Parents opinion? .. My son loves my lifted JK that I use as a DD and has expressed enough that he wants a TJ over a pickup as his car of choice. I'm ok with it but mother goose has other concerns with this,.. Safety because she's sure it will be lifted big tires , top heavy, big tires through road water and 16 yr old lack of experience .. Please voice in .

 

This can go both ways....

Know a guy who's son is very responsible in his jeep due to taking time and showing the young man how to properly do things in and with the rig. Does that mean the young man follows those recommendations all the time, no. I mean come on we were all teen boys with all that testosterone flowing through our veins and we all know about peer pressure and the stoopid things we did in and out of cars. So it is a double edge sword. I would ensure he had some sort of locating device so he can contact you to go get him when he gets stuck in farmer John's field and needs a tug because his buddy's Ford Fiesta tuner car isn't gonna get him out. Then again, these things can happen in any car. From what I've seen teens don't hang out and do the things we did, would rather video out on the couch. The other thing to consider is that CHICKS DIG JEEPS. Don't think this one needs 'spailin'.

So I guess it boils down to if you think and believe your son is mature enough to not succumb to peer pressure in doing things with the jeep he is not ready or equipped to do.

 

Maybe just limit mods to 33s and 2" lift. Run a good AT which will have better street handling then an MT.

When I was 17 I had a 94 Sahara. Added a heavy-duty shackle lift and 31s (which were bigger then stock back then). Added a pair of Hella 500s and upgraded the stereo system. In all I spent less then 1500 and thought my Jeep was pretty custom.

 

After I first read your thread I started thinking about suggesting getting a 2007 JKU. Then I looked at Craigslist to see what the going rate for them is, 15k - 20k. I'm not sure about you, but I won't be able to spend that kind of money for my daughter's first vehicle (in 2.5 years). Snow driving is my biggest concern. I didn't look to see where you are from, but is snow an issue where you are? If I lived somewhere where snow wasn't an issue I would be fine with my daughter driving a TJ. While a TJ will get through the snow, the short wheelbase and weight make it seem like it would go into spin mode more easily. If I did end up getting my kid a TJ I would keep it mild at first to get experience driving, either keep it stock or a small lift with at most 31" tires.

 

I'm kind of in the same situation .my son has worked on my jeep with me and loves to wheel. He loves jeeps and has mentioned wanting to drive mine when he is old enough. My answer: hell no! I was 16 once and I know the stupid things boys do especially if a girl is involved.our plan is to buy a beater jeep when he is 15. We will work on it together but limit the mods. Weather it's a mustang ,pinto, or jeep they can all be dangerous in the wrong hands.

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There a great vehicle as you get a convertiable in the summer and 4wd for the winter, easy to work on if needed, lots of stock parts laying around. I would not let them mod it other then some slighly larger tires. We plan plan on giving our son the wifes JKU next year an getting a new one for her. I have also been keeping an eye out for 04-06 tj's but they bring a pretty big price tag here.

 

I bought my 2012 sport 2 door with the idea of giving it to my son when he turns 17 in 2019. That's why I got no power mirrors or windows or any bells and whistles to break ( except for automatic.) It's actually one reason I didn't order the 3.73 gears. Less power is a good thing when it comes to teenage boys. I've got some nice looking aftermarket rims but there will be no lift or big tires. I saw one article touting a minivan as a good idea for teenage drivers but a vehicle that holds 7 people just doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

 

A TJ is a fantastic first vehicle. That's what my son got as his first. My son actually said he believes the TJ helped him avoid getting tickets like his friends got because it's simply harder to speed in a TJ. Unfortunately, wranglers have a stereotype that they roll over easily. That may have been true in the 70's , but standards forced manufacturers to make changes to avoid rollovers. One day my son was showing off by driving his TJ in the snow in two wheel drive. He lost control and slid sideways into a curb. The force was high enough to cause both drivers side allow rims to snap, and the Jeep Idid not roll over.
Another great thing about any wrangler when you are in high school: they are always cool, regardless of condition.

 

When I was 18 I bought a TJ as my first "car". I then drove it over a thousand miles away from my home state to live without on my own. I had it for 5 years without any problems aside from ones due to my own carelessness. (New tires, busted window on soft top, fried gears, new xsmn) I off-roaded it every chance I got and it was always dependable. If you take the time to teach your child responsible driving and maintenance practices a TJ will be a great first vehicle. The 4.0 is damn near bullet proof and the TJ is a great simple jeep to wrench on.

 

A lot of what I was thinking you all are thinking just like I am , just trying to convince his mother that it's not that bad and unsafe !