How did you guys pay for your "toys"?

[Cman250]

Well im sending in my first job application for Hannifords @ the age of 15 w/ worker's permit. I was wondering how did you guys pay for your dirt bikes and such when you were a kid with not much options?

 

[dales298]

Saved my money. A lot of cut grass paid for my first bike. :cool:

Dale

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

At 15 my most expensive toy was a 10 speed bicycle. And it was a cheap one.

When I was 16 and was making a little money it all went to keeping my car running.

When I was 18 and making some a bit more money and didn't have to be responsible I spent all my money on racing and off roading.

When I was 23 and had graduated college and was making decent money I spent it all on a house.

Then I got married, and that took all my money. Once the kids came along there wasn't any money for quite some time.

Then TiVo went public and I sold a bunch of my stock and bought a bunch of nice toys. Wakeboard boat, houseboat, new car.

Then the stock market took a dump and I couldn't afford much anymore. Bought a 15 year old dirt bike so I could go off roading again.

Now my kids are in college and I am really broke!

In another year and a half my son graduates from college and I will have the house paid off. So, I am expecting to start buying new toys in 2009!

Rod

 

[Papakeith]

I made a deal with my father. I paid 1/3, my brother paid 1/3, and my father paid 1/3. I'm sure the deal went more in our favor than we realized at the time, but at least we had to work for part of our toy

 

[skyhigh230]

well..my dad bought mine..but in agreanze to that i have to clean it and do all the matinance on it and stuff

 

[2-Strokes 4-ever]

First bike.........I was 13 and begged my folks for months before Christmas. Got a all-in-boxes Hodaka Ace90. ($75) My dad and I took months to get it running.......fun. 2'nd bike....... I worked all summer vacation, saved every penny, and was one bad hombre with my 1974 CR125M Elsinore. ($714) Wish I still had both of em.

 

[Moose]

My mom bought mine. No agreements have been made, but I've done my share of chores. :whoa:

 

[Okiewan]

Earned enough for a "QUAD" stereo system (radio, turn-table and even an 8-track player!) from Sears, at 14, cutting grass and yes, babysitting, etc.. traded the "Quad" for a beat-up but running '72 KE-100. The bike was only 2 years old at the time :yikes:

 

[150rguy]

My dad bought mine and he just has me do lots of work in the yard, garage and stuff. And I have to get all A's on my report cards. The work seems a pain when you're riding, but when you're not allowed to ride doing work and riding sounds alot better than not riding.

 

[bsmith]

Dad purchased my 1st 2 bikes. But at 16 I needed a bigger bike so I worked for it by shoveling Junk at a local horse farm and bucking hay bales. 16 years later I still shoveling junk at said horse farm for money towards my toys ;)

 

[kingbrian]

wen i was a year and a half old my dad brought me home a tri-zinger 80 atc, i rode that around fer years till i was about five then wen i was ten my moms boyfriend traded a l.a. kings jacket for my little RM60 to this 16 year old kid who decided he wanted to be "gangsta" instead of ride dirt bikes... man that little thing was fast.. anyway wen i moved in with my dad i got an 110 atc then my step brother got a 79 gt80, then one day on our way out of the county trash dump i spotted a little 1975 yz80 on a trailer full of trash. so i ran and asked him if i could have it i dragged it home, a chain a gas cap, and points and condenser later i had a bitchin little yz 80, i rode that fer a couple years, rebuilt it from the ground up and repainted it the colors of the modern yz's which happened to be pink and white (now pretty embarassing) that thing was a beast, bored out to its limit with a paper thin cylinder and ported and ever bearing being replaced it topped out at 81 mph smoked my brothers ct175, i blew it up chasin a banshee, which i never caught, then the guy down the street had a 78 dr370 thumper that he broke his back on, i got it fer 75 bucks i was 14 now and found the kill switch was bad so i bypassed it and had a fun ass bike, so that eventually died, and i had an sc500 fer a short time, i hated that thing, went a few years without a bike, got a 94 wr250 in peices that was wrecked at glamis so i peiced it back together and thats my current bike. so there.. :nod:

 

[Patman]

In 1975 Dad bought the first ride for me & my brother, a 1970? Honda CT70 (4speed w/ manual clutch!). My brother decided he didn't like crashing and gave up. I rode it until 1977 when I sold it and bought a 1974 Suzuki TS125 with the proceeds and paper route money. From then on my toy habbit has been self funded. Same on my first car, 1973 AMC Hornet 304, 3 spd stick for $500 was covered by Dad. 2 years later I sold it to an idiot I worked with that was begging to give me $1,500 for it! Smoked clutch and all I gladly parted with it and he had a smile on his face. From then on every car has been my financial burden.

 

[SpeedyManiac]

I was 14 when I bought my first bike - 1985 XR100R. I saved up my paper route money and my parents helped me out a bit. The bike cost $600, I paid $500, parents paid the rest.

When I was younger my parents made a deal where I had to pay half for any 'big ticket items' like snowboards, mountain bikes, etc. As my toys got more expensive they canceled the deal. I guess once I was able to come up with over $1000 they decided it was too pricey to match.

At 16 I bought a 1999 XR200R and paid all of the $2300 for it, minus $700 from selling the XR100R. I paid all of the $3800 for my 2001 GasGas EC200 when I was 19. Now that I'm pretty much finished university and joining the work force it will be brand new bikes from here on out.

My suggestion for you is to show some initiative and get a part time job, whether it be a paper route, whatever. I worked as a theatre usher part time through high school. If you're lucky, you might be able to convince your parents to help you out by splitting the cost 50/50. Good luck and work hard. Most of us weren't just given our toys, we had to earn them.

 

[CaNaDiAn,Eh?]

My parents paid for my bikes, I couldn't work because I didn't live anywhere near a town but I was expected to maintain a 90% average and help out around the farm....small price to pay to ride.

 

[thebleakness]

I bought my first bike in September of last year with money I had saved up working since I was 11 (paper routes are loop holes) and every odd job I had since then. I bought and built my own computer and spent a few Ks on that and had I not done that I would have had a bike earlier but I use this computer so often its payed for itself. I've had so many jobs, full time, part time, odd jobs here and there that get me around. I'm now working for a meager $7/hour plus tips but work ~30 hours per week. I also do metal work for other customers on the side and thats were the fast large amounts of money comes in.

The money I've earned has been going to paying for the races I attend and fixing the bike. I'm hoping to have saved up enough money to pay for a 2003 KX250 by the end of this month, I really would like a new bike...

But I wonder if I'll have any money after the weekend of the 21st and 22nd. 21st is my senior prom (coincidentally my dates b-day as well XD), the 22nd an AMRA race I have been looking forward to trying out and the 23, 24th and 25th is SkillsUSA state championship. Hopefully I'll do better than last year and get in the top 5, I got 10th last year.

Find a job and stick with it. It'll look good on your resume and you enjoy the benefits as well and teach you valuable skills that many people don't seem to learn (e.g, being on time, working without being told to do so etc.)

 

[HubertGarfunkleIII]

Saved my money. A lot of cut grass paid for my first bike. :cool:

Dale

same here, well I think I had saved up around $300 bucks and my dad helped pay for the rest. I wanted a dirtbike for about 1 yr before he gave in. I guess he wanted to test me to see if I really liked the sport. but yeah if you are a kid, your probably looking at an 80cc bike and for around $400-500 bucks you could get yourself a decent older bike. and if you save up a bit of money and your parents see you are serious they will probably help. your doing the right thing by applying to get a job at that place. but yeah try cutting the grass on the side ;)

 

[XRpredator]

I made a deal with my father. I paid 1/3, my brother paid 1/3, and I paid 1/3. I'm sure the deal went more in our favor than we realized at the time, but at least we had to work for part of our toy

and here's little Keith's first ride on that new toy:

 

[Papakeith]

It boggles my mind to try and comprehend the level of your turdiness pred :nod:

 

[Treejumper]

Nice PK! :)


Got my start by asking my grandmother for my uncle's old KX100. Second one i bought with my job as a dishwasher at the Officer's Club on base.

 

[CR Swade]

My parents bought my first XR80 when I was 10, then I rode it untilo I could afford to buy a 83 CR125, which I paid for by pouring concrete for a summer. Now I just man-ho myself

 

[Rooster]

I made a deal with my father. I paid 1/3, my brother paid 1/3, and I paid 1/3. I'm sure the deal went more in our favor than we realized at the time, but at least we had to work for part of our toy

Why did you have to pay 2/3's? Is Steve really that much of a tightwad? What did your father have to do with it if he didn't pay for any of it? :nener:

 

[sparkysakitas]

so far my bikes have been bought with scrap copper from work
:) good thing about being electrican
my next 3 bikes will be paid for with more scrap copper and some overtime

 

[loudandproud]

i do landscaping and random jobs,

work on some farm every now and then.

 

[Papakeith]

SILR!!! dagnabbit boy, you know what I meant to say.

darned kids

 

[nikki]

High school - worked part-time in fast food

College - worked full-time at a grocery store (deli), covered local MX races (stories/photos), and summer internship (accounting)


The deli gig was a good deal... enough to pay for college, rent, a new truck, insurance, dirtbikes, gear, and racing... even saved a little extra for buying a house. You had to be 18 though to work in the deli (with the slicer), but there are plenty of other grocery jobs for kids under 18.


Some other jobs that my friends had during high school/college - local newspaper (printing/delivery), fast food, restaurants, lawn mowing/landscaping, bank, video stores/movie theaters, gas stations, bike shops, oil changes, tire shops, car dealerships, retail (like Walmart, Menards, Target, Sears, JC Penneys, Autozone, Pep Boys, etc), pizza delivery, flower shops/delivery, cleaning horse stalls, concrete, construction, washing/detailing cars/equipment, factories, babysitting, lifeguards, golf caddys, etc....