• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

My Friend's Son Bought A Project Car

Iron Woode

Iron Woode

Elite Member
Super Moderator
He's the youngest son and has decided against all common sense to buy a project car. Bear in mind this kid is a high-school drop out and has no job but lives at home. He also took one semester of 'shop' and now thinks he's a mechanic. He is very irresponsible and is possibly bi-polar.

His project car? A 1984 Volkswagon Rabbit. It has no drivetrain, no front suspension, no brakes, no tires and everything in the engine compartment has been torched out.

I would normally call something like this a parts car but it is even less than that.

He paid $100 for it and it's now sitting in his girlfriend's driveway. This is also a by-law violation here, too.

He plans to put a big engine in it and make it a street machine. He has no clue what he is doing.

I offered to pay for a tow to take it to the scrap yard and maybe get his money back. He refuses to do it. I told his dad about it and he was pretty mad at his kid.

I wish I had pics of this car. It's very pathetic looking.

I feel bad for his kid but I hope (maybe) he will learn a lesson from this.
 
I guess I don't see why you are worked up about it. He will fiddle with the car a few times and then get it hauled off himself or it will sit and rust in his girlfriend's driveway. No need for you to worry about it.
 
Blame his parent's for allowing it. If you are broke, that is no time to involve yourself with hobbies or "projects."

Get a job. Even better, get two jobs. Still broke? Get a third job. Even still broke? You get the point.

If I was the parent, he would have been kicked out of the house immediately.
 
Given scrap auto prices currently in Canada he could make a few bucks on it if he can get it to a yard cheaply. 84 had a couple specific things too, if they are still there. vwvortex is a good place to part out the specific bits, or ebay.

And there are a lot worse things a troubled teen could be doing than jerking around with an old car that will probly never go anywhere. $100 car or $100 worth of drugs or alcohol? I know what I'd pick for a kid of mine. Maybe try encouraging him to learn why it wasn't a good buy instead of offering to haul it to the dump and crushing a "bipolar" kids halfassed dreams? Maybe suggest he look into some legitimate training to prepare him for the next one? Every single thing you do to a young person has the possibility of being something that they carry with them the rest of their lives. Maybe that delinquent that robs your house or mugs your wife next year didn't have someone supportive to try and direct him to a productive use of his time and energy when he was a kid. Maybe you can do something to stop that cycle.

Or you could talk crap about him on the internet.
 
Ramses said:
Given scrap auto prices currently in Canada he could make a few bucks on it if he can get it to a yard cheaply. 84 had a couple specific things too, if they are still there. vwvortex is a good place to part out the specific bits, or ebay.

And there are a lot worse things a troubled teen could be doing than jerking around with an old car that will probly never go anywhere. $100 car or $100 worth of drugs or alcohol? I know what I'd pick for a kid of mine. Maybe try encouraging him to learn why it wasn't a good buy instead of offering to haul it to the dump and crushing a "bipolar" kids halfassed dreams? Maybe suggest he look into some legitimate training to prepare him for the next one? Every single thing you do to a young person has the possibility of being something that they carry with them the rest of their lives. Maybe that delinquent that robs your house or mugs your wife next year didn't have someone supportive to try and direct him to a productive use of his time and energy when he was a kid. Maybe you can do something to stop that cycle.

Or you could talk crap about him on the internet.
Click to expand...
I see.

he already has substance abuse problems. he needs treatment and he thinks there is no need for it.

he's 19 years old and on a path of self destruction. his parents don't know how to handle it.

and I did offer to help him with a project car since he is on a tight budget but he isn't going to see anything through. he can't focus on any goals. he can't keep a job.
 
honestly, you are painting a picture of a situation far more complex than what you can get solved on an internet forum. if he really is as you describe, then what you can do is "get him to a specialist".
you are going to need the whole system of doctors and psychologists to help him.
 
DigDog said:
honestly, you are painting a picture of a situation far more complex than what you can get solved on an internet forum. if he really is as you describe, then what you can do is "get him to a specialist".
you are going to need the whole system of doctors and psychologists to help him.
Click to expand...
I have been trying.

I know from personal experience what he is going through. I also know what his father (my friend) is going through.

All I can do is offer advice and what help I can give. The rest is out of my hands.
 
He's a high school dropout, possibly bipolar and paid $100 for a project car to keep himself busy? Good, whats wrong with that?
There are other things high school drop outs keep themselves busy with and it aint cars.
 
I don't understand why he thinks he could get such a vehicle back up and running, bipolar or not a missing drive-train, suspension, and brakes would be enough to tell anyone, "no thanks".
 
shabby said:
He's a high school dropout, possibly bipolar and paid $100 for a project car to keep himself busy? Good, whats wrong with that?
There are other things high school drop outs keep themselves busy with and it aint cars.
Click to expand...
believe it or not I agree.

the problem is he goes from one thing to another in a short amount of time. This behavior started a few years back when he decided he was a laptop repair technician. He killed 2 laptops of his dads. Next up was bicycle technician. He wound up with 20 bicycles in various states of disrepair sitting in his backyard. His dad had to have them removed when he lost interest in them 6 months later. Next up was building a MAME. That was abandoned six months ago.

Now its being a mechanic.

I had similar issues but I was able to focus intently on a hobby. My first car project was my 1968 Buick Skylark. I learned about cars by lots of research and talking to many people including mechanics. I learned enough to rebuild my engine and do various repairs.

So I originally thought a car project might be good for him. To keep him focused and learn something. But he went off without even considering the consequences of his actions.

He also doesn't have a drivers license.

unless he gets his substance abuse issues under control he will make his life a living hell.
 
Iron Woode said:
believe it or not I agree.

the problem is he goes from one thing to another in a short amount of time. This behavior started a few years back when he decided he was a laptop repair technician. He killed 2 laptops of his dads. Next up was bicycle technician. He wound up with 20 bicycles in various states of disrepair sitting in his backyard. His dad had to have them removed when he lost interest in them 6 months later. Next up was building a MAME. That was abandoned six months ago.

Now its being a mechanic.

I had similar issues but I was able to focus intently on a hobby. My first car project was my 1968 Buick Skylark. I learned about cars by lots of research and talking to many people including mechanics. I learned enough to rebuild my engine and do various repairs.

So I originally thought a car project might be good for him. To keep him focused and learn something. But he went off without even considering the consequences of his actions.

He also doesn't have a drivers license.

unless he gets his substance abuse issues under control he will make his life a living hell.
Click to expand...

You were lucky in that a '68 Buick has the complexity a few steps below a blender today. Those '80s Bosch mechanical fuel injection motors are a pain in the ass, great way to get a mental disorder, those are.

My dad was diagnosed bipolar, and it was quite disheartening to see my hero reduced to popping pills and not have a steady hand. He kept his wits about him for the most part, and steered clear of glamorized sub-par German automobiles. We have always been a GM truck, Toyota car family anyways.
 
Buying a hunk of metal for a hundred bucks is the least of this guys problems imo. If it keeps him occupied for a week it was money well spent. Dude needs medical and psychological help,sooner rather than later, and he should have had it when he was a minor and had less say in the matter.
 
Ramses said:
Buying a hunk of metal for a hundred bucks is the least of this guys problems imo. If it keeps him occupied for a week it was money well spent. Dude needs medical and psychological help,sooner rather than later, and he should have had it when he was a minor and had less say in the matter.
Click to expand...

Why, so they could have put him on SSRIs and eventually lead to his suicide about a decade later? Medical community has a very poor track record dealing with mental illness and unless the guy is suicidal, there isn't really much they know how to handle/deal with these sorts of people.

Iron Woode said:
unless he gets his substance abuse issues under control he will make his life a living hell.
Click to expand...
Now that's a problem that needs to be managed. Unfortunately, it's going to be very difficult to convince a bipolar person to stop their drug abuse habits if they have any.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top