Is progress leaving anyone behind?

[OneEyeJack]

I'm sitting here in the solarium at the hospital listening to all the people talking. The topic is cars. One of them said his father gave him a 64 Chevy II completely restored as a gift for getting good grades and a full academic scholarship to a major university in our town so he can live at home and concentrate on school. He said it was something called a frame-off restoration that took his father, owner of an automotive body shop 3 years. The guy (son) told me it was an absolute piece of junk. It had a manual transmission, no touch screen, no Bluetooth, and worst of all it used a key to open the doors and start the engine. He told me that his friends laughed at him and old people asked him questions he could not answer. He told me that he was going to dump this piece of junk and get a good car and he hoped he could get enough to cover a down payment. We went out into the parking lot to see the car. It was a flawless restoration, absolutely beautiful right down to stickers and chalk marks and three scrap books. There were at least a dozen people looking at the car. I told him he'd better just give it back to his father. I said, please don't ask me to explain why, just take my word for it and do it.

A little later the father showed up and came looking for me. We became instant friends and had a great time talking about everything and nothing. The father said this was a last chance to try to share he love of restoring cars with his son. Instead now, he's taking his son shopping for a "good car" right away and will keep the piece of junk for his own use.

For me, I't take the Chevy II and never look back.

 

[SirTanon]

The son sounds like an ungrateful jerk, if you ask me. If my dad took the time to do that kind of restoration on a car like that with me, and then gave me the car, I'd hang on to it for life.. and with a little luck, share it with my children.

I'd say it was more like gratitude left him behind.

 

[delirious]

Just sounds like a dumb kid that has no understanding the work love his father put in to that car.

It's fine for people to have different tastes, it's the inconsiderate lack of love the child returns to his father that is irritating.

 

[aquariuscsm]

What an ingrate. His father should say,ok,I'll make you a deal. You take your lazy [censored] and go get a JOB which all grown adults should have,take out a car loan to buy the car you feel is acceptable,and pay it off. If he can't hold a job and go to school at the same time,he'll never make it in the adult world. I feel really bad for his dad. Sounds like he needs to instill some "tough love" to make him grow up. Good grades should never be rewarded,but expected. I'd take that '64 in a heartbeat,sweet car!

 

[Chris142]

Kid is a milienal
Probly thinks its ok to use the ladys restroom too.

 

[Warstud]

Feel bad for the Father. But honestly....The 64 Nova isn't the best looking. IMO the 66 & 67 are the nicest looking.

 

[aquariuscsm]

If I was hid dad I'd probably give in and buy him a nice bicycle to ride to McDonald's to work his night shifts when he gets out of class every day.

 

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

To be fair the 64 Nova isn't the best looking Novas out there. Instead of selling it behind dads back, he should just have come clean and say he doesn't want it. That car could mean the world to his dad.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Have to split the blame here:

1. Kid is an ingrate, for sure. Free car? ****

2. Father should know better than to give someone who is not a classic car guy a classic car.

I drove my 68 Charger as my sole vehicle for 3 years straight. Driving a classic as a daily can be a pain. I spent a shipload of money on upgrading the operating equipment before it became reasonably comfortable or safe.

 

[expat]

He probably looks at it the same way as if I had been given a horse and buggy at that age.

In another case, I kow of a mother that gave her daughter some family jewellery, The daughter just gave a 'what the f am supposed to do with that' look.

Times, Needs and Wants change!

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
If I was his dad I'd probably give in and buy him a nice bicycle to ride to McDonald's to work his night shifts when he gets out of class every day.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
If I was his dad I'd probably give in and buy him a nice bicycle to ride to McDonald's to work his night shifts when he gets out of class every day.


Had to fix my typo haha.

 

[mongo161]

The son sounds like one of the "Modern Day" Snowflakes or Fuzzy Wuzzy kids. I bet he never voted in the last election....and if he did......you know how it goes.

 

[daves87rs]

Ah, easy to judge I see....

First off, it's hard to know that know the whole story here. Only issue is the kids attitude....but even then, he is kinda right...let me explain:

While it was a nice gesture, I'm pretty sure the chevy was not the best choice. Why would one give a car like that to commute to college in? Bashed up in the parking lot is what is going to happen....This car would have been a better gift after he was done with college. Plus, for his world, having a few newer things, like an auto trans and a real radio and bluetooth come in handy in this day and age. I also get the feeling he is not a car guy, so he may not see the value like the father can....

In the end, the right thing happened, and hoping they will get to bond over something else.....

 

[DrRoughneck]

Kid sounds like a spoiled brat, granted, but that's entirely the father's fault.
He gives in one more time and goes buy that kid a car.
Obviously this dad doesn't believe his kid should work or sweat in any way and save money to buy a car, and that's the result.

Regardless of whatever restoration hobby he may be in, he's doing the kid a disservice.

 

[Brybo86]

I would have taken the car back and got the ungrateful son a proper ride...

$50 bicycle of Craigslist.

 

[bvance554]

Problem is the kid had nothing invested in the car. Dad did a sweet restoration and said here you go, and the kid had no appreciation for the work involved. No excuse for the ungratefulness, but the kid just sees this as what Dad does for a living and he had no involvement, thus no interest. I spent two years helping my Dad restore a 74 El Camino that was destined to be my first car. It was no 16 year olds ideal car, but I got my hands dirty in providing a car for myself. Makes a world of difference. It didn't even have a cassette player! But I was very familiar with every nut and bolt on the car, knew where all of the holes in the body used to be. Spent hours sanding all of the bondo under the sweet paint job so no one but I knew what lied beneath. So, if you want to restore a car for your kid, involve said kid in the restoration. Don't just hand him keys.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
I'm sitting here in the solarium at the hospital listening to all the people talking. The topic is cars. One of them said his father gave him a 64 Chevy II completely restored as a gift for getting good grades and a full academic scholarship to a major university in our town so he can live at home and concentrate on school. He said it was something called a frame-off restoration that took his father, owner of an automotive body shop 3 years. The guy (son) told me it was an absolute piece of junk. It had a manual transmission, no touch screen, no Bluetooth, and worst of all it used a key to open the doors and start the engine. He told me that his friends laughed at him and old people asked him questions he could not answer. He told me that he was going to dump this piece of junk and get a good car and he hoped he could get enough to cover a down payment. We went out into the parking lot to see the car. It was a flawless restoration, absolutely beautiful right down to stickers and chalk marks and three scrap books. There were at least a dozen people looking at the car. I told him he'd better just give it back to his father. I said, please don't ask me to explain why, just take my word for it and do it.

A little later the father showed up and came looking for me. We became instant friends and had a great time talking about everything and nothing. The father said this was a last chance to try to share he love of restoring cars with his son. Instead now, he's taking his son shopping for a "good car" right away and will keep the piece of junk for his own use.

For me, I't take the Chevy II and never look back.






Amazing. Kid is a complete dolt, doesn't realize what a gift he was given!! I'm surprised you didn't offer him 5k for it.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Kid is a milienal
Probly thinks its ok to use the ladys restroom too.


LOL!

 

[OneEyeJack]

I've been talking with the father some more tonight. The car was his first car and the father is the patient here at the hospital with me. I see his motivation. He's going down hill pretty quickly. He will never go back to work and he's hoping to just be able to make it home.

The kid thinks of a car as a kind of a thing one must have but doesn't want it to rub off on him. I think he knows a car needs some kind of service and he knows how to fill up the fuel tank but that's about as far as it goes. In his defense he's starts school with a full ride scholarship and plans to be a computer cyber security expert. He already makes a good living as a part time contractor doing real time data access programs in C++ that he taught himself in high school, for a company that process communications. He is taking a year off between high school and college and he's good enough that they are actually letting him touch production code, that's a big deal. That's where I met him.

It's kind of funny. We are exact opposites in life and yet we work together quite well even though I don't like him much. His father and I now get along like we've been friends all our lives.