Car Talk, SLOHS Style. Instead of coming to Newspaper, the article gets written in the SLOHS parking lot by senior Isaac Mathiesen and junior Oscar Fenton. Photo credit Library Media Center Technician Amanda Nelson.
Many San Luis Obispo High School students want or have sports cars as their first car. Teens are naturally attracted to fun, fast, and loud things so it makes sense, but does this make the investment in a sports car worth it?
Sports cars can be extremely fun for high school students but bring a lot of baggage with their ownership. They are very expensive to buy and maintain and are far more dangerous than a larger car, but if you are a car person I do believe the enjoyment of the car does outweigh these negatives. Teenagers who go down the sports car route should make sure they are safe when operating their vehicle, and smart with their money if they want to maximize their experience.
Junior Oscar Fenton What do you think about kids buying expensive sports cars for their first cars?
Senior Isaac Mathiesen So I’ll just start off by saying I have a pretty awful history with sports cars. I’ve crashed a few in my day, and I think, personally, I’ve said this a bunch, but I think owning a sports car as a teenager is one of, if not the, most fun and best experiences you can have as a teenager. With that being said, there comes a lot of risks. Yeah.
Fenton I mean, first of all, I just feel like it’s extremely dangerous. The first thing is, as much as it’s fun, it’s extremely dangerous, but like, for you to have fun with the sports car, I feel like part of that is driving it fast, which I think then you just have to immediately factor in the danger part. And, I just think, when you look at the alternative options of cars, you know what I mean? And, speed and stuff, it just seems like the positives don’t outweigh the negatives.
Mathiesen Yeah, I would agree. I say there are a lot of positives and negatives, and I think it really just at the end of the day comes down to the person. For some people, being able to speed and whatever, and enjoying their car is something that brings them a lot of joy in their life, and that’s what they like to do. And it does come with those inherent risks of physical injury or financial risk of crashing and ruining your car and your insurance. For some people, the pros do outweigh the cons.
Fenton You know, I agree now, I’m a SUV owner, you could say, maybe, like, I don’t know, four runners, a little bigger than an SUV. I stand by the fact that, you know, I just think that safety comes first in the first high school car, and I think that, just giving, you know, I have an issue recently that Teslas are just giving out to people like candy. I don’t think they’re a high end sports car in terms of speed and acceleration.
Mathiesen I’ve driven one. It is not a toy.
Fenton It is not a toy. They are fast. A suburban soccer mom could be driving her kids around in a Model X. That’s just unsafe. And they drive like it’s a minivan. You know what? I mean, they accelerate in the same way so that’s why Tesla drivers are terrible. So I think that there’s, obviously, levels to it. You know what I mean, not all, but I just think that sports cars are great for people who have room, have room in their life, to drive around and just, you know, go fast. You know what I mean? I just think that, as someone who doesn’t have that, it just seems like an unwise investment, but I can see the appeal for sure.
Issac Yeah, I was gonna say, I feel like there is also the other sub genre of students who are, you know, building these cars and working on themselves is almost like a hobby, rather than just risking their lives. And I think that side of owning a sport too as a teenager is really, really beneficial, because you’re gaining so much knowledge about cars, and it’s just like this life skill, almost, but it’s also a hobby that you can enjoy. So I think there’s also that side of owning that kind of car as a teenager, rather than just trying to speed, which the same can be said for SUVs and trucks, you can also work on those, but people prefer different things.
Fenton Dude, I for sure agree. You know I’ve never really liked. The only sports car I’ve driven, I would say, is junior Lailala Soheili’s BMW, and that is not even a real sports car. And it’s all or it is, but it’s also stuck, you know what I mean? And I can’t drive stick, so I couldn’t even really drive it. I was in the neighborhood. I’m trying to think, I mean, I’ve driven a few teslas. It’s like, you know, I just in honestly, bro, there’s a fear when I drive cars like that. I also feel like, if I were to drive a sports car, knowing how expensive they are to fix and shit. My forerunner. If I got into an accident. It’s a pretty accessible repair. You’ve crashed a Mercedes. You’re looking at some money.
Mathiesen Yeah, so I think that sports cars as a teenager, it can be good, but I will say for the majority, vast majority of teenagers, it is not much of an appropriate choice because of those risks being so high at such a young age.
Fenton And for that, I feel like I give it. If I were given a letter grade, you know, the idea of sports cars for teenagers, I would say, um, C, you know, it’s a C, it’s a C level. It’s a C level purchase, the C level investment you’re looking at, you know, higher insurance, higher risk of crashing, you know, maybe tickets and whatnot.
Mathiesen I think if you’re doing it as a hobby, it could be more, yeah. B
Fenton Well, I think the thing about a C is, some people, well, I think the thing about it is, like, if it’s a hobby, doesn’t change the things, but it changes what you get from it. So, yes, I think it’s a C to some people. C is a grade in a hard class. I don’t know how to describe this analogy. An F car, I would say, would be like a Bugatti. I just don’t think it’s worth the investment. You know what I mean.
Mathiesen’s Crashed 2014 Mercedes SLK350
$25,000 for initial purchase of the car and $10,000 a year on maintenance and insurance.
What’s it worth, Isaac? Full price.Worth it (if your into cars).
What’s it worth, Oscar? Nothing.
Where is it selling? Facebook marketplace, junkyard
