Death Car - Page 3

fsstnotch · #41 (**permalink**) 08-14-2007, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RICK LAKE

I now drive others.

This is usually me as well. I have some friends who have not seen the light yet... if my wife or I did not volunteer to drive, they would most likely drive themselves. I try to get them to learn from my mistakes!

Josh

ffindling · #42 (**permalink**) 08-14-2007, 04:50 AM

In 1969, I sold my '65 tri-power GTO to a nice kid that promised me to take
good care of the car. Two weeks later I learned the car had been destroyed
in a nasty crash that left the car totally balled-up. I learned what yard the
car was at and went to have a look and the car was nothing but a tangled
mess of metal, but amazingly the kid escaped the wreck with a broken leg
and plenty of bumps and bruises. It came as a relief that no one was killed
in the crash, but it made me think twice about selling such cars to young kids
and that I shouldn't do that again!

....Fred

Midwest Classic · #43 (**permalink**) 08-14-2007, 07:30 AM

Congrats by going with your heart and not your wallet. I did an inspection for a guy wanting to buy a 340 Duster that was street legal, barely, for his 16 year old son. I called and told him that if he buys the car for his son he should make sure he buys life insurance at the same time. Dad realized real quick that the purchase would probably not be smart and decided to look for another vehicle.

Tinker51 · #44 (**permalink**) 08-14-2007, 10:34 AM

A friend of mine was selling a mid 90's fox bodied Mustang GT. He had done a fair bit of engine and suspension work to the car but it was still civil enough to be the daily driver for his wife. The only reason he was selling it was that he replaced it with an SVT Cobra. Anyway, guy shows up to look at the car and brings his 16 year old with a brand new driving license son. The son knows what he is looking at and is drooling over the various mods. Dad on the other hand is clueless and asks "so is this a 4 cyl or a V6"? They bought it. My Friend made the dad sign a paper acknowledging that the car was a high performance vehicle that had been modified from stock. Saw the car once a few weeks later but haven't seen it since.

WarrenG · #45 (**permalink**) 08-14-2007, 03:10 PM

When my wife and I took the Skip Barber 3day racing class there was one couple in there (back for the third time I think) who's kids (and their spouses) were up "on top" taking the 2 day driving class (mostly car control on the skid pads and autoX course). They had paid for the kids and the spouses and said they hoped to make it an annual family vacation both because it was fun and they wanted to make sure their kids were well prepared for anything that could happen on the street. Sounded like a good idea to me if you could afford it!

Madmiles442 · #46 (**permalink**) 08-14-2007, 04:30 PM

At 17, I had a '70 Chevelle SS 396 that would run 11.50's through mufflers. I had it 4 months before I threw a rod street racing a Vette.
[Funny side story-the Vette driver wanted me to pay for the fiberglass damage after my coolant all but melted his front end!

]
Anyway, fixed that one and sold it. Sold it to a 17 year old and I told him, "This car will kill you. The 4.56 rear end will break loose at 60 mph and you WILL lose it." A week later saw him doing a burn-out in a parking lot. The following week I heard he wrapped it around a telephone pole.
But you CAN learn,
The next car I got (at age 18) was a '70 442 convertible with a 455. 17 year old car with only 55,000 miles on it. The original owner asked what I was going to do with the car. I explained I was on the way to college and would take immaculate care of it. He actually kinda grilled me a bit on the history of 442's and when I explained I knew who Dr. Olds was, he sold it to me.
Had that car 7 great years and just put gas and oil in it. Never raced it or got it over 110 mph. (In deserted West Texas, that's where you set your cruise control)
You definitely did the right thing. These things are race cars. Hell, I can't even predict this Cobra, little chance a teen could.

jon@harrison.ne · #47 (**permalink**) 08-14-2007, 04:41 PM

Speaking as a 66 year old who has never had an auto accident I don't think anybody should be driving on the street fast enough to benefit from high performance driving lessons. Do they benefit you when you are coming fast around a tight curve totally in control as you were taught and there right in front of you is a : big buck,horse dung spread all over the road by the last guy (I've been told this is a huge danger in Amish country),loose gravel,oil,a moving van stopped,or another car out of control coming toward you in your lane (take your pick and there are many more I didn't list). I'll probably get skewered in this forum but if it makes just one of you think the next time he goes out for a little "spirited driving" it will be worth it.

WarrenG · #48 (**permalink**) 08-14-2007, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon@harrison.ne

Speaking as a 66 year old who has never had an auto accident I don't think anybody should be driving on the street fast enough to benefit from high performance driving lessons. Do they benefit you when you are coming fast around a tight curve totally in control as you were taught and there right in front of you is a : big buck,horse dung spread all over the road by the last guy (I've been told this is a huge danger in Amish country),loose gravel,oil,a moving van stopped,or another car out of control coming toward you in your lane (take your pick and there are many more I didn't list). I'll probably get skewered in this forum but if it makes just one of you think the next time he goes out for a little "spirited driving" it will be worth it.

Try reading the post before replying it might help. The classes I noted stress car control in all situations including emergencies like you describe. They are not to teach you how to drive fast in perfect conditions. They specifically cover collision avoidance when the unexpected is encountered on the road, collisions both with the thing directly in front of you and those hazards that might be encountered when attempting to avoid the hazard on the road. The short answer is YES, they train you for the exact conditions you describe.

rdorman · #49 (**permalink**) 08-15-2007, 07:51 AM

Mid-Ohio has a program like that called the Teen Defensive Driving Program (they have one for adults as well). Teaches kids how to control cars under situations I had to learn on the street. The county that Mid-Ohio is in requires teen guilty of certain violations to take the course, the repeat incident rate is down 80% as a result of the course. Both of my kids will be taking the course.