I grew up on a farm, and school/work was 20 miles away, so I did need a car. My father sat me down when I was 15 and said I would always have a car to drive, but it wouldn't be a cool one. It would be the cheapest thing he could find, and that if I wanted something better, I should start saving up right away for my own vehicle. I took the hint, and scraped together $600 to buy a 4 speed manual, 1979 Chevette. Later in life he told me that while he was happy that I took his advice to buy my own car, he had thought I would have set the bar a little higher.