I am 19 with a 2009 Speed 3, I had 3 cars before this one. My first car was a 96 honda accord. If this is his first car, I would suggest against the speed 3. Get him a 2000 honda accord or somthing like thatfor 5-6 months, see how he treats it/behaves with it. I love my car more than a human baby, so much that all my girlffriends make fun of me haha. The only reason I got the car I wanted was because I treat it properly. I see other kids at my school with GTI's and WRX's and they are constantly dirty and not taken care of which is a shame. Its all up to you if your the one with the money.

 

yaaa no im 18 and with driving my mazda3 i get into enough trouble. plus insurance will be crazy. does he have any tickets or anything like that. cuz if im a heat magnet in my car then he is gonna get targeted HUGELY

 

Good for you for being responsible, however as I'm sure you know you're the exception to the rule.

 

It really depends on if you like the kid.

MS3 is capable of 155 mph, 0-60 in 5.4 seconds, and awesome handling.

It is possible that a typical poorly trained inexperienced teen driver will have a spectacular crash. Possibly dying or ending up crippled for life.

They also are likely to very quickly rack up a lot of expensive speeding tickets and astronomical insurance rates.

Of course back in the day 19 year olds were given classic Detroit muscle, which had similar quantities of Go but far less Corner, Stop and 'protect the occupants in a crash', and most of us survived.

Might I suggest for a rookie driver a bit less GO and a bit More PROTECT. Volvo comes to mind.

Or A normal Mazda 3 and use the cost savings for an advanced driver safety school.

Coyote,
Another Dad.

 

Well, that is pretty direct, but also suggest the sentiments most of us have suggested.

I'm pretty sure the OP was a one-timer and is long gone, but perhapssomeone elsew/the same thoughts mightfind this thread one day.....

 

I would have to say that if i were the parent of a teenager i would not let them get a speed 3 or get them a speed 3. I am 23 and have only gotten 1 ticket in the last 4 years. ( before that it was 4 in 2 years but that is behind me now). so i have gotten 5 in all. the tickets were gotten in a 1992 corolla and a 1999 volvo XC70; neither are fast cars at all. Despite slow cars i was still able to obtain tickets. My father co-signed on my speed 3 and he was not at all happy about the idea. He said i should just get a manuel regular 3. There is no reason to buy a speed 3 unless you can afford the horrible mileage and are mature enough to not drive like a clown all the time or even half the time. I currently get about 26 MPG on the highway going 75 mph. If i go around the city or back roads the mileage plummets to about 17mpg. And remember, it is ONLY premium, so there is not regular 87 octane or 89 octane option with a speed 3. get the kid a mazda 3 GT. In doing so you will save about 1500-2000 bucks over getting a speed 3 GT and you will also get better mileage and on regular fuel. The mazda 3 also makes it harder to drive really fast on backroads and on the highway since it has less power, thus being safer in a way. My father would never let me get a speed 3 when i was a teen

 

Regular mazda 3 not a chance for a speed 3. The grand touring just has xenons, leather, power heated seats and sunroof. so it has all the awesome luxuries. The speed 3 gt has NO power heated seats and no sunroof. Diff between speed 3 sport and gt is the xenons, bose sound and the gt has Alcantra (synthetic suede) inserts on the leather seats. The 2008.5 and 2009 speed 3's have the alncantra. The 2007 and 2008(early models) speed 3 gts had leather with cloth inserts. no real difference besides the suede being super smooth. But i would suggest a used corolla or camry for their first car. 50% of all teens in the U.S. get into an accident within the first 6 months of obtaining their license. why increase the chances with a super fast car or why increase the insurance with a brand new car? I would suggest a 2004 Toyota Camry LE (4 cylinder) to any parent looking for a vehicle for their child. It is safe, slow, cheap, reliable and insurance will be good.

 

AFAIK the moonroof is an option on the GT Mz3, not standard. However you're correct that it's not available from the factory for the MS3.

 

If my brother were to ask me your question in regards to my niece I would say no. The regular old 3 is plenty of car. I have crazy stories from my early driving years just like the rest of the replies but you really have to ask yourself this question: Why would I give my child the fastest version of a car and then tell them to keep it within the speed limit? It seems to me you would be sending a mixed message. The goal is not to give him/her a car that will be the fastest in school but rather give them one that will keep them safe, promote reasonable driving experience while not getting them laughed at.

For the record my first car was an 86 jag xj6, I think my parents paid $2800.00 for it. It wasnt the fastest by any stretch, had enough mass to be safe if I were to run into anything butwas still socially exceptable because it was a Jag...I wish I still had that car.

 

An "86 XJ? By now you would still not have it. They had serious electrical issues that caused many of them to literally burn down to the ground. Lucas electrics. (As a pro and obviously a British car lover, you should get that joke.)
But I have to say that the rest of your post is completely lucid and makes clear common sense. Haven"t you heard? Common sense isout of vogue right now.
What Triumph do you have/had? I'm partial to the 4"s, 250"s, and GT6"smyself, though I had a friend that grafted a 4A IRS front end onto a 6 andthat was pretty cool too.....