Gidget gets lured out of the house, in her pajamas, to go on a surprise car buying trip to Pasadena. She then spends the whole trip stopping to call her Dad to let him know what's happening.
After Larue gets put down by a girl at the beach, Gidget decides Larue needs a make-over. Larue is more interested in an old horse that she wants to buy. Russ tries to help, and Gidget thinks her friend and her Dad are an item.
Gidget gets a job at the new teenage nightclub to pay for a birthday present for her Dad. Unfortunately the family suspects that she is working at someplace a little racier.
Gidget is unable to find a date for the upcoming luau and convinces her brother-in-law John to accompany her. John tries to fit in with the teenagers, but his behavior puts them off.
Gidget feels that her teacher Hardy treats her tougher than the other students because she is the daughter of an English professor. She comes up with a scheme, which soon backfires.