I did not get cars for my kids, that is so far out of reach. With the first two, I couldn't even let them get real drivers licenses, the insurance increase was gonna be too much. With the second set, I got an electric bike for my commute and let the one going to university use my car if she would drop off the younger one at high school and even that - one teen driver no additional car- raised our insurance by $400 a month. She paid half of it and one of her sisters paid the other half, it's down to extra $150 now she is 21. Remember - that is without adding another car, just the driver.

When I was in high school my mom kept like 2 cheap big beater cars for us (one sedan and one Suburban back when those were more like trucks) and she drove a new little red Supra. I think to buy a Suburban, a Supra, and a sedan this year would cost $170,000. If the first two were older that's still an enormous expense, like an unimaginable expense.