Can I borrow/rent your car!

[Budnicks]

What in the hell is wrong with people/kids these days! In the last 2 years I've been asked 3 times to either lend or rent out my car to a kid for his high school prom! The first 2 I simply looked at and said it's a standard, end of discussion but this last one kind of pissed me off. I get a text message from a kid telling me how his mother (I barely know) said I had some cool cars that he may be able to borrow, WTF! I can see kids being this naive but a grown adult?

Do these people seriously think that a completely rust free and well running Charger is a $3,000 beater, do they not understand the time, labor and money involved? If that's not bad enough do they forget what Prom is... parking, drinking, partying... being surrounded by juveniles!!

I don't get it!

that's an 'Oh Hell No' you can't

not any collector car or car with as much $$$
& work we have put into these piles of cash, with 4 wheels
even if it wasn't a high dollar value car

to even presume that is ludicrous
for an adult to have any kid ask that,
even closely related family, they better have something invested in it
that's just rude & wrong

very few people I'd even let drive my 02 F350 4x4 diesel dually
or my 99 Dakota 4x4,
let alone a teenage kid drive 'my RR' to his prom
"FAT FREAKEN' CHANCE"

Now if the kid was over helping build it every day
& has something invested it, that may be a different story...
I've had a couple of the neighbor's kids show interest in my cars/trucks
they know it's (the RR) not just a run-of-the-mill "Camary" etc.

I've been known to help out local kids, good kids...
I've taught a few how to drive a stick in the dually...

(Shea the teenage HS kid across the street did too, he ended up buying
a 05 Mustang V6 5 speed manual, where did I go wrong? Just Kidding
he's done some work to it already, out polishing & cleaning all the time
he's now done a cat-back exhaust & tuner, tried to fix the stereo
he's blacked out the wheels, good job too (not my choice, cars black too)
But, he's going to be a gearhead, his grampa who use to live in that house
was a gearhead car guy, had a couple of cool cars too, it's in the blood...
Also, his friends have some decent newer cars too,
stuff they can afford, they actually work on, good to see the hobby isn't dying)

But;
My "pride & joy" something I have years & hrs invested in
& pretty decent amounts of $$$, NO, NOT going to happen
I'll gladly take them for a ride, maybe even a hell-ride, beat run
they ain't driving it, not out of my sight even if they did...
Gladly help them on their cars & teach them stuff too...

I was a teenager once too, I wasn't born yesterday...

Borrowing a man's 'collector car', is like trying to use/fondle his wife/girlfriend
or it's like kicking his dog, stealing his booze/$$$, you just don't do it...

 

[69a100]

An easy way to stop this is to install an anti millenial device called a 4 speed. They will look as confused as a child on fathers day in Harlem....

Why do that? Just pull the coil wire and call it a day, I'm sure they wouldn't know what their looking at that's missing!

 

[Crackedback]

Sure I would, hand me 25K cash and they can take my 70 Swinger 340 to prom... LOL

What you would get back depends on how the car returns. It's all business at that point.

Loan it out free... GTFO

 

[turbine68rt]

"Best Dad ever?"
I guy I worked with several years ago, let his son take his 1970 Hemi Road runner to the prom!

My brother let me take his mint '79 Diplomat to my prom. Funny part was everytime i looked in the rearview I could still see him following me a few cars back in his beater until I got to the hotel where it was held.

 

[Triplegreen500]

I'll loan out cars, sure. A friend (single mom) had to have the trans rebuilt in her Durango and needed a vehicle for a week or two. I have spares, and didn't even think twice about handing her my Grand Cherokee. I used to have both a '92 Wrangler, and a '92 XJ Cherokee...either of those, friends had open invitations if they needed wheels for something. I've also loaned out my turbo minivan - it's cool, and super clean, but in reality....it's a turbo minivan. Woot.

I don't loan out my truck. It's old, so it has....personality. 270k mile Cummins...you have to know how to talk to it. It's also a six speed manual.

And, I don't loan out family - my '91 Daytona turbo is my first car, bought it brand new, one-owner for 30 years...and also a manual transmission. My Satellite...too many memories, too much blood sweat and tears in it. My Charger...no way. Looked the better part of 40 years for the right one to replace mom's (that my cousin totaled in the late 70s), and the look on mom's face when she saw it...priceless. Nobody touches those three.

 

[Budnicks]

I have let a couple of really close friends drive my racecars
The caveat "you break it you buy it/fix it"
they ended up buying similar cars after too...
That was sort of the plan all along to get them hooked too

The polite crowd & good people, even a few strangers...
I've let lil' kids 'sit in them' often, (not drive them)
It makes their day, they will forever remember it too...
I even had a younger guy come up to me in staging lanes & tell me
because I let him sit in my car, at Sacramento Raceway some years back
(I think it was my Top-Sportsman/Outlaw P/S Camaro, I didn't remember him)
that it became his dream for him to own one
he had a really nice "67 Chevelle" (I know), he built himself,
he wasn't from a car/racing family either...

That actually made me feel pretty damn good...

 

[eldubb440]

an "experienced" car guy can get into any one of these cars and all is well.........

but we all know these old cars are temperamental and all have their unique quirks........ there is no way a novice can get into one and "know how to drive it"........ it's a disaster waiting to happen

 

[cosgig]

This guy....
View attachment 1113388

Looks like the Plumber from those "Mario Brothers" video games!

he was an expert fabricator, hot rodder, custom bike maker, and a great mentor. Gone too soon I’m afraid.

