I dreamed to have anything on wheels. At age 22 I bought FIAT 126 with 24 hp (in Poland). I tought I reached the top of the world he he he

Yes I agree. you did spoil him. I know I will get flamed for saying this but it is beyond me how or why "kids that are in their teens or twenties would drive this car.:dunno: Many of these cars are directly or indirectly provided by their parents. To each his own of course but it seems rather silly to me. I would have been happy to be on top of 4 wheels as you were when you were 17. I think there is too much wealth out there for certain things to have context anymore. There is also a lot of "keeping up with the Joneses" by parents who constantly seek to have their kid in a more expensive car than their friends. Have you gone by the parking lot of any affluent high school lately? Most of the cars in the student lot look better than the cars in many of Chicago's downtown parking structures! oohhh: Everyone can state how responsible their kid is and all of that but we all know that there are split second lapses in judgment with little experience to buffer them from a poor decision. I was very responsible as a kid as well but I screwed up numerous times because I thought I was invincible or smarter than i was at the time. Most here are familiar with my perspective. As an Emergency Physician, I have seen the result of what bravado, inexperience, intoxication, and distraction can do in this and all other age categories. Unfortunately, statistics prove that this age group is by far at the most risk. I have had to tell parents how their children would never leave the hospital alive. I have actually heard statements by parents about cars more than once, cursing the decision to either purchase or completely trust the decedent. To what do these kids aspire to after this car? F430...Veyron? This is the downside that folks never mention. Get used to sleeping with Halle Berry and what after that?! it's actually rather depressing to conclude that it is very difficult to go back wards. I have driven M-Cars for awhile now and I find myself with the same sense of despair. Thankfully, I am established and accomplished enough to hopefully be able to keep my "car game" moving forward. I would hate to be under that pressure at 20 yrs old!? Even now with the M10 being rumored to com in at 350-500K I may end up having to be on the sidelines.:crying2: The question runs a bit deeper than the ability to afford the car. Even if one can afford it, does that mean they should? Is it wise to spend that much on a car unless you are one of the world's wealthiest? These are the issues we all struggle with. If I were 20 I would take the pressure off. there is a huge rewarding segment of cars today that begin way below an M6. Enjoy and experience it. Learn about your your own tendencies and how you respond under duress. get some road experience and establish your own body of work and achievement in life. You can then truly enjoy a car of this regard with true meaning and appreciation. To me it's like the kid who is in too much of a hurry to grow up. Slow down...progression will not and cannot indefinitely be linear. Don't peak too early and enjoy young life without undue responsibility and risk as well as gradual reward and achievement.:cheers:

 

[Rated-M]

man at 16 i was driving a supercharged s52 m coupe with 12 psi , if he thinks he can handle it ease him into it.

 

[S8toM6]

I agree with holmes. I myself am 20 years old, and the M6 is my father's car. I made the account here for him, knowing that the experience and wealth of information on message boards can be a great source to have away from the dealership. My dad usually doesn't let me drive the M6 unless he is out of town and/or won't be needing it.. and when he goes, he checks the odometer and tells me not to go more than 10 or so miles per day. He would probably pay for the gas I use, but as a courtesy and a thank you, I always fill it up on my own dime (the bad mileage is always good for a laugh). That also slows me down, as driving fast in this car can be a serious drain on cash. I think the main point to make is that he trusts me enough to know that I can handle the car... and I am just not the type to go out and do stupid sh!t in it. The reckless driving charge makes me want to say don't let your son fly solo in the M6, but I don't know him well enough, it may have been an out-of-character moment or wrong place @ wrong time. I have had 2 speeding tickets, both were just stupid highway cruising when I shouldn't have gotten caught for going 10 or 15 over. One kid I know went from 325ci to e46 M3 to RS6, M coupe, 996 turbo, M5, and now 996 GT2 track car with M5 and he's still 19, and he's a responsible kid who never screws around and drives like an adult the vast majority of the time. Another kid went X3 to M3 to STi and now 335i coupe, is 20, drives like an idiot half the time and has a horrible driving record... I'd barely trust him with an X3. My first car was a twin turbo audi S4, I really think I picked up alot of my dad's driving habits. He taught me to drive slow while I had my permit, and alot of people who know me would say I drive "slow." Really, I just don't hurry anywhere and save my fun for when I know it's safe and OK to let'r rip. Depends on the person. If you want to give him a chance, start off with some restrictions, maybe make him pay for gas if he doesn't already, see how he does. Whenever I ask for my dad's car, I'm scared (lol) and the usual answer is no, take your own car.

