Yeah, what Alex wrote back in 2018...

Big Thumbs UP!

I've been known to let random teenagers behind the wheel of my minis from time to time...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K0dkycP2pY

https://youtu.be/GtC2kc8gPPs?t=147

Well, I let my daughter drive a Mini for the first time.

She said the clutch was "like butter". 

https://i.imgur.com/YADXw59.mp4


https://imgur.com/I2czK2o

Dan, l saw the Green Moke @ New Paltz NY @ Mini Meet East this past July, great job, congrats to you and your boy and a special congrats to your Wife for putting up with all that

Big AL

My son turned 16 this summer.  Always came to mini meet and always loved it.  The last day of school last year was the first day of mini Moke construction season.  Every night and all weekend it was "dad, are we working on the moke"  Needless to say it went from boxes of parts to driving car and made it to Mini Meet East in Kingston NY roughly 25 days later. (Great Event Lorine and Derick) It was an experience neither of us will ever forget but maybe for different reasons.  It is his car to have, hold and maintain. He built it with his hands and I am sure he will care for it.  I could not think of a better way for him to appreciate something.  He is turning into a very careful driver and drives my moke whenever he can.  BTW learned to drive stick at age 12.   

I think when you explain that an impact with a shopping cart could result in a fatality kids think a little differently. I also reminded him of the time we were chased by a few dogs at MME in Seiverville Tennessee and did not realize how fast they could run or easy it was to jump into the moke.

Make a mini your kids first drive and let him use it part time, He/She will always love it and always remember you that way.

I was starting to think "Holy Thread Resurrection Batman !" until I saw you'd just given us a proper update and resolution

Well, I finally let me son drive my Minis this last weekend. He's 20 now  No teenage driving!

He still can't drive the pickup though. He's too big!

Hal, Jordan may surprise you with his own mini someday. You raised the lad well (did I just call the man lad ?).

 

 My son Jordan grew up around minis.My 67 S sat around for years as I accumulated money and parts to put it together. He kinda grew up with the car. When he turned 16 he started bugging me @ finishing the car. Well long story made short he helped me assemble it after it came back from the body shop from paint. The first person to drive the car around the block? My son. He also drove it to its first show. He spent many hours on tours and cruising up to and around Mid_Ohio in the S. That was @ 2005. Fast forward to now.He is married and lives in another town. I don't think he has driven the car for two or more years.(he did drive my countryman back from mid ohio this summer) Let 'em drive it and enjoy the company while you can.There may come a time when their life is to busy to worry about little cars...... 

 

This reads like you're hoping he catches your passion. As of now, it seems like he hasn't. Here's my stories:

I was a gearhead from the get go (according to my mom) who notes that after starting to talk, all I asked my parents when we were in the car was  "what kind of car is that?" I soon had car knowledge that exceeded or interested my folks. My driving test was taken in a '63 Corvair coupe that my parents bought after having a '58 VW. I was 14 when the VW (that I washed and waxed) was sold when because it needed $250 worth of tranny work due to poor manual transmission driving habits. I begged to have it to fix before  I got my license, but my request fell on deaf ears.

When I got my license and graduated from HS, my dad told me he'd match whatever I could afford to help me get my first car.  Found a running project Porsche 356, made my pitch and was turned down. Ended up with a Karmann Ghia that I kept for a year, after which I sold it and all by myself (insurance included!) I bought a '66 Midget and never looked back. Have had an LBC in my garage ever since (a LONG time). Never killed one or wrecked one....amazing how my wallet taught me to drive.

My kids .... (both had to attend teen driving schools - my son did his at Road Atlanta with Subaru, and my daughter did hers in BMW's at the BMW Performance Center in South Carolina. Both have paid for their own insurance in an effort to get them to understand some of the costs associated with driving privileges. It seems to have worked!)

My son's first car was a great, hand-me-down Nissan Maxima SE 5-speed that he "earned" through tracking and earning credit thru his teenage volunteer service hours. Served him well until he joined the USAF and got stationed in South Dakota. Recommended he then get a Tacoma to haul around his ATV and get around Rapid City in the winter.  Worked a charm for him. His time in my Mini was always with me in the passenger seat. Biggest seat time for him was the run up from NC to NJ for MME in 2001. He understands it's my hobby and has always respected it. His hobby has become riding a dual-sport BMW motorcycle with a group of fairly level-headed BMW owners.

My daughter's cars have all been automatics, and that's a good thing. She started with a Subaru Legacy that ended up being pushed into a culvert and totaled by a pickup truck that flat couldn't see her in a driving downpour as she tried to get off the road and into a safe place With her 4-way flashers blazing. The next car was a Saturn (right price at the right time). She drove it until it died. Now she has an older Honda Accord that has served her very well and has eclipsed 200k miles with dutiful and proactive maintenance. She has been to several Mini Meets and enjoys the many and varied characters and activities, but has never asked to drive the Mini. She can if she wants to, but may likely never ask.

