I'd say let them earn some of it...splitting in 1/3's is fine also-HOWEVER personally I think a 15yr old is NOT ready to drive on their own-ESPECIALLY if they are already emotionally immature.

WHY OH WHY this country gives out driver's license before 18 is mind boggling to me.

all i know is we aren't paying for shit for skids cars/driving expense and we're not taking them to get their license either. bm can do that since she doesn't own anything, she has nothing to lose if they get in a wreck. since she can't seem to take them to the dr maybe she can step up and take them to get a license

and i 2nd foxie's sentiment

That sounds like something I would do A Deville also.

Well. I never had ANY help with my first car, nor did my own BD20 from me.
We had to work for all of it while we walked, biked, took the train, bus, etc.

Sorry, not much help on this subject.

Somerg - we just went through this last August - SS got his license and then BM called up asking DH for half of insurance and half of a car - DH said no way - see SS refuses to work and BM wants the car so that he can drive to his friends house and let her live her life - if he actually had a job we might have helped - I personally feel 15.5 - 17 is too young but that is me - BM then told SS that we were going to pay for 1/2 of a car and totally wrecked his summer visit to us last year - she has a habit of wrecking what little time we see him - so after he thanked me for helping and I had to tell him no a huge fight ensued.

Well BM did buy him a car and does pay for car insurance but now does not want to help pay for the travel which is part of the divorce agreement - so we have a fight about that all the time - she wants to keep SS protected and act like they are rich which they are not even though all his friends are so DH and I decided that we will not help contribute to that way of life - she lives for appearance sake and way overspends and is really in debt - so if you and your DH do not want to buy a car or pay for the insurance just remember driving is not a right or essential it is a privilege. So tell BM if she wants to go ahead but don't expect anything from you all!! Good luck this will only work if your DH sticks to his guns and does not give in and pay for anything!!

I read an article once that I think New Jersey raised its driving age to 17 and it decreased the deaths of young people and accidents by half - I think everyone should have to wait until they are 18.

CG- Please don't tell me that a car for a SK falls under "travel expenses" in a CO? Really??? A car? I'm think airfare and gas was the extent of that?

Oh. I won't be around for that scenario but was very curious.

In our situation, H and I each have a car. BM/SF/SD/SS have 4 cars. Skids both have their license however BM refuses to allow them to drive themselves back and forth. Even if we offer to pay for the gas.

SS is 16 and SD is 17.5.

I just let it ride with both my bds. When they are ready they kids will do what it takes. My oldest daughter wasn't ready until she was 18. She didn't need drivers education at 18, just took the test. She made her own appointments, etc. My youngest was ready at 16. Signed herself up for driver's ed, paid for it herself, etc. All I had to do was make sure she got to class and took her driving. Driving is a privilage, not a right of passage. And if a child isn't ready to get themselves ready for driving, including paying for it, they are too immature to be driving. at the very minimum they will have to have a job to pay for the expenses associated with driving. the longer that takes, the better. before then I don't believe they are responsible enough. driving is the #1 cause of death in teens. my opinion.

I slacked in school, and my parents made me get a job at 14. I lived in englad at the time, and 18 was the driving age there. i moved shortly after, so ended up getting my dl and car in the states after. i paid for the dl lessons, the car, gas, and half the insurance.
my middle sister, on the other hand, was given an older car when she got her dl. it seems unfair, but she works her butt off in school, and didn't party, had a 3.8 gpa, even got into an ivy league school (kinda. they aren't officially recognized as ivy league because they have no sports teams)-she's just a good kid. now that she's graduating from a school that has harder academics than MIT, my mom is going to buy her a much newer one.
it depends on the situation. there is very one important thing to remember, though. if a kid is gonna be ungrateful, let them buy their own damn car.

When SD turned 16, she of course wanted to get her license but needed DH to sign. Since she'd been such a little brat with all the hatefulness & disrespect towards everyone, her lying, stealing, sex and drugs plus her barely passing grades, I put my 2 cents in and said I didn't think she was mature enough to get her license, let alone a car. And since she absolutely refused to get a job, it was a definite no. I sure as heck didn't want her on my insurance and since she was living with my in-laws, she would automatically go on theirs unless they signed a waiver. She didn't get her license for several months and when she did, it was my FIL who signed for her, not DH. She was way too irresponsible to be behind the wheel of a car. Her first week of driving she hit a teacher's car in the school parking lot. FIL didn't want to turn it in to insurance, so they paid it and expected us to fork over the money. No freaking way!

SD's BM' SF (lost yet?!) ended up giving her a cheap car just last year with the stipulation she pays maintenance, insurance and gas. She's already wrecked it - she goes to court Friday for her ticket - no proof of insurance! She goes every week to get her mani's & pedi's and buys clothes constantly - pays no living expenses but can't afford insurance - duh!

My BFs daughter got her license while my BF was in Afghanistan so he gave her his old car that was already paid for. As far as insurance goes the BM pays for that. And when she comes and stays with us EOW my BF fills her tank. Do I agree with any of this....NOPE but not my kid thankfully!

SD15 is allowed to get her permit now, legally. We were talking about her getting her permit at Xmas (she, DH's sister, and I) and she isn't getting one for now. See, BM has been unemployed for six months, and told her that she can't afford the insurance. BM tried to tell SD15 that she could get her permit if she would get her dad to pay for the insurance. SD15 says (to her aunt) "I didn't say it, but I was all, "get a job, woman!" because I wasn't going to ask Dad for a handout."

I don't think SD15 was feeling entitled to get her permit and expecting BM to get a job to pay for it - she just doesn't want to ask DH for the money. She claims she will get a job as soon as she turns 16. I say, we'll see.

If she has it by this summer, I'm going to take her out to teach her how to drive a stick shift, and then we'll go off-roading. If not... it won't hurt her to wait a year or three.