[Beach Cruiser]

Ok, so my son just turned 18. He has a Honda Accord that he built up pretty stout. Engine swap, coilovers, suspension ect... I think it is something like 300 hp on spray. He really wants to get into an F-body now. He's found a pretty decent 99 Z28 with some mild mods and high miles. Two questions for you guys, do you think a mild F-body is to much for an 18 year old? And what do you guys think abou the price and mod list? I drove the car, and it runs pretty well, and it's very clean, just High miles. Here's the link to the ad: http://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/1561183126.html

What do you guys think?

[Sam Strano]

The fact is that any car is dangerous in irresponsible hands. Yes, an LS1 F-body is more .44 Magnum than I don't know... a Miata? But the fact is that .22 caliber Miata can still kill and whichever weapon is being used there is no substitute for knowing how to control it and be responsible for it.

We know that an F-body is much faster, and with stock shocks, etc can be sketchy to drive at the limit. So can any other car with lousy shocks.

You've had him in go-karts and doing some autocrossing. Is he a maniac? Does he want to drift everywhere? Sounds like he does not, which would make me think he's a more mature 18 than punk kid 18. Ultimately none of us know him, you do. Of course he's your kid so you are probably biased--so pretend he's not your kid but your neighbor's and see what you think then.

I can't say I still don't do things that I shouldn't from time to time.... In fact now I'm probably more aggressive on the road then I was when I was younger because I'm much more confident in my abilities--and I was never insane as a kid.

As the say goes YMMV. A young 30 could be way more trouble than an 18 year old with a functioning brain and some car control skills and knowledge of what happens at the edge.