Know your kids, hear them, and trust them with the appropriate respectful parameters as they grow. The respect will be returned. I believe that using your wisdom to guide their choices as they hit the road on their own is what will serve you all best. They're certainly influenced by their parents, but they ain't us. Help them be who they envision themselves to be....even as it changes as they grow.

 This ended up being a lot more than I started out to type, and is likely a bit more than you expected, but so be it. Hope it helps in some way.

we bought our classic mini in 2002. After after a few repairs, my younger son drove it every day all through his senior year in high school.

when he went off to college, he needed something more suitable for interstate safety. We bought a VW GTI that got totalled by Hurricane Isabel, so he ended up with a Bini. He still has the Bini, and I still have the mini

Well, teaching him to drive is turning out to take a long, long time Not helped by having my car (Subaru) in the shop for 2 weeks with a broken steering rack and letting him drive the other car a bit, an automatic. He likes the automatic and is mad at me for insisting he has to primarily drive the manual.

If he's going to drive a Mini, you're going to have to teach him to drive a stick shift. So, teach him to drive the stick shift in the Mini and then decide whether you want to let him drive it occasionally by himself. You know the drill, collect the data, do the analysis, make the decision.

Really, that little guy is driving??? How did he get so old? 

Kelley

My son has been driving our Mini since he was 15. His first car, when he was only 14, was an MG Midget. He is currently on his third Miata. He has had a couple of bumps in the Miatas, but nothing of any consequence.

Similar stories but..

My daughter when she was only 13 had her eyes on my Miata as her car.  I sold it when she was 15 just to make that not an option.  Crash Safety was my concern.  ro's of a 2 seater is that they can't load up their friends for rides.  Con's are usually crash safety...

I ended up letting her have (for use only) my Jeep Grand Cherokee as her car.  Big, more safe.

History of a 16-17 year old:  #1, drove my new SUV (not the Jeep) into a retaining wall at a Ski Resort.  Minor damage I could repair myself with bumper parts.  #2 Drove the Jeep into a residence wall while going to school. Settled without insurance. #3 hit a deer on the way home from cheer leading practice at shool (deer OK) No insurance claim. I fixed.  I found out weeks later when I asked about the hair on the grill, "Oh Dad, I thought I told you I hit a deer".  Really?, #4 Rear ended a Ford F10 pickup in stop and go traffic.  No damage to Jeep.  F10 owner claimed whiplash, Insurance doubled the rate.  All were OK but higher rate prevaied until she was 21 with a clean record.  

Irony is that she's now highly proficient at driving any street car, SUVs, Rock Crawlers (for those that know me), and other equipment you would find on their ranch.

So....give it a couple of years before you put your kid (or car) at risk.  It's just normal that things will happen as you learn to drive .  Just my opinion to add to the group.

 

I was 15 when I saw my first mini a Cooper S. I fell in love and it took three years before I could buy one of my own. When son Alex was born I bought him his own mini. I assembled it right here in pictures and text. We have driven it about 80,000 miles and freshened suspension, brakes and power unit last year. Before he gets his license it will get fresh paint and interior with high back head rest seats. They are sheet metal and a pile of parts. We may outfit one of the 1960 850s for him to learn on. Might even put a cage in one to be on the safe side. If he's OK I'm OK. Steve (CTR) 

I'm only 19 and I bought my Mini a year ago and learned how to drive standard on it. From my experience with driving a Mini I think you should ask yourself is your son mature enough? If you think your son will respect the car and drive it like he paid for it I dont see why not, but if you have your doubts, it's probably best to wait a couple of years to be on the safe side.

I gave my oldest her own! (it is still on the spit mind you) we hope to have it on the road this year. She turns 19 in 2 months. MY first car was a mini. used pop rivets to put the floor in. drove it to the DMV to get the plates while sitting on a milk crate. put 6000 miles on it in the 6 months. 

My youngest turns 15 in a month and wants a mini pick up. Anybody know of a mini pick up on the east coast for $400 bucks? Yes I am looking for a project.

 

I learned how to drive in a Mini, my first car was a Moke... 

Somehow I managed not to get killed nor to destroy any of the 3 Minis. Fair enough, I went to Karting school and Racing school before I got my licence, which was great to build dicipline, good driving school and great place to learn the limits of a vehicle.

Also I follwed an advice a friend of my dad gave me before I got my licence:

"Use your car as if you need to use it tomorrow."

Miguel

 

I had my first mini at 16 or 17, though I bought it myself. Never crashed it, still have it. though I wouldn't trust my son to drive it right out. Haha