 

[T Bone]

Yes, he got tickets in his 325Ci. Speeding and recless driving. One more ticket, and he is walking. It really slowed him down, but you never know what will pop into his head .
I thing ,that I spoiled him to much. 325 Ci should be more than most kids will ask for. When I was 17 I dreamed to have anything on wheels. At age 22 I bought FIAT 126 with 24 hp (in Poland). I tought I reached the top of the world he he he

Read this article carefully:

http://www.ocala.com/article/20080315/NEWS/803150345/1368/googlesitemapnews

The father of the driver behind the Florida M5 crash seems to think it is natural to let kids borrow 500 hp cars. The issue is NOT to relive this horrible event but to learn from it.

If your kid, God forbid, kills someone or himself, you are going to be dealing with what the Ammirato family is still dealing with.

You are the only person who can decide between being a responsible father and pleasing your offspring.

IHMO, if I had a son and he has numerous speeding and reckless driving tickets, they would not be anywhere a 500 hp car.

Good luck, don't be news.

 

[Fatal Flash]

Hey guys I just want to personally chime in on my part.

I'm the son of the OP, and I introduced him to these message boards from M3forum.net and showed him this other world where he can appreciate his car its great.

First things off, I did not receive a wreckless driving ticket, my father confuses his vocab alot, especially now.

Cliffnotes with my ticket situation:

I was traveling down a stretch of road that is 4 lanes wide, and the speed limit was 30. I put cruise control on 45, and was in the middle lane, at 10 oclock on a Sunday night.

Moreover, as i went into the sidestreets, there was a slab of ice on a turn, and going 20 mph my rear slightly drifted out but i was 100% ready for it, as a gentle tiny slide, and with DSC it was no big deal, and then i drove down the rest of my block, and a fellow friend waves both her arms at me while i traveled another 50 feet to our driveway.

As i step out of my car, a police officer pulls in behind me and starts making false accussations.

He claims I was doing 60MPH++++, completely drifted through that turn, and almost ran over a random lady in the street.

I made him aware of the situation that my dad installed a GPS monitoring system on my car which monitors my Speed, Location, and Time frames, and he quickly got quite. Then he was like "Oh 17 year old with a bimmer huh", turns around and goes, "oh family of bimmers i see."

(we had the m3, 325, and 328xi wagon.)

He comes back claiming he "cut me a break" , and gave me a 50 in a 30.., unsafe turn, and speed imprudent for almost running someone over.

I have a witness statement for the speed imprudent situation, and she completely defended my case that I was simply driving down the block, pictures of the corner, and a printed statement of my speed that whole night.

I have court soon, and either I will settle on plea bargaining or go into trail, but it all depends because that officer and the judge might not take me seriously, being that im 17.

Honestly, all those charges weren't legitimate, and hopefully I can beat them because I was the only car on the road not doing anything stupid. He just needed to fill up his quota probably.

I drove my father's M3 24/7, and It would be amazing if i could find some setup to choke the ECU @ 300 hp or any type of different figure to limit its power to give my dad a peace of mind. The ECU has a setup of 400, but its not any different from 500, you can simply change it anyway.

I already managed to override that davis software, and i also know how to override his current GPS system, http://alltrackusa.com/ , is an easy override as well, all you need to do is pull a few fuses and its over.

I'm not going to bother doing it b/c there's no point anyway, and my father is also aware of the situation that I can do it. :dunno:

I can wait until the car isn't so new and he settled with it i guess, but all I simply want to do is take out a few girls, and just pimp it around, as immature as it my sound haha.

I raced HPDE with my father 6 days over the course of last year, and I was pushed into the next group, (white), and I was also signed off after my 2nd session. This season I will most likely be in the blue group before the end of the season, and I have a great amount of car control etc.

I want to also sign up for the ///M performance day in SC that the car came with, and I'm hyped for that.

Possibly after such an event of driving the M6 in more radical situations learning control, etc, can I be able to acquire more respect and confidence??

The average 17 year old in my school is a freaking idiot i'm going to agree, on an average in my school, every 3 weeks someone is in an accident, and every single student in my school thats driving, (out of 50 about 45 have been in accidents, or fender benders.) There's not alot of us left without any records, (knock on wood.)

For now thats all I can say, I see both sides to the situation, especially with that idiot on Travolta's runway, but I simply wouldn't push this car without my dad in it b/c I myself fear the power in this car, and I would only want to experience it with him. I dont want another batch of tickets either after that unpleasant cop experience