When I bought this truck a few years ago it was with the intent of being a DD and one day giving it to my son when he was 16. He will be 16 in November. He has shown zero interest in the truck and has not helped much at all with the 5.0 swap. He will be driving 25 miles round trip to school and my Corolla would be MUCH better for that. Plus the car has A/C. Should I make good on what I said and give him the truck, give him the car since it would be much more practical for him and would likely last him through college, give him the car until he shows he's responsible enough for the truck, or give him the option from the start? The car is in pretty good shape, needs a few cosmetics, but runs great. Gets 38MPG on the highway too. My guess is the truck will get <20.
Did you actually tell him that you were buying the truck with the intent of giving it to him some day? If that was just what was going through your head when you bought the truck, and never said I wouldn't consider it going back on your word.
My first vehicle was my 84 Ranger (RIP), and everyone in the family knew I wanted it years before I turned 16. It was my dad's until I was about 8 then he sold it to my aunt, then it was sold to grandma and loaned back to the same aunt. I think I decided I wanted it at about 12, because I remember telling a friend in my new scout troop that I wanted to put nos on it, and dad smiling said that it was plenty fast enough with out it. He should have known he built the truck back in the late 80s. My grand mother gave me the keys to the truck when I turned 16 (July 2001). About a week later me and dad went down to my aunt's land where it had been mostly sitting for about two years. Dad was apparently happy to have the truck back, he wouldn't let me drive it back and I couldn't keep up with him on the return trip. FWIW I was driving his V8 F-150, and actually trying to keep up. After getting it home my dad and I got it running right, gave it a much needed tune up, replaced the flex exhaust my cousin put on with good pipe. Then he painted it for me new year eve of the same year, that's the only part of the rebuild I didn't help with. No A/C and almost exactly as described in my Sig. Drove it daily (with the exception of 6 month license suspension) until late 2005 when I bought my 99. Still drove it often until I wrapped it around a pecan tree in late 2009.
I say all of that to point out that I really did care about the truck and still wasn't able to keep it up properly. If it had been in today's economy I would have gladly taken mom's 92 Tempo for a daily driver, it got good gas mileage, and had AC. Might have looked like a sky blue turd and been slower than a snail, but at least I could afford to drive it and not roast in the summer heat.
I would have voted for "buy him a disposable $900 POS", but it wasn't an option.
My parents refuse to give my sister a vehicle and she's 20. She doesn't care much about vehicles other than they get her out with friends. Never even thinks about regular maintenance on the truck (02 Ranger 4x4) they let her drive. Luckily she still lives with my parents so dad keeps an eye on it. Think dad's going to take it back when he buys mom a new car, and give her mom's Taurus. It's an 02 as well but is very high miles and close to it's last leg anyway.
I ramble to much, but I vote for loan him the car, but check on it often. Or if you are planning to part with it any way, give it to him. When he has problems let him learn the hard way.
BTW, dad's excited to see that I bought another first gen and am building it as my own. Thought he does think I'm going a little overboard with it, he's probably right.
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