Umm, that is not a simple fact. Truth is, teach your children responsibility, appreciation, and the value of money/things, and if you have the means to buy them a new car they will likely appreciate it and treat it with proper respect. Very different from giving a "spoiled" (as in a child who lacks the traits above) child a nice car where they might abuse it or worse. Good parenting prepares children for their adulthood. Here's another point. Many adults won't buy a used car because they are concerned about the overall condition or if there was something wrong with it that resulted in a sale or trade-in. So many parents might feel the same way about their teen's first car. I know someone on SVTP who bought his son a nice car when he was 16-17. The son was very appreciative of the gift and was very responsible with it. He was by no means "spoiled" nor felt entitled to it. His dad could afford it, and wanted him to drive a new car. Nothing wrong with that. There's no hard, set rule here IMO. Every situation is unique, but great parenting is such a key factor.Used Subaru, Mazda, Toyota, or Honda with 150K.
Reliable enough, but not too nice. Gotta work hard for nice shit, rather than having mommy and daddy just give you nice shit right from the start. It'll make them appreciate working hard and upgrading on their own nickel and hard work later in life. Never spoil your kids; it ruins them.