Some parents are unbelievable.

[6T9PONY]

First off, I'm not bashing parents in any way. That would be stupid of me. So don't get the idea I'm doing that.

There is a kid that goes to my school that is a freshman, and he just turned 16. Last December (he was 15, didn't have a license), he took his dad's '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee out for a joy ride while his parents were out of town. He ended up rolling it a couple times on a highway just out of town. ANYWAYS...

His dad just bought an old Challenger for him that is AWESOME. It's bright orange, Weld Drag Stars (big 'n' littles), 340 with a slapstick automatic tranny, runs high 12s naturally aspirated. The only thing wrong with it is the headliner is ripped, but the previous owner gave him one with the car, just needed to be installed. His dad payed for the whole thing, $8000.

This kid's family has quite a bit of money, but kind of has a bad rep around town.

Why would a parent do this? It's just asking for trouble. First of all, the kid doens't even deserve it in the first place. He stole his dad's car and rolled it when he wasn't even legally able to drive. He didn't pay a penny for the car, and he has no driving experience.

Yes, my parents did pay for SOME of the costs on my car, but not even close to all of them. And I did almost all the work on it, besides the stuff I needed help from my dad with. And second of all, my car didn't (and doesn't) run anywhere near a 12 second quarter mile. When I rolled it (a year after driving it), it ran maybe a mid 14. And I never did anything for them to not trust me before I got my license, either. I was very, very attached to that car because I did so much work on it, and my parents knew that, and that helped them trust me.

Do you think it was a good idea for this kid's parents to buy him a car like that? I would love to race the kid, even though his car would blow mine away, but I don't trust his driving and I'm not going to be involved in anything illegal with him that could get me in trouble OR destroy both of the cars.

Just a vent, thanks for your time.

[tireburner163]

It pains me to say this, but IMO this guy will be dead or close to it within 6 months. JUST turned 16 and a 12 second car is BEGGING for trouble. This kids parents are 100%, to the core, till the day they die STUPID!!!!

[MidNiteBlu 5.0]

I agree with Tireburner. I cant see how his parents would let him drive PERIOD after rolling thier car without a license. Even worse is the fact that they bought him such a nice and extremely fast car.

I started with a '86 oldsmobile cutlass ciera 4 door 2.8 V6 when i first got my license. Drove it all through Junior year, got driving experience, got a job, then bought my stang.

Thats how it should be in my opinion. Especially the kid should have to earn the car through a job. My parents did help buy the car since i didnt have enough money but i am paying them back steadily.

Later,
Nick

[Spyder]

Like tireburner said, this kid won't be around for long. Are the parents to blame... 100%

I've seen it before, just stay away so he doesn't take you with him.

UNREAL, some parents have NO sence, listen to the others here, don't mess with him, you will be the one to get hurt or killed. I can see helping out your child, but first you need to install a little bit of respect...And his parents have a long way to go on raising a child to have respect. Hell he had none when he rolled there car and he sure as hell won't have any now, since THEY bought him one...What a shame....Odie

[95mustanggt]

These are the kids that die while "street racing". Everyone feels sorry for him, say he was a nice guy and all that.

It's like giving a loaded guy to a child. But such is life. That kind of stuff happens all the time and there is not much you can do about it. Just avoid driving/racing with people like that.

[Mr 5 0]

6T9PONY:

I can understand your frustration. Of course you have more sense that this kid's parents, which, while a compliment to you, is pretty sad when you think about it.

Obviously, this kid doesn't 'deserve' the Challenger and he'll probably wreck it and possibly kill himself, or, as often happens, others.

The parents are idiots and culpable for what may happen.

In most cases, they are usually just plain stupid, trying to be their kid's 'friend' or just buying him off so he'll not 'bother' them. Whatever the rationale, it's wrong and possibly tragic.

That you see the foolishness of this is, again, a testament to your maturity and understanding that giving an immature, ungrateful, inexperienced child a powerful automobile (or any automobile) is a dangerous and irresponsible mistake.

[LT1 Z28]

I told my wife she would need at least 2 years of driving experience before she even touches the stang. I would expect the same from everybody else.

My kids will drive a piece of **** like I did before they get a nice car. I drove MANY shitboxes before I could afford a nice car.

[PKRWUD]

My personal belief is that everybodies "first" car should be whatever they want, provided they buy it with money they earned themselves.

That being said, my parents did give me my first car. It was a 1974 Datsun B-210 hatchback. Did I mention it was green? It didn't run, so they figured it was a safe car to give me. It took me a couple months, but I figured out that it was a carburetor problem, and I rebuilt it myself. That was the first automotive repair work I ever did.

Anyway...

Some people shouldn't be parents, but to those that are, you have my respect. Parenting has got to be the hardest, most thankless job in the world.

Keep that in mind this Sunday.

Take care,
-Chris

[6T9PONY]

I have decided that no matter how much trash he talks or anything, I won't race him on the street. I'll tell him I'll line up with him at the track, but no way in hell will I run him on the street. I care about my car too much to let an idiot like him ruin it. I've already experienced a complete loss with it, that won't happen again.

I started driving my Mustang when I was 16, but I had 2 years of a LOT of driving experience. This kid has had hardly NONE! I hope he doesn't hurt himself (or anyone else, for that matter), or the car, because it is a BEAUTIFUL car. I also hope he learned a huge lesson when he rolled that Grand Cherokee, and he's realized that he's not invincible and stuff like that can happen to anyone, at any time, on any given day. BUT, it can also very easily be prevented.

[digital3.3]

i gotta agree with you guys these parents have gotta be off there rocker. like most of you i started off with a junker, an 85 hynudia steller it was a tough car and i gained alot of experience. the only road out of town was the type of road where you screw up you die. and also i have some racing experience under my belt, it really teaches you to respect the power of the car. all i can say its the kid is a rolling deathtrap. no experience and a fast car is the last thing a new driver needs. i will feel sorry for the others in the car with him when he wipes it out. but hey i agree don't race the kid on the street.

[scott93gt]

I have to say that this kid will never respect or appreciate anything. My first car was a P.O.S AMC Hornet. I have worked hard to earn my Mustang and I appreciate it and respect it. My daughter will drive the 94 Tempo when she gets her license next month and will earn her Mustang or Challenger or whatever she is into at the time. Only then will she appreciate it.

[polara7777]

Well that will probably be another peice of fine American machinary going to the scrap heap. Too bad I love the old Challengers. My first ride was a 73 Volkswagon Transporter! Yes one of the old hippie vans. It was orange with a white top. When I got it the motor didn't run so my dad and i put a Porsche motor in it. That was my first mechanical experience as well. When grandmother moved she gave me the 67 Dodge my grandfather had wanted me to have before he passed awway and my dad asked if he could have the Bus. Kinda miss the old Volksy now. He traded it for an old 64 Bug. Well that's the story of my first ride.

[JRowlette]

I completely agree with LT1 Z28. Whenever I do have kids, there is no way they will get anything close to a mustang. Our local news station just did a two-part story on this exact subject. The station interviewed a kid at Beech Bend Raceway that had only had his license for 2 weeks and his parents had already bought him a '95 Mustang GT.
I drove 3 different Ford Ranger's before I got my current car. I believe that every first-time driver should learn the basics of driving a "normal" car before driving a sports car. I am 22 yrs. old and have never been pulled over or had a ticket. Granted, some of this is luck, but nevertheless, I learned how to drive a "normal" car before I got a Mustang. And as much as I hate to say it, I thank my parents for doing that. The fact that I pay the insurance on my mustang kinda makes me think twice before I race somebody on the street. If somebody wants to race me on the street, I always ask them who pays your insurance? I usually end up saying " that's what I thought " , calling them a liar, or holding up my middle three fingers and telling them to read between the lines.
It makes me sick to my stomach to see kids destroying beautiful cars because they do not know how to drive. That G*d D**mn movie "The Fast and the Furious" did nothing but to fuel the belief that street racing is the cool thing to do. The fact that there is a sequel coming out amazes me. All that is going to do is to prove the fact that teenagers are impressionable, and that they impersonate anything they see, even if it means killing themselves or innocent people. BTW, to prove the point of the impressionability of teens, the sales of NOS products for sport compact cars increased 330% after the release of "The Fast and the Furious".
I'm sorry to ramble on, but a local bar had 50 cent drafts tonight, and after seeing this post, I had to state my opinion.
Thanks, and I hope you understand my views.

[LT1 Z28]

JR, I couldn't agree with you more. That stupid movie just fueled trouble for all the real hardcore guys out there.

Now that I have the Stang, a 12 sec car on street tires and 11's on slicks, I don't even want to street race anymore. 1st, the ammount of people that could even keep up with me is very small, second, most of them run at the track like me. Just like in Spiderman; "With power comes responsiblity".

My uncle beleives in the "old car" way and he did well. My cousin Alison scrapped a perfectly good Pontiac 6000 into a garbage truck while doing a shoulder check for too long. All new drivers make mistakes like that. If it would've been a good car it would've been bad but thankfully, it was just an old car.

So my kids will probably start on an old Civic like the one I have now. If it's good enough for me, it's good enough for them.