Here's another way to view the situation...what about being embarassed for getting your child a really nice first car? This is the least important of concerns, of course, but what about this scenario:
In 8th grade, an uncle took me 160mph in a 69 Big Block Vette south of Leoti, KS with open headers burning the fiberglass floorboards (at the time, he was 4th in the nation in roundy-rounds type racing, don't recall the details). Needless to say, I was hooked. At the time, big block midyears (63-67) were my favorite, but WAY out of reach due to price. I think at that time, a good, solid one was going for 40 grand to 60 grand (now, about 80 to 100).
One day, while a junior in highschool, I was picking up some farm parts in Ulysses, KS and spotted a cherry looking 66 big block coupe...black with a red stinger. Brand new interior. The thing was for sale, and for 7500 bucks. :eek: I came back with my dad, after begging him incessantly and for days, and test drove it. This thing had 6 inch uniroyals on it, and really low gears (at least 4:11's or 4:56's)---hell, I couldn't keep the thing on the road. This was one of the most ass loose cars I ever drove, and would just boil the meats forever. Dangerous as hell.
Now we've got this great car, at an unbelievable price, that you'd definitely never lose money on, no matter what you did with it. Instantly, upon buying the thing, you would have been 20,000 bucks ahead. What a car. What an investment.
Problem was...this is a highschool kid with a lead foot and no business driving a 30 to 40 thousand dollar car to school. Thankfully, he refused to let me buy it. Even though that car was one of those 'golden' finds, I don't blame him for not letting me have it. I was sad, but now understand. I wouldn't have let my son buy it now, either. No matter the cost. It's just flat embarassing.