 

[Cranky]

My reply is.....NO! My junk is not your junk and to go rent a REMO!

 

[66 Sat]

Well, at least they think your car is cool enough to want to take.

Imagine if it was the other way around and you offered your car and he said "why would I want to borrow that piece of ****?"

That would really suck.

 

[cosgig]

My daughter loves to take her car whenever we can. We used to have a very large cruise in our town, and she wanted to take her friends. I asked one of her friends moms if she would like to drive the car with the girls and she said yes. About 1/2 way through the cruise there was an ice cream stop at the air field, and the mom asked me why everybody was always stopping to spin their tires. I told her that was called a burnout, and she asked me to show her how to do one, so I did. For the rest of the cruise she was stopping to do one in front of every bodies house she could. When we got back up town to the sock hop she said “ that was so fun, why didn’t you show me that before the cruise started”? I think I created a monster, and she wants to be first in line if my daughter ever sells the car. That will probably never happen tho. Here is a pic of Nella and her car, around the time that the Helluva Cruise was going on. Yes, the cruise went through Hell, Mi.

 

[SSmoothie]

Yeah, the young youths want things handed to them. Although when I was 19 and taking my girl friend to her prom my boss let me use his new truck and his son let me take his new Camaro to graduation. They offered I didn’t ask. I had a 75 Nova. But they new I would take care of them.

 

[440RUSH]

Maybe it's just me but I would never even think about asking someone to borrow their classic car to drive on prom night.

 

[Lefty71]

they ain't driving it, not out of my sight

This is what has kept it (and them) from ending up wrapped around a pole for 50 years. Thx

 

[Ghostrider 67]

My neighbor wanted to have his son, 17, borrow my 1965 Impala SS for prom. The kid was jock and a snotty little ****. I said sure, one condition, He has to drive it out of my uphill driveway without losing traction or stalling it. One chance, period. Right now, this minute, no coaching by you. The kid said," No problem dude". With a snotty sneer on his face.
His first try resulted in stalling instantly. I gave him a 2nd chance. He stalled it again. I said, " Get out, yer done kid."
584 HP 454 BB and a 4 speed with a really strong clutch. He had zero chance of doing it. He had learned to drive just recently in his Mom's mini van lol.

 

[Ironbuilt]

My neighbor wanted to have his son, 17, borrow my 1965 Impala SS for prom. The kid was jock and a snotty little ****. I said sure, one condition, He has to drive it out of my uphill driveway without losing traction or stalling it. One chance, period. Right now, this minute, no coaching by you. The kid said," No problem dude". With a snotty sneer on his face.
His first try resulted in stalling instantly. I gave him a 2nd chance. He stalled it again. I said, " Get out, yer done kid."
584 HP 454 BB and a 4 speed with a really strong clutch. He had zero chance of doing it. He had learned to drive just recently in his Mom's mini van lol.

At 17, I would have left your driveway sideways, hooting and hollering!! A different generation, I suppose.

 

[Ghostrider 67]

At 17, I would have left your driveway sideways, hooting and hollering!! A different generation, I suppose.

Me too but "losing traction" was one of the fails. That car was difficult for ME to get moving without spinning them. Kid never saw a clutch in his life. Had no chance. He revved it up a few times watching to see if he could get a rise out of me. I just gave him a smile. The first time he thought he would rip right up out of there by dumping the clutch. He had it in 3rd gear the whole time. Idiot. Kid hated me before then, and didn't like me any more after then. Suited me. Snotty little entitled brat. Every time afterwards that he was outside and I was driving away I would ease the car away while looking at him and smiling...They moved the next summer..
His problem, besides being a snotty brat, was that he was a big deal at high school on the football team. All the cool kids would hang out at his house, being annoying the whole time. every time. I came home from a funeral wearing full dress blues one afternoon while he had a party going out in the yard. His friends thought my threads were cool and wanted to talk to me and check me out. Stole his thunder for a few minutes and he was pissed. Mostly because his girlfriend walked away from his side and came across the street to talk to me with a couple of other girls who were cheer leaders. I was polite, they were all young enough to be my kids. They couldn't help that he was an ***. You know how you meet a kid and wonder if he tortures neighborhood pets....? THAT kind of kid.

 

[Ironbuilt]

Me too but "losing traction" was one of the fails. That car was difficult for ME to get moving without spinning them. Kid never saw a clutch in his life. Had no chance. He revved it up a few times watching to see if he could get a rise out of me. I just gave him a smile. The first time he thought he would rip right up out of there by dumping the clutch. He had it in 3rd gear the whole time. Idiot. Kid hated me before then, and didn't like me any more after then. Suited me. Snotty little entitled brat. Every time afterwards that he was outside and I was driving away I would ease the car away while looking at him and smiling...They moved the next summer..

Do you have any pictures of the car? Sounds like it was a blast to drive.

 

[eldubb440]

At 17, I would have left your driveway sideways, hooting and hollering!! A different generation, I suppose.

and banging a chick in the passenger side front

 

[Ghostrider 67]

Do you have any pictures of the car? Sounds like it was a blast to drive.

This was in the early 1980's. Polaroids you know...lol. I don't, or if I do I don't know where they are. That was awhile ago and several military moves around the world, a couple of marriages and hurricane that wiped out the house. It would be a miracle if I found any. It was painted Black Forest Green, very dark, almost black, black interior. Keystone mags L-60 15's not a daily driver, the clutch would wear out the leg pretty fast. Not good in stop and go traffic. Ski ramp hood scoop..black glass.