Series Purchase Authorized! Now what?

[Terrys]

On the upside; Your daughter will have biceps all the boys in school will marvel at, and I doubt any of the guys will give her any trouble.

[CRiordan01]

If you have been looking at Series rovers for 12 years, don't miss this opportunity to buy one (I had a shorter period of 3 years before permission was granted)! If you delay... your spouse's mind may change on the matter if she doesn't already realize what these vehicles are really like on a day-to-day basis. My wife had never seen one in person until the semi arrived to deliver ours... that was when the doubt set in. She likes trips in our 88 now, but doesn't express desire to go drive it.

Two comments - (1) if you are buying for your daughter, spend as much asa you can to get a really good setup and have some piece of mind that it is more likely to not break down with her in it. (2) be prepared for the possibility that your daughter may not like driving it and that you (being the good father - and indulging in your dreams of 12 years) may have to drive it more often then you were originally planning.

On the plus side, your daughter should be able to challenge the validity of any speeding tickets she is accused of and she will have the coolest vehicle in the high school parking lot.

[ivarra]

I completely understand the desire to keep connected with your daughter, I have a nice fly rod and a lot of lacrosse gear piled around to document the effort. But I might suggest air bags and good brakes for your new driver with some quality father daughter time in the Rover on the way to getting a tattoo or piercing or something fun like that.

Too funny . But its all true, and each getting an ankle tattoo of a grease stain is really cheap because shape doesnt matter and there arent many colors involved!

[artpeck]

I have 3 daughters and a son. Now out of high school but the last only recently. And 8 vehicles in the stable and all but one are manual. All learned to drive on a manual including one in the defender. There are two primary tangible benefits I have seen to kids being able to drive a manual. 1) they can drive in other countries where most of the cars are still built that way and really important especially when they head to college 2) other kids can't borrow their car...

[stomper]

If you want a series, by all means, go buy one. But I wouldn't try and use the justification of your daughter driving it as a reason for buying it. I good condition series is going to run you around $8-10K, maybe more. I deccent used car for her to drive to school, that is safer, more reliable, and perhaps more desireable to her is going to run you around $3,000. Unless she is the type of girl who really WANTS a series, and has had the opportunity to test drive one, I wouldn't bet any money on her liking it.

There is also the whole safety issue that people have elluded to. Do you really want to put an inexperienced driver, who is far more likely to crash their first vehicle into a truck without crumple zones, a hard unpadded or barely padded dash, and no airbags? My 10 year old son wants my series when he learns to drive, and I flat out said NO! Not until he is a little more experienced with driving, proves himself mechanically, and can appreciate that these really are a bit more rare and valuable than an econobox.

[LaneRover]

One could argue that if the series crashes at least they aren't going that fast . . .

Personally I think its great to have your kid learn to drive on a series. Down here in Florida there was just an accident where 3 20 year olds died because they pulled out in front of a semi. I don't think it mattered which car they were in. I think there are times where a regular car will be safer and times where the series will be safer. IF you have seatbelts in it of course.

As a teenager I never crashed my first cars into anything.

[73series88]

yeah my daughters 14 1/2. she as always been my mga girl. so when i sold my 59 roadster a few years ago for a 68 912 she was not happy. now that the 912 has been replaced with a 60 mga coupe she is eyeing that. ive let her drive my series up and down the street with me in the truck.
i remember when she was quite young and i was putting the mga together, she was my brake pedal pumper. or starter when i needed someone to pull the starter. good memories

but she wants a new beetle

aaron

[Jeff Aronson]

Some random thoughts on your potential purchase:

1. If your daughter really wants to learn to drive and maintain a Series Rover she is destined for greatness. We've enjoyed several articles in Rovers Magazine from daughters with such munificent fathers; some of those daughters became favorite correspondents for the magazine.

2. Asking any new[er] driver to endure a Series II-A transmission is burdensome for new drivers. Perhaps you could look for a fully synchronized Series III?

3. The attention level required to keep a Series Rover on the road, especially at 55-60, will assure you that your daughter won't be able to text or talk on her cellphone while driving.

4. Forget the cosmetics: invest in a brake system rebuild, new wiring harness, full engine tuneup. Those will help lessen the chance of a breakdown or an accident. Avoid "customized" Rovers; unless you know exactly what was done they will be harder to maintain in daily use.

5. Treat your daughter and yourself to an off road driving course so she knows what the Rover can do. Then take her out in a parking lot so she can learn why driving defensively is essential to safe daily use of a Series Rover.

6. Install shoulder seat belts.

7. Get new tires with great tread for proper control.

8. No male friend drives the car -ever - even if they resemble Robert Pattison.

9. Don't be disappointed if she changes her mind; it happens to teens. Meanwhile, buy the Series Rover so you can enjoy it yourself in case it's not right for her.

10. Remind her you deserve something SPECIAL for Father's Day if you buy the Rover.

Jeff

[WilsBoar]

I want to thank everyone for all the replies. You got me thinking of some safety issues and I definitely feel that I would probably need to go the way of the Series III (who has one for sale?) based on drivetrain concerns. I think that I will pull the trigger on a Series Rover for myself regardless of whether the daughter drives it or not. Either way (if she likes it or not) it is a perfect master plan for me to get a rig!

I am going to start scouring for a suitable candidate. I have already been keeping an eye on the rigs for sale in this forum. I will take my time and make sure I don't jump on the first thing that strikes my eye. It makes sense to pay a little more for quality and reliability (or near-reliability) to get something that I will drive more than push or have towed.

Thanks again all!

[jac04]

... I would probably need to go the way of the Series III (who has one for sale?) ... It makes sense to pay a little more for quality and reliability (or near-reliability) to get something that I will drive more than push or have towed.

What's your price range?