Here is what i think.....One I would not give him the SC Bonne....Two after seeing that wreck...WHY WOULD YOU NOT get gim a Bonne.......A L27 or a L36 bonne would be perfect for him...I dont have a SC Bonne and im 21 Been driving my car for 5 years

id get him a n/a bonnie. just look at what they can take. if you want piece of mind that your son will be safe, look no further than a bonnie.

I got my bonneville because of it'* crash test rating (but also for the power). We've seen countless bonnevilles protect their drivers in incredible accidents in the past, including one at over 130 mph.

But I won't put Lilpooky in one of my supercharged cars for her first. It'* too much. I'd LOVE to get her into an NA for her first car, but in her case, she'* quite small. She loves the Bonnevilles on the open road, but not in town or parking lots.

She got a neon. That'* the car to learn in, but she won't take it on the freeway. That'* where the Bonnevilles come in.

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You have a pic of that 130 mph wreck?

Anyway. I would discourage a Toyota Camry. I would like to see your son drive a Pontiac. How about a Sunfire? Or a Grand Am? They're still 4 cyl and the Grand Am is available with a V6 if you want one.

Just please get a Pontiac of any kind, not a import.

i had a 97 grand am. i loved that car. it was purple . it had the quad 4 and a 5spd, and it was quick and it handled great.

I dunno....I'm biased....

I guess it all depends on how responsible that you feel your son is in my book. My first truck was a 4 spd 4 cyl, then I bought a V-6, then built a v-8 for the v-6, then I got my SSEi.....But by the time I got the SSEi I KNEW what raw HP was.

Well, my kids are now 24 and survived their first driving experiences. They had the "bad" luck of getting our olds cutlass cierra. A decent mid-sized car and somewhat better for crash test rating than a smaller 4 cyl., but certainly not close to being the "cool" car they would have liked to drive. Oh, and they had to share it, lol.

My wife and I felt it was a good middle-of-the-road choice (plus it was what we already had). We bought the Bonneville for ourselves to replace it. I do think a NA bonneville is a safe car and would probably have considered it OK for the kids to learn with.

On the other hand, I did almost all the kid'* driver'* training (other than the crappy classes required in school) and I will tell you that I was the driving instructor from hell, lol. Neither of them have had an accident yet <knocks on wood> and I hope they never will.

Mine is my first car, and I learned to drive on a Mercury Sable. After learning on a safe car, but still a V6, I felt fine driving the Bonne. It'* got the most horsepower out of our 4 cars too. I feel fine driving it, and I want to get a SC'ed car. My parents know I can handle it, so they are fine with it, but if I started with a SC'ed car, I'm sure I would have done a lot more stupid things in the past 2 years. It'* amazing how much you learn about dirving after just a year, and while I'm still a new driver, I am100x more confident than I was when I started. So I'd say a SSEi is too much car for a new driver, but a N/A Bonne would be a good balance of power, safety, and luxury.

It is a tough decision...with two teens driving now, well, I feel your pain! DitchBoy has totaled an Escort through inexperience (no shoulder on the road, brought it back up too quickly). Luckily he did not roll it...if he had, then...well...let'* just say I KNOW the escort would never have held up like that Bonnie did.

Do I like the fact he has a supercharged Bonnie...no...but IMO it'* better than no Bonnie at all. He has ditched her already, but the Super charger had nothing to do with it. Safety first....safety safety safety...I am converting RicerSon to a Bonnie because of the testimonies I've seen here. Even with a 4banger, kids will push their cars to the limit. Inexperience is usually the reason for their wrecks....I would say put him in a Bonnie or a comparably safe vehicle.

The pics of that wreck certainly is proof to me that I've made the right decision with my teens. As parents, we never know if the decisions we make are the right ones...we have to make them based upon the facts and hand and good ole' gut-instinct. Good luck!

Thanks for all your responses. Well, all of you had valid points. Like several of you mentioned, the Bonneville is a safe vehicle, and I want only the safest for my son. [Still letting-go...] I believe now that I will find another Bonneville for him [Minus the supercharger most likely...], and if none show-up, I will most likely go with another Pontiac. In response to the 'Why is your son getting his first car when he'* 18, and why are you paying for it?'. Well, I'll explain why I'm paying for it. My son has a really great work-ethic. He has been working since he was eleven-years-old, and is now the 'First Assistant' at a restaurant here in Colorado. He has not spent a dime of his money on himself. He is currently paying for his own college expenses, out of state I might add, and putting all of the rest into savings and stocks. And he has a great investment plan already set-up. [If only I were like him at that age...] It is my gift to him for working so dilligently. He dreams to one day become a pilot, and is currently attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. [He already has his private pilot'* license.] I trust him completely with the supercharger, and worry little about abuse, but I'm still not 100% completely comfortable with it. Again, thanks for all your help, and I'll definately stick with a Pontiac.

-Jeff-