So, we'll see how many of you people had it easy with their first car.

Im guessing less than 30% of people wouldve paid for their first car outright with no assistance.

I paid $500 of my hard-earned for a crapty car and fixed it whilst on my L's.
All-up was $1k on the road.

1989

my first car was a vh commo slx and was paid for by my parents, which i then had to pay them back with interest - not alot though
all up, cost me $2100 for a $1900 car

My Mum paid me 1 grand not to go to schoolies on the gold coast (went to hervey hay with friends instead), and im gunna use that money to buy my aunts car when she gets her new one (bout a week )
its a 94 ford laser incase you where wondering

my first was a 1988 mazda 626.. paid 1700 bucks for it... 1400 of which was my own, plus on road costs.. so yeh, didnt have it as easy as i wouod have liked... lol

but still goes strong

but i got me a saab for 1200 bucks now hehe

payin mum back when i sell the mazda

Bought my first shorty for $9800 cash with no assistance

im still amazed how much money you made selling your bum on street corners

I got given a car from my parents just to borrow for a year or two. I'm currently saving up for a BA XR8 which will set me back around 25k. I hope to have it around November.

Got me where I am today

i payed $4500 for my 88 VL berlina out of my own cash, plus ORC, plus insurance, plus rego that was due 2 months later. That was back in 01 when i was 17 and doing yr 11.

I paid $3500 for my VL station wagon (hey it was turbo and manual it was rare)
plus the insurance and all that crap. I'd been working full time for about 4 months by then though.

Later on Mum and Dad supprised me and bought me mags and paid for some additional painting that I couldnt afford to do myself when the car was in having the roof and bonnet resprayed. I loved that. They did it for me cause they knew I'd been saving jto do it myself and because I hadn't gotten into trouble or copped any speeding fines for a few months - whooa.

I then sold that car and blew all the money on booze and drugs other useless crap when i lost my licence and had to save hardcore to get enough money together to buy my little mazda 626 when i got my licence back.

your mazda still goin komodo?

My old man bought me an 84 laser for $500. Car was a month older than me.

i bought my $600 Celica about a year and a half ago.......since have paid for everything........probably spent about 1.3k on it i guess not including stereo gear...

and considering the way she gets flogged, touch wood, she aint doing too bad for a car turning 24 this year

the mazda is still going tough. i drove into the back of a gazelle and wrote the gazzelle off the mazda suffered a head light re adjustment. its a pissa of a car. My brother drives it now but he has just been donated a newer ford laser automatic and I think he is gunna take that so the mazda might be upforsale soon

payed my own for a 89 skyline ti. lol, ugly but i thought it went hard at the time!

My first was a 75 TX gemini sedan. It was 9yrs old at the time.
cost my folks $800 which I paid back interest free.
I ended up respraying it, re-upholstering it & rebuilding the motor twice ( don't ask )
my better half affectionately called it speed buggy, ahhh the memories

18th bday present from dad... Wasn't asked for and I had no job, so I had no plans to get a car in the near future anyway.

82 VH Commodore wagon which cost about $1,200 at the time.

Parents gave me an EA Falcon wagon when I was 17. I spent far too much keeping it on the road during the time I owned it.....was a bucket.

The car I now drive I financed it and the system myself, paid for in full.

Bought my EL wagon off the parents, with my own cash, $5700, so technically I used my own money

I got an EH holden special station wagon givin to me after working for free ( Work experince) 6 days a week after school for about a year at a lil mecanics shop behind a servo.
It was an x- varity bash car with a huge paper mashay casper on top

I am feeling relatively spoilt after seeing this thread!

I was given a car of my choice up to $10k, I chose the Corolla that I still have today and my folks got some rims for my birthday for it and an alarm.

I still have the car, it is getting an engine conversion and a respray (It sure as hell needs the respray!)

It was a reward for getting into the course that I wanted to get into at uni, I ended up hating it and left uni though

I went to a good private school in Perth, one of the girls was given a Mercedes SC600 V12 coupe as her first car...

hmm, i must have been really spoilt then, a new merc after graduating high school and i wasn't even 17 . After 6 years, it still feel and look brand new , a good investment i must say.

first car was bought in 1999 and was a VS statesman, fully paid for with my money (no loan). Still drive it today

first car was given to me by my parents was a 89 Excel, absolute piece of crap but it got me from A to B, i then bought my current car a year later. looking to upgrade soon, probably to a VZ Calais

Best Homer voice; Hmmmmmmmm Calais

First car was a 93 Magna which was a hand me down from my brother.

My first car was my civic and i went halfs with my parents. It cost $8900 and i got when i was 13 so ive almost had it for 5 years

My parents told me they'd match whatever I saved.

Being lazy, I only saved $1500, so I bought a $3000 car. 1978 Honda Accord.

This was in 1989. I then went on to wheel and deal, buying cars from the auctions through my Uncle.

Soon I bought my Starion for cash, I still own it today, however it's now purple and stripped to a shell on a rotisserie.

I've owned five Starions in total so far. It’s a sickness.

Phil

Was the given the EF Wagon when i was 18 by family sold it a yr later.

My sis however got a great deal with 10k to spend on her first car.

I know what you mean HISPL we had a kid at school new 02 Boxster S

for car #1

Are you saying it's a bad thing to have your parents help you out?

My parents helped me out with my first car, an 84 Ford Telstar (piece of crap haha, was probably a nice car in 1984 but not so in 2005 lol). I was on a trainee wage at the time. I had been planning to save up all the money myself, but my dad found me a car and said he would help out (coz I didn't have enough saved) if my mum would also chip in (they're divorced). I was very grateful for their help and I really needed a car.

Now I have my second car, a 95 Nissan Pulsar (which I love) and I'm paying my dad the money back for it. So he's given me a loan. Which I'm also very grateful for. I know I'm lucky to have great parents! When I have kids I hope I can do the same for them.

My parents bought my first car for me - 1990 TP magna.. had it for about 1.5 years and then bought myself the impreza.. they got the money for the magna when it sold..

i dont see a problem with parent helping out to get the extra money needed, or jsut for a first car.. my parents couldnt see the point in spending big dollars on my first car, its just gotta get me from a-b and they reasoned id probly scratch and ding it anywayz in my first year. If not crash it lol.. But i proved them wrong mwahha

i dont see a problem with parents and relos helping with first car,
but i dont think its real good when parents relos go all out as u dont get the same satisfaction of earning and having sumthing you can say u paid for,

as with a friend of mine she give GIVEN her second car in 4 months a Subaru Forester GT turbo done up to the hilt
and this is a month after writing off her barina no with 1/4 as much



my mum went halves with me, but im paying her back even thought she said i didnt have to,

my parents paid 2g for my first car, 1982 subaru leone. i then rolled it about a year later. they bought me a ford laser 1992, for 2500-.....i paid all the ORC for that tho.

as soon as i get a decent job though, im going to be paying them back.

mine bought me the mighty rolla for $3000.....it was so unexpected....one day it was like "lets go look at cars"

i thought it was just going to get the VL....unfortunately it was Auto but the most immaculate VL ever (90 thou on it last lear)

im payin them back for it

I bought an ex-fleet '94 Camry (bought it through a tender arrangement), with a storming 2.2L 4cyl Auto for $6k. Had it for a year and flogged it off for $8k! That thing did the best rollbacks hahaha...

Yeah, I remember saying that once.

Now I have a job earning more then both my parents combined, and I still owe them a couple of grand. Damn Car Audio.....oh, and Bills, and debts, and living expenses, and women.......

I bought my first car with my own hard earned. Cost $1300 + $200 for parts + $700 for rego and greenslip.

Coming from a relatively modest household, my view on this issue may be slightly biased.

One of life's philosphy's....If you want something, you work for it.

Each of us kids in my family all were working from the age of about 16, doing the dirty retail work. That left ample time to budget, and save funds for a car and associated costs for when we turned 18.

I have seen parents buy their kids unneccesary brand new/almost new/sports cars/hi powered/luxury cars. Doing that isnt the best way to teach their kids to appreciate the value of money.

If I ever became quite well off, I would match my childs contribution towards the car $1 for $1... again if they want something, they must work for it. Id much prefer to gift them money for investment purposes than buy them a car that is unneccesary.

I agree in some cases there may be certain exceptions to the parents buying rule under certain circumstances, but if anything the vehicle bought should be purely A-B based or to do with their childs work eg ute. Things such as Merc's, Xr6's, Skylines, convertibles... they shouldnt be bought for your kids

I brought my first car almost 12 months ago. I took a $20,000 loan, the car cost $18,500. Its a Mitsubishi Magna VRX Limited Edition. Im paying off the loan with all my own money, and its already down to 12 something I did need my parents to go garaunteers (sp?) though.

Dave

$5500 mitsubishi lancer cc for getting my L's off the oldies for my first car. Didn't do too bad.
Killed it a year later. Needless to say, they weren’t happy but then dad gave me his car cause he was sick of me asking for a lift. Sold that 6 months later and now I have the wagon

It really depends on the kids. If my parents buy me an expensive and nice car then i'll take it as a 'standard' in my life, work as hard as you possibly can to retain that standard and don't buy any lesser car, that way it'll serve as a motivation. If they buy me a cheaper car then I'll have a wide option in my life to upgrade to a better standard. The parents though need to initiate the buying, if the kids ask for something outrageous then it's definitely not going to happen, they need to know their place and be modest.

I payed for my own first car.. and every subsequent one. $3.5k for a VC Commodore SL/E with a Higginbottom built 253.. L34 this, quad bore that. It went alright

My ma bought me my vk calais for $4000... 5 months later i got the vp calais though... cuz its much more pretty hehe

Parents paid for all 3.

Daewoo Cielo as my 1st. $5000. I blew the engine up playing rally driver on dirt roads.

Toyota Lexcen as my 2d. $2000. I also blew the engine but I seriously wasn't thrashing this one.

Ford Falcon as my 3rd. $5100. This one I am keeping good and not breaking.


I don't have to pay any of it back but I am. I feel bad (didn't at the time) about wasting their money f***ing my cars up but now that I have had a job (and lost a job) I value material possessions alot more.

ETA: I am also saving for a 260RS Stagea. Parents will loan (as in pay back with no interest) up to 14k so I have to save the rest. I don't want to pay interest so won't borrow a sent over that. I have no idea why they chose such a crap number.

Was given my first car, 1985 Ford Meteor, by my parents, who received it free from friends of the family. Ran well for an old car - probably better than my current Lancer. Parents then gave me $6K toward the Lancer, I paid the rest. Now I will be importing a VR4 Galant later in the year, all paid for by me. Have offered the olds the money back, they say it was reward for getting into uni, getting a job and being productive with my life. I say, "thanks."

Leigh

My first car was a GH Sigma. Cost $500 and paid for all on my own.
Every subsequent car has also been paid in cash.

A car loan is something I will never take out.

I have a similar view to Master_Luke. My parents got me a few things before I got a job, then when i got a job I was basically on my own.
I think buying something you want with money you earnt is much more satisfying than with borrowed money.

LX Torana, paid for it myself.
Followed by a Celica, Gemini (heavily modded) and now an NX.
Didn't get my licence till I got the NX.
My parents decided very early on that if they had to pay for their cars, so do we

My Calais was paid for with my own hard earned. I also pay my own full comp, rego, petrol